Chicago Metropolitan Lounge access

[brazzman]

My friend and I will be laying over this Friday at the Chicago Union Station until the 3pm SWC #3 departure. I'm going all the way to LAX with a sleeper reservation but he will be going only as far as Kansas City in coach. My question; do you think the rules about only admitting sleeper car riders access to the Metro. Lounge can be relaxed to also admit my friend since we're traveling together? We're originating from Dearborn on the Wolverine #351. It'll be a 3-4 hour wait until boarding the SWC #3.

 

[SubwayNut]

I know as a Select+ (Amtrak Status) member I can access all lounges with one guest. Don't know if sleeping car passengers have the privileges.

Are you in your sleeper alone?

Why not have your friend change his couch ticket to an open sleeper ticket (assuming your alone in your room) and he can be the second passenger in your room until KC and you can both get dinner for free (he will eat as the second passenger) included in your fare (you would though not have access to a coach seat and his seat will be in your room).

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I got into the lounge with a friend who had arrived in a sleeper (and I arrived on the same train in coach). He may have had a Select card, but he did not show it as I recall, just his sleepr ticket.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I got into the lounge with a friend who had arrived in a sleeper (and I arrived on the same train in coach). He may have had a Select card, but he did not show it as I recall, just his sleepr ticket.

The same Morning I was Denied Access to the Metro Lounge by the Same Attendant (an Old White Guy whose Name I didnt get?) even though I had just arrived on the LSL in a Sleeper with a Group of other AUers attending the Gathering in CHI! He Wouldnt Even let me Enter as a "Guest" of an AU member who is Select Plus, insisted on me Showing hHm My "Ticket!" ( I had Lost my e-ticket and he Wouldnt Look it Up because he was "too Busy!" Guess I got this Years "Wolverine" (Kevin) Award for being Hassled by Metro Lounge Staff!

 

[brazzman]

Thanks SubwayNut & AmtrakBlue. I'll see if I can worm our way in.

 

[brazzman]

I got into the lounge with a friend who had arrived in a sleeper (and I arrived on the same train in coach). He may have had a Select card, but he did not show it as I recall, just his sleepr ticket.

The same Morning I was Denied Access to the Metro Lounge by the Same Attendant (an Old White Guy whose Name I didnt get?) even though I had just arrived on the LSL in a Sleeper with a Group of other AUers attending the Gathering in CHI! He Wouldnt Even let me Enter as a "Guest" of an AU member who is Select Plus, insisted on me Showing hHm My "Ticket!" ( I had Lost my e-ticket and he Wouldnt Look it Up because he was "too Busy!" Guess I got this Years "Wolverine" (Kevin) Award for being Hassled by Metro Lounge Staff!

Oh, oh - that doesn't sound good!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks SubwayNut & AmtrakBlue. I'll see if I can worm our way in.

Hopefully you'll use Subway Nut's Great Idea and have your Friend Book an "Open" Sleeper Ticket so they can use the Lounge and Share your Room and have Dinner as was Suggested! The Cost is the Same, just involves making a Phone Call to Amtrak!

 

[the_traveler]

Thanks SubwayNut & AmtrakBlue. I'll see if I can worm our way in.

Hopefully you'll use Subway Nut's Great Idea and have your Friend Book an "Open" Sleeper Ticket so they can use the Lounge and Share your Room and have Dinner as was Suggested! The Cost is the Same, just involves making a Phone Call to Amtrak!

Actually it may not be!
The accommodation charge for the room is the same for either 1 or 2, and includes meals in the Dining Car for both. So for that, there would be no difference in fare. But when you get, or are included in, a sleeper, the rail fare portion drops to the lowest bucket (fare)! So if your friend paid anything but the lowest bucket, it will be CHEAPER!

 

[AlanB]

Thanks SubwayNut & AmtrakBlue. I'll see if I can worm our way in.

Hopefully you'll use Subway Nut's Great Idea and have your Friend Book an "Open" Sleeper Ticket so they can use the Lounge and Share your Room and have Dinner as was Suggested! The Cost is the Same, just involves making a Phone Call to Amtrak!

Actually it may not be!
The accommodation charge for the room is the same for either 1 or 2, and includes meals in the Dining Car for both. So for that, there would be no difference in fare. But when you get, or are included in, a sleeper, the rail fare portion drops to the lowest bucket (fare)! So if your friend paid anything but the lowest bucket, it will be CHEAPER!

If you booked the reservation initially as an open sleeper, then you get the lowest bucket. However, I'm not sure that any adjustment is made after the fact if you just modify the existing reservation to an open sleeper. It might happen, but I'm not sure that it will.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Well, the Amtrak Master and the AGR Guru don't have the Definitive Answer to this Question! I Wonder if you called Amtrak and asked 10 Agents if you would get 10 Different Answers?? :hi:

I've always thought that it was Amtrak Policy that When 2 or More People Booked a Sleeping Car, they each Paid the Low Bucket Rail Fare but of Course in the Case of the Accommodation Charge the Bucket @ the Time the Rez is made is What Determines the Current Total Fare to be Paid! So it Could Be Lower, Higher or the Same Depending on the Accommodation Charge and the Rail Fare Bucket @ the Time the Modification is Made????? h34r:

 

[Shortline]

Meh-Skip the lounge entirely, it's too crowded anyway- I don't see much benefit for it, every time I've been in there, it's just as crowded as all the other waiting rooms and almost as noisy-If you have a sleeper room, and don't need to "get ahead of the line" for a seat, what's the rush? Hang out at the Metro Deli enjoying a frosty beverage until 10-15 min before, then mosey on out to your train. Unless I'm storing bags to leave the station for a while, I don't use the Met much.

 

[brazzman]

Yeah - at this late date (leaving Friday 7am tomorrow) all of it seems like too much af a hastle for this newbie. My friend and I will just hang out in the regular waiting area, check out the food court and meet up on board in the diner car, lounge and cafe' car. He can afford that steak anyway!

Are there rules & regs about having a friend from coach visit me in my roomette ?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

You should ask your SCA if it's ok with him/her to invite your friend for a visit.

 

[brazzman]

OK, thanks. Good idea.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Meh-Skip the lounge entirely, it's too crowded anyway- I don't see much benefit for it, every time I've been in there, it's just as crowded as all the other waiting rooms and almost as noisy-If you have a sleeper room, and don't need to "get ahead of the line" for a seat, what's the rush? Hang out at the Metro Deli enjoying a frosty beverage until 10-15 min before, then mosey on out to your train. Unless I'm storing bags to leave the station for a while, I don't use the Met much.

I wholeheartedly agree with Shortline on this. In my view the Metropolitan Lounge is useful for dropping off luggage or using the restroom, but it's not a very pleasant or interesting place to sit and wait for hours on end. Normally being around trains is rather enjoyable for me, but in Chicago you won't see anything from the Lounge and they'll forbid you to visit the platforms before you board.

I'm not sure how adventurous you are but I'd probably spend that time exploring downtown or having a sit down meal in a unique restaurant or a drink in a nice bar rather than waiting in some dingy lounge. For me it seems like there's always something new to discover or something old to remember in Chicago. O'Hare and Midway are out in generic suburbia, but Union Station is just across the river from the heart of the city. Why not have a look around?

If you're determined to get your friend into the Metropolitan Lounge anyway, just hang out at a distance until you see several folks waiting for something at the front desk. If you look like you belong and know what you're doing you'll probably be able to walk right in behind them without being disturbed. On the other hand, if you look unkempt or unsure of your status then you're bound to invite a challenge.

 

[Steve4031]

It's not that hard to add him to your room. His coach fare won't go up and might go down. Just go to the ticket window and get it done. It's worth the effort IMHO.

 

[Ryan]

It's not that hard to add him to your room. His coach fare won't go up and might go down. Just go to the ticket window and get it done. It's worth the effort IMHO.

This.

 

[amamba]

It's not that hard to add him to your room. His coach fare won't go up and might go down. Just go to the ticket window and get it done. It's worth the effort IMHO.

This.

I agree.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

It's not that hard to add him to your room. His coach fare won't go up and might go down. Just go to the ticket window and get it done. It's worth the effort IMHO.

This.

I agree.

While that's a perfectly valid suggestion I think it's important to keep in mind that there are different levels of friendship. Perhaps the OP would prefer to retain the opportunity to be alone from time to time. Or maybe the OP doesn't want to smother his friend with constant company. I enjoy having company with me on the train, but I also enjoy having some personal space when I'm done being social. A sleeper compartment is a bit more intimate than sharing a coach row, kind of like a tiny hotel room. If a member asked us how to get his friend into the club lounge of a hotel would you casually suggest they share a room together?

 

[SubwayNut]

If it was overnight I'd understand, and wouldn't have necessarily made the suggestionbut this is a day trip for the friend and there is always the Sightseer Lounge if one of them wants to get away!

If you want to get away from your travel companion and cozy roomette, that's what the Sightseer Lounge is for (I know from experience let a buddy join me in my roomette for free, he assumed he would at least have to pay the railfare, for my 3 night points redemption I was already planning for the summer. Those Roomettes do get tight after a while and I definitely spent a bit of the trip in the Sightseer Lounge. We still had all our meals together, were still good friends.).

 

[Steve4031]

My advice was based upon the amount of effort needed to add friend to roomette. The OP asked about having the person visit roomette. Knowing that some scas might be reluctant to allow this, it seemed simpler to just do the open sleeper ticket. The OP can make the determination if he wants to share the room for 8 hours.

 

[the_traveler]

I also agree.

It is essentially a "day trip". If they don't want to spend 8 hours "cooped" up in a little room together, they don't have to. After the tickets are scanned in CHI, one person can go to the SSL until dinner. They don't even have to eat at the same time, and even if it is the same time, if they go separately (especially one from the sleeper side and one from the SSL side), they may not even have to sit together. After dinner, one can go back to the SSL for the remainder of the 8 hour trip!

And if I personally had a choice of staying in the ML vs "the bullpen, having an included meal and possibly saving some money, I would do so!

As you yourself said in another thread, "You have to be creative"!

 

[RickIronton]

Am I naive, are is it just as simple as stating the your friend is the second passenger in the sleeper and when you sign the dinner voucher in dining, you both are covered by the sleeper regulations?

 

[AlanB]

Am I naive, are is it just as simple as stating the your friend is the second passenger in the sleeper and when you sign the dinner voucher in dining, you both are covered by the sleeper regulations?

No; you must be ticketed into the sleeper to get the second meal. If the crew checks the manifest and sees only 1 person listed, they may come looking for the money.

 

[SubwayNut]

Unfortunately, You can't be traveling alone, meet someone from coach and take them out to the diner as if their your second room occupant.