Combining Reservations After Making Them

[river]

I have a train trip reserved on the CZ from CHI to EMY this coming January with its own reservation number, of course. However, I still need to get to CHI--a prior train ride on the Pere Marquette. I have not made that reservation pending the potential weather situation, because I am still considering taking the train into CHI a day early to ensure we are in CHI to board the CZ at 2 PM.

If I do decide to make reservations to take the train to CHI the morning of our departure, will Amtrak be able and willing to combine the reservation into one, so that the connections are guaranteed? There would be about a 3.5 hr layover if the trains were all on time. Amtrak would also be willing to combine them even if we left a day early I'm assuming at this point. I thinking having guaranteed connections is the way to go and have read that the entire trip must be under one reservations # to be guaranteed.

I see I can get 20% off on my travel on the Pere Marquette leg during our travel time. Should I just do that reservation on-line (getting a different reservation #) and then call Amtrak after the fact to combine them? Or should I just call and have them combine them from the get go. I don't want to mess with starting over as the price bucket for our sleeping accomodations has risen.

Thanks

 

[Ryan]

Here's my experience with trying to do that - I called several times to get my LAX-CHI and CHI-WAS linked. I was told both times that it didn't matter, as a connecting passenger I would be treated the same way as everyone was with tickets on one reservation. We arrived in CHI just in time to catch the Cap, so I never got to test the theory out.

 

[Trogdor]

You can add a segment onto an existing reservation, so you might as well do that. It won't impact the bucket you have on your other train.