Do you get a wake up call?

[SrLdy]

I will be going from npn to tol next month, the train is due there around 5 a.m.,, I have a sleeper,, my question is should I bring a travel alarm clock ( which may disturb my fellow sleepers) or will I get a wake up call from the car attendant?

 

[Rail Freak]

I will be going from npn to tol next month, the train is due there around 5 a.m.,, I have a sleeper,, my question is should I bring a travel alarm clock ( which may disturb my fellow sleepers) or will I get a wake up call from the car attendant?

How does the car attendant wake you?

 

[AlanB]

I would both bring an alarm clock, as well as asking your attendant to wake you up. Preferably have the attendant be first, that way you can turn off the alarm before it rings. But at least you have a backup. However, it is the attendant's job to make sure that you wake up and get off the train at the correct stop. If they fail to do that, they've got some serious explaining to do to management.

 

[AlanB]

How does the car attendant wake you?

They bang on the door.

 

[Rail Freak]

How does the car attendant wake you?

They bang on the door.

To wake me up,that will louder than the alarm!

 

[the_traveler]

I've never detrained from a sleeper in the middle of the night, but I have in coach. An example is I got off in SLC ~3 AM. The coach attendant woke me ~2:30 AM and said SLC will be in about 30 minutes.

 

[Rail Freak]

I've never detrained from a sleeper in the middle of the night, but I have in coach. An example is I got off in SLC ~3 AM. The coach attendant woke me ~2:30 AM and said SLC will be in about 30 minutes.

I'm gonna want a wake up call in order to get a head start on the shower, breakfast an maybe the Sightseer, Does that make sense, again, this is my 1st!!! :unsure:

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Depends how fast you "hop to it" and get moving in the morning.7

 

[sechs]

I find that I fall into "train time" pretty easily. Depending on the time of year, I go to bed an hour or two after the sun goes down, and wake up at first light. I get breakfast as soon as I can get appropriate clothing on and stumble into the diner.

When in a roomette, I find it easier to take showers in the late morning or early afternoon, after the attendant has had a chance to clean and restock the shower.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I just mean, you sometimes need a klaxon coupled with a bucket of ice water to get me to stir, grumble, give a dirty glare, and fall back to sleep.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I always have an alarm clock as a back up. I have almost never had an attendant fail to wake me up, but sometimes they are a ltitle late.

My usual wake- up call is 6 a.m. since breakfast is normally ready at 6:30. It can take a bit longer to change clothes on a train than in your home. It is an experience worth living!!

I suppose attendants are extremely careful to get you off off in the night--I have seldom need them for that, but for me it is usually just wake up for breakfast and get the day started!!

By the way,if you need off in the middle of the night, it will not necessarily be your attendant, they sleep in cycles, and---not sure---but sometimes it just may be that the conductor willl wake you up,also. I THINK I have experienced that. The attendants have to sleep also. They work it out somehow. Sometime if your attendant is eating dinner (yep, they have to do that, too!) another attendant will answer your call should you need assitance .

 

[VentureForth]

I'm gonna want a wake up call in order to get a head start on the shower, breakfast an maybe the Sightseer, Does that make sense, again, this is my 1st!!! :unsure:

Sure it does. I like to get up about an hour and a half before my arrival to get a shower and breakfast. You probably won't have breakfast, so 45 minutes should get you packed, showered and some time to enjoy your approach to your station. Maybe if the attendant gets you up in time, s/he can start up a fresh pot of coffee for you (a fragrance perhaps enjoyed by all sleeping pax).

I've used the alarm on my cell phone and it's worked great. If you have a very small alarm clock, I wouldn't think that bringing it is a problem. Just be sure to set the time and the alarm for the time zone you're scheduled to arrive in!

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

I've used the alarm on my cell phone and it's worked great. If you have a very small alarm clock, I wouldn't think that bringing it is a problem. Just be sure to set the time and the alarm for the time zone you're scheduled to arrive in!

Hmm, and some cell phones like to synchronize themselves to the clock at the cell tower automatically.

I'm fairly sure I've had to manually adjust my cell phone for DST some times and not other times, and I have never left the Eastern time zone in the time I have had my current cell phone, which leaves me wondering whether or not the phone will automatically adjust itself when I get to the Central time zone.

It would be really nice if the Amtrak time table explicity stated where the time zone boundaries are. For the Lake Shore Limited, I'm sure OH is in Eastern time and IL is in Central time, but parsing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana to figure out which timezone in the Indiana portition of the trip is in is nontrivial.

 

[AlanB]

I've used the alarm on my cell phone and it's worked great. If you have a very small alarm clock, I wouldn't think that bringing it is a problem. Just be sure to set the time and the alarm for the time zone you're scheduled to arrive in!

Hmm, and some cell phones like to synchronize themselves to the clock at the cell tower automatically.

I'm fairly sure I've had to manually adjust my cell phone for DST some times and not other times, and I have never left the Eastern time zone in the time I have had my current cell phone, which leaves me wondering whether or not the phone will automatically adjust itself when I get to the Central time zone.

Most cell phones today will automatically adjust for the timezone change. Note: You may still be a few miles past the official "line" before you phone adjusts, since you might still be reaching a tower back in the old TZ.

It would be really nice if the Amtrak time table explicity stated where the time zone boundaries are. For the Lake Shore Limited, I'm sure OH is in Eastern time and IL is in Central time, but parsing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana to figure out which timezone in the Indiana portition of the trip is in is nontrivial.

Amtrak timetables do tell you where the TZ changes, although they do it based up the first station in the new TZ. If they told you exactly where the "line" was, it would be useless to most people, since most people would have no clue where they actually are, unless the train is stopped in a station.

 

[the_traveler]

Hmm, and some cell phones like to synchronize themselves to the clock at the cell tower automatically.
I'm fairly sure I've had to manually adjust my cell phone for DST some times and not other times, and I have never left the Eastern time zone in the time I have had my current cell phone, which leaves me wondering whether or not the phone will automatically adjust itself when I get to the Central time zone.

It would be really nice if the Amtrak time table explicity stated where the time zone boundaries are. For the Lake Shore Limited, I'm sure OH is in Eastern time and IL is in Central time, but parsing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana to figure out which timezone in the Indiana portition of the trip is in is nontrivial.

Yes, they will (at least most cell phones - my Tracfone does not) adjust automatically to the time zone you're in. I live in the Eastern zone, but when I fly to (say) Las Vegas (NV), my cell phone shows Pacific time!

One thing about using the cell as your alarm clock, it depends on where you're located at the time. For 6 years in the 90's, I lived in Bullhead City, AZ (between and north of Kingman, AZ and Needles, CA). However, my cell phone reception came from Las Vegas, NV. Arizona is in the Mountain time zone, while CA and NV are in the Pacific time zone. (And to make matters worse, AZ does not observe DST!)

So, when you are between KNG and NDL, your cell phone may have the wrong time. It may be off 1 hour either way.

FYI - IIRC, all of IN is now Eastern zone.

I'm sure there are other examples.

 

[MrFSS]

FYI - IIRC, all of IN is now Eastern zone.
I'm sure there are other examples.

Not all -

Most of Indiana is in the Eastern Zone

Including these Cities:

Bloomington

Fort Wayne

Indianapolis

Muncie

South Bend

Parts of Western Indiana are in the Central Zone

These 12 Counties:

Gibson, Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Porter, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Perry, and Starke

​

 

[the_traveler]

FYI - IIRC, all of IN is now Eastern zone.
I'm sure there are other examples.

Not all -

Most of Indiana is in the Eastern Zone

Including these Cities:

Bloomington

Fort Wayne

Indianapolis

Muncie

South Bend

Parts of Western Indiana are in the Central Zone

These 12 Counties:

Gibson, Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Porter, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Perry, and Starke

​

It was that way, but I thought I heard that staring this year (or recently) all of IN was going to be in the ET? :huh:

Am I wrong? :huh:

 

[MrFSS]

FYI - IIRC, all of IN is now Eastern zone.
I'm sure there are other examples.

Not all -

Most of Indiana is in the Eastern Zone

Including these Cities:

Bloomington

Fort Wayne

Indianapolis

Muncie

South Bend

Parts of Western Indiana are in the Central Zone

These 12 Counties:

Gibson, Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Porter, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Perry, and Starke

It was that way, but I thought I heard that staring this year (or recently) all of IN was going to be in the ET? :huh:

Am I wrong? :huh:

Yes - Indiana has been in the ETZ for many years (1950's). It is only recently that they started observing day light savings with most of the rest of the country.

 

[the_traveler]

Yes - Indiana has been in the ETZ for many years (1950's). It is only recently that they started observing day light savings with most of the rest of the country.

I knew they said something different recently.

 

[MrFSS]

Yes - Indiana has been in the ETZ for many years (1950's). It is only recently that they started observing day light savings with most of the rest of the country.

I knew they said something different recently.

I traveled on business all over Indiana for many years. When they didn't observe DST it could become very interesting. Border towns near larger cities in the border state would "adopt" DST unofficially so their residents that crossed the border into a DST zone didn't have to live in one zone and work in another. But the government (City, County, State) offices and operations kept with non-DST as required by law. So, when you made an appointment to see someone you always had to ask what time system the appointment was for. I many times showed up an hour early or an hour late. But, sometimes I got to eat lunch twice!

 

[GG-1]

Hmm, and some cell phones like to synchronize themselves to the clock at the cell tower automatically.

I'm fairly sure I've had to manually adjust my cell phone for DST some times and not other times, and I have never left the Eastern time zone in the time I have had my current cell phone, which leaves me wondering whether or not the phone will automatically adjust itself when I get to the Central time zone.

Aloha

I believe all Cell phones can use "Network "Time, There is a setting to make it do so. Currently I am trying to find that choice on my new one, But can't, until It gets activated tomorrow, was delivered two hours ago. Has twice the features I want but does have a strong signal rating, and can be used on airplane in non-phone mode.

Eric

 

[SrLdy]

Yes - Indiana has been in the ETZ for many years (1950's). It is only recently that they started observing day light savings with most of the rest of the country.

I knew they said something different recently.

I traveled on business all over Indiana for many years. When they didn't observe DST it could become very interesting. Border towns near larger cities in the border state would "adopt" DST unofficially so their residents that crossed the border into a DST zone didn't have to live in one zone and work in another. But the government (City, County, State) offices and operations kept with non-DST as required by law. So, when you made an appointment to see someone you always had to ask what time system the appointment was for. I many times showed up an hour early or an hour late. But, sometimes I got to eat lunch twice!

Thank You All for that information,, will take a back up alarm clock,, but mainly rely on being woke up by a knock on my door.. I don't worry about a shower, had a bad experience on the only other time I had a sleeper, went to take a shower,, forgot my shampoo, tried to open the door and it was stuck.. tried a few more times then rang the buzzer for help,, heard passenger's on the other side telling me to push the bolt harder,,, took a while, but finally got out,, with a bruised hand,, I could see on the bolt a lot of scratch marks,, so I guess others may have had a hard time with this also,,, there should be a key to open the door,, But all in all, enjoyed my first "sleeper" ride,, On a adventure a little rain may fall, or in this case no "shower" will wash up in bathroom best as I can...