Empire Builder goodies

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carolyn

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Just back from taking the EB from Chicago to ORegon and back, and had the new "goodies" on the way back. Small bottle of champage for each adult when we boarded, plus a box with nuts, a breakfast bar, a dexatrim diet bar, a packet of 2 mints, a full size tube of hand lotion and a (go figure!) cd of elvis presley songs. Since there were 4 of us, we have enough hand lotion and Elvis CDs to last us a while!

The Wine and cheese tasting was ok- I think the staff was just learning the ropes and were reading the "script" verbatum, but the wine was a nice touch.

No cookie tho! ;-(

It was fun to see the changes from one trip to the next (the cars were the same) Felt for the one coach car that had not been updated tho- looked (and smelled....) much rattier than the updated ones.
 
We had the roomettes, which was fun. Was just me and my daughter on the trip west, and the chance to spend 46 hours chatting with my teenaged daughter, uninterrupted, was priceless! No distractions, no internet :) The seats face eachother which is just made for chatting. I would not change a thing!

I think, if me and my husband take the train again, we will get one of the big bedrooms,vs the roomettes (looked at them and they looked great!) But for me and my daughter- she LIKED the "top bunk" so I never had to fight over who got stuck climbing up there each night!

For myself, just walking thru coach made me so glad to have a room! I think the others in coach could make or break the trip- some coaches had many of the curtains closed and folks sleeping (heads and feet hanging into the aisle....) the whole way, others were bright and folks were visiting and chatting....I was always glad to get back to my roomette, saunter down for a cup of coffee, take a shower,... a whole different world!

If you are in a Portland sleeper, (this is seasonal I think?) they attach a coach car on to the back between Chicago and Minneapolis, and this increases the traffic thru the sleeper. Both car attendants "hid" the water and ice and juice because otherwise it would be gone as folks from the back coach car walk thru to the lounge car,etc. The only problem with that for me was the security of your "stuff" in your room when you leave for meals etc. When there is no coach car on the end, it felt fine to leave my cell phone, computer etc sitting out as the only folks back there were other sleeper car folks. We did not think of this when they added the coach car, and our car attendant, Charles, found us in the diner and told us he had closed our curtains and doors for us as our computer was visable.
 
carolyn said:
We did not think of this when they added the coach car, and our car attendant, Charles, found us in the diner and told us he had closed our curtains and doors for us as our computer was visable.
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Wow :eek: , I hope you thanked him very nicely. I'm always glad to hear when an Amtrak employee is thinking, paying attention to things, and doing his/her job. :) Three cheers for Charles!
 
carolyn said:
Just back from taking the EB from Chicago to ORegon and back, and had the new "goodies" on the way back. Small bottle of champage for each adult when we boarded, plus a box with nuts, a breakfast bar, a dexatrim diet bar, a packet of 2 mints, a full size tube of hand lotion and a (go figure!) cd of elvis presley songs. Since there were 4 of us, we have enough hand lotion and Elvis CDs to last us a while! The Wine and cheese tasting was ok- I think the staff was just learning the ropes and were reading the "script" verbatum, but the wine was a nice touch.

No cookie tho! ;-(

It was fun to see the changes from one trip to the next (the cars were the same) Felt for the one coach car that had not been updated tho- looked (and smelled....) much rattier than the updated ones.
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Glad they are still giving out condiments. lucky you. We didnt get anything, we went to L.A. from Okla Cit, Took the Heartland flyer, Texas Eagle, and Sunset Limited. Were the three that we took, and never got anything.

444 Marlin
 
Well the Empire Builder is first to re-introduce the program. Until very recently (like within the past 14 days) they got nothing like the rest of the system. Hopefully this will spread elsewhere throughout the system. Right now there are really only three trains that offer a lot of perks to sleeping car passengers, the Empire Builder, Coast Starlight, and Auto Train. The Coast Starlight offers the Pacific Parlour with nice seating, wine & cheese tastings, movie lounge, etc. The Auto Train is a little less obvious sleeping car passengers are treated to an upgraded Dinner vs. Coach Dinner, and complimentary alcohol.
 
battalion51 said:
The Auto Train is a little less obvious sleeping car passengers are treated to an upgraded Dinner vs. Coach Dinner, and complimentary alcohol.
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There are also free snacks in the cafe car prior to and right after departure. Not sure about coach.

Plus just to be clear, all passengers get free meals, not just those in the sleepers. The meals in the sleeper dining car as noted are better than those served in the coach diner.
 
carolyn said:
If you are in a Portland sleeper, (this is seasonal I think?) they attach a coach car on to the back between Chicago and Minneapolis, and this increases the traffic thru the sleeper. Both car attendants "hid" the water and ice and juice because otherwise it would be gone as folks from the back coach car walk thru to the lounge car,etc.
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The local coach between Chicago and St. Paul is, indeed, seasonal. On rare occasions, they'll even add two coaches (I think, once a year, there is a large convention that travels by train from St. Paul to Chicago, and they add a second coach for that).

Just curious that you noted "both car attendants." Did your sleeper have two attendants, or did your train, somehow, for some reason, have a second Portland sleeper? I don't think I've seen a train with two Portland sleepers in quite some time, but I suppose that it's possible with the relaunched service that they added another car line. I haven't watched the Empire Builder pass by in quite a while, so I'll have to go check it out this weekend.

Anyways, I'll agree that this is annoying when they add an extra coach behind the rear sleeper. Last May, I was on the Texas Eagle when they added an extra coach in St. Louis, and a large group (mostly teenaged kids) boarded. I think each one of them made it a point to visit the lounge and return to their seats at least four times every 10 minutes.

To make matters worse, our HEP failed shortly after we left St. Louis, and some coach passengers were taking refuge in sleeper rooms because they were slightly cooler (no HEP means no air conditioning on the entire train). My sleeper attendant got into a few verbal disagreements with some of the coach passengers, including a couple of comments that caused me to complain about him to customer service after the trip.
 
By "both" attendants, I meant both the one on the way West and the one on the way back East. SOrry! Obviously it is a common issue to have 'coach' folks sneaking off with the water and juice.

I understood folks interest in checking out the sleepers, and of course they want to get to the lounge car, but having to have folks walking past the room over and over got old! Luckily it was during daylight hours and not overnight!

Enjoyed the "freebies" and hope they have simillar on the other long distance trains. Would I pay extra for them....no.
 
444 Marlin said:
Glad they are still giving out condiments. lucky you. We didnt get anything, we went to L.A. from Okla Cit, Took the Heartland flyer, Texas Eagle, and Sunset Limited. Were the three that we took, and never got anything.
444 Marlin
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As far as the condiments, I'd rather they give out mugs or remington pocket knives with train names and logos on them. Santa Fe and Rock Island and Katy used to do the knives, although in this day and age they may not be as appropriate as mugs.
 
Mugs would be good...really anything "keep-able" would be better than addtional snacks and the Elvis CD :lol: But I am glad Amtrak is making the effort.
 
Midland Valley said:
444 Marlin said:
Glad they are still giving out  condiments. lucky you. We didnt get anything, we went to L.A. from Okla Cit, Took the Heartland flyer, Texas Eagle,  and Sunset Limited. Were the three that we took, and never got anything.

444 Marlin
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As far as the condiments, I'd rather they give out mugs or remington pocket knives with train names and logos on them. Santa Fe and Rock Island and Katy used to do the knives, although in this day and age they may not be as appropriate as mugs.
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I agree with you, Midland Valley, I would like to see coffee mugs, ash trays, pocket knives etc, you have a good point, and I hope they are listening.

444 Marlin
 
As far as the boxed goodies, these are products provided to Amtrak free of charge by the companies who make them........to be used as Samplers. the Elvis CD is a good example. Would Amtrak provide that if they had to pay for them......NO.

The suggesgtion of knives is simply not even sensible.

Auto Train gave out coffee mugs for a period last year as a "reward" if your car was one of the last ones off the carriers.

Remember, these things cost a lot more than a cookie or wine and cheese and are subject to pilferage.

Be happy with what you get........even if it is only a train ride for your money.
 
Trust me; I am always grateful for anything someone gives me. When I die, my boys will have a fun time going through my stuff and wondering, "Why did Dad keep this empty Amtrak Truffle box?"
 
444 Marlin said:
I agree with you, Midland Valley, I would like to see coffee mugs, ash trays, pocket knives etc, you have a good point, and I hope they are listening.
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As a nonsmoker riding on an entirely nonsmoking train I would be highly offended if I was given an ASH TRY as a souvenir for my journey!

:eek:

Pocket knives would make nice gifts but given the hassles of security issues we now face systemwide they would not seem as appropriate as they once would have. Why invite an altercation by giving passengers a possible weapon?

:huh:
 
I understand that. However, I used to have two commemorative ash trays (in boxes) from the old Turquoise Room of the AT&SF Super Chief untill I let a guy talk me out of them; for money of course. But! Being a non drinker, I would have to pass on the wine, unless we were going to have an Episcopalian Communion service. The cheese sounds great though.

Actually. I am happy with my ticket stub, seat check or dining car reservation card or whatever.
 
Midland Valley said:
I understand that.  However, I used to have two commemorative ash trays (in boxes) from the old Turquoise Room of the AT&SF Super Chief untill I let a guy talk me out of them; for money of course.  But!  Being a non drinker, I would have to pass on the wine, unless we were going to have an Episcopalian Communion service.  The cheese sounds great though.Actually. I am happy with my ticket stub, seat check or dining car reservation card or whatever.
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You bring back pleasant memories, Midland Valley. My sister and I each have a Turquoise Room ashtray from the Super Chief.
 
Have any pictures of the refurbished lounges been posted anywhere? I'm taking the EB in October, but am anxious to see what the redone lounges look like now!
 
Did I understand it right? Does coach people get their prices included in their fare? If so, that is new.
 
Guest_Gingee said:
Did I understand it right? Does coach people get their prices included in their fare? If so, that is new.
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Huh? :huh: What prices included in their fare? Coach passengers are only paying for their transportation aboard the train. Any snacks, beverages, perks, and meals in the dining room are at their own, additional, expense.
 
It was mentioned earlier in the thread that Auto-Train coach passengers get free meals. On the EB builder, they don't!
 
Ah, I missed that one. Just to clarify things, the Auto Train is the *only* Amtrak train in which coach passengers get anything more than their basic transportation.
 
I am quoting Alan.

Plus just to be clear, all passengers get free meals, not just those in the sleepers. The meals in the sleeper dining car as noted are better than those served in the coach diner.

That's where it got goofed up.
 
According to this, coach passengers get free meals too......

QUOTE (battalion51 @ Fri, Aug 12, 2005, 10:24 AM)

The Auto Train is a little less obvious sleeping car passengers are treated to an upgraded Dinner vs. Coach Dinner, and complimentary alcohol.

There are also free snacks in the cafe car prior to and right after departure. Not sure about coach.

Plus just to be clear, all passengers get free meals, not just those in the sleepers. The meals in the sleeper dining car as noted are better than those served in the coach diner
 
Freebee stuff is a good idea since it doesn't cost Amtrak money. It means alot to some people. Instead of a knife, a mini (imitation) mag lite would be a good choice and maybe some native american flute music. A little work could probably yield some better themed freebees.
 

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