Roomette in Retrospect

[Kevin L.]

Today I went to BWI's amtrakland, my first time in the little station. The amtrak attendant had a fun time plowing through reservations on her first ever USA rail pass job, but despite upgrade charges and full trains, we managed to get through it.

I managed to find an affordable roomette on the very economical California Zephyr. (From EMY to CHI is only 145 bucks, yet from WAS to Richmond round trip can be over 100?)

So I reserved the roomette, before some other person got it.

My question is this--I didn't tell them that my traveling friend was going to also be using it, and I forgot to ask because some drunk notre dame loser fanboys came in, and between their cutting in line, rude behavior, overpowering pathetic stench of light-beer saturated clothing, inability to walk in a straight line, getting themselves beaten by a cabby in an altercation that they started, and amtrak having to admonish them, asking about the roomette slipped my mind.

(Thankfully I won't be going through South Bend, Indiana.)

How can I get my friend on my pre-paid ticket?

 

[Trogdor]

Call Amtrak at 1800-USA-RAIL. Give them your reservation number, and your friend's reservation number.

 

[Kevin L.]

Call Amtrak at 1800-USA-RAIL. Give them your reservation number, and your friend's reservation number.

He has yet to reserve himself on the train. So he gets himself a reservation number, he gives it to me, I call them, and they stuff him on the ticket? Can it really be that easy?

 

[the_traveler]

(Thankfully I won't be going through South Bend, Indiana.)

You must be going on the Cardinal then - because both the CL and LSL go thru SOB. Unless you're getting to CHI on the CONO.

 

[Trogdor]

Call Amtrak at 1800-USA-RAIL. Give them your reservation number, and your friend's reservation number.

He has yet to reserve himself on the train. So he gets himself a reservation number, he gives it to me, I call them, and they stuff him on the ticket? Can it really be that easy?

If he doesn't already have a reservation, then you should be able to call Amtrak and put him on yours.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

I managed to find an affordable roomette on the very economical California Zephyr. (From EMY to CHI is only 145 bucks, yet from WAS to Richmond round trip can be over 100?)

Remember, it's not about Amtrak's cost of doing business, it's about how much space is available today on equipment Amtrak bought years ago. Feel free to write to your legislators asking them to get Amtrak to buy more equipment, and perhaps to even establish some guidelines for target ticket prices and a program for buying more rolling stock when Amtrak is unable to find space for all the passengers wanting to buy tikcets at those target prices.

(Thankfully I won't be going through South Bend, Indiana.)

What's wrong with SOB?

 

[Kevin L.]

What's wrong with SOB?

The losers at the amtrak station were from Notre Dame, which is in the proximity of South Bend, Indiana. They were such great ambassadors of an alleged elite school.

Anyhow, my friend called amtrak and gave them the car/room number for the roomette on the trip instead of my reservation number, and instead of telling him to get the reservation number from me, they said they'd "send me an email to confirm the addition", an email which was promised over an hour ago and I have not yet received. Normally amtrak has responded in less than an hour from any email request I've given them.

So if I don't get that email, I'll have to call them with his reservation number, and they'll have to confirm it with him, and a ring will ensue? This can't just be easy, can it?

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

What's wrong with SOB?

The losers at the amtrak station were from Notre Dame, which is in the proximity of South Bend, Indiana. They were such great ambassadors of an alleged elite school.

Are you talking about passengers, or the station staff?

 

[Kevin L.]

What's wrong with SOB?

The losers at the amtrak station were from Notre Dame, which is in the proximity of South Bend, Indiana. They were such great ambassadors of an alleged elite school.

Are you talking about passengers, or the station staff?

A bunch of passengers who were trying to "book like right now" to avoid "the popo" who they thought was coming after them for their stupidity.

 

[wayman]

A bunch of passengers who were trying to "book like right now" to avoid "the popo" who they thought was coming after them for their stupidity.

One might say they were SOBs from SOB trying to persuade the station agent to give them expedited service ... with a "sob story"

 

[Kevin L.]

Yes, one might say that

On a better note, I called up Amtrak, and in 17 minutes and 49 seconds they had added my friend to my CZ roomette, and added my 262 dollars worth of roomette to my Amtrak Guest Rewards account (something I had forgotten to do when buying the roomette in person).

My only complaint is that their hold music kept fading in and out, was really tinny, and had static and was really hard to hear. Not a major complaint, by any means.

It'd be nice if they'd give me the AGR card before my first trip, not after, but I've already memorized my number, and that's all you'd need to use AGR with a real attendant at the station, right? (They won't sue to see the card?)

 

[sky12065]

A bunch of passengers who were trying to "book like right now" to avoid "the popo" who they thought was coming after them for their stupidity.

One might say they were SOBs from SOB trying to persuade the station agent to give them expedited service ... with a "sob story"

Let's be fair and say that not all SOB's at SOB with sob stories are SOB SOB's! :blink: {I wonder how Gilbert Gottfried would have put that?}

 

[the_traveler]

It'd be nice if they'd give me the AGR card before my first trip, not after, but I've already memorized my number, and that's all you'd need to use AGR with a real attendant at the station, right? (They won't sue to see the card?)

You don't need the AGR card (really) at all. As long as you know your AGR number, that's all that matters. Oh sure, it's easier to just pull out your card to read the number, but as long as you know it (or have it written somewhere), you do not need a "card" at all. (My number is shown on my AGR MasterCard, but if you ask me where's my AGR card, I'll say "I have no idea!")

 

[AlanB]

The only people who absolutely carry their AGR all the time are those with Select Plus status, since the card gains you admission to any Club Acela or Metropolitan lounge. Otherwise, one doesn't normally need to carry the card. And taking your first ride has little to do with getting your card. It's just so late in the year now that they are probably not issuing any new cards. They'll just send them out when they run the cards for the new year.

And I always know where my card is, because I use it all the time to get into the lounge, even when I'm not riding Amtrak.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Note that AGR cards are very different in this regard from cards that demonstrate that you're entitled to a discount (such as AAA, NARP, etc); you are (in theory, at least) required to have the card with you that proves your eligibility for the discount when you pick up tickets and take the trip.

But if you mention your AGR number when making the reservation, that should take care of things, and if you save the ticket stub, that should enable to you get AGR credit even if your AGR number wasn't originally associated with the reservation.

 

[RRrich]

I just made SELECT - does that mean I'll get a card? I don't think I ever got an AGR card, but the number is on my Amtrak Mastercard

 

[AlanB]

I just made SELECT - does that mean I'll get a card? I don't think I ever got an AGR card, but the number is on my Amtrak Mastercard

You should have gotten a regular card way back when.

As for Select, this late in the year you may or may not get a new card. And with the transfer now ongoing of AGR from Carlson to a new company in Canada, all bets are off about new cards right now.

But you'll certainly get a new card with your kit for next year. Typically they arrive mid-Feb.