Select Your Own Sleeper Room Number Online?
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The reservation system, Arrow, is beyond an antique.
Amtrak IT has shown itself to be a clown show.
Amtrak IT has shown itself to be a clown show.
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I can understand it to a point and it would take a lot of work for Amtrak to fix.
There are very few rooms available on a train when one thinks about it. The ideal situation is for those making shorter trips to be assigned to rooms that are taken for all of the rest of the time or as much as possible so if, in the CZ,e.g., the best room for someone going from DEN to GJT would be the one used for CHI to DEN then GJT to SAC than an unused room to maximize yield. Those making early reservations for a short trip can tie up all the rooms leaving none for those through passengers. For 150 seats in two coaches, it is problem enough but for 10 regular BRs in two sleepers, that's a big problem with such small availability to begin with. Worse, throw in the "deluxe" room which is two adjacent ones limited to B-C and D-E of which there are only four in two sleepers.
As much as I'd like to be able to select my room automatically, I think it would be a nightmare for Amtrak to implement both from a technical point of view and a customer relations issue. Just the automated selection criteria used now is probably too simplistic to handle the existing situation well and Amtrak probably wishes rooms would be unassigned until 2 weeks before the train's departure. I imaging those calling for specific rooms mess up their layout as it is.
Lets face it. Amtrak can't even publish information on which cars are facing which direction and whether the sleepers are at the back or front so one can't even tell whether the couch is facing forward or not in a specific BR or whether the roomette you are in is on the left or right.
For the simpler Auto Train, it would be a much smaller issue but for others, it might be possible to phase in a system where initially only those going from end to end can pick their rooms albeit limited in BRs e.g. to one of B-E that already has the companion room used unless there are none that qualify or the A room. This would permit the availability of the "deluxe" combination as long as possible and maximize the room usage for those rooms.
I'd have to put this issue near the bottom of Amtrak's priorities.
There are very few rooms available on a train when one thinks about it. The ideal situation is for those making shorter trips to be assigned to rooms that are taken for all of the rest of the time or as much as possible so if, in the CZ,e.g., the best room for someone going from DEN to GJT would be the one used for CHI to DEN then GJT to SAC than an unused room to maximize yield. Those making early reservations for a short trip can tie up all the rooms leaving none for those through passengers. For 150 seats in two coaches, it is problem enough but for 10 regular BRs in two sleepers, that's a big problem with such small availability to begin with. Worse, throw in the "deluxe" room which is two adjacent ones limited to B-C and D-E of which there are only four in two sleepers.
As much as I'd like to be able to select my room automatically, I think it would be a nightmare for Amtrak to implement both from a technical point of view and a customer relations issue. Just the automated selection criteria used now is probably too simplistic to handle the existing situation well and Amtrak probably wishes rooms would be unassigned until 2 weeks before the train's departure. I imaging those calling for specific rooms mess up their layout as it is.
Lets face it. Amtrak can't even publish information on which cars are facing which direction and whether the sleepers are at the back or front so one can't even tell whether the couch is facing forward or not in a specific BR or whether the roomette you are in is on the left or right.
For the simpler Auto Train, it would be a much smaller issue but for others, it might be possible to phase in a system where initially only those going from end to end can pick their rooms albeit limited in BRs e.g. to one of B-E that already has the companion room used unless there are none that qualify or the A room. This would permit the availability of the "deluxe" combination as long as possible and maximize the room usage for those rooms.
I'd have to put this issue near the bottom of Amtrak's priorities.
Well, I may be the one who messes with the algorithm because I always call so I can get a room I like (not downstairs, not transdorm)
.
Although I do usually go the whole route or close to it. On the Builder I board/detrain the second stop out of Seattle.
.Although I do usually go the whole route or close to it. On the Builder I board/detrain the second stop out of Seattle.
Dakota 400
Engineer
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Well, I may be the one who messes with the algorithm because I always call so I can get a room I like (not downstairs, not transdorm)
Although I do usually go the whole route or close to it. On the Builder I board/detrain the second stop out of Seattle.
This is what I do as well. Always have to call in order to get a specific room or room location.. (I do like the lower level roomettes.)
AmarilloByMornin
Train Attendant
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- Jul 31, 2017
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Same here. It's too hard to lug my carry-ons upstairs. I don't need the accessible room, a roomette is fine, I just want it downstairs.
I don't lug mine upstairs, I stow it in the rack when I board. My CPAP and small daypack go with me upstairs, though.
This is the way to do it!
Winecliff Station
Service Attendant
For someone who is so obsessed with choosing the perfect cabin on a cruise ship, I am incongruously unconcerned with my sleeper assignments. Maybe because there isn't much difference on a Viewliner especially on the route I travel.
I am not picky on Viewliners either, as there isn't much variation.
On Superliners, where there is variation (upstairs, downstairs, transdorm), I am quite picky (upstairs, not transdorm).
Winecliff Station
Service Attendant
What is the transdorm sleeper I keep seeing mentioned here?
True, but on the other hand, you're able to select a business class or Acela seat, and there are a lot fewer rooms in a sleeping car than seats in a business class or Acela car. Of course, you can only do this as a modification after the system assigns you a seat, but I usually check my seat immediately after I book my trip and change the seat if I don't like the computer's assignment.
Sauve850
OBS Chief
I always call and ask for my selected room or location. Always bedroom on a Superliner and bedroom or roomette on Viewliner. I pretty much know which way the bedroom couch faces ( though not always right ) and which side of the train Id like my roomette (again not always right but most of the time yes ).
True. Right now I am holding sleeper reservations for November, Acela reservations for a side trip to Philly in November, and a Business Class Cascades reservation to Vancouver (
) in March.The Acela reservation shows the seat assignment on the app, neither the sleeper nor the Cascades Business Class reservation do.
Business Class seat reservations apply only on the NEC, not anywhere else,btw.
That they can do it for some things is just further evidence that Amtrak IT is a clown show.
It is a superliner sleeper car (transition/dormitory) that allows a transition from high to low level. on the lower level there is a door which allows passage to a single level car. There are a few variations, but typically upstairs is all roomettes with one end reserved for crew, the rest revenue. Downstairs is usually an H room and a few different other possibilities.
the drawing below from the very excellent collection of drawings by Craig Mashburn would be pretty typical.
Some people love it, others not...
Attachments
I do not like the transdorm because it is often the Land of the Lost, forgotten by the SCA. Also, some crews do not allow boarding/detraining from the transdorm, forcing passengers to schlep their stuff from the adjoining car, because the vestibule is in "crew territory".
There are some advantages, the upstairs shower, being able to reliably predict which side of the train a given roomette is on since the transdorm will always run low end forward.
There are some advantages, the upstairs shower, being able to reliably predict which side of the train a given roomette is on since the transdorm will always run low end forward.
Acela150
Super Buff
While one side is for the crew. The other side may or may not be placed for sale depending on a wide variety of reasons. It's typically used as an overflow car. Their are only 8 rooms available for public sale in most cases. I believe that the Cap and maybe the TE are the exception to the 8 rooms for sale. I could be wrong though.
I can tell you that the dorm car is not purposefully "forgotten" by the OBS Staff. Just remember that the OBS staff has an entire car to take care of plus the dorm car. It's not as easy as you'd think.
Never said it was easy, nor purposeful. But your reply underscores the fact that the transdorm often is forgotten, purposefully or no. That is the main reason I avoid it when at all possible.I can tell you that the dorm car is not purposefully "forgotten" by the OBS Staff. Just remember that the OBS staff has an entire car to take care of plus the dorm car. It's not as easy as you'd think.
It is a Superliner that has a low level door to mate with a low level car like a baggage car or Viewliner on one end and the upper level door on the other. There is a stairwell on the low level end. There are 24 roomettes on the upper level and a handicapped room on the lower level as well as 4 restrooms. Also, a couple of tables that the conductor/assistant conductor use for their paperwork during the trip. Usually roomettes 1-8 are used by the onboard service personnel. Amtrak does sell the other roomettes as revenue as needed. When it comes to sleepers I prefer it as there is minimal foot traffic through it. Not to mention interesting chats with the crew.
