Thanks, I'll try again and escalate if necessary. To clarify, I got the same answer from both an Amtrak agent and an AGR rep. I bought the ticket with points. Could that make a difference?
Sleeper accommodation discussion
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I have been told by an agent that different roomettes have different pricing. I was making a reservation with an agent several years ago for the Southwest Chief and the agent initially came up with roomette 10. When I asked about switching to a different roomette, the other roomettes that he checked were at a higher fare so we stuck with roomette 10 (which turned out to be fine.)
Have others had this experience and is this correct? Perhaps it was the practice on Amtrak on that particular day with that particular agent and with that particular passenger.
Have others had this experience and is this correct? Perhaps it was the practice on Amtrak on that particular day with that particular agent and with that particular passenger.
Perhaps he had already taken 10 out of inventory for you and that caused the other rooms to show at the next bucket price.
Yes, this just happened to me on the auto train. I booked several weeks ago and then last week, I noticed i was booked into roomette 10. I wanted to be on the lower level and i call Amtrak. They had one available but they wanted $66 more to switch rooms. I really couldn’t believe this as I am just trading like accommodations. They don’t indicate anywhere that certain locations cost more ( like window or aisle seats on some airlines these days). They should reconsider this policy. I also wish that the online booking app could give you that ability to pick available rooms when you book.
Some agents don't know/remember how to modify tickets to change rooms. The room locations are not priced differently. The problem is many agents will do a cancel/rebook which will give the current price for the rooms. If you run into this issue again, ask the agent for a supervisor. I had to do this once and after the supervisor helped the agent, the agent expressed gratitude for learning how to do it. I'm sure they're taught how to do it in their classes, but since they rarely get the requests they forget how it's done.
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That is probably the case. I have had several situations where I have made it clear to the agent that I want to select certain roomettes. The Agent then processes the reservation information and then in the next step has the computer produce the roomette number. If I like that particular roomette that is the end of the story and we complete the reservation. If that is not a roomette that I prefer then I ask the agent to check the availability of other roomettes. As I recall on at least two occasions the other roomettes were priced higher than the initial roomette according to the agent.
Update to my original post. I called AGR again today, and the agent emphatically confirmed that There would have to be a roomette available at the same quoted points price for me to change with no additional cost. But then she asked me to wait while she looked for such a roomette, and low and behold, she found #9. So she moved me upstairs at no additional cost. This is interesting because when I inquired a few days ago, an Amtrak (not AGR) agent told me that the only roomette left was #10, costing 4,000 extra points. An AGR agent later confirmed this. The only lesson I can draw from all this is: Don't give up. Anyway, I'm now a happy camper.
Roomette #10 and Roomette #9 are both on the top level next to the door.
Roomette #11 to #14 are lower level. The ones I would try to get, if I was calling them, and not booking by internet.
Roomette #11 to #14 are lower level. The ones I would try to get, if I was calling them, and not booking by internet.
I
I much prefer the upper level, especially on the scenic routes. The room will be quieter not so close to the tracks, and being close to the door won't be troublesome for the 22 hours or so I will be on board.
To each his own,
I much prefer the upper level, especially on the scenic routes. The room will be quieter not so close to the tracks, and being close to the door won't be troublesome for the 22 hours or so I will be on board.- Joined
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Although I once initially tried to change our reservation from roomette #10 due to fear of noise, we decided to keep our reservation for #10. As it turned out the fear of noise was unwarranted and roomette #10 was fine. We would not hesitate to take it again.
Hope your trip goes well and that you will post a report.
Hope your trip goes well and that you will post a report.
Mailliw
OBS Chief
How do people feel about the berths being aligning with the direction of travel instead of being across the compartment? I've only slept in a roomette so far and I loved it. Also it seems like having the berths in that direction would make it alot easier to have a wider accessible corridor.
danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
Over, under, sideways, down, makes no difference to me.
Being aligned with the direction of travel is nice, but it doesn’t make a big enough difference to me. I don’t sleep better one way or another, it just feels slightly more natural in a roomette.
I like being able to look out the window at night. Unfortunately Superliner roommate beds are low in relation to the window so not easy. When I'm in a Viewliner I'm in the upper bunk.
I prefer to be in the direction of travel so as to be able to look out the window at night, at least if I am in the lower berth for a Superliner. I usually don't sleep much on a sleeper and like being awake at stops and seeing the towns and cities at night that we pass through.
UserNameRequired
Lead Service Attendant
I prefer direction of travel so that acceleration or deceleration don't roll me out of the top bunk.
Maglev
Conductor
My orientation relative to the direction of travel does not have as much influence on my sleep as does the width of the bed. I vastly prefer the full-foot-wider lower berth in a Bedroom over the narrow berths in a Roomette.
I convinced my chiropractor to take a cross-country trip, and they had a Family Bedroom and a Roomette. He said he couldn't sleep perpendicular to the direction of travel, and prefered the Roomette.
I convinced my chiropractor to take a cross-country trip, and they had a Family Bedroom and a Roomette. He said he couldn't sleep perpendicular to the direction of travel, and prefered the Roomette.
Kbyrdleroydogg
Train Attendant
I'm going to Washington on a Superliner Amtrak and was assigned room 14 roomette.
But I immediately called Amtrak and switched to a Viewliner and got room 8.
I paid a tad more but Youtube videos from past riders say the lower level of the Superliner sucks.
You can hear residents conversations, you get more bumps on the train and it's not a smooth ride.
Does anyone agree? Should I have switched my reservation?
But I immediately called Amtrak and switched to a Viewliner and got room 8.
I paid a tad more but Youtube videos from past riders say the lower level of the Superliner sucks.
You can hear residents conversations, you get more bumps on the train and it's not a smooth ride.
Does anyone agree? Should I have switched my reservation?
We book bedrooms for our overnight trips and roomettes when we travel during the day and arrive late evening. IMO, the roomettes are easier to sleep in but when you get used to it you can get decent sleep in the bedrooms. At stations during the night where they service the train and/or change crews it can provide a nice hour to sleep. Of all the routes that we have taken, we find the Autotrain the hardest to sleep on. On that direct route the train moves along with one stop and rocks more from side to side as the tracks are pretty rough
Hubby and I don’t mind trying out lower roomettes. Since a child I have loved movement to help me get to and stay asleep, such as on a train or boat. Also, after raising 3 kids and now spoiling 4 grandchildren… I learned early on to tune out noise that wasn’t an emergency situation! For on our upcoming trip I choose to be closer to several lower bathrooms overnight and climb stairs during the day on the Superliner.
So you switched from the Capitol Limited to the Cardinal? Did you ask first if there were any rooms "upstairs" on the Capitol Limited?
Kbyrdleroydogg
Train Attendant
I did and there were none. They were all booked on all of the cars.
You will get more storage space inside a Viewliner roomette than you would in a Superliner roomette. Thank goodness your travel plans gave you a choice!
Even though the viewliner has decent storage you may need extra storage. The superliner has downstair storage.
