Sleeper tipping

[ScottC4746]

I know this is a touchy question but....

For a roomette should I tip $10 per person per day or $20 per person per day?

And just because the organized and are in a Union I will not cut way back to $5 because of that. They still did the work no matter what they are paid hourly. (stepping off soapbox).

 

[MrEd]

I tip 20 per room per day, can't say what you should do though.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

$10 per day is fine for service unless they go out of their way to do something extraordinary.

As far as for the sleeper tipping, I hope it doesnt tip over, that would be bad

Anthony

 

[ScottC4746]

$10 per day is fine for service unless they go out of their way to do something extraordinary.
As far as for the sleeper tipping, I hope it doesnt tip over, that would be bad

Anthony

Like cow tipping? :giggle: :giggle: :giggle: :giggle:

 

[the_traveler]

I may be cheap (I know that goes without saying ), but I usually start with $5 per night per person. Then raise or lower as necessary.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

Dave, thats because you are broke from paying for the maintenance on the Penthouse Suite.

Amtrak tried cow tipping already, it didnt work out for them or the cattle they hit.

 

[white rabbitt]

if u dont have alot of money $5.00 a day is fine

if the SCA disappears and u never see him feel free to leave zilch

 

[henryj]

I just tip $5 per trip as long as the service is good. If you want special treatment like meals brought to the room then that is extra and tipped as it occurs, but I usually don't require anything special. I also tip the waiters in the diner. But you have to remember that these people are not paid like your typical corner restaurant waiter where tips are expected to make up the difference. They get good union wages and don't need to be tipped at all. In my opinion, Amtrak should adopt a no tip policy. When I fly, I don't have to tip anyone.......period. This tipping policy with Amtrak is just another anachromism that needs to be done away with. My last trip on Amtrak I was just tipped out from all this stuff.

 

[the_traveler]

But the special at dinner that night was VERY flat iron steaks! :giggle:

 

[the_traveler]

If the SCA disappears and u never see him feel free to leave zilch

That very thing happened on my trip on 421 a couple of weeks ago. 421/1 arrived LAX early (4:30 am) and the SCA was still asleep! So instead of a $10 tip, he received $-0-, as there was no one to give it to!

 

[The Davy Crockett]

And here I thought that the OP was wondering: "If you snuck up on an Amtrak sleeper, could you tip it over?" :huh:

 

[the_traveler]

Only if it's facing the other way!

 

[Shanghai]

I do $10 per night per person. In all of my travels, I have had only one SCA that was so bad that I didn't tip.

 

[TimePeace]

$10 per day is fine for service unless they go out of their way to do something extraordinary.
As far as for the sleeper tipping, I hope it doesnt tip over, that would be bad

Anthony

Hah! I'm with you on that one...

 

[TimePeace]

if the SCA disappears and u never see him feel free to leave zilch

I have only done that once, but with no regret...

 

[Bob Dylan]

If the SCA disappears and u never see him feel free to leave zilch

That very thing happened on my trip on 421 a couple of weeks ago. 421/1 arrived LAX early (4:30 am) and the SCA was still asleep! So instead of a $10 tip, he received $-0-, as there was no one to give it to!

Knowing you, you wouldn't tip $10 a Night if they served you Breakfast in Bed!!! :giggle:

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Personally, I prefer the roomettes, as they tip side to side and gently* rock you to sleep, rather than the head-to-toe tipping of the bedroom.

Oh wait, is that not what this thread is about??

Nevermind.

As to "tips" - Amtrak attendant tipping is more in line with European tipping. People there are paid a living wage, and very small tips are sometimes left if particularly good service is appreciated. The American model, where people are paid below minimum wage and must dance and sing to earn their money, is not applicable on Amtrak.

*"gently" not available on all routes, see your Attendant or amtrakunlimited.com for details.

 

[Chuckles]

"They still did the work no matter what they are paid hourly" is not a very good argument. There are lots of people (salespeople, flight attendants, doctors, nurses, police...) who do things for you but are not tipped.

The problem is that people in the US have a "noblesse oblige" mentality, that if you don't tip, you are not a respectable member of society. You see American tourists tipping in Europe (where service is included) and Japan (where tipping can give offence), or tipping 15-20% in countries like India where local practice is maybe 5%, because of the mentality that "My parents brought me up properly and taught me to tip at least 15%".

I agree that tipping should be banned on Amtrak.

 

[white rabbitt]

i do understand tiping the red cap $5.00 to drive u to your train

so u dont have to do the kindergarden walk

 

[the_traveler]

Just remember that servers at land based restaurants may work from 7 am to 3 pm, then get to go home to their families each nigh, get a good night's sleep in their own bed and not have to be back at work until 7 am. On a train, servers in the Dining Car are on duty from 5:30 am or so until sometimes 10 or 11 pm, get to go to their rooms on the train, sleep a few hours and get to do the same long day the next day. An SCA or CA is basically on duty for 24 hours a day, although thy are allowed 4 hours of sleep per night. And the OBS may not get home for a week or more!

 

[williamn]

I'm taking a couple of roomettes soon and it hadn't occurred to me to tip! When do you do this? As a Brit I find handing over money randomly to someone rather uncomfortable.

 

[oregon pioneer]

I usually tip as I exit the train, but sometimes I find my SCA between the next-to-last and last stop. If you just extend your right hand with a folded bill in it, and a heartfelt "thank you for taking such good care of me (us)!", they are very tactful about transferring the tip out of sight during the friendly handshake. Sometimes there's an "Oh, you didn't have to!", to which I always respond by saying how much I appreciated the care and concern and level of service (this is almost always the case -- if it wasn't, they aren't getting the tip). I used to take envelopes for the tips, and have considered petite "thank you" cards, but soon found that people who are used to being tipped are also used to being discreet about it.

 

[boxcar479]

$5. a night per person is a good starting point for an ok SCA to be adjusted upward as the quality of service goes upward. I o not feel remorseful for not tipping at all for poor service. I do not consider turning down the beds good service, that is part of the job.The things that make me want tip more are things like if the SCA stops by and checks up on our needs or st to pop in and say hi or give an occasional tip or update, and being attentive. How well the RR are cleaned even though it is our job to clean up after ourselves. Anotherthing is if the SCA uses his own supplies like airfreshener and cleanwipes I don't mind helping him pay for those things. In the dining car I do e $3,4,5 thing for B,L,D respectively or sometimes a$20 dollar bill on last meal depending on how many meals and attitude

 

[Texan Eagle]

Just remember that servers at land based restaurants may work from 7 am to 3 pm, then get to go home to their families each nigh, get a good night's sleep in their own bed and not have to be back at work until 7 am. On a train, servers in the Dining Car are on duty from 5:30 am or so until sometimes 10 or 11 pm, get to go to their rooms on the train, sleep a few hours and get to do the same long day the next day. An SCA or CA is basically on duty for 24 hours a day, although thy are allowed 4 hours of sleep per night. And the OBS may not get home for a week or more!

So? Are they bonded labor? Did someone chain them and bring them on the trains to do this job? They do the job out of their free will, if they feel this is not something they'd want to do in life, they are free to leave the job and do something else. There is no need to get this sob-story sympathy angle into tipping. I work in the tech industry and sometimes if work comes up I have to work over and above my usual hours, even weekends and middle of the nights, and no, nobody tips me, nor do I get overtime. Life's tough, accept it. Just because someone is doing a job that has different work hours than me does not make it a good enough reason to tip them.

 

[shelzp]

So far I've always taken end to end trips that involve two nights and five or six meals which I take in my room. That makes me want to tip the attendant and I usually tell them thanks for taking good care of me and hand them $50 at the final dinner. I've never had bad service but if that happens in the future then I guess I wouldn't feel obligated to give more than a minimum for the meals. I've had them try to steer me towards the diner but since Amtrak offers that option I know it is ok for me to request it. Years ago on my first trip I went to the diner and was surprised to be seated with people. I was in a very stressful time in my life and it hit me in the wrong way and aside from a couple of breakfasts I've simply eaten in my roomette and I feel more comfortable with that. As far as tipping I figure everyone likes to get some cash put in their hand and I consider it part of the cost of the trip.