Just checked my credentials: no mention of smug ear plug crowd member... but will note that they work just as well on flying cattle-cars, where with screaming 2 year-olds the need seems even greater [also work well for those cellphone users that wish to share their most intimate personal details with me and/or the rest of the world]. ... now back to our regularly scheduled programming
Honestly, Amtrak should probably be hit with comments to this effect. There's only so much I can say in good faith, but I'm going to be getting more vocal about this sort of thing in the future.
I don't know anyone who has a Walkman? Sony discontinued them a few years ago.
Just curious. Have you ever worked in the hospitality industry? Waited tables, tended bar, washed dishes in a restaurant?
You know, considering how many non-functional speakers have come up over the years, I can't help but wonder how much time has been spent reactivating speakers that passengers disabled out of frustration.
These are the ones that I use, mine are yellow, but the same type. They cut out noise so much that I wake up startled when I don't hear anything, thinking something is wrong. LOL but I sleep so much better with them on the train.
Have to grin: clearly gorilla passenger tactics... but wonder if one mightn't do them a favor and instead of disconnecting the speaker, one installs a switch or a pot in series with the speaker, that way future passengers can just throw the switch or turn the volume up or down per their liking ;-) Though I suspect there's some legal beagle thinking "destruction of government property" and citing some piece of the USC. Anyone have a picture of one of these offending speakers, ie, might there actually be room for AMTRAK to install a volume control or on/off switch?
Have to agree with them working well... and, maybe too well: had a conductor tell me such on a CZ run to LNK - I guess generally for most sleeping passengers that are getting off at middle-of-the-night stops, all they have to do is talk to them to wake them up/tell them that their stop is coming up in 10 minutes... but with the ear plugs, and especially when I'm soundly asleep, this conductor said that he had to poke me so much that he was afraid I was dead (other than the fact that I was snoring) ;-) ;-( and have to agree with those first moments of wakefulness where one see lips moving but doesn't hear anything - a bit disconcerting
My point (which I could have made better) is that it changes the nature of the complaint. You can't complain that the OBS didn't follow a non-existent rule (or didn't break a rule in a way that you prefer). You can complain that they didn't follow the rules on the script and provide feedback that there should be less announcements. My intent certainly wasn't to dissuade anyone from complaining.
Hopefully you fix the damage before you leave the room for the next person that may want to hear the announcements.
Ditto
). 
I agree with all of this. Absolutely. Emergency announcments can come through the hallway loud; it should be possible to turn everything else off in your room; apart from emergencies, the 7 - 10 rule should be followed; and employees should stick to the script for reasons of keeping the announcements SHORT. (I'm not going to complain about tiny changes in wording, it's the entire extra paragraphs which are the problem.)
This.
Thanks for the link. I just ordered a pair.
I don't care about the announcements themselves. They can prattle on about pizza, beer, scrambled eggs, and the hokey pokey for all I care, but I want the option to shut that nonsense off until I wake up.
This. Exactly. There is an announcement before quiet hours that the dining car opens for breakfast at 6:00 AM. They don't need a second one reminding people. If they're up, they'll find their way to the coffee. If they're not, let them sleep.
