Switching roomettes post-reservation

[darien-l]

We have two parties booked in two roomettes in different train cars, and I'm trying to see if there is a way to switch rooms so we can be next to each other or across the aisle. There's plenty of availability, but the two agents I spoke to said that any room switches would result in a substantial accommodation price increase. We actually tried a bunch of combinations and they always came back with the same answer. I know this should've been worked out at reservation time, but, without launching into a long story, it wasn't possible in this case. Is there anyone I can talk to (station agents, supervisors, Customer Service?) that would be able to override the system and allow room changes without increasing the price? Thanks!

 

[Bob Dylan]

These agents are wrong! You need to call and after getting a live agent in the phone, give them your information ( rez #/room#s etc) Any agent should be able to at least put you into the same car and IF available, in adjoining roomettes without any increase in price! If they tell you they can't, ask for a Supervisor ( Station Agents can't do this) and if the Supervisor also gives you the same wrong answer ask to be connected to a Customer Relations Agent, NOT Customer Service!

Please let us know if this works or doesn't, you've been getting a run around from a lazy or untrained agent or else your two rooms are in two different sleepers going to different places like on #421/#21 or #7/#27!

 

[chakk]

I have never heard an agent say that a roomette could not be switched, if there were rooms vacant for the entire length of the journey that one was taking. That being said, it could be possible that the two sleeping cars involved have different destinations -- say one is going Chicago to LA on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited while the other sleeper terminates in San Antonio. If that is the case, then I can see where an agent would be unwilling to move someone from the SAT-bound car into the LAX-bound car if they are not traveling beyond SAT, since that would effectively block out a room that could well be sold at a later date to a passenger traveling to the west of SAT.

What part of the story is not being presented here?

 

[Everydaymatters]

If worse comes to worse, when you board the train, ask the Sleeper Attendant if he could arrange for someone to switch rooms with you, or your other party, so that you can be closer to each other.

That worked a long time ago with me and my daughter, but we had rooms reserved in the same car.

 

[George K]

My trip from EMY to CHI had a reservation in a transdorm. When I presented my ticket to the agent at the counter, he said, "You know this is at the front of the train?"

"Um, yeah. Is anything else available?"

"Lemme look.......How about the last car? Roomette #8?"

"That'll do, just fine!"

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

If you do this on the phone, make sure the Agent understands you want to MODIFY the Reservations. Else they might cancel them and start from scratch in which case you could suddenly jump into a higher bucket or have the Roomettes suddenly snatched out from under you.

 

[Tracktwentynine]

I have done this before. You can call and talk to an agent. Sometimes, they say they can't do it, but it's entirely possible and should not result in a price increase.

I've also been a party to a roomette swap. On a recent trip, A family came and asked if we would swap so the kids could be across the hall from the parents. And of course, we were happy to do so.

 

[darien-l]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. The trains in question were #3 and #14. One of the previous agents was telling me that "the lowest buckets are sold out, so any roomette change would result in a price increase", and the other just flat out told me "we can't do that".

But thanks to the encouragement here, I just called again, got a helpful and knowledgeable agent, and was able to switch roomettes without a price increase.

 

[Ryan]

Excellent.

I wish that Amtrak would actually train their agents to be able to complete tasks like these.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Congrats on perservering and getting professional service from an agent! Amtrak really does need to train their customer service agents better and also only promote qualified supervisors that know the rules!

 

[me_little_me]

Call late late evening. Agents have more time and are friendlier in my experience. Never had a problem arranging to have rooms moved together.