Two tickets, two segments, one train?

[MrCarlino]

Hi all, I've checked for an answer elsewhere and have been unable to find an answer. Apologies if a repeat. 

I am wondering if it is possible to buy two separate tickets of separate class for two segments on the same train. For example, say I am going from Chicago to Denver. To get a Roomette for the entire duration, I could pay $404. But since I'd only like to have the Roomette for the time during sleep (midnight until morning), could I book a coach ticket from Chicago to Lincoln, NE ($68) and then the sleeper from Lincoln, NE to Denver ($211), thereby saving over 100 bucks?

- The stop in Lincoln is scheduled for 6 minutes. Would I have to get off and reboard? Or could I just tell a conductor and move to the sleeper once we arrive in Lincoln? Are there any rules prohibiting this?

I appreciate any tips or answers! Thanks in advance

 

[Lakeshore]

Perfectly fine. Many people used to do this in the old AGR days in border towns. We did it in Toledo several times. Since you have 6 minutes, you can probably just get off and back on. That may be easier if Lincoln is a crew change point.

 

[cpotisch]

No rules prohibiting it, however the savings generally are relatively minimal due to Amtrak pricing through tickets lower than multiple segments. And remember that while a Roomette is great for sleeping, you also get all your meals included during day travel.

 

[dlagrua]

While we have never tried traveling using two separate tickets on a single train what we have done is to take two different accommodations where a second overnight leg doesn't occur. Last year we started in a bedroom from WAS-CHI and switched to a roomette CHI-OMA.  This May  it will be a bedroom WAS-CHI and a roomette CHI-KCY . On both trips we didn't feel that the extra cost of the bedroom was worth it as the CZ arrived in OMA about 11PM and the SWC arrives in KCY at 10 PM. Point is that for day and evening trips a roomette or even coach is comfortable. Its not the airlines where they try to "shoe horn" passengers into a 17" W seat.

 

[bratkinson]

I do the coach-to-sleeper and vice versa every time I ride the Lakeshore Ltd from Springfield MA to CHI.  I switch at Albany which gives me at least 30 minutes due to the time required to assemble/disassemble the train.  So that doesn't 'count'.

However, I think it was 2 years ago, due to a change of plans account a damaged bridge on the Coast Starlight route, I booked train #421 LAX to CHI.  Making  the change so close to departure date, I ended up moving twice from roomette to family room then to another roomette.  I spent one night in each.  I told the sleeping car attendant of the situation and made his life easier by 'moving out' of one room about an hour ahead of time to give him time to make it up for passengers boarding where I was 'leaving' (ALP and DAL).  I simply 'stored' my stuff downstairs and passed the time in the Sightseer Lounge car. 

I suggest you do the same.  You definitely need to let the SCA know your plans well in advance.  I'd suggest you either walk through the train immediately after boarding (while still  in the station) and talk to him/her.  I doubt 'they' would let you walk the platform past the coaches to the sleepers in the front when you're holding a coach ticket (although that may be a better choice to store your larger luggage in the rack, if they let you).  Perhaps a better choice would be to walk through the train 30 minutes or so after departure (and after your ticket scanned and seat check placed) to the sleeper and catch the attendant then.  Why 30 minutes?  The SCAs always stop by each room and chat with the passengers explaining room and car features, etc.

Plan B:  Get a red cap to take you and your bags to the sleeper.  You'll be there ahead of the crowd and be able to spend an uninterrupted minute or two with the SCA to explain/drop your big bags.  Then the red cap can drive you back to your coach.  I'd give the red cap $10 for making it easy and for going 'over and above' in this case. 

 

[Ryan]

thereby saving over 100 bucks

savings generally are relatively minimal

He's already decided that the $100 saved is important to him.

 

[caravanman]

I have done this type of thing. I have even been invited to move to the unused sleeper portion a little early!  Tell the Conductor early on, and be guided by what they say as to option of walking through from coach, or exiting onto the platform and re-boarding into the sleeper car. 

Ed.

 

[Acela150]

He's already decided that the $100 saved is important to him.

If it were $5 or $10 then that's understandable. But $100 is a substantial savings. Even i would do that.  

 

[Barb Stout]

I'm thinking of doing this on the northeast bound SWC at La Junta, CO where these is a 10 minute stop between 7:20 and 7:30 pm.  Is 10 minutes enough time to do this?

 

[Barb Stout]

I just priced it out and it DEFINITELY wouldn't be worth it, so never mind.  $652 vs $655 for 2 people who would absolutely eat more than $3 worth of food.

 

[cpotisch]

I just priced it out and it DEFINITELY wouldn't be worth it, so never mind.  $652 vs $655 for 2 people who would absolutely eat more than $3 worth of food.

I recommend you look to see if there are any cheaper dates that would work for you, because La Junta to Chicago in a Roomette for two people can cost far less than $655.

 

[Barb Stout]

We will be coming from ABQ, NM, so I calculated coach for 2 from ABQ to La Junta, then roomette from LAJ to Chicago to get the $652 price and it's $655 for a roomette from ABQ to Chicago.  We're going sometime in the second half of August.  Is there a season where the cost is less overall in the Amtrak system?  

 

[F900ElCapitan]

Amtrak prices their trains in “buckets”. It’s usually easier to get the low bucket fare in the winter time as the trains are typically less busy, especially outside of holiday times. Another tool a lot of people us is Amsnag, http://biketrain.net/amsnag2.0/amSnag.php it will allow you to put in a route and date range to search current fares but doesn’t include any discounts. Here is what came up for the second half of August from ABQ to CHI. 


DATE1

CONNECTION


OPTION


PRICE


08/15/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


670.00


08/16/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


570.00


08/17/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/18/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


570.00


08/19/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/20/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/21/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


570.00


08/22/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/23/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


570.00


08/24/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/25/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


570.00


08/26/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


670.00


08/27/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


670.00


08/28/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


570.00


08/29/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


670.00


08/30/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


570.00

 

[caravanman]

You should be able to change from Coach to Sleeper, or vice versa, at any stop, no matter how brief. The coach staff will know you want to get off, and the sleeper staff will be expecting someone to board at that stop. Do inform the Conductor of what your intentions are though.

It might make a difference to the relative fare savings to play around with the change over point a little?

 

[cpotisch]

Amtrak prices their trains in “buckets”. It’s usually easier to get the low bucket fare in the winter time as the trains are typically less busy, especially outside of holiday times. Another tool a lot of people us is Amsnag, http://biketrain.net/amsnag2.0/amSnag.php it will allow you to put in a route and date range to search current fares but doesn’t include any discounts. Here is what came up for the second half of August from ABQ to CHI. 


DATE1

CONNECTION


OPTION


PRICE


08/15/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


670.00


08/16/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


570.00


08/17/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/18/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


570.00


08/19/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/20/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/21/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


570.00


08/22/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/23/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


570.00


08/24/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette


670.00


08/25/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


570.00


08/26/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


670.00


08/27/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


670.00


08/28/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


570.00


08/29/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


670.00


08/30/19


4 Southwest Chief


Roomette 


570.00

I actually haven’t noticed any appreciable difference in the availability of lower buckets between seasons. I would recommend occasionally checking Amtrak.com to see if the price has gone down since booking, and if it has, you can call and ask them to *modify* your reservation to the lower fare, which will result in an e-voucher back to you for the full price difference. Just make sure they don’t try to charge you any fees, since many agents don’t understand Amtrak’s lack of fees for modified reservations. 

 

[me_little_me]

I asked nobody. Just before arrival at our xfer station, we got up, grabbed our bags, and walked through the Cafe & diner and saw the SCA getting ready for the stop. We gave our names and he was expecting us. Since the room was emptying and was not yet cleaned, he suggested we  wait in the unoccupied handicap room until the departing passengers left, the new ones boarded and our room had been cleaned.

Rarely have we met a conductor (other than when they walk through the hall) as the SCA tells the conductor which passengers have just boarded when we travel in a sleeper except in NOL where the rent-a-cop makes everyone line up and the conductor checks one off and you often have to show ID (Show ID? In a sleeper? That's like never!)

 

[Seaboard92]

I've done a coach/sleeper trip on the Cardinal. The whole route was $600 for a roomette. But from CIN-CHI was $60

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I did this a couple times during the AGR1 era, but these days it never seems to bring any meaningful savings for points or revenue travel. I think Amtrak's reservation pricing is setup to dissuade this sort of thing unless you're in a sleeper during the day and in coach at night, which sort of defeats the purpose IMO.