Upcoming NYP-RMT-TPA Trip, Misc. Questions

[ABQFloridian]

My biggest train trip yet is only a week away. By this time next week, I will be in New York, and on Tuesday the 9th, I will be boarding the Carolinian to Rocky Mount, NC, and from there on the Silver Star to TPA in a roomette. I am really excited, but have a few miscellaneous questions.

First, I am worried about the way I booked my trip. I wanted to save on a roomette by not using it all the way. However when I used the multi-city booking tool, it would not let me change from coach to sleeper on the same train, so I took the Carolinian for the coach section because it gave me the shortest layover. My worry is this: I checked amtrakdelays and over the past week, the 91 has had an hour delay into RMT every day but two, and on those days, two hours. The scheduled arrival time is 7:21, so an hour delay means I still get dinner, but not a two hour delay, and I have checked and found nothing that I can eat nearby in Rocky Mount.

My first question is, if I called Amtrak, would they be able to get me on the Silver have all the way (in coach from NYP to RMT)? That way, at least I could buy dinner if we didn't make it to RMT in time. Or is that kind if booking just not possible?

My other questions are about checked baggage. I read the thread about wanton civil asset forfeiture by the DEA and am worried I am their exact target: a 25 year old male traveling alone in a roomette with no checked baggage (my favorite thing about Amtrak is not having to check my bags). Therefore, I am going to at least check my suitcase, so I have that going for me. However,I have two questions:

First, do my bags have to follow me exactly or can I have them just leave on the Star when it leaves? The less hands it goes through, the fewer opportunities for error, right?

Second, I have learned from old threads that the baggage claim process varies by station? Does anyone know how it works in Tampa. I have never stuck around long enough after detraining to notice.

Thanks for reading, I know this was long.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Call Amtrak ( 1-800-USA-RAIL), when Julie answers, ask for Agent, when connected MODIFY, not Cancel, your Reservation.

They can book you on the Star in Coach to RMT, ( you may have to pay more if the Bucket hss gone higher)once you are aboard check with the Sleeping Car Attendant ( SCA) in the car you will be in from RMT- TPA, they may let you store your luggage in the car you'll be in,or IF the Room isn't booked, or opens up before RMT, let you occupy the room before RMT! ( say after WAS or Richmond)

With the 4 hour layover in RMT, unless something serious happens ( always a possibility) you should have no problem eating Dinner if you board the Star before Last Call in the Diner, generally 9pm.

As for the Luggage, you have to show your ticket and ID ,( keep the Luggage checks, you'll need them to claim your bags in TPA) so check the Bag from NYP- TPA and forget about it till you get to TPA. Jus take what you need for the trip as carry on. I've never checked luggage to TPA but the SCA or Conductor can tell you where to claim it when you arrive, either inside, or right outside, the station?

I doubt if you'll have to worry about the DEA or LE hassles on this route, its not Reno or on the borders or one of the drug pipelines!

 

[I always rode the Southern]

Luggage in Tampa is claimed right outside the station. you'll see every one standing waiting. It doesn't take long to get from the train, 5-10 mins.And you will need to show claim ticket to get it. There is an enclosed area connected to the station, but they haven't used it in years.

 

[the_traveler]

Train 91 will not have a Dining Car on your trip, it only has a café. And the roomettes are priced lower, since they do not include meals. without checking the fares, maybe it is comparable to take 91 right from NYP.

 

[xyzzy]

The standard place for rail passengers to eat in Rocky Mount is the Central Cafe, 132 South Church St at the corner of Western Ave, about a six-minute walk from the Amtrak station. This is not haute cuisine, but you'll survive on it. I think they're open in the early evening but call them at (252) 446-8568 to make certain. There is a snack bar RJ's in the RMT station these days, but the selections are very limited and I don't know how long it stays open in the afternoon. (252) 314-5262.

Note that the southbound Carolinian is just as prone to running late at RMT as the southbound SIlver Star.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Train 91 will not have a Dining Car on your trip, it only has a café. And the roomettes are priced lower, since they do not include meals. without checking the fares, maybe it is comparable to take 91 right from NYP.

I think June 9 may be just under the wire--I looked up that date on the Amtrak website, and the notice says that the "no diner" experiment starts July 1. If this is correct (please, someone, tell me if it's not--I don't always trust Amtrak to get its own information right), then dinner, breakfast, and maybe lunch if you're lucky will be served in the dining car on the Silver Star for this trip.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Train 91 will not have a Dining Car on your trip, it only has a café. And the roomettes are priced lower, since they do not include meals. without checking the fares, maybe it is comparable to take 91 right from NYP.

I think June 9 may be just under the wire--I looked up that date on the Amtrak website, and the notice says that the "no diner" experiment starts July 1. If this is correct (please, someone, tell me if it's not--I don't always trust Amtrak to get its own information right), then dinner, breakfast, and maybe lunch if you're lucky will be served in the dining car on the Silver Star for this trip.

As I recall, it is July 1st.

 

[jis]

Yup July 1st, so the OP will still have a Diner on his train. And consequently the comment about lower Sleeper fare also is invalid on the train that the OP is traveling by.

 

[ABQFloridian]

Okay, guys. Great advice all around. Every one of my questions was answered. I just got off the phone with Amtrak and was able to book a coach seat on the Silver Star from NYP to RMT, so I needn't worry about my stopover any more. It cost me a whopping $2 more, so I'm a pretty happy camper.

I doubt if you'll have to worry about the DEA or LE hassles on this route, its not Reno or on the borders or one of the drug pipelines!

That is my one big comfort. I have really only heard of those raids happening on Western trains.

Train 91 will not have a Dining Car on your trip, it only has a café. And the roomettes are priced lower, since they do not include meals. without checking the fares, maybe it is comparable to take 91 right from NYP.

I think June 9 may be just under the wire--I looked up that date on the Amtrak website, and the notice says that the "no diner" experiment starts July 1. If this is correct (please, someone, tell me if it's not--I don't always trust Amtrak to get its own information right), then dinner, breakfast, and maybe lunch if you're lucky will be served in the dining car on the Silver Star for this trip.

As I recall, it is July 1st.

I confirmed this with the agent on the phone. The date is July 1, and barring some tragic equipment failure, my 91 will have a diner. I would have been livid if that was not the case, since I paid the full, bundled price for a roomette, and since one of my main reasons for this trip was to ride my old home train one last time before it loses its diner.