yet another luggage question

[penfrydd]

My wife and I will be going around the country next year by sleeper, with one exception. Starting at NYP, it will be Cardinal, then CZ, the CS, then EB, with a stop at GPK. Then EB to Columbus, WI to visit her stepson. From there, coach to CHI, and LSL back to NYP.

I can't imagine that anyone's going to squawk regarding our luggage on the coach segment. I suppose if we had to, we could check the unneeded things and have the bag waiting for us in CHI.

Any other thoughts? I've never been hassled in the past regarding size of luggage, and I don't recall ever having more than 1, however, this time I'll be with my wife...enough said!

 

[the_traveler]

Amtrak never measures any carry on bags. Also, normally (almost all the time) they do not care how much carry on bags you have - especially to or from a station that does not offers checked baggage service.

 

[chakk]

If the two of you can schlep it on board yourself, I doubt that you will be challenged about bringing it aboard Amtrak at all.

 

[me_little_me]

If the two of you can schlep it on board yourself, I doubt that you will be challenged about bringing it aboard Amtrak at all.

And if one overzealous employee (justifiably) makes an issue as they board? Too late to check the luggage!

Could be an issue.

 

[the_traveler]

If they do make an issue and make you check it, the bags will be put in the baggage car for you. Not a big issue. But it will not happen.

I would not worry at all.

 

[Ispolkom]

Could be an issue.

An asteroid could also hit the baggage car, destroying checked baggage. That would be an issue, too, and about as likely as being hassled about carry-ons.

I've never encountered any Amtrak employee who cared about the size of my carry-ons, and I've never seen anyone denied boarding because of the size of their carry-ons, and I've seen some remarkable piles of luggage. Heck, I've never even heard of anyone denied boarding because of excess carry-ons. See ehbowen's post. My counsel of prudence is that it won't be a problem.

On the other hand, why not check that steamer trunk? It's a lot easier if you don't have to carry a big suitcase. It doesn't cost you anything to check the bag, and if you are so concerned about time that you don't want to wait for checked luggage, you ought not to be taking the Cardinal or the Empire Builder.

 

[penfrydd]

I have no concerns about time whatsoever, and am anticipating great delays on at least the Empire Builder. I only asked the question because I have no idea what or how many bags my wife will think she needs. She has the strangest, almost phobia about packing and I'm certain will leave it until the very last minute.

 

[Eris]

I can't be sure, but I think the steamer trunk/time concern was a hypothetical, slightly ranty, people-I've-seen-on-the-train "you", not you-the-original-poster "you".

 

[Ispolkom]

I can't be sure, but I think the steamer trunk/time concern was a hypothetical, slightly ranty, people-I've-seen-on-the-train "you", not you-the-original-poster "you".

Nah, it was more an irascible, hyperbolic, and inappropriately snarky steamer trunk. The "you" was genuinely sincere advice, though. I always check luggage because it makes my life so much easier on the train. As long as you keep the bags weighing less than 50 lbs. (Amtrak agents will not take bags weighing even a few ounces more), and show up at the depot in enough time to check luggage, it's a remarkably stress free deal.

 

[ehbowen]

It ended OK, but we had a nail-biter when we tried to board the Sunset Limited in Houston for a trip to L.A. Since official Amtrak policy said that baby paraphernalia was not subject to the carry-on limit, we had planned to stow the strollers and car seats for my 1- and 3-year-old nieces in the Superliner lower level luggage rack. When the train arrived, though, the sleeping car attendant refused to allow us to stow the items, even though there was plenty of room. He said that he needed the space "down the line", even though we had booked a quarter of the car (four roomettes plus the family bedroom). We tried to see if we could check them, but the station agent refused to do a last minute baggage check. It looked as if we would have to abandon the car seats and strollers on the platform, but just as the train was about to pull out the car attendant relented enough to allow us to put the strollers in the luggage rack if we took the car seats to our rooms.

We checked all of those items for the return trip.

 

[Bob Dylan]

It ended OK, but we had a nail-biter when we tried to board the Sunset Limited in Houston for a trip to L.A. Since official Amtrak policy said that baby paraphernalia was not subject to the carry-on limit, we had planned to stow the strollers and car seats for my 1- and 3-year-old nieces in the Superliner lower level luggage rack. When the train arrived, though, the sleeping car attendant refused to allow us to stow the items, even though there was plenty of room. He said that he needed the space "down the line", even though we had booked a quarter of the car (four roomettes plus the family bedroom). We tried to see if we could check them, but the station agent refused to do a last minute baggage check. It looked as if we would have to abandon the car seats and strollers on the platform, but just as the train was about to pull out the car attendant relented enough to allow us to put the strollers in the luggage rack if we took the car seats to our rooms.

We checked all of those items for the return trip.

Another Example of an Amtrak EmployeeMaking Up Rules on their Own! (Baby Stuff Doesn't Count and since ya'll had so Many Rooms Booked you were Entitlted to the Luggage Rack when you Boarded!) This Employee needs to be Reported So they Can Be Re-Trained or De-Trained!

 

[the_traveler]

That doesn't make sense even for an employee making up the rules! If you checked the strollers and in ELP or Tucson wanted to get off and walk around, would you be expected to carry the children? :huh: (You would have no access to checked baggage enroute!) Or maybe the SCA would carry them!

 

[Ispolkom]

It ended OK, but we had a nail-biter when we tried to board the Sunset Limited in Houston for a trip to L.A. Since official Amtrak policy said that baby paraphernalia was not subject to the carry-on limit, we had planned to stow the strollers and car seats for my 1- and 3-year-old nieces in the Superliner lower level luggage rack. When the train arrived, though, the sleeping car attendant refused to allow us to stow the items, even though there was plenty of room. He said that he needed the space "down the line", even though we had booked a quarter of the car (four roomettes plus the family bedroom). We tried to see if we could check them, but the station agent refused to do a last minute baggage check. It looked as if we would have to abandon the car seats and strollers on the platform, but just as the train was about to pull out the car attendant relented enough to allow us to put the strollers in the luggage rack if we took the car seats to our rooms.

We checked all of those items for the return trip.

There goes my claim that no one ever cares about carry-ons. Previous post corrected. Ignorance fought.

 

[Guest]

I was on Acela once, where two people brought on-board 5 steamer trunk size pieces of luggage. I was wondering if they were like moving their home or something. They appeared to have planned on using the luggage racks at the end of the car just for their own pieces, and seemed upset to see that other passengers' luggage was already there.

 

[BCL]

It ended OK, but we had a nail-biter when we tried to board the Sunset Limited in Houston for a trip to L.A. Since official Amtrak policy said that baby paraphernalia was not subject to the carry-on limit, we had planned to stow the strollers and car seats for my 1- and 3-year-old nieces in the Superliner lower level luggage rack. When the train arrived, though, the sleeping car attendant refused to allow us to stow the items, even though there was plenty of room. He said that he needed the space "down the line", even though we had booked a quarter of the car (four roomettes plus the family bedroom). We tried to see if we could check them, but the station agent refused to do a last minute baggage check. It looked as if we would have to abandon the car seats and strollers on the platform, but just as the train was about to pull out the car attendant relented enough to allow us to put the strollers in the luggage rack if we took the car seats to our rooms.

We checked all of those items for the return trip.

Another Example of an Amtrak EmployeeMaking Up Rules on their Own! (Baby Stuff Doesn't Count and since ya'll had so Many Rooms Booked you were Entitlted to the Luggage Rack when you Boarded!) This Employee needs to be Reported So they Can Be Re-Trained or De-Trained!

My reading of the baby item rules is that it doesn't count against any limit (including possibly carryon size limits) only if it's for a infant under 2. Now if the passenger is ticketed, then they get the two carry on items. It is possible to get a ticket for someone under 2, so that would guarantee a seat as well as the carry on allowance plus baby items.

I'm not sure if the policy has changed, but I see that baby items are allowed in lieu of a carryon or checked baggage item.

http://www.amtrak.com/special-items

• Baby items will be allowed onboard or in checked baggage service in lieu of a piece of baggage; no service fees apply.
• Carriages, active strollers, all terrain strollers, multi-child strollers may be required to be checked

Infant allowance is specifically only for those under two.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1251621565003

Infant ItemsPassengers traveling with infants under the age of two will be allowed additional infant items (strollers, diaper bags) that will not count towards the carry-on baggage limit.