I'll admit that one of my highest-ranking "scary travel experiences" was deciding to wipe the sink in a Superliner upstairs sleeper bathroom before my wife used the toilet. There was a full twenty years of scum accumulated behind the faucet, and the more I wiped the more scum I dislodged...
"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." Daniel Burnham
Maglev, thank you for bringing up the topic of cleaning up of Amtrak. When traveling in a sleeper you are sharing a bathroom with other passengers and it does'nt take that much effort to wipe out a sink for the next person. When the railroads ran passenger service before Amtrak I think I rarely encountered a filthy bathroom,people did clean up after themselves,now it is different. You would think some of Amtrak's passengers were born in a barn,they think that others clean up after them just like their poor mothers did.
Also, on a trip on the Empire Builder in 2005 I discovered a half empty box of crackers and assorted trash under the seat of my sleeper.,shortly after we left King Street I said something to the attendent who shook his head and sighed. It left me very concerned about the Amtrak's level of housekeeping, they did NOT clean under that seat.
aricat Maglev, thank you for bringing up the topic of cleaning up of Amtrak. When traveling in a sleeper you are sharing a bathroom with other passengers and it does'nt take that much effort to wipe out a sink for the next person. When the railroads ran passenger service before Amtrak I think I rarely encountered a filthy bathroom,people did clean up after themselves,now it is different. You would think some of Amtrak's passengers were born in a barn,they think that others clean up after them just like their poor mothers did. Also, on a trip on the Empire Builder in 2005 I discovered a half empty box of crackers and assorted trash under the seat of my sleeper.,shortly after we left King Street I said something to the attendent who shook his head and sighed. It left me very concerned about the Amtrak's level of housekeeping, they did NOT clean under that seat.
I rode on the California Zephyr between Omaha, Nebraska and Glenwood Springs, Colorado yesterday and we're leaving on the eastbound Zephyr back to Omaha in a few hours. We had a roomette and I have to admit that the bathroom at the end of the car was rather dirty. There was a sign that said something along the lines of "We can't clean after each use... please be considerate of other passengers." Still, it was obvious that not everyone cleans up after themselves. However, I did notice that our sleeping car attendants cleaned each roomette very well after passengers left the train. That's not to say it's like that on every train though.
As for tipping, we left our attendant $20 at the end of the trip to Glenwood Springs and we'll do the same when we get back to Omaha. Overall, it was a very enjoyable ride with good food and friendly staff. I'm pleased.
Willy
On the subject of the dirty sleeper bathroom--what I encountered was obviously something that had not been cleaned for many trips (twenty years was probably an exaggeration). I am always mindful of the next passenger, because I have worked in customer service and know how things work; many people are not so considerate of others. Clean bathrooms are very important to a positive guest experience, yet toilet and sink areas can become very messy very quickly. That is why I would tip a coach attendant if the bathrooms are kept clean.
On our last Starlight trip, part of the regularly-repeated passenger information announcement concerned the coach toilets. "If there is a problem, plese let us know." Passengers are not equipped for janitorial duties, and crew members cannot be everywhere.
henry6I would think that 15 to 20% of the cost of your sleeping car space, your cost of dinner, the cost of a hotel room, etc., is customary today.
I would think that 15 to 20% of the cost of your sleeping car space, your cost of dinner, the cost of a hotel room, etc., is customary today.
There is no way I am going to tip the sleeping car attendant $800 on our upcoming trip this summer! $20-40 is what he/she is going to get, where on that scale depends on the service we get.
Your trip is $4000. Ok, take the actual cost of your sleeping accomodations and your meal costs and do your tipping from those amounts.
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henry6Your trip is $4000. Ok, take the actual cost of your sleeping accomodations and your meal costs and do your tipping from those amounts.
Considering the relatively low cost of the fares, we are now talking about $500-$600 in tips (and that is without tipping for the food). Don't you see the absurdity of your recommended tips amount?
I really don't think my reccomendation is absurd based on accepted tipping practices. But I also think your need to tip up to $800 is also excessive and more than agree with you. I await the compromise or normal settlement from those who travel and from those who work Amtrak services as to what is real.
We rode the Amtrak Empire Builder five years ago. We went Pullman with a bedroom.
The Dining car staff was excellent and we tipped 15%.
There was no service in the lounge car at all. The attendant while a personable guy didn't give any service. Just got your choice of items and set them on the counter for you to take care of. So no tip. Years ago a lounge car attendant would have come to your table and asked what you wanted. In the case of ordering a beer he would come with a tray that had two glasses one with ice in it, the beer a coaster and a napkin. He would have a bar towel over his left arm. Arriving at your table he set the tray down and picked up the bottle of beer and verified that it was your order. Then he wiped the bottle off and opened it. Then the ice was poured into empty glass and then the beer was carefully poured into the chilled glass so as to leave a collar on the top. Then the coaster and napkin were placed on the table and the glass of beer set on the coaster. Not so on Amtrak. I ordered a beer and was just handed a can and a plastic cup.
I wasn't sure about our Porter. While he did a good job in making up our room he didn't really do anything else so I didn't tip. I would have had there been any other service other than making up hte beds/seats.
If you want good service from your porter, tip her or him at the start of the trip, tip for every extra chore during the trip, and give a big tip at the end of th trip. At any point, you could stop if you are dissatisfied with the service. I mean, if you tip $10 when you first meet and then don't see the porter again for four hours, give up.
MaglevIf you want good service from your porter, tip her or him at the start of the trip, tip for every extra chore during the trip, and give a big tip at the end of th trip. At any point, you could stop if you are dissatisfied with the service. I mean, if you tip $10 when you first meet and then don't see the porter again for four hours, give up.
Get serious. You don't ever tip prior to recieving service on any means of transportation if you want to be taken seriously by wait staff.
To answer the topic $10 min and $20 max is all I tip for Sleeping Car Service on Amtrak. Really, if this was the Blue Train or Rocky Mountaineer Gold Class, I might consider more BUT.....it's Amtrak. Roughly akin to leaving a table tip at McDonald's I'm afraid. I know it sounds cynical but Amtrak is what it is. Same with VIA Rail.
I tipped the snack car attendant on the WB CZ #6. Very nice, very pleasant to talk too.
Max
Let me clarify a bit--I would tip my porter right after he or she shows me to my room, if I was going to expect additional special services (for example, meals in my room). I personally am an easy customer, but my wife tends to need "special services."
I worked for three years as a hotel bellman, and am the kind of person who works hard to make people happy. But guests who made numerous special requests and did not tip eventually made it to the bottom of my priority list.
MaglevLet me clarify a bit--I would tip my porter right after he or she shows me to my room, if I was going to expect additional special services (for example, meals in my room). I personally am an easy customer, but my wife tends to need "special services." I worked for three years as a hotel bellman, and am the kind of person who works hard to make people happy. But guests who made numerous special requests and did not tip eventually made it to the bottom of my priority list.
Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I do tip 20% for restaurant wait staff and I also tip the Pizza Delievery guy. Sometimes hotel housekeeping service if they do a good job (vs a wipedown). The problem I have with the Amtrak Sleeping Car Crews is it doesn't matter.......typically what I tip them, the service remains about the same. Thats been my experience. Dining Car staff, once they know your in the Sleeping Car and the meal is comped, your not getting the nice service that the Coach Passengers get. Because Coach Passengers pay cash. I've seen this a lot. So even when I do tip the Dining Car Staff......once they see the comp or know about it........yikes!
I work in the hotel industry for more than 20years and most of the Hotels are 4 to 5 starts. Let me give you some guidelines.
If you eat at the restaurant the standard is 15% but if the server gave you outstanding service then, 20%. How could I tell if the waiter gave outstanding service. Easy, if you need to tell him fill out my water or drink.
If you are at the bar and order a drink. The rule of thumb is $1-2 per drink depending on the situation. If the bar is full. Always give him a $5 in the first round and he won't forget you. But if the bar is slow just give him $1 per drink. If you got a tab then 15%.
The Maid= if you staying more than two days then give her $1- $10 per night depending how much you spend on your room.
Bell Man- $1-$2 per bag and he call a taxi for you then, $1.
Valet Parking- IF you notice the nice cars they parked in front of the hotels. Usually, the driver would give the valet attendant $10-20 to make sure nothing happen to his/her car. If you don't care about the car then $2-3 per car.
I could write all night about tipping....
Keep in mind treat them with respect and you would see the things they could do for you.
Rule of thumb I heard was $10.00 a nite for sleeping car attendant. When I took Empire Builder, I tipped him $20.00 for the 2 nights and $5.00 extra for helping carry my luggage and putting it away and he had also opened the double door going thru Glacier Park for myself and another passenger to take pics without having to worry about the glass reflecting back. In the diner, I figured 15-20% of whatever the cost of the meal would have been and the service given by that particular waiter. One let met tour the kitchen when they were just sitting there between meal service times. I had told him about seeing the old cramped kitchens back in the day where the cooks got extremely hot and barely had room to move.
So it really depends on the service by a particular employee if you want to tip more than the norm. I used the same rule of thumb on the Southwest Chief.
Have fun and enjoy the trip.
Hey, "Awesome," you may be cool with your Conrail train in the snow, but you didn't tip the bellman enough! They, as with a sleeping car porter, wield ultimate power over your happiness and survival during your stay. Tour groups would pay me $2.50 per bag each way by contract when I worked as a bellman; and if you're only going to tip $1 for calling a cab*, please ask the concierge to do it...
I have always been generous with gratuities, and have found that train trips are more enjoyable if one tips early, often, and freely. I know this because my first (late) wife was stingier than the lady to whom I'm married now.
------------------- *A buck is okay for the doorman or for hailing a cab. Mahalo nui loa, and watch your step!
In restaurant service on trains or off, I always ask for as glass of water.The size of my tip depends on whether I recieve one or not.
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