https://www.amtrak.com/flashsale
For a limited time, you can save the cost of an entire fare when you and a friend or family member share a room. Now, you can buy one fare and get one free when you reserve a room together on your next weekend adventure or cross-country trek. Ride comfortably together in a room with a seat that converts into a full-sized bed whenever you’re ready to take a rest. From New York to Chicago to Seattle, you can watch the nation roll by in the privacy of an onboard room with all the amenities. Move about the train at your own leisure — you can even stop by the Café Lounge Car or on most trains, stop by the Dining Car for a bite to eat.
Wherever your travels take you this summer, there’s a room waiting for you to Get Carried Away.
Book between June 4 and 10, 2019 for travel August 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020.
Amtrak.com [amtrak.com]Buy by June 10, 2019Discount Code: V540Travel from August 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020
Wait! What? I thought Anderson was trying to kill off all these trains!
I'm interested in hearing how the conspiracy theorists weave this nugget into the "Anderson wants to kill the LD trains" theory.
Or
How would you like your crow served?
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
I thought the sleepers were always full. Can it be that is NOT true, or is Anderson trying to cut revenues to show a larger deficit like his evil real railroad predecessors?
Congress must investigate!
It is true that sleepers are not always full. When making reservations on line, you can see whether or not rooms are available for the day you want to travel. Sometimes when planning a trip, I do see that no bedrooms are available, but usually there are rooms available.
Amtrak used to keep a waiting list (I profited once by such), but no longer keeps a list.
Johnny
PNWRMNMI thought the sleepers were always full. Can it be that is NOT true ...
It's actually a pretty clever idea. There's a difference between the sleepers being FULL and the sleepers being FULLY RESERVED. And it is this distinction that Amtrak is proposing to exploit in a way that may be attractive to travelers and 'build buzz'.
Note the key word "SHARE" in the advertising. This means that no additional 'room space' or sleeping cars are necessary to fulfil things; only that 'double' space that would have been occupied by one is now occupied by two. Many people, especially couples (at whom I think this program is directed) who wouldn't have considered Amtrak as cost-effective will now be interested, whereas the actual cost (to service two linen sets instead of one, etc.) seems relatively slight.
Now, this does imply what may be a substantial number of 'free' mouths to accommodate in the dining car, so it would not surprise me to see Amtrak addressing this (either by unbundling some or all of the meal costs from the sleeper tickets, or by implementing its brave new dining-car schemery preferentially on trains where this program is active).
oltmannd Wait! What? I thought Anderson was trying to kill off all these trains! I'm interested in hearing how the conspiracy theorists weave this nugget into the "Anderson wants to kill the LD trains" theory. Or How would you like your crow served?
The Anderson conspiracy theory is just one of many desperate rationalizations for retaining LD services on here.
OvermodIt's actually a pretty clever idea.
It's good they are experiementing but I am kind of surprised there is no single person suppliment for a sleeper compartment? Europe charges for that and I think Canada does as well. However, Amtrak would rather leave that money on the table. :(
Another option which only the Europeans do is that if you do not want to pay the single person suppliment, you have that as an option but then your bunking with an absolute stranger that also did not want to pay the single person suppliment.
Canadians are not brave enough to try that and I have only seen that in European Sleeping Cars.
I found it interesting that, for a time, when I made reservations for my wife and myself, her ticket simply showed "bedroom," while my ticket showed which bedroom. However, I gave her no choice as to which bedroom she occupied.
How is this promotion being publicized?
If not for this forum, I don't think I would have heard of it. Have there been any ads on TV or on social media sites?
York1 John
CMStPnPI am kind of surprised there is no single person suppliment for a sleeper compartment?
York1 How is this promotion being publicized?
I have received three emails from Amtrak regarding the promotion. Also, Amtrak's webpage has a blurb about the promotion.
The sale is available exclusively on Amtrak.com between June 4-10 for travel from August 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020. The sale is not valid on the Auto Train.
The offer is good for accommodations on the California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Empire Builder, Lake Shore Limited, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle.
CMStPnP Overmod It's actually a pretty clever idea. It's good they are experiementing but I am kind of surprised there is no single person suppliment for a sleeper compartment? Europe charges for that and I think Canada does as well. However, Amtrak would rather leave that money on the table. :( Another option which only the Europeans do is that if you do not want to pay the single person suppliment, you have that as an option but then your bunking with an absolute stranger that also did not want to pay the single person suppliment. Canadians are not brave enough to try that and I have only seen that in European Sleeping Cars.
Overmod It's actually a pretty clever idea.
Hmmm. Sounds like an opportunity for an app. "Amtrak bunk buddies" (ewww...gotta be a better name). Find someone to split two-fer fair in half.... After all, if you're willing to sleep in a coach next to a stranger, it's less cozy in a roomette...
Deggesty I found it interesting that, for a time, when I made reservations for my wife and myself, her ticket simply showed "bedroom," while my ticket showed which bedroom. However, I gave her no choice as to which bedroom she occupied.
Must have been the 70's
Through the end of the 1950s, many thought nothing of sleeping in berths with curtains. They made for great comedy in movies and "I Love Lucy".
Can you imagine the traveling public doing that today?
rdamon Deggesty I found it interesting that, for a time, when I made reservations for my wife and myself, her ticket simply showed "bedroom," while my ticket showed which bedroom. However, I gave her no choice as to which bedroom she occupied. Must have been the 70's
York1Through the end of the 1950s, many thought nothing of sleeping in berths with curtains. They made for great comedy in movies and "I Love Lucy".
Milwaukee Roads River series Pullman sleepers had curtains up until Amtrak. In fact the Friend of 261 River Series Sleeper is in the same internal configuration and internal color scheme as it was in 1971. Very well preserved specimen if you want to look and see. Only the almost full width of the car bedrooms had doors on them.
Milwaukee used turquiose and pink for it's interior paint and a fake wood birch grain pattern, which I think was similar to formica if it wasn't formica.....which I never understood as that is god awful ugly but I guess back then it was the equivalent to the airlines using mood lighting.
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