Also appreciate your sight seeing suggestions as well as the reminder about the American "tipping" culture, we have been to America before, but not to San Francisco and points east. Regarding tipping Amtrak staff I had planned to ask a question on this forum and get some recommendations as we will have sleepers for our entire journey to New York so we are not paying for our meals and therefore we need a way of calculating the expected tips.
hboy:
Garry :lol:
All of your meal items have a menu price printed for coach passengers without prepaid meals. Just tip 15-20% of that listed price in cash...figure $2-$3 per person for breakfast & lunch; $3-$5 per person for dinner. If you elect to have your meals brought to your roomette, pay this amount to your sleeping car attendant in addition to whatever you choose to tip him for his regular services.
Tipping in the lounge car is optional; I generally don't tip for a straightforward purchase of soda or snacks but if you purchase alcohol (especially mixed drinks) or anything requiring more than minimal preparation a dollar or two in his tip jar is appreciated.
Your sleeping car attendant should receive a MINIMUM of $5 a night per room; $10 a night is recommended if he/she provides the expected minimum services of greeting you and explaining the onboard amenities; making up the beds in the evening (or [at your request] during the day should you wish to take a catnap) and then putting them back down in the morning; keeping ice, juice, bottled water and coffee available at the beverage station; keeping the restrooms and public areas reasonably clean; and just generally being available for assistance. However, if you should have the bad luck to draw one of the (fortunately) few attendants who disappears during the trip and lets passengers fend for themselves, then a zero tip accompanied by a letter of complaint to Amtrak customer service is appropriate.
Please note that the US Internal Revenue Service assumes that Amtrak on-board service employees will receive tips, and makes them pay taxes on those tips whether they receive them or not. So, if you "stiff" an employee, you are actually costing him money. So to make life more pleasant all around, plan to just play along.
In contrast to the on-board service employees (sleeping car & coach attendants, dining car staff, lounge attendant), the train operating employees (engineer, conductor, assistant conductor) are never tipped. Don't feel sorry for them—they are well paid.
Off the train, if you take a tour bus (not a regular city bus) then plan to tip the driver/guide $1-$2 per person. In a hotel, a tip of $3-$5 per night is greatly appreciated by the overworked and underpaid ladies who care for those rooms—check with the front desk on where to leave it so that the maid doesn't have to worry about being accused of stealing loose change (generally, on the pillow is a good spot).
Tipping in sit-down restaurants is de facto obligatory...the workers are paid below minimum wage with the expectation that tips will make up the difference. However, outside of restaurants (Starbucks [coffee], Baskin Robbins [ice cream], etc.), don't automatically assume that just because you see a tip jar you are obliged to fill it. Tipping should be a reward for superior customer service, not an unofficial tax on customers because employers are too cheap to pay their workers a decent wage.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy your visit to the USA.