Happiness = Disneyland = Alcohol per Cafe car

I know Amtrak wants to boost revenue, but listening to the Cafe car attendant announcing she is going to try and make the car 'happy' like "at Disneyland" by offering Happy Hour beer special pricing. Great example for the kids on board as we are heading into ABQ on the Southwest Chief.

Alcohol is served in the Cafe and Diner on all LD Amtrak Trains to those over 21 years of age!

That LSA sounds like they are being creative in helping out Amtrak with revenue enhancement and that they like their job! I see no problem here!

The train is a traveling hotel and restaurant. Alcohol is part of that. The kids will be fine, just like when they go to any other place that serves alcohol (amusement parks, county fairs, ballgames, weddings, etc).

The SWC is experimenting with "happy hour"...frankly, I hope it doesn't work, because it's going to just confuse a lot of people, and cause problems with excessive drinking...

The Café Car is already losing money, so you might as well boost revenue.

Kids in China drink alcohol all the time while embracing Disney and now Americans are envious of their High-Speed Trains. That's what my Chinese friend told me and I actually saw that a lot when I visited China.

Don't want your kids to hear about alcohol overconsumption? Then don't ride Amtrak.

I'm glad you are going to go show your kids first hand how 1) your drinking responsibly is cool, and 2) how people drinking to excess in public look like morons, and are not something to emulate.

Funny thing is alcohol is not sold or allowed in Disneyland (except at members only Club 33).

Amtrak's intercom announcements have a 'captive' audience unlike amusment parks, etc where one chooses to stop at a place and purchase. I don't have a problem with kids drinking alcohol when it is a part of their culture / family growing up. What I have a problem with Amtrak comparing it to Disneyland and that 'the way to get happy is to drink' I think advising me not to ride Amtrak would be dissapointing to Amtrak's bottom line since this is our 2nd round trip NYP to LAX this year alone, not counting several LSL round trips and a Silver Star this past May and upcoming again in October. Both husband and son reaching Select status before the year is out.

Will write / call Amtrak when we get home to offer our opinion.

Drinking is a wonderful way to get happy. Somedays it's the only time I am.

zephyr17 said:

Funny thing is alcohol is not sold or allowed in Disneyland (except at members only Club 33).

Click to expand...

So turn the SSL into Disneyland...

...Don't drink?

...except in your 'member only' room? :unsure:

zephyr17 said:

Funny thing is alcohol is not sold or allowed in Disneyland (except at members only Club 33).

Click to expand...

It's very much available at California Adventure and Downtown Disney, which are considered part of Disneyland.

Green Maned Lion said:

I'm glad you are going to go show your kids first hand how 1) your drinking responsibly is cool, and 2) how people drinking to excess in public look like morons, and are not something to emulate.

Click to expand...

You should see the party of wheels that is Caltrain, especially on weekends or before some sporting event.



One I took my kid down to San Jose on the CS and returned home via Caltrain and BART. Along the way I bought a six pack of Cornitas (they were out of full-sized bottles) and got some ice. It was cold by the time we got on Caltrain. Now I didn't fold the stroller (was told by the conductor that they normally don't allow it, but it wasn't busy) and let my kid sleep. The cupholder was pretty nice for the beer. I asked if this was OK (the alcohol) and was told - yeah, you're good. I've talked to conductors about this, and some tell stories of hard liquor and groups downing shots. I've personally seen groups of people bringing 12-packs of craft beers.

I've also asked some Amtrak conductors if they really enforce the personal alcohol policy, and have been told by some that they don't care as long as someone isn't overdoing it. One beer probably wouldn't attract their attention.

Two years ago I was riding Metra in Chicago on my last Amtrak LD trip. I think it was Saturday or Sunday. There was a huge group of family and friends on the train with multiple beer cases celebrating a guy's birthday. They opened a beer bottle each and started drinking, and had a party inside. It was men, women, and children, only the children did not drink beer. They also offered beer to the conductor.

Basically, a huge group of people had a beer party on a regularly-scheduled Metra train coach and nobody cared, nothing happened. So why should people care on Amtrak, especially in the Lounge Car? Anything that increases revenue is good for Amtrak.

Some people are just a little uptight about alcohol.

BCL said:

zephyr17 said:

Funny thing is alcohol is not sold or allowed in Disneyland (except at members only Club 33).

Click to expand...

It's very much available at California Adventure and Downtown Disney, which are considered part of Disneyland.

Click to expand...

No, while they are part of the complex, California Adventure is a separate theme park and Downtown Disney is essentially a shopping district connected to both. Disneyland is only the orignal theme park.

The situation is exactly parallel to that at WDW. Magic Kingdom, the WDW equivalent to Disneyland, bans alcohol. The other 3 theme parks in the WDW complex, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom sell alcohol, as do Downtown Disney and the water parks.

I don't take it as "the way to get happy is to drink". I hear that as, "Let's have a great time, like going to Disneyland." It's just a simile. Relax.

If you're so concerned about your kids thinking, "The Amtrak lady said drinking is the only way you get happy," then maybe you could use that as an opportunity to talk to them about drinking. Amtrak is not their parent. You are. You can't control what other people say around your kids, but you can certainly control how your kids interpret it and act upon it.

Good luck convincing Amtrak to stop selling alcohol over the intercom.

I am a mother, my kids are 9 and 12, we've traveled Amtrak long distance for years. I do not, for the most part, drink alcohol.

With that as your context for me, I have this to say: Not everywhere needs to Set A Good Example For Kids. They just don't. Even IF everyone could agree about what a Good Example For Kids *is*, which everyone absolutely does not, everywhere doesn't need to be constantly vigilant to be setting that example. With my kids, that's my job. They're going to learn a lot more worldview from me, over years, than from the Cafe attendant on the loudspeaker for a day or two. And even so, they're going to be forming their own opinions and habits, some of which might be not like me at all! Horrors.

Likening cafe car happy hour to Disneyland is marginally absurd, and I'm pretty sure my kids (who have been to Disneyland a lot, and are aware that people drink on trains) would see the absurdity, and I feel no lack of confidence that they would weather the storm of influence attempting to convince them that you can only have fun if you are buying and drinking overpriced drinks that are on sale for a limited time.

Even worse luck trying to convince them to ban alcohol. IT's not just the intercom, imagine your kids walking into a Lounge Car and seeing a beer party. Can't stop it as long as people don't cause trouble.

I'm just afraid of what would happen if people do cause trouble.

Ride a Jersey Shore Hockey Train. It's the modern equivalent of a boozer cruiser. The conductors ride in the vestibule. I join them.

zephyr17 said:

BCL said:

zephyr17 said:

Funny thing is alcohol is not sold or allowed in Disneyland (except at members only Club 33).

Click to expand...

It's very much available at California Adventure and Downtown Disney, which are considered part of Disneyland.

Click to expand...

No, while they are part of the complex, California Adventure is a separate theme park and Downtown Disney is essentially a shopping district connected to both. Disneyland is only the orignal theme park.

The situation is exactly parallel to that at WDW. Magic Kingdom, the WDW equivalent to Disneyland, bans alcohol. The other 3 theme parks in the WDW complex, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom sell alcohol, as do Downtown Disney and the water parks.

Click to expand...

Actually, Magic Kingdom now sells alcohol at Be Our Guest, Restaurant in New Fantasyland. It was all the buzz on the Disney boards when it was announced.

Yup. I believe Disney's stance on that was, "You can't have a French restaurant and not serve wine."

SarahZ said:

The train is a traveling hotel and restaurant. Alcohol is part of that. The kids will be fine, just like when they go to any other place that serves alcohol (amusement parks, county fairs, ballgames, weddings, etc).

Click to expand...

mmm happy hour

Dear Guest Disappointed:

Your comment was surprising and really got me thinking.

I like the fact that the Café Attendant was making an attempt to liven up the atmosphere a bit and offer adult beverages to the passengers with a happy reference to Disneyland. I have known people to ride Amtrak to Orlando and Anaheim to visit Disneyland. So, to me, it appears that the Café Attendant could have been making an appropriate plug during the announcement for "a travel partner" such as Disneyland. Was it offensive to children? I am not sure. But really, you should see the coaches on Metra trains here in Chicago after a Cubs game - completely packed with adults sipping cold beer or wine - while kids are sitting all around. Surely the Conductors would love to have a beer but obviously don't while on duty. Nonetheless, they could care less if people drink, laugh and often commiserate quite loudly about the local team during the journey to the suburbs, even with kids everywhere in the car.

I never had any alcohol at Disneyland but know that they serve it, because they offer an adult experience, and many enjoy an adult beverage. Right in front of kids. Just like other places in public.

In fact, if one does a Google search one will notice that "Disneyland Paris" has three bars: Sports Bar en Village; Billy Bob's and in the Disney Hotel a fantasy-motif place called Fantasia Bar. So, making a reference to adult beverages, fun and Disneyland seemingly is not only appropriate, it is marketing.

Now, if any of us ever heard a Café Attendant mention on the PA system that some passengers could use a nice over-sized Chocolate Exlax Martini, then we might have something to complain about.

I'm just a new guy here but I travel by train so I can enjoy the scenery and a fine brew....thank you Mr. Red Solo cup. Act like a civil adult and nobody will bother you.