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guest
Guest
Can coach passengers still eat in the dining car? Do the attendants ask, or can you just go to the dining car and request to be seated? There will be three of us on the Crescent. Thank you
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The Diner LSA makes an announcement over the PA when they are fixing to take Meal Reservations! ( Dinner always requires a Reservation, Lunch and Breakfast are usually first come, first served)
They start with the Sleeper(s), then the Coaches and do the Lounge/Cafe last! Usually by the time they get to Coaches the " good" times are taken and you'll get the "Early Bird" or the Last Call setting!
On Full/SOLD OUT Tains all Coach passengers that want to eat in the Diner can't be accommodated but this is rare!
They start with the Sleeper(s), then the Coaches and do the Lounge/Cafe last! Usually by the time they get to Coaches the " good" times are taken and you'll get the "Early Bird" or the Last Call setting!
On Full/SOLD OUT Tains all Coach passengers that want to eat in the Diner can't be accommodated but this is rare!
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Devil's Advocate
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In theory anyone can eat in the dining car. However in actual practice it can be a bit of a pain for coach passengers. For breakfast try to arrive early. Typically the diner opens sometime between six and seven. For lunch and dinner listen carefully to the announcements. If lunch is using reservations try to locate yourself in the first coach to be offered reservations until you receive a reservation slip. Same thing for dinner. Keep your eyes open as the LSA may walk briskly or be speaking in a soft tone or they may not say anything while they pass. In general the lounge car is the last to be asked. If you miss the LSA then you'll need to go to the diner and ask to be put on the waiting list.
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NorthShore
Conductor
Sometimes you can actually catch the LSA sooner by being in the lounge, if s/he has to.walk through it to get to coach. The LSA might not ask, but if you see and stop him, he may well just take your reservation then and there.
PerRock
Engineer
The only exception I've come across for reservations on dinner, is when your on the Boston Section of the LSL. Often they 'forget' to get reservations from the Boston section. In that case, just walk up there & they'll seat you.
peter
M
Mr Ribs
Guest
The dining car crew often seems to do everything in its power to stop coach passengers from coming to the dining car. They do not want the extra work and try to keep the existing work to to a minimum. If you want to dine there pay a visit to the car, otherwise they will ignore you.
I had no trouble getting a dinner reservation on the LSL when I was in coach last fall.
On crowded trains, there may not be room for coach passengers in the dining car. I've been in coach when they've run out of reservation slots.
StriderGDM
OBS Chief
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In my experience on the Crescent riding coach I'd say it's about 50/50 if the LSA makes an announcement (it seems it's been getting better over the years though).
I've never had a problem getting a seat (I usually opt for later eating).
I've never had a problem getting a seat (I usually opt for later eating).
PaulM
Engineer
While I admit that your contention is AU conventional wisdom, it certainly wasn't the case on two CZ trips recently. The dining car chief announced several times he would be coming through the sleepers then coaches for reservations. Later he made two announcements asking if anyone else wanted supper. Maybe Amtrak has discovered that one way to cut losses when a major cost component is overhead is to increase volume.
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crabby_appleton1950
OBS Chief
I rode lower level coach SWC several years ago ABQ-SAN roundtrip and there were a couple announcements and someone came through to ask. It was over the Christmas holidays, so the train must have been full.
Tennessee Traveler
Conductor
I just rode the CZ EMY to CHI Jan 22-24 in sleeper roomette and actually had coach passengers with me and almost every meal. Also, the LSA made several announcement for every meal. Breakfast and lunch were first come first serve no reservations and the LSA announced and did take dinner reservation sleeper cars first, coaches second and SSL last. All the dining staff and my SCA were excellent and seem happy to do their work. Also, it was great to arrive at almost all station stops ahead of time so had a particularly relaxing stop in Grand Junction and in Denver.
I really enjoyed this trip as my last trip in late July on the CZ we were 5 1/2 hours late into Emeryville from Chicago. Freight congestion in Nebraska and stormy weather in Utah were the culprits. In fact the east bound Zephyr detoured away from the Utah flooding and traveled the Wyoming route to Denver.
I really enjoyed this trip as my last trip in late July on the CZ we were 5 1/2 hours late into Emeryville from Chicago. Freight congestion in Nebraska and stormy weather in Utah were the culprits. In fact the east bound Zephyr detoured away from the Utah flooding and traveled the Wyoming route to Denver.
neroden
Engineer
As always on Amtrak different crews are wildly different in behavior.
PerRock
Engineer
Were you in the Boston section or the New York section?
Last time I took 449, which admittedly was a few years ago. I had to just walk up to the diner & wait in line for a table with a bunch if other customers from 449. Coach passengers from 49 had reservations. I didn't meet any sleeper passengers from 449 so idk about them.
Like almost everything on Amtrak it probably depends on the crew.
I got the feeling they expected you to have eaten in the Albany station.
Peter
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I was on 49. In fact, I was the first person to show up at the diner.
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