Bottled water in sleepers--On request only?

I've recently gone round-trip ATL-WAS on the Crescent in the sleeping car, and on 20 and 19 there wasn't any bottled water waiting in the room. It's been about a year since my last Amtrak trip, and it used to be that there was a bottle or two in the room upon arrival; on the Capitol Limited, I remember there being about four bottles squirreled away in various cabinets/closets in addition to the two in the cup holders. Is it no longer standard procedure to have water waiting when you board? Going north on 20, the train was a couple of hours late and I assumed some enterprising passenger helped themselves to the water in my bedroom, but then there wasn't any bottled water in the roomette on 19 either. The SCA brought a couple of bottles when asked, but I hope there hasn't been a change in policy.

It seems to vary from train to train. I have done 5 legs of LD travel in the last few months. On two there were no bottles of water in the room but were delivered without any problem when asked. On three others there were bottles of water in the room. Sometimes one, sometimes two. On one they were brought in without asking after I boarded at an intermediate station (not at the originating station. It is possible someone had just vacated the room where I boarded.

But I really have no idea what the official policy is. These days when I do get something I try to not look the gift horse in the mouth, specially when it comes to Amtrak.

The bean counters in WAS have determined that the world as we know it will end if Amtrak is bankrupted by the "good as gold" Small Bottles of water previously provided to Sleeping Car passengers in their rooms aren't guarded and doled out by the SCAs.

What a relief to know that Amtrak will continue to run thanks to this and other nickel and dime cuts ordered from the 60 Mass Arm Chair Engineers under the Boardman-Mica Pact of 2014!

Oh and BTW, each time what I got were those medium sized bottles of water, and not the tiny ones which they doled out previously.

Certainly agree that it varies by train/crew member. On the EB, Yonis has bottles in the room every day, but kept a supply in his rooms and gave out extra on a per-request basis. On the Coast Starlight, Amanda must have been new and didn't offer any water, the room was not stocked beforehand, but there were bottles in the coffee area to take. On the CZ, the first SCA we had was giving out bottles like they were going out of style, while our second leg on the CZ provided no water the entire trip (that was followed up with a complaint to corporate). The LSL was also really good about having a mass supply available to just take, had plenty in each room, and he even came by and asked if we needed more almost every hour or so.

If you don't get water in a sleeping car at all, it is worth ($100 voucher for me) the complaint to Amtrak. If the SCA was just lazy or didn't make it available to the extent that you feel it should have been, then I would send a comment on that as well, the only way these companies know how to improve is if they know what the problem is.

Through my last LD trip in June, there has been no problem in bottled water being in the room when I boarded. I ridden the CZ, EB, CS, CONO, and LSL all this calendar year.

I'm on the last of a 6 train trip (CS, CZ, Cardinal, Crescent, SL, and CS again and in all 6 bottled water was readily available in each room. In a couple of cases there were bottles of water out for anyone; others made it available on request.

With the exception of Albuquerque, I've always boarded at start points, so there has always been water in my room.

When boarding at Albuquerque, I've had water in my room most of the time. A couple of times, water wasn't available, but the SCA was quick to bring some (before we asked) and explained they'd flipped the room and had simply forgotten to replenish the water.

I drink a LOT of water, especially when it's dry, so I don't bother asking the SCA for more. I go through those little bottles in no time; I usually drink both within the first hour of the trip. I have a refillable travel bottle that holds about 48 ounces and clips to my backpack. I fill that from the potable water spigot and add a little bit of powdered Crystal Light if I want some flavor.

SarahZ said:

I drink a LOT of water, especially when it's dry, so I don't bother asking the SCA for more. I go through those little bottles in no time; I usually drink both within the first hour of the trip.

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So you're the one bankrupting Amtrak! :giggle:

Yes. By not asking for water.

Both roomettes on #51 & 3 had it in room and at coffee machine.

Ride the CONO frequently and it always has bottled water in the sleepers. Of course, on many trips I get Kevin and he has always takes good care of his passengers. Last rode the LSL in April and it had bottled water in the sleepers, too.

We had bottled water in the room of the Crescent when we boarded, and our SCA gave us more when requested.

Well, no bottled water in my roomette on 59 today but I boarded in Memphis. There was a cooler with ice in it near the coffee station that had lots of water and juice boxes, coffee was available all day. 59 was about 1hr 45m late into Memphis this morning and 2 hours late into NOL. All three coaches, 1 sleeper and the transdorm were full but of course nobody rides long distance trains. I wonder how many sleeper fares were lost because of no spare equipment. 2 units on the head end.

Diner staff made a valiant effort to serve everyone but they were understaffed. The cafe did record business, according to staff. This is my 5th or 6th trip with the new and not improved dining car system. The food is barely adequate; this is a huge step backwards from what it was even a few years ago.

So... good crew, a bit late, poor food but still far better than taking a bus. Tomorrow, the Sunset Ltd.

Two years ago, when I took a sleeper (roomette) on the CS from Klamath Falls to Los Angeles, there were two bottles of water (or was there one?), waiting for me as I got into my roomette. I would wonder why you have a problem with not having bottled water in your sleeper? Unless the top guys decided to have it changed, of course (when I took my sleeper trip, some things were already gone for at least 3 months at that point: free wine and cheese tasting, newspapers, other freebies that you found when you boarded got to your sleeper, flower vases on dining car tables, chinaware dining plates (the latter two are unrelated to what you get upon boarding your sleeper, as they are in the dining car)).

Personally, I don't really have a problem with bottled water not being in the room as long as it's available in the car but I know others see it as one of the many recent downgrades being forced by Amtrak's political enemies. Water was typically placed in each room on most trains I have ridden, until recently.

I do however, have a big problem with the current TV dinner like meals (actually TV dinners are often better), on trains like the City of New Orleans which a few years served local items such as red beans and rice, blackened catfish and so on. The thread on diner downgrades indicates that many feel the same way and are simply no longer opting to take the train.

tonys96 said:

We had bottled water in the room of the Crescent when we boarded, and our SCA gave us more when requested.

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We didn't last month. And I didn't bother to ask for any.

Palmetto said:

tonys96 said:

We had bottled water in the room of the Crescent when we boarded, and our SCA gave us more when requested.

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We didn't last month. And I didn't bother to ask for any.

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That makes me wonder if it is just a SCA issue ???

tonys96 said:

Palmetto said:

tonys96 said:

We had bottled water in the room of the Crescent when we boarded, and our SCA gave us more when requested.

Click to expand...

We didn't last month. And I didn't bother to ask for any.

Click to expand...

That makes me wonder if it is just a SCA issue ???

Click to expand...

There are a couple of SCAs on the Silver Meteor that do not routinely place water in empty rooms. They wait until the room is occupied and then bring water to the passenger.

#1 (Sunset) had bottled water in the rooms, today, coffee was made shortly after leaving New Orleans. Service was good all around and lunch wasn't bad. I left the train at Houston so missed dinner as the train was almost on time. The train seemed pretty full, the sleepers were.

I have never done this route before and couldn't believe the circuitous route to go around Houston, back over a crossover and finally get to the Houston station. It looks like it could be a straight run of about three miles from the UP yard east of town whereas the actual "tour" around the city seems to be 15 miles at 2 to 5 mph. Perhaps some trackage rights, yard separation and a few well-placed turnouts could knock half an hour or more off the entry into the city. Of course, all this requires money which Amtrak doesn't have.

Sitting in Los Angeles, our car on the Southwest Chief had bottled water in every room. Then 3 hours later while in the same station, when our car with unfixable toilets was traded out, we had no bottled water in its replacement. SCA Grumpy reluctantly brought some to us. She did a good enough job that she was only the second SCA in 3 years to not get a tip (the third was on our continuation Chief out of ABQ). One outstanding and two very good SCAs on the other parts of our trip got the Chief's SCA's tips as well as their own.

All other bedrooms we were in had 2 bottles of water.

This summer I never had a problem having bottled water. Some SCA's put a case out for everyone, others delivered upon request because of what they called water hoarding by one or two passengers either passing through or in the car. The SCA on the EB went forward to another car to get case of water when his supply ran out.