Finally did Roomette-Slidell to Atlanta

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cassie225

Lead Service Attendant
AU Supporting Member
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
453
Location
Louisiana
So I finally did a roomette from Slidell to Atlanta,since Slidell is unmanned I had my luggage and a friend decided to come along and I must say to each his own. Maybe if I were by myself it would have been different,but I felt closed in and more crowded than when I did coach coming back. I have always done either done bedroom A,B or H. I don't think I could have done overnight in roomette. I used to complain about the bathroom in the bedroom,but the toilet in the roomette. Nah. I used points for this trip and that was a plus,also meals were great. The attendant was not seen until time to get off. We still gave him a small tip,but is that required if he is missing in action for the whole trip.I think I will try business class next. And then what do you do in coach when there is a bratty kid sitting behind you pulling your hair and all the mom is saying is "stop",Don't do that. They only went 3 stops with us and boy was I glad.
 
Viewliner roomettes are great for one, not so great for 2. The toilet is a love hate thing, it is gone in the VL2s when they finally show up. I'm probably one of the bigger tipping advocates around, and am pretty tolerant of weak service, but no service is not acceptable. Gratuities are a traditional reward for service employees of many types, but it is hard to justify rewarding service that doesn't take place.
 
The attendant thing is hard to judge on a day trip. By not seen do you mean he was never in the car / available? Or never stopped by to see if you needed anything? There's not much to do for an attendant on a day trip, so provided they are a available at all and give a greeting at the beginning and a farewell at the end, I wouldn't expect much more.
 
As one who has made many Day Trips in Sleepers including on the Crescent, I feel there is no excuse for the SCA to have not at least introduced themselves to their passengers, and checked by occasionally during the trip to see if they need any assistence or have questions..

Standing by the Door with their hand out upon arrival at the de-boarding Station is an occasion to thank the Invisible Attendant for Absolutely Nothing!
 
As one who has made many Day Trips in Sleepers including on the Crescent, I feel there is no excuse for the SCA to have not at least introduced themselves to their passengers, and checked by occasionally during the trip to see if they need any assistence or have questions..

Standing by the Door with their hand out upon arrival at the de-boarding Station is an occasion to thank the Invisible Attendant for Absolutely Nothing!
In general I agree... I've made several day trips myself. I would actually prefer no greeting at all to the "Oh I wasn't expecting you.. well you'll just have to stay here until I get your room ready" that I once received on the Builder. (only on Amtrak!).

That's why I asked for more clarification. If they got a proper greeting and a proper farewell... that's all that I would really expect.
 
So I finally did a roomette from Slidell to Atlanta,since Slidell is unmanned I had my luggage and a friend decided to come along and I must say to each his own. Maybe if I were by myself it would have been different,but I felt closed in and more crowded than when I did coach coming back. I have always done either done bedroom A,B or H. I don't think I could have done overnight in roomette. I used to complain about the bathroom in the bedroom,but the toilet in the roomette. Nah. I used points for this trip and that was a plus,also meals were great. The attendant was not seen until time to get off. We still gave him a small tip,but is that required if he is missing in action for the whole trip.I think I will try business class next. And then what do you do in coach when there is a bratty kid sitting behind you pulling your hair and all the mom is saying is "stop",Don't do that. They only went 3 stops with us and boy was I glad.
Bratty kid pulling hair? I'd have to be more aggressive with the parents! If that didn't stop the behavior, the train staff would have to get involved. No idea what they would do but if there were other seats available I hope they'd move me..
 
Well I didnt want to offend the mom. So going and coming this trip was not one of my favorites. As far as service going,he did say hello my name is and when we were getting off he came to take our luggage down but we had already done so. I say what I am saying because he was pretty friendly with the young ladies in the roomette across from us. They were showered with attention. Also as I went walking thru the train a lot of the roomettes were empty and the bedrooms were empty. After Atlanta it must have gotten full. So I would have understood if there were a lot of people.
 
Tipping is of course up to you, and based on what you have said I'm not sure if I would have tipped or not. (The flirting with the girls may have annoyed me... Ha).

But there is nothing really in his job description that he didn't do. He greeted you, offered to help with luggage, and was visible in the car from time to time if you needed to ask him anything. That's a good attendant in my book.
 
If a kid were pulling my hair, I would have absolutely ZERO qualms about "offending" the mother. If that were my kid and I hadn't noticed them touching/hurting a stranger, I'd appreciate the heads-up so I could take immediate action.

If a mother gets offended because you've politely asked her to ask her child to stop pulling your hair, then that's too freaking bad and shame on her for being a bad parent who refuses to correct their child's behavior.

As for the roomette, they can feel a bit tight if you're traveling with someone you aren't close to. Even then, it can still feel a bit cramped at times. My ex(boyfriend) and I purchased a bedroom instead of a roomette once, and the difference in space and our moods was appreciable.

If I were ever to travel with a friend, I would get two roomettes or a bedroom, whichever is cheaper.
 
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