Refreshments for Sleeper Car passengers

We're taking the full CZ in May...first time in a LD sleeper. We heard there is a refreshment center for sleeper guests. Is this basically coffee and water, or do they offer juices and/or sodas? Anything else? Trying to plan what refreshments to bring with us. Thanks! Really looking forward to our trip.

Some, but not all, sleeper car attendants (TA-SC) provide juice in the morning.

Coffee is available in the morning only and policy for bottled water is usually 2 bottles of water per day.

We can request ice. Some TA-SC will get it for you, some will just have you go to the dining car to ask for ice.

Water from storage tanks water is available in each passenger car on the train.

Very inconsistent. One car attendant referred to by his passengers as Disappearing Marvin had the coffee ready about 10:00 in the morning. Another kept it hot and fresh from 6 am and all day. The orange juice is in a box by the coffee pot and has always been room temperature. I never had a problem with unlimited bottled water.

A few years back, sleeper car passengers got unlimited coffee from an urn from 6am, all day. We got several bottles of 500ml size water on request. Also cartons of juice available, and a self service ice container.

Refreshment service now is rather less good. Amtrak provides coffee and some tiny bottles of water. I am unsure if juice is always provided, and ice is no longer available in the sleeper, due to health safety issues with temperature control, etc.

My belief is that some attendants now provide extra snacks and juice, etc, as a goodwill gesture from their own pockets, in the hope of getting a larger "tip" in return.

All passengers can obtain some ice from the cafe car too, at least that has been my experience.

Ed.

I consider myself pretty lucky on this front. I haven't had a trip with no boxes of juice, or any SCA not bring ice or extra water on request. Well, actually one just showed us where he kept it stashed and just told us to grab it if he was on break or doing something.The ice thing bothers some folks, but I understand the rule. A good SCA should be willing to bring it, not point you to the DC. I have had a few who laid out little cookies or other goodies, you know that was not from the company.....

I’ve always had good luck on the Silver Meteor with water provided, coffee and ice all day and usually juice. I know some complain about the quality of the juice but it mixes well with rum![emoji484]

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Generally, the coffee is available 6:00am until the pot is empty or about 11:00am. Occasionally, an SCA will keep the coffee going all day. Water bottles seems to vary, depending on the SCA and hoarding passengers, but many SCA will hand them out on demand or try to leave a few out. Amtrak does not offer snacks, or soft drinks anymore, so if provided, it is out of your SCAs pocket. Orange juice, if available, is room temp, from a quart size box. Ice is on demand from some SCA, others you are sent to the DC if it is open. For anyone who traveled years ago, this is a huge downgrade in service.

KmH said:

Some, but not all, sleeper car attendants (TA-SC)provide juice in the morning.

Coffee is available in the morning only and bottled water, usually 2 bottles of water per day.

We can request ice. Some TA-SC will get it for you, some will just have you go to the dining car to ask for ice.

Water from storage tanks is available in each passenger car on the train.

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In other words, hope for the best, since service standards are wildly inconsistent, but uniformly unenforced.

On I think every single sleeper trip I've taken (probably done 20 so far), there has been ice, self service, in a big bag at the coffee station. Coffee generally has lasted no later than 12:00 PM. Cartons of juice–usually orange, apple, and 'cran-cocktail'–are almost always present.

I have noticed that ice is generally available self service on the Silvers whereas ice is generally not available self service on the Superliners.

The viewliner station has a slightly better design for sanitation. Someday on a retrofit, they will probably just install mini icemakers and a coffee system. The AT sleepers have had the coffee setup for a while.

What on earth was the rationale for eliminating ice for the juice (and there were three kinds of juice - orange, apple, and cranberry)? For YEARS there was a plastic ice bucket of ice near the coffee/juice station in the middle of the sleeper. It seemed to work for everybody? Did some government bureaucrat somewhere decide he/she have a problem with it?

Why doesn't the Amtrak Vice President of Whiz-Bang Services for First Class travelers countermand that move, and issue a dictate that any policy changes need to be based on enhancing the traveler's experience?

(You know, not only cold juice and hot coffee - all day - but regular size bottled water, printed route guides in all rooms, and local newspapers distributed in the early morning. What am I forgetting?)

The rationale for the ice is simple. The FDA says you can’t put an ice bucket out for the public to put their filthy paws in and get all cruddy. They took note once upon a time and now work slightly harder to make Amtrak follow the rules.

There was an ice scoop for the self service ice, but (too) many did not use it to get their ice. Some just used their hand, while others just used their cup (sometimes used! ) to get their ice! (I have seen that.)

So because of the few, nobody get it now.

I really don't care what size water bottle they use as long as it is available when you want it. Why put out 16.9 oz bottles when so many people drink half and throw it out or leave the bottle around. And the onboard water supply on trains is probably better than half of the taps in the US, I've actually seen Amtrak sanitary inspectors check onboard (and the new hose setup when they reopened Denver)

For about a year or so the 16.9 oz bottles have been back. Interestingly, Via Rail does not supply bottle water.

Tennessee Traveler said:

For about a year or so the 16.9 oz bottles have been back. Interestingly, Via Rail does not supply bottle water.

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But the attendant in the Park Car has pitchers of juice,water and snacks out during the day!

Unfortunately, I have encountered some sleeping cars where the onboard water cooler has been removed, making your only drinking water choices bottled water or else something out of the sink tap in the restroom. The latter is in fact potable, but hardly attractive. But, if the bottled water is rationed (as is now often the case), then...

I was on the Southwest Chief recently and I had 2 bottles of water left for me in my roomette upon boarding. At meals in the Dining Car I requested a cup of ice to take back to my room. I also found the restroom tap water to be nice and cold; the water tap at the coffee station was warm and very gassy, not pleasant. Coffee was available in the morning form an urn, no decaf, no tea water; juice was available at room temp from quart boxes next to the coffee urn. There was no ice at the coffee station.

I felt sleeper beverage availability could be made a lot better with little effort/cost. I did not pursue special requests from the sleeper car attendant or the club car attendant as I was doing well enough with the ice from the dining car, but if I had wanted to make a mixed drink I would have had to be more aggressive about it and I assume I would have been able to get what I wanted. Your mileage may vary.

m--

KmH said:

Some, but not all, sleeper car attendants (TA-SC) provide juice in the morning.

Coffee is available in the morning only and policy for bottled water is usually 2 bottles of water per day.

We can request ice. Some TA-SC will get it for you, some will just have you go to the dining car to ask for ice.

Water from storage tanks water is available in each passenger car on the train.

Click to expand...

On the SL return trip this week, our attendant made it clear she could only give us 2 bottle of water total. Any more than that and we'd have to get them from diner attendants at meals or buy them in cafe. She did say that water bottles from diner would still allow us to get another beverage.

That is an SCA not catering to her passengers, rather sounds like she didn't mind being strict. I know many other SCA can find enough bottles so their passengers can have more as needed. Now I know some keep the extras bottles hidden in their room since there are a few passengers that take every unclaimed bottle they find, hording them in their room in their carry-on.

This has often been my experience. I've been told that I can get 2 bottles with each meal. I don't remember the exact rational, but it had to with the accounting method used. It was more favorable to the dining car's numbers. It made sense when I heard it, but I've obviously forgotten the rational now.

They ought to install "K-Cup" coffeemakers in the sleepers....then passengers could get fresh coffee whenever they wanted, and all the attendant would have to do is occasionally clean and resupply them....passengers would have a wider choice of beverages as an added benefit. I have even seen these installed on intercity buses (C&J on its NY-NH line)....

K cups would be very expensive and theft prone. What they do use in some spots (AT sleepers I think) are the Douwe-Egbert Machines, they load with cartons of coffee concentrate, but dispense one cup at a time. Also provide hot water. They sell various blends of coffee, some much better than others, They can be on 24 hours without a problem. Just need to check to make sure they don't run out, and keep them clean.

railiner said:

They ought to install "K-Cup" coffeemakers in the sleepers....then passengers could get fresh coffee whenever they wanted, and all the attendant would have to do is occasionally clean and resupply them.

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A fresh K-Cup? I've tried several brands and flavors but they all taste more like a dusty cardboard warehouse to me. Might as well switch to Folgers Crystals or Nescafe.