Advice please - Lake Shore Service NYC - Chicago

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sherman

Joined
Apr 16, 2016
Messages
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Hi -I live in the UK, and have a trip booked to New York in March 2022. I'm considering adding a few nights in Chicago to my trip, and hope to get the Lake Shore service, in a sleeper. The timings work for me, and it appears to be a direct service? I've not used Amtrak for a number of years (my 2019 trip was cancelled) so have few questions;

- In 2016, I travelled on the Silver Meteor , from Florida to Philadelphia, in a sleeper (roomette). Is the sleeper service on the Lake Shore similar?

- The Amtrak schedule suggests that I can check my luggage on the service. How easy is that to arrange?

- I'm obviously expecting that travel etc will be back to "normal" by March 2022, - my flights and accommodation are fully cancellable or can be deferred up to April 2023. The Amtrak change or cancellation policy appears to allow change only up to 121 days before the trip (so end of Nov 2021). That's a bit of a concern - have Amtrak been generally flexible during the pandemic? Are they likely to extend this if things are still relatively unclear in the Fall? (Thoughts please - I know it's unanswerable!)

Any other thoughts, suggestions or advice would be very welcome!

Thank you for reading this far!

Sherman
 
Amtrak has been very flexible about cancellations thus far. The policy right now is no change fees for tickets purchased before September 6, 2021. The 14 day cancellation for sleepers still holds, though.

The Lakeshore runs the same Viewliner sleepers as your Florida train did, and runs through to Chicago. You can easily check your luggage at Penn Station's Moynihan Train Hall. Bear in mind it must be in Amtrak's hands 45 minutes prior to departure. That isn't standing in line waiting to check it at 45 minutes. I could tell you where baggage check was on the old Penn Station side, but I do not know where it is on the new Moynihan side.

Note that the reheated dog food that is "flexible dining" is currently slated to continue indefinitely on the Lakeshore. That may or may not change. Amtrak has stated they are going to do a reevaluation on food service over the summer.
 
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Amtrak’s blurb re Moynihan says that baggage check-in is located centrally within the hall, the implication being that it is combined with the ticket office, but either way one hopes reasonably obvious. As the OP is in a sleeper, access to the new Metropolitan Lounge is available, so the worst case is leave plenty of time, head there and ask for help.
 
Thanks for the info re bag check at Moynihan. I'll be in NYC for a week before my train trip so will take the opportunity to check out the new Hall and make enquiries. The afternoon departure fits perfectly for checking out of my midtown hotel that morning so I can be there in good time. It's a pity the dining options wont be up to the standard I experienced in 2016 - but not a deal breaker for me. And it can't be any worse than airline food, right? If I flew to Chicago, I'd have to travel to to the airport at both ends, and have an extra night in a Chicago hotel, so the time spent on the train seeing more of the country (even through a window) will be well spent.

I have one other question (for now!). The Amtrak reservation page states that there are only 3 available roomettes left on this service. Is this a marketing ploy, or do they get booked up this far in advance? I can't risk firming up my Chicago plans until I've checked and changed my flights to make sure I can get a flight home at no significant additional cost. How long dare I wait to make a reservation for a March 2022 journey - days, a couple of weeks?

Thanks again in advance.

Sherman
 
sherman said:
I have one other question (for now!). The Amtrak reservation page states that there are only 3 available roomettes left on this service. Is this a marketing ploy, or do they get booked up this far in advance? I can't risk firming up my Chicago plans until I've checked and changed my flights to make sure I can get a flight home at no significant additional cost. How long dare I wait to make a reservation for a March 2022 journey - days, a couple of weeks?

Thanks again in advance.

Sherman
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I believe it would state three left at that price. Meaning once those three are sold, the price will be increased. I wouldn't be surprised if the train is already fairly full, the LSL is pretty popular. Amtrak also shows you how full the train is in percentage, you can take a look at that.

If your train has no more available roomettes, you can also get to Chicago through the Capitol Limited which runs between DC and Chicago, you would just have to take a train down to DC first. The Cardinal, which also runs between New York and Chicago might also be available, however it only runs tri-weekly in each direction and has a considerably longer running time. It departs out of New York before 7 AM and get's to Chicago the next day at 10 AM.

1621630559083.png
__---------------------------------^ Percentage of how full
 
Yes, that is 3 left at that price. But bear in mind the yield management high buckets can be around twice as much as low buckets.

With that said, you should be looking at reserving like 6 months on advance, not days or weeks.
 
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JontyMort said:
Amtrak’s blurb re Moynihan says that baggage check-in is located centrally within the hall, the implication being that it is combined with the ticket office, but either way one hopes reasonably obvious. As the OP is in a sleeper, access to the new Metropolitan Lounge is available, so the worst case is leave plenty of time, head there and ask for help.
Click to expand...
Baggage checkin is near the track 9/10 escalator. It is just off the main hall. Can’t miss it.
 
zephyr17 said:
Yes, that is 3 left at that price. But bear in mind the yield management high buckets can be around twice as much as low buckets.

With that said, you should be looking at reserving like 6 months on advance, not days or weeks.
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I did a dummy booking for mid April on the LSL.from NYP to Chi. $550 one person roomette. Looks like the mid bucket. Even booking way ahead,prices are high
 
Sidney said:
I did a dummy booking for mid April on the LSL.from NYP to Chi. $550 one person roomette. Looks like the mid bucket. Even booking way ahead,prices are high
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Actually, given Amtrak's more sophisticated yield management practices of the last few years it makes a certain amount of sense and is consistent with what I've seen over the last 3 years or so.

Rather than bringing inventory into the system at 11 months out at low bucket, they appear to be bringing inventory into the system based on an somewhat optimistic take on historic demand for the period. Then they appear to just leave it alone for at least a couple months. Then they'll adjust as actual demand develops, if they feel a need. April is a fairly busy month, with spring break and better weather. Mid bucket as the lowest available bucket for April makes sense as an initial setting under that scenario.

Check back once or twice a month.
 
I just decided to book a roomette on the LSL for the Gathering. Oct 13, the price for the New York to Chicago roomette was $379. The return trip to Washington on the Capitol Limited was $374. Obviously, Southwest Airlines is cheaper and faster, but the whole point is the experience of riding a train in a sleeping car, and Southwest Airlines doesn't offer that.
 
MARC Rider said:
I just decided to book a roomette on the LSL for the Gathering. Oct 13, the price for the New York to Chicago roomette was $379. The return trip to Washington on the Capitol Limited was $374. Obviously, Southwest Airlines is cheaper and faster, but the whole point is the experience of riding a train in a sleeping car, and Southwest Airlines doesn't offer that.
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I'm shocked the rates are that low.
 
Advance booking does not appear to be advantageous beyond a few months out, in my experience. Of course if you're arriving from another country and have flights and such to work out, not to mention pandemic restrictions, that's easy for me to say and maybe not so easy for your situation.
In any case, the LSL is a good value between NY and Chicago, not a fast trip, but a good value. By the time you factor in getting to and from airports, meals and drinks, stuff you can't pack in your carryon for flying, but can pack for a train, there's a good case to be made for taking the train. I'm going to have more thoughts in an upcoming TR I should start writing.
 
sherman said:
It's a pity the dining options wont be up to the standard I experienced in 2016 - but not a deal breaker for me. And it can't be any worse than airline food, right?
Click to expand...

Perhaps not worse than airline food, although the presentation (entree served in its plastic freezer tub; fetch your own plastic cutlery) is about as poor as possible, and the food quality in many cases is quite poor as well. Plus you're on the train for 19 hours -- much longer than most airline flights. I'd recommend planning a large late lunch in New York before boarding, so that you can skate with something small from the cafe car in lieu of the provided dinner. And if the train is on time, you might be able to find a real breakfast/brunch in Chicago after you arrive.

Food aside, the trip up the Hudson River from New York to Albany is wonderfully scenic and should be in full daylight in March, if you can manage to book a room on the left-hand side of the train.
 
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