Empire Builder's Troubles continue into the Fall

[benale]

Since you already booked your itinerary using the EB-CS connection, Amtrak will call you and offer you the option of spending the night in Portland on your dime and put you on the next days CS. If you don't want to wait for their call, call them and explain your situation. You should still be able to take the EB.

 

[William W.]

If by some miracle the EB is on time, and I can make the connection, would Amtrak let me? The deciding factor would obviously be whether there was still sleeping space.

 

[Steve Manfred]

Since you already booked your itinerary using the EB-CS connection, Amtrak will call you and offer you the option of spending the night in Portland on your dime and put you on the next days CS. If you don't want to wait for their call, call them and explain your situation. You should still be able to take the EB.

I'd like to wait for their call, as it's still a ways off and maybe things will improve by then and the connection will still be valid.

(and maybe pigs will fly too)

The trouble is my roomette. If they don't call me for a while yet, and by the time they do, the roomettes on the Coast Starlight have sold out, what happens then? I'm relegated to coach for that leg?

 

[benale]

That is why I suggested calling Amtrak. The sooner you get in touch with them, the better chance of getting a roomette.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I wouldn't wait Steve! You don't have to cancel or change your rez when you call but the odds are that the connection won't be made in PDX.

You can either spend the night in PDX on your dime ( check out hotel deals for PDX) and have a guaranteed next day room, or change routes!

I wouldn't wait based on experience and what's happening on the Hi- Line this year plus its Winter and looks like its gonna be a bad one up North!!

 

[Steve Manfred]

Thanks for all the advice. I've decided to keep waiting for now after looking through the reservations system. I checked to see how often the roomettes on the Coast Starlight are total sellouts, since that's the only issue I have with waiting is the chance the one I'll need will be gone by the time I'm officially told the bad news. I discovered that unlike a lot of other LD trains, the Starlight rarely runs out of roomettes. Between now and the date I'll need, I found only three roomette sellouts, all around Thanksgiving. If I wanted one for today's or tomorrow's train, I could have it. And the date I'd maybe need is just a non-holiday, Tuesday Feb. 10th. Still, I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[NW cannonball]

Thanks for all the advice. I've decided to keep waiting for now after looking through the reservations system. I checked to see how often the roomettes on the Coast Starlight are total sellouts, since that's the only issue I have with waiting is the chance the one I'll need will be gone by the time I'm officially told the bad news. I discovered that unlike a lot of other LD trains, the Starlight rarely runs out of roomettes. Between now and the date I'll need, I found only three roomette sellouts, all around Thanksgiving. If I wanted one for today's or tomorrow's train, I could have it. And the date I'd maybe need is just a non-holiday, Tuesday Feb. 10th. Still, I'll keep an eye on it.

Sounds like a good plan A.

 

[TraneMan]

#8 isn't doing too well. :-( Keeps on losing time, and a co-worker is taking her first train trip to CHI. I warned her about delays... Didn't think it would be this bad. over 6 hours late. wonder what it been hitting along the way.

-Sent from my iPad using Amtrak Forum App.