For a First Class (Sleeper) pax, what do meals consist of?

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RRrich

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Right, bread and water :unsure: seriously,

We have booked Sleepers on both the City of New Orleans and the Lake Shore Limited. I understand that the fares include meals, but what is included in the meals?

Would a typical breakfast be Juice, Eggs, Meat (bacon, sausage, scrapple, whatever) toast & drink?

Lunch - a main course, (sandwich or plate), dessert & drink?

Dinner - app, main, drink & dessert?

drinks are assumed to be milk, coffee, iced tea, soda or such

Never yet having done it, I just don't know :blink:
 
Typically, included meals are about what you'd get from a local KFC. With the reduction in crews lately, including the elimination of chefs, food is brought on at service stations along the route, where prearranged fast food is loaded on board.
 
Since I didn't see any good April fools jokes on here, thought I'd try one a couple days late...

Meals are very nice. Check out this sample menu from the Amtrak website.

Alcoholic beverages are not included, but drinks, appetizers, and desserts generally are. I think there are some exceptions with regards to appetizers and desserts. Someone can clarify that one for me...
 
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You can order anything on the menu for your meal. (Entree, drink, desert) The only thing extra are appetizer and alcoholic beverage - and tip. (Remember to base your tip on what the meal would have cost!)
 
Typically, included meals are about what you'd get from a local KFC. With the reduction in crews lately, including the elimination of chefs, food is brought on at service stations along the route, where prearranged fast food is loaded on board.
Sadly, this is actually partially correct, its becoming very common for a heritage diner to have a problem. When this happens Amtrak literally orders fast food and has it brought on the train at a station stop.
 
Typically, included meals are about what you'd get from a local KFC. With the reduction in crews lately, including the elimination of chefs, food is brought on at service stations along the route, where prearranged fast food is loaded on board.
Sadly, this is actually partially correct, its becoming very common for a heritage diner to have a problem. When this happens Amtrak literally orders fast food and has it brought on the train at a station stop.
And where are you getting this info from? :unsure:
 
See this LINK for what Amtrak serves.

Right, Thanks

I've seen the menus, I guess what I want to know about are sides at breakfast (bacon, sausage), appetizers and dessert at lunch and dinner?

Both my wife and SHOULD only have a small salad at lunch & dinner, but we are assuming that Getting there is half the fun, and what kind of fun is that?? :(
 
See this LINK for what Amtrak serves.

Right, Thanks

I've seen the menus, I guess what I want to know about are sides at breakfast (bacon, sausage), appetizers and dessert at lunch and dinner?

Both my wife and SHOULD only have a small salad at lunch & dinner, but we are assuming that Getting there is half the fun, and what kind of fun is that?? :(
Sleeper car folks can have anything (one serving per person) on the menu except alcoholic beverages and appetizers. Even includes salad and dessert.
 
And more specifically, for breakfast you are entitled to one side of bacon or sausage with your meal. You can also have a cup of coffee and a glass of juice. By the way, Amtrak doesn't do toast. There are no toasters on board Amtrak trains.
 
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Since when? O_O I remember getting toast on Amtrak.
Since maybe 5 or more years ago.

Toast was elimated years ago, so that Amtrak could cut the cook staff from three to two. A few other things went bye-bye too back then, but toast was part of that cut.
I'm sorry I can't help but laugh here :lol: Now I realize that they saved money by eliminating the position, but I wonder what they saved by getting rid of toast? :blink:
 
Since when? O_O I remember getting toast on Amtrak.
Since maybe 5 or more years ago.

Toast was elimated years ago, so that Amtrak could cut the cook staff from three to two. A few other things went bye-bye too back then, but toast was part of that cut.
I'm sorry I can't help but laugh here :lol: Now I realize that they saved money by eliminating the position, but I wonder what they saved by getting rid of toast? :blink:
The expense of buying bread and the expense of buying, repairing, cleaning toasters. Granted they aren't significant expenses, but when you're looking to cut expenses, every little bit helps. And of course the biggest thing was the staff cut.
 
Since when? O_O I remember getting toast on Amtrak.
Since maybe 5 or more years ago.

Toast was elimated years ago, so that Amtrak could cut the cook staff from three to two. A few other things went bye-bye too back then, but toast was part of that cut.
I'm sorry I can't help but laugh here :lol: Now I realize that they saved money by eliminating the position, but I wonder what they saved by getting rid of toast? :blink:
Just to add to the mix I never remember seeing a cook making toast in Heritage diners; it was always the SA's that made it.
 
Since when? O_O I remember getting toast on Amtrak.
Since maybe 5 or more years ago.

Toast was elimated years ago, so that Amtrak could cut the cook staff from three to two. A few other things went bye-bye too back then, but toast was part of that cut.
I'm sorry I can't help but laugh here :lol: Now I realize that they saved money by eliminating the position, but I wonder what they saved by getting rid of toast? :blink:
The expense of buying bread and the expense of buying, repairing, cleaning toasters. Granted they aren't significant expenses, but when you're looking to cut expenses, every little bit helps. And of course the biggest thing was the staff cut.
When toast first disappeared I was offered this story believe it or not. There was a fear that a server would walk by the toaster with liquids and accidentally drop them into the toaster thus toasting the SA, cook, the toaster and whoever else was in the vicinity. Honest Injun, this was what an LSA (actually one of the last stewards) told me.
 
When toast first disappeared I was offered this story believe it or not. There was a fear that a server would walk by the toaster with liquids and accidentally drop them into the toaster thus toasting the SA, cook, the toaster and whoever else was in the vicinity. Honest Injun, this was what an LSA (actually one of the last stewards) told me.
The early attempt at a late April Fool's joke in this thread makes the rest of it kind of surreal!

Toast was eliminated for safety reasons! Safety first! Also, the high cost of toast was seriously impacting Amtrak's bottom line!

I never knew toast had so much clout! :) Or, that it was so labor intensive!
 
Typically, included meals are about what you'd get from a local KFC. With the reduction in crews lately, including the elimination of chefs, food is brought on at service stations along the route, where prearranged fast food is loaded on board.
Sadly, this is actually partially correct, its becoming very common for a heritage diner to have a problem. When this happens Amtrak literally orders fast food and has it brought on the train at a station stop.
And where are you getting this info from? :unsure:
A few sleeping car passengers told me they had Mc Donalds for all meals on the Crescent due to electrical problems in the diner. Then a while back during the heat of the summer when it was over 100 degress in Alabama they took on Popeye's Chicken at BHM for lunch becasue the car lost its AC and was taken off to be dead headed back to WAS by the NB. From the times I've noticed the Crescent has already gone with out a diner 3 round trips this year, every time fast food has been supplied for sleeping car passengers and any extra was sold to coach passengers.
 
Typically, included meals are about what you'd get from a local KFC. With the reduction in crews lately, including the elimination of chefs, food is brought on at service stations along the route, where prearranged fast food is loaded on board.
Sadly, this is actually partially correct, its becoming very common for a heritage diner to have a problem. When this happens Amtrak literally orders fast food and has it brought on the train at a station stop.
And where are you getting this info from? :unsure:
A few sleeping car passengers told me they had Mc Donalds for all meals on the Crescent due to electrical problems in the diner. Then a while back during the heat of the summer when it was over 100 degress in Alabama they took on Popeye's Chicken at BHM for lunch becasue the car lost its AC and was taken off to be dead headed back to WAS by the NB. From the times I've noticed the Crescent has already gone with out a diner 3 round trips this year, every time fast food has been supplied for sleeping car passengers and any extra was sold to coach passengers.
I have to disagree with your comments. If this happened three times and if there have been 95 roundtrips since the beginning of the calendar year, that means that 3% of the time outside food has been supplied. That is hardly "very common". This is how urban legends begin!
 
What I HAVE noticed whenever I see these trains go is that the lounge is actually a Diner Lite, and I suspect in the event of a bad-ordered diner, they simply use that as the diner, offering Diner-Lite food.
 
When toast first disappeared I was offered this story believe it or not. There was a fear that a server would walk by the toaster with liquids and accidentally drop them into the toaster thus toasting the SA, cook, the toaster and whoever else was in the vicinity. Honest Injun, this was what an LSA (actually one of the last stewards) told me.
The early attempt at a late April Fool's joke in this thread makes the rest of it kind of surreal!

Toast was eliminated for safety reasons! Safety first! Also, the high cost of toast was seriously impacting Amtrak's bottom line!

I never knew toast had so much clout! :) Or, that it was so labor intensive!
Well to someone who doesn't know the background to the toaster situation it would sound ridiculous. I think (I'm not positive but it was a Federal agency) the Food and Drug Administration shut down some of the lounge cars because of rodents and unsanitary conditions. It was my understanding that the toaster spat came from the same inspection tour. The toaster was the first appliance inside the doorway on the Heritage diners that did not receive the conversion kits.
 
Amtrak got rid of the toaster, but they still have to ask for a subsidy of $$$$$$? Maybe they'll next eliminate the bread from the French Toast to save some more money?

Amtrak: "You can still order French Toast, but we have to charge you extra if you want bread with it! Would you like it with or without bread?"
:rolleyes:
 
Typically, included meals are about what you'd get from a local KFC. With the reduction in crews lately, including the elimination of chefs, food is brought on at service stations along the route, where prearranged fast food is loaded on board.
Sadly, this is actually partially correct, its becoming very common for a heritage diner to have a problem. When this happens Amtrak literally orders fast food and has it brought on the train at a station stop.
And where are you getting this info from? :unsure:
A few sleeping car passengers told me they had Mc Donalds for all meals on the Crescent due to electrical problems in the diner. Then a while back during the heat of the summer when it was over 100 degress in Alabama they took on Popeye's Chicken at BHM for lunch becasue the car lost its AC and was taken off to be dead headed back to WAS by the NB. From the times I've noticed the Crescent has already gone with out a diner 3 round trips this year, every time fast food has been supplied for sleeping car passengers and any extra was sold to coach passengers.
I have to disagree with your comments. If this happened three times and if there have been 95 roundtrips since the beginning of the calendar year, that means that 3% of the time outside food has been supplied. That is hardly "very common". This is how urban legends begin!
Thank you Haolerider! :)

And that percentage is just for the Crescent. Heritage diners still run on the Silver Service trains too, so that means that this problem is far from common, it's almost invisible.

Yes, I'm sure that it's a pain to those passengers who unfortunately encounter the problem. But things do happen. Besides, would you rather have been stuck on Jet Blue for several hours with no food or water? Or would you rather have Amtrak import food from McDonalds or Popeye's?
 
Typically, included meals are about what you'd get from a local KFC. With the reduction in crews lately, including the elimination of chefs, food is brought on at service stations along the route, where prearranged fast food is loaded on board.
Sadly, this is actually partially correct, its becoming very common for a heritage diner to have a problem. When this happens Amtrak literally orders fast food and has it brought on the train at a station stop.
I had in my mind this image of a train pulled up by a McDonalds 'drive-thru' with the engineer yelling out of the window "30 double cheese with fries, 40 chicken nuggets with fries ... "
 
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