What is the trick to purchasing a cheap sleeper?

[Sanari]

I have tried many different things. I have tried setting the date further out, I have tried mornings, I have tried nights, I have even tried setting the date a year from now (which made it exorbitantly expensive for some reason).

Can you give me some clues as to how to make my purchase feasible? Because right now, this trip is only a dream.

 

[Sanari]

I must have a sleeper because I am an introvert and must have an escape, and I am a female solo traveler and would be far more comfortable doing so.

 

[Ryan]

Be flexible on time is the best way.

Where are you looking to travel to (or from)? Flexibility on destinations can also help.

 

[Sanari]

I am taking a vacation Chicago to San Francisco. Then I am flying home. I am very flexible.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

You can see up to 30 days of fares here.

http://biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.php

You don't buy the ticket here, but a link will take you to the Amtrak website.

 

[Maglev]

I picked a random date (February 15, 2017) and see a price of $480 for a roomette. This is 50% more than the unrestricted coach fare, which is not bad for a popular train.

 

[Sanari]

You can see up to 30 days of fares here.http://biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.phpYou don't buy the ticket here, but a link will take you to the Amtrak website.

Wow thank you so much! Thank you everyone!

 

[chakk]

Even still, the lowest price you will EVER see for a sleeping accommodation from Chicago to San Francisco on Amtrak is about $558.

If you want to travel for less than that price, you can fly from Chicago to San Francisco in about 4 hours for about one-half that price on many airlines.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

Even still, the lowest price you will EVER see for a sleeping accommodation from Chicago to San Francisco on Amtrak is about $558.

For your information, the lowest for a sleeping car space for the California Zephyr is as of follows (as of April 2016):

Roomettes - $474

Family Bedroom - $708

Bedroom - $834

...and the highest for a sleeping car space for the California Zephyr is as of follows (as of April 2016):

Roomettes - $916

Family Bedroom - $1487

Bedroom - $1795

There is not a sure-fire way to find the lowest sleeper fare. About three weeks ago, I had managed to snag a roomette on its cheapest price tag for three out of four trips, for my upcoming trip next week and then next month. To get the best chance of getting a cheap sleeper, you should plan and book your trip at least three months out, and more in advance if you plan to travel during peak travel days and/or ride the Sunset Limited or Cardinal (I've seen sleepers on the Sunset Limited sell out even when booking three months out), as these trains run only three times a week and only have one sleeping car in their respective consists.

 

[neroden]

I have tried many different things. I have tried setting the date further out, I have tried mornings, I have tried nights, I have even tried setting the date a year from now (which made it exorbitantly expensive for some reason).

Can you give me some clues as to how to make my purchase feasible? Because right now, this trip is only a dream.

Travel on a weekday in February.

Amsnag is great for finding the days with the cheapest rooms. You can get a roomette for $480 in February. (Actually, it looks like you can get this price any day in February except the 10th and the 23rd.) It doesn't go much cheaper than that ever.

 

[sanari]

I actually found a room for 424. Thank you for that website, it is a gem!

 

[StriderGDM]

Also btw, keep in mind a sleeper includes your meals in the diner so you can calculate that into your "cost" compared to coach.

Congrats on finding a room.

 

[niemi24s]

I actually found a room for 424. Thank you for that website, it is a gem!

That $424 is not the lowest bucket. Low bucket Roomette on the CZ is $311, as shown below:



FYI, when shopping for a sleeper, pay no attention to the coach ("C") prices because when you buy a sleeper, you always pay the low bucket coach fare - the one just above the circled one - even if coach fare is at high bucket on that day.

 

[niemi24s]

Travel on a weekday in February.

Another rule of thumb bites the dust. Roomettes during Feb 2017 are presently all at low bucket of $311 except for Friday the 10th of Feb when it's $424 and Thursday the 23rd of Feb when none are available.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

Travel on a weekday in February.

Another rule of thumb bites the dust. Roomettes during Feb 2017 are presently all at low bucket of $311 except for Friday the 10th of Feb when it's $424 and Thursday the 23rd of Feb when none are available.

What's up on the CZ on Thursday 23 Feb that caused all the roomettes (and also bluffing that other types of sleepers as well) to be sold out? High demand, as in something's going on, or for some other reason?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Don't forget the price are at the highest for travel 11 to 6 month out, on most long distance trains.

About 6 to 4 month is supply and demand priced. So if nobody booked early the price will be low bucket. If it peak travel day the it will be high bucket.

 

[neroden]

Travel on a weekday in February.

Another rule of thumb bites the dust. Roomettes during Feb 2017 are presently all at low bucket of $311 except for Friday the 10th of Feb when it's $424 and Thursday the 23rd of Feb when none are available.

Do remember that you have to add the low-bucket coach fare ($169 last I checked) to the $311 roomette upcharge --> $480.

Oh, the other piece of advice: don't forget to use any available discounts. Like, AAA members get a discount. NARP members get a discount. Etc.

 

[snvboy]

What's up on the CZ on Thursday 23 Feb that caused all the roomettes (and also bluffing that other types of sleepers as well) to be sold out? High demand, as in something's going on, or for some other reason?

Most likely it's the 2017 Train Jam.

http://trainjam.com/

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

That train is sold out. CZ on the 23rd of Feb. Can we add some cars, both renvue and lounge space. Nothing like getting a few noobies to try out a train. Let's see if we can get Amtrak to empty out the yard.

 

[Don Newcomb]

OK, I'll be the dummy here. What does "bucket" mean in the current context?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

OK, I'll be the dummy here. What does "bucket" mean in the current context?

Get 5 buckets - you have 10 roomettes

1st bucket ($5) - drop in 2 roomette #'s

2nd bucket($10) - drop in 2 roomette #'s

3rd bucket ($15) - drop in 2 roomette #'s

4th bucket($20) - drop in 2 roomette #'s

5th bucket($20) - drop in 2 roomette #'s

Sell the roomettes by starting with the 1st bucket.

 

[Don Newcomb]

So, I'm still struggling to get the meaning. What I'm reading is Amtrak sells the first few roomettes on a given train at what amounts to a bargain and the last to sell go for a premium? Is this true of all trains throughout the calendar or do they adjust the buckets at peak travel times, like Christmas and Thanksgiving? I understand that the airlines have very sophisticated algorithms to assure that every plane flies full and generates the maximum possible revenue. Is Amtrak anything like this savvy?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

So, I'm still struggling to get the meaning. What I'm reading is Amtrak sells the first few roomettes on a given train at what amounts to a bargain and the last to sell go for a premium? Is this true of all trains throughout the calendar or do they adjust the buckets at peak travel times, like Christmas and Thanksgiving? I understand that the airlines have very sophisticated algorithms to assure that every plane flies full and generates the maximum possible revenue. Is Amtrak anything like this savvy?

They used to start with the low bucket when sales opened at 11 months prior to trip, but in the last year or two they seem to have started with a middle bucket. I don't think anyone here at AU has figured out the algorithm used (or if there even is one).

 

[sanari]

I actually found a room for 424. Thank you for that website, it is a gem!

That $424 is not the lowest bucket. Low bucket Roomette on the CZ is $311, as shown below:

Nov2016AmtrakFareBucketsa.jpg

FYI, when shopping for a sleeper, pay no attention to the coach ("C") prices because when you buy a sleeper, you always pay the low bucket coach fare - the one just above the circled one - even if coach fare is at high bucket on that day.

I was not looking for an immediate fare.

 

[niemi24s]

Using AmSnag, took a quick look at CZ Roomette fares from now through Oct 2017 - 11 months worth - looking for the frequency of low bucket ($311) Roomettes and found this:

Dec-11, Jan-12, Feb-28, Mar-26, Apr-28, May-25, Jun through Oct-0. Those that weren't low bucket were a variety of the other buckets from $424 to $758. AmtrakBlue seems to have nailed the situation, at least for the CZ. Don't know if this same pattern (no low bucket Roomettes beyond 6 months in the future) holds for other routes.

However, this one-time look shouldn't dissuade anyone from booking beyond 6 months out - especially if your travel date is set in concrete: book the sleeper you want (just for the sake of getting it) even if it's not low bucket; create an AmSnag Alert; when the price drops for the day you booked, call an agent and have your ticket modified to the lower fare. If you travel date is flexible, you can wait and hope a low bucket appears in your travel window - hoping they're not all sold out before you act.

Edit: Got bored and looked at three other LD trains:

• The Empire Builder followed the same general pattern as the CZ (132 low bucket Roomettes available during the next 6 months, but only 2 low bucket Roomettes available from Jun through Oct).

• The Crescent was like the Empire Builder (94 low bucket Roomettes available during the next 6 months, but only 2 available from Jun through Oct). Also noticed many 4 day periods blocked out during the week in Jan & Feb, probably due to track work.

• The Silver Meteor was just the opposite (only 23 low bucket Roomettes available during the next six months, but 117 available during the Jun through Oct 2017 period).

All this sort of backs up my rule of thumb for Amtrak fares - you can't always sometimes tell what you least expect to happen the most!