Is there still a wine and cheese tasting on the Starlight?

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I

igor

Train Attendant
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Messages
44
I've lost track of what amenities have come and gone recently. Can someone who's ridden recently get me up to date?

Is there a wine and cheese tasting on the Coast Starlight?

Is this no longer a free amenity, but one travelers have to pay for? If so, how much?

Do crackers and cheese have to be purchased separately?

Can wines from the tasting be purchased for later consumption?
 
igor said:
I've lost track of what amenities have come and gone recently. Can someone who's ridden recently get me up to date?

Is there a wine and cheese tasting on the Coast Starlight?

Is this no longer a free amenity, but one travelers have to pay for? If so, how much?

Do crackers and cheese have to be purchased separately?

Can wines from the tasting be purchased for later consumption?
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It is wine tasting only (as far as I know), and I believe that you need to pay now to participate. Don't have an answer for your third or fourth question, as I never been to one (I believe that it is for sleeper pax only, i am iffy about biz class pax).
 
IIRC last month it was quoted as $7.50. Initially offered to sleeping car and BC passengers but at the end they put out an all-call for the entire train. I don't know how many people ended up partaking. I didn't, so I can't answer your last two questions.
 
I just did the CS last month. There is a cheese plate that can be purchased to go along with the wine tasting. It is only available to business class and sleeper passengers. The cheese plate kind of looks like something you'd buy at Safeway, but it's a nice complement to the wine.
 
We did the tasting years ago - for free and after the tasting got to bring the unfinished bottles back to our room.
 
Just did it two days ago...$7.50... only offered to sleeping pax, no cheese or crackers offered. One annoucement to buy tickets. We had 7 people total partake.
 
The Cheese and Cracker Kit sold in the Lounge is actually quite good with a decent variety of both cheeses and crackers. Without looking it up, I cannot recall what it costs-maybe about $6 or so.
 
OlympianHiawatha said:
The Cheese and Cracker Kit sold in the Lounge is actually quite good with a decent variety of both cheeses and crackers. Without looking it up, I cannot recall what it costs-maybe about $6 or so.
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I also did the wine tasting recently, 7.50$,sleeper and business class,cheese was 5-6$ and was a good compliment to the wine. The wines were available for purchase,18 for a half bottle. I really enjoyed the Coppola merlot!
 
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RSG said:
FrensicPic said:
Here's a thread I started nearly 2 years ago...first post is a photo of the cheese and cracker kit available for purchase...don't know if its still the same.

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/60562-wine-and-cheese-report-again/

Posted this link primarily for the photo.
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That is the exact same cheese & cracker pack I purchased on the Northeast Regional in January. The more things change, the more they stay the same...
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Amtrak's soft product has definitely changed over the years while Amtrak's hard product hasn't changed appreciably in decades. Considering that Amtrak is still buying more 1980's era rolling stock I doubt we'll see any major changes for another forty years or more.
 
Thread bump.

The wife and I will be on the CS next Sept from EMY to SLO to SBA. I know things are subject to change, but is the wine tasting still being offered (in the post PPC era) and when/where do they usually do it on 11?

Thanks
 
I was sad to see the original wine tasting discontinued. I'm not much of a wine drinker myself but back then I was only too happy to join-in and even purchase a bottle or two just to show my support. Then they dumped it and when they brought it back the tastings were only done intermittently, apparently at the whim of the PPC attendant, and the brands were lower quality (IMO). It was almost a kindness to get rid of it the second time. The jovial party-like experience of prior years had faded and what remained was a tepid shell of the original event. Some of the PPC attendants did try to make it fun and enjoyable, but others would either do a half-arsed job or simply not do it at all.
 
Devil's Advocate said:
I was sad to see the original wine tasting discontinued. I'm not much of a wine drinker myself but back then I was only too happy to join-in and even purchase a bottle or two just to show my support. Then they dumped it and when they brought it back the tastings were only done intermittently, apparently at the whim of the PPC attendant, and the brands were lower quality (IMO). It was almost a kindness to get rid of it the second time. The jovial party-like experience of prior years had faded and what remained was a tepid shell of the original event. Some of the PPC attendants did try to make it fun and enjoyable, but others would either do a half-arsed job or simply not do it at all.
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I guess it’s just like dealing with any other government organization (especially the FAA) and their motto.

WE’RE NOT HAPPY UNTIL YOU’RE NOT HAPPY!!
 
F900ElCapitan said:
Thread bump.

The wife and I will be on the CS next Sept from EMY to SLO to SBA. I know things are subject to change, but is the wine tasting still being offered (in the post PPC era) and when/where do they usually do it on 11?

Thanks
Click to expand...
"Gone with the Wind" along with the other Nickel and Dime cuts that Amtraks Suits are making on the LD Trains.
 
Bob Dylan said:
F900ElCapitan said:
Thread bump.

The wife and I will be on the CS next Sept from EMY to SLO to SBA. I know things are subject to change, but is the wine tasting still being offered (in the post PPC era) and when/where do they usually do it on 11?

Thanks
Click to expand...
"Gone with the Wind" along with the other Nickel and Dime cuts that Amtraks Suits are making on the LD Trains.
Click to expand...
In days past, the real retraction of the wine tastings (Starlight, Builder and LSL all had them, though the LSLs was a "wine and cheese reception" for sleeper pax because of no dinner due to the late Chicago departure) was directly from John Mica and a congressional mandate to get rid of the wine tastings at "taxpayer expense". It wasn't the choice of Amtrak suits at the time. Yes, a shell was brought back on the Starlight for awhile after that, but, DA is right, it was never the same.

The withdrawal of the PPC, though, was the first shot in the current management's ill-disguised campaign against the long distance trains.
 

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