Questions (wheelchair access, etc.)

I have some questions as stated in my topic title.

My husband & I went on the CZ last May. Since he has to be in a power chair & cant get out of his chair, he had to put his chair in the wheelchair dock. The question is, since there are no fold down tables for him & I to use, where can we put our meals from the dining car if we choose to order something from there?

We also are curious about the sleepers. I know there is one for the disabled but how big are the disabled ones? What is included in the cost of the sleepers? What are the showers like in the sleepers? Would coach be better for us than a sleeper?

Does anyone here do the Amtrak surveys for points? I have been doing these surveys & wondering if its a legit thing & do the points automatically go onto our Amtrak rewards card?

If we decided to stay overnight in a city, can we still use our tickets to board the next train the next day?

Amtrak doesn't provide anything reasonable in coach. I have used the cupholder on my chair for beverages and my lap for food.

The H-room isn't much better for dining. There is no way to get a wc close to the table. I either transfer or pull up sideways so I have a place to put things.

The H-room is big enough for your husband to recline all the way although you won't be able to move around him unless you are small and nimble. He won't be able to get close to the windows on either side. I sometimes hang out in the vestibule for that reason. There is a commode in the room that is minimally accessible, same with the sink. There is no accessible shower on board.

Sleepers include all meals including non-alcoholic beverages and dessert.

Since you've tried coach, I suggest you try a sleeper to see which you like better.

snljamie0518 said:

If we decided to stay overnight in a city, can we still use our tickets to board the next train the next day?

Click to expand...

No, you cannot use the same ticket to board the next train.

While the H-Room on the Superliners used on the CZ does not have a shower, the H-Room on the Viewliners (LSL,Cresc, SM,SS, and Card) does. As a "qualified" user of the H-Room, you would get it at the roomette price, as well as the disability discount. Tat would include you as "companion. You can't use the same ticket, you would have to book 2 separate trips.

check this link:

https://www.amtrak.com/accessible-travel-services

Go to YouTube, there are some videos of the accessible sleeper accommodations to give you an idea of the space you would have. Pretty sure there's no way in a power chair to move through the sleeper car from the room to any other part of the train, however, the corridors are very small. Check out the videos and judge for yourself.

Aren't there trays that can be attached to most chairs? That might be a decent option.

As for your ticket being used the next day, not if the train is "reserved", although you might have some flexibility if you arrive late and contact Amtrak personnel immediately before you're declared a no-show. If you're on an unreserved train (like Capitol Corridor) your unused tickets are actually valid for up to a year (and even before) after your ticket's reservation date unless there are special conditions. One would be that a AAA discount requires a 3 day advance purchase and such a ticket couldn't be used until at least 3 days have passed after purchase.

If you really want to stay overnight you'd be better off booking a "multi-city" trip. You can pick specific dates, do overnights (or longer) in intermediate cities on the same route, and often get better prices than booking everything separately.

https://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/complexrail

On the California Zephyr #5(23) last week, our sleeper had a passenger board for the "H" Room. Once his motorized scooter was aboard, he drove right into the room.