Roomette and bedroom turnaround time

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VTTrain

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
Messages
324
I’ve got a reservation on the Silver Meteor from Charleston to New York.

I know that the odds are very slim, but I was wondering if my roomette could be occupied by someone else until Charleston.  I’d rather not board with an uncleaned roomette or one that had a rushed cleaning job.  

Does Amtrak allow this to happen or is their system smart enough to require a station stop in between?
 
If your room is occupied to Charleston, your attendant may have you sit in another room while he or she cleans your room.  When I travel from Orlando south, almost always my room has been occupied to Orlando.  I am prepared to either wait in another room, the cafe car or dining car.  

I guess the answer to your question is yes, the system will allow "this" to happen.  I bring disinfectant wipes with me and always clean my own room regardless of whether the attendant cleans the room in "rushed" manner.  The attendant will clean the room between passengers.
 
Of course it’s possible. You think Amtrak will let a room be empty between stops just so they can clean it? And I’m sure the room would get the same “rushed cleaning” even if it is empty between stops.
*rolls eyes*
 
I just boarded the Silver Star in Orlando.  As expected, the room to which I was ticketed had been occupied by paasengers detraining in Orlando.  The SCA suggested that I occupy another room that was "clean."  There had been children in the rooms that were previously occupied and would take a while to clean so I agreed to stay in the temporary room for the duration of my trip.  The SCA, who knows me and my habits, told me that she had wiped down the surfaces before I boarded.  I informed her that I had alredy wiped things down myself.  She laughed and said "I knew you would."
 
I’m boarding at 9:17 PM if the train is on time, which it won’t be.  I really hope that I won’t have to buy some time in a temporary room.   
 
Of course it’s possible. You think Amtrak will let a room be empty between stops just so they can clean it? And I’m sure the room would get the same “rushed cleaning” even if it is empty between stops.
*rolls eyes*
I'm convinced I've ridden in roomettes that got a rushed cleaning at stub ends. I sometimes bring a small spray bottle filled with a disinfectant and some baby wipes in a Ziploc bag to any kind of public sleeping accommodation including hotels and Amtrak and even some public rest rooms. Better safe than sorry. But if the sheets or towels show any kind of evidence of prior human use I demand new.
 
I've always seen the sheets and pillow cases being changed on the train. Only bad linen I ever got was a blanket with some weird fuzz allover it. Sadly, it was  one of the ones that came in a sealed plastic bag that I opened , so I know wasn't Amtrak or the SCA. Since it (SM) originates as an early morning train, and you aren't that deep into the night, I would imagine you won't have a problem. There are folks that take a roomette for a day trip,especially when they snag a good price, my best guess is you should be fine.
 
I just boarded the Silver Star in Orlando.  As expected, the room to which I was ticketed had been occupied by paasengers detraining in Orlando.  The SCA suggested that I occupy another room that was "clean."  There had been children in the rooms that were previously occupied and would take a while to clean so I agreed to stay in the temporary room for the duration of my trip.  The SCA, who knows me and my habits, told me that she had wiped down the surfaces before I boarded.  I informed her that I had alredy wiped things down myself.  She laughed and said "I knew you would."
I do the exact same thing whenever I cruise...

While the cabin steward usually does a pretty thorough job, of cleaning and sanitizing the cabin, they are not going to do it as extensively as I am, for myself...

I go over every surface in the entire cabin, and bathroom, with Clorox Healthcare hydrogen peroxide wipes, with special emphasis on telephone and tv remote.  

These are supposed to be effective even in killing the dreaded norovirus.
 
I go over every surface in the entire cabin, and bathroom, with Clorox Healthcare hydrogen peroxide wipes, with special emphasis on telephone and tv remote.  
I use those wipes when on a cruise also, but use Seventh Generation when on a train and in a hotel room.
 
I have been asked by the SCA if I would mind vacating my roomette a few minutes early so that he could clean it for the next passenger.     While rare, the SCA showed me (and my family) very attentive service for the trip and because of that, I had no problem showing him some courtesy back,
 
I have watched them clean and then gone back into my room after they have done it, and it was make up the bed, and remove the rubbish. That was all they did when I did see them, depends on the SCA I reckon.

I generally give everything a wipe down with some wipes.

Most of my journeys have been full legs, when doing a partial leg it likely differs.

Rooms have always been spotless when I get on. And when I get off, I leave it as I found it.
 
I've seen SCA's flip roomettes across the hall from me numerous times, and even the same roomette 2 or 3 times on #421/422 as well as 27/28.  A couple years ago when I had to change my reservations a week before departure, I changed rooms twice (called 'shorts') as I couldn't book a roomette in #422 LAX through to CHI.  I let the SCA know what was happening and even vacated my rooms 5-10 minutes early to facilitate their flipping the rooms.  I even got to sleep in a family room for the first time ever. 

As indicated above, how squeaky clean a room is when flipped varies from SCA to SCA.  At a minimum, bed linens are replaced (if slept in), towels and wash cloths replaced, and a couple of bottles of water are put into the room.  In Viewliners, they sometimes restock soap and t-paper, if they're not flipping 3-4 rooms at the same stop.  It comes down to how willing are passengers to facilitate their room being flipped before they get off and how many rooms need to be flipped.

Perhaps my biggest pet peeve with flipped rooms is if it is after 8PM, give or take, they will have the beds down and fully made up.  In my opinion, that makes it quite difficult for boarding passengers to find places to store their luggage, especially in Viewliner roomettes, and makes it near impossible to get changed to go to bed...IF they actually want to go to bed that early!  I've seen completely befuddled senior citizens arrive at their fully made down roomette and wonder what to do next too many times!   I had that happen to me, once, as well.  Fortunately, I know how to make up/down the beds, so I simply 'flopped' everything back up top and enjoyed being seated for several hours before 'flopping' it back down.
 
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