is business class on NEC worth it?

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.

sleepybobcat

Train Attendant
Joined
Jun 2, 2010
Messages
23
is business class on NEC worth it? this is for a 5-hour ride in the morning...

thanks! :)
 
Yes, yes and yes. Just the seat is worth it away from the crowded cars. Even if the comp drinks are on the counter and hot you can always ask for a cup of ice.
 
Just to add to had8ley's comment.. YES YES YES YES YES. I always travel business class especially out of Richmond north. much quieter, better seats, I can plug in my laptop and just chill out without much disturbance.
 
Yes, yes and yes. Just the seat is worth it away from the crowded cars. Even if the comp drinks are on the counter and hot you can always ask for a cup of ice.
I have no direct experience on NEC, but have taken business class on the Amtrak Cascades and my experience mirrors the other comments.
 
More yeses here, we rode BC from DC to New Haven Ct 2 years ago and will do it again in 2 months. Quieter, better seats, quieter, and quieter!

Did I mention is was quieter? :lol:
 
thanks! I just made the reservation in business....

when you guys say "better seats" do you mean the seats are wider and have more legroom?

is it still 2-2 configuration?

thanks! :)
 
I personally believe that the Coach seats are more comfortable then the BC seats. That's me. In late December I was hoping to Upgrade from coach but couldn't. On the return in early January I was lucky enough to have a BC car filling in for a coach car. I compared seat comfort. I thought the Coach seat was better. The BC seats are too firm for me but worth the extra legroom and quiet. The Coach cars also offer outlets.

Steve
 
I rode BOS-NYP last week, upgrading to Business with a Select Upgrade coupon.

It may be that the "crowds" are in coach, and Business may seem to separate you from that, but I found nothing special about Business that I would have paid $31.00 extra for.

I did not notice any special legroom ( I did visit coach to compare ), any larger seating, no AMTRAK employees attending to Business, no one telling us about that 'free soda', only the conductor griping at people who were not quick enough to get their bag stored.

I did notice the cafe-creatures, those who take up camp in the cafe car tables and never move. One was even spread out across the table asleep.

So, I would do Business everytime - if it were free.
 
I did not notice any special legroom ( I did visit coach to compare ), any larger seating, no AMTRAK employees attending to Business, no one telling us about that 'free soda', only the conductor griping at people who were not quick enough to get their bag stored.
Every time I've ridden Business Class on the Regionals, the conductor has mentioned the free sodas when he punched my ticket. The conductor even offered me a newspaper on my most recent trip.

I'm tall (about 6'5") and I have definitely noticed a difference in legroom between coach and BC.

The extra legroom, combined with the ease of finding empty seats, usually makes it a worthwhile upgrade for me.
 
No. It is a fantastic waste of money.
I have to agree with GML. Wow, a first! ;)

The "best" you might hope for, is a 1/2 size mini-can of warm soda. They do have full size cans, cooled nicely in their refrigerators, but those are for paying customers (from coach).

The seats are the same as coach. You might get more leg room, but you might not too. If you get a regular car, Amtrak cares less. More leg room is not guarantied.

You might get to cut to the front of the line when boarding, along with the handicapped, but that too isn't guarantied.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've found that it's hit-or-miss, although if you expect the train/station to be very crowded, BC can be a relief. For example, I usually ride BC when traveling out of WAS on Thanksgiving to get away from the crowds a little bit.

Sometimes it's quieter, but not always. I took BC several times on 67 from NYP down to Virginia, where it's often much nicer--the 2-1 seating, etc.--but you can still hear noise from the Cafe Car, and you still run the risk of having someone with loud headphones, a cellphone going off at all hours, etc. If the coaches are fairly empty, they may sometimes be just as quiet.

In short, I'll take BC if I expect coach to be bad, and will forego it if I expect coach to be good. :)
 
Business class on the NEC regionals are hit or miss. Sometimes the car is less crowded - sometimes not, especially during a heavy travel season (around the holidays). Sometimes the business class car is just a coach car, with an 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper saying "Business Class" taped to the door. Sometimes you will get a coach car that is a business class car - and I rode on a consist about two weeks ago that had a coach car for the BC car but then a BC car being used as a coach car.

Unless I was going pretty far (say, BOS - WAS) OR I was on the 66/67, I would NOT pay for the BC upgrade.
 
I too would not pay for BC on a Regional, unless it was 66/67.

I once took BC out of WAS (because I was on an AGR award). This train was starting in WAS, and BEFORE THE TRAIN STARTED MOVING, 5-10 people started gabbing on their cell phones! :eek: I'd much rather sit in coach in the quiet car - the car right behind BC! ;) (I find it much quieter, the leg room the same or not much different, and no cell phone use allowed!)
 
what if it's a Northeast Regional train leaving New York Penn at 3:00AM and the trip

is only 3 hours long? just looked at such a trip... coach $47, business $35 more.

(I'm guess it's $47 because nobody gets on a train at 3:00AM? :) )
 
what if it's a Northeast Regional train leaving New York Penn at 3:00AM and the trip is only 3 hours long? just looked at such a trip... coach $47, business $35 more.

(I'm guess it's $47 because nobody gets on a train at 3:00AM? :) )
The price for coach is based on fare buckets. That may be a higher bucket. The BC add-on is ALWAYS the same point to point. It doesn't matter if the coach fare is low bucket or high bucket!
 
what if it's a Northeast Regional train leaving New York Penn at 3:00AM and the trip is only 3 hours long? just looked at such a trip... coach $47, business $35 more.

(I'm guess it's $47 because nobody gets on a train at 3:00AM? :) )
The price for coach is based on fare buckets. That may be a higher bucket. The BC add-on is ALWAYS the same point to point. It doesn't matter if the coach fare is low bucket or high bucket!
unfortunately, add business class option also increased coach to more than $70....

but if only purchasing coach, then the fare remains at $47...
 
what if it's a Northeast Regional train leaving New York Penn at 3:00AM and the trip is only 3 hours long? just looked at such a trip... coach $47, business $35 more.

(I'm guess it's $47 because nobody gets on a train at 3:00AM? :) )
YES, because that is train 66 or 67 which has the combined BC/cafe car with the leather seats and the 2-1 seating. As I mentioned above, that is the only NEC train that I would spring for BC on.
 
what if it's a Northeast Regional train leaving New York Penn at 3:00AM and the trip is only 3 hours long? just looked at such a trip... coach $47, business $35 more.

(I'm guess it's $47 because nobody gets on a train at 3:00AM? :) )
YES, because that is train 66 or 67 which has the combined BC/cafe car with the leather seats and the 2-1 seating. As I mentioned above, that is the only NEC train that I would spring for BC on.
I was quite surprised by an earlier posting that mentioned business class on an amfleet was 2+2. Because when I've scooped the Downeaster in, I could have sworn it was 2 + 1. So that explains it, its only the combo car that has that arrangement then? Bloody comfortable though and gave me a great first impression of Amtrak.
 
Let's change venues for a moment and ask "Is Business Class on the Lincoln Service/Missouri River Runner worth it? In my case, it's only going to cost me an extra 500 AGR Points to find out but I'd appreciate any reviews.
 
Let's change venues for a moment and ask "Is Business Class on the Lincoln Service/Missouri River Runner worth it? In my case, it's only going to cost me an extra 500 AGR Points to find out but I'd appreciate any reviews.
It may not cost you any points, OH! When we got our AGR tickets in April for a trip leaving Alton, IL, to Chicago for a two-zone bedroom award on the Zephyr to EMY, the AGR agent told us first of all that the ALN-CHI portion was included (which I hadn't known), and then that the upgrade to Business Class was automatic, since we were getting a bedroom on the long-distance portions.

I thought this was pretty cool, since I'd planned to ante up short-haul points for the ALN-CHI tickets in the first place!
 
I was quite surprised by an earlier posting that mentioned business class on an amfleet was 2+2. Because when I've scooped the Downeaster in, I could have sworn it was 2 + 1. So that explains it, its only the combo car that has that arrangement then? Bloody comfortable though and gave me a great first impression of Amtrak.
There are four kinds of Amfleet cars that contain revenue seats (Actually, there are about a dozen other cars fitting into other types, but they are being converted as we speak and aren't worth discussing): Amfleet I Coach cars (2+2 seating, 70 passenger capacity), Amfleet II Coach cars (2+2 seating, 60 passenger capacity, legrests/footrests), Amfleet I BusinessClass cars (2+2 seating, 60 passenger capacity, footrests), and Amfleet I Club-Dinette cars (24 table seats, 15 2+1 business class seats with legrests and footrests).

The Amfleet I Club Dinettes and similar Horizon Club Dinettes are found in business class service on almost all single level services offering it except for the Northeast Regional trains. Northeast Regionals 66/67 also carry a Club Dinette. All Northeast Regional trains except for 66/67 run the BusinessClass cars. Amfleet II cars are used for long distance passengers on long distance trains.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top