Ice

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Rail Freak

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Tampa Bay, Florida
My last trip (10/2015), Amtrak was getting strict with the rule of no ice chest in sleepers. It was a real pain, as I like to relax with a few Adult Beverages while kicking back in my sleeper! How is the ICE situation these days???
 
My last trip (10/2015), Amtrak was getting strict with the rule of no ice chest in sleepers. It was a real pain, as I like to relax with a few Adult Beverages while kicking back in my sleeper! How is the ICE situation these days???
See this post: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/70345-national-dining-car-specialsnew-menus-april-17/?p=705578

This forum really needs a "can of worms" smiley....
When it comes to getting your own ice on Amtrak I think this image might be slightly more appropriate...

discipline.jpg
 
A small sanitary ice maker and self serve coffee maker should be included in any re-furb of the S-L sleeper beverage station. I've seen the coffee machines on the Auto Train, they aren't bad. That should end this as an issue
 
Not even an ice maker.... Just an ice dispenser is all that's needed! (Loaded with ice that is already loaded for the diner and cafe).
 
As long as the storage area is not accessible to the public it would be fine. Lots of restaurants do that right now. A high volume ice maker, and staff periodically refills "soda stations"
 
How is ice provided on VIA rail routes?
when I rode the Canadian a few years ago no ice or waters were provided in the sleepers. There was self serve coffee, hot tea, juice, and water (like a pitcher of water) In the park car... Which could be 4 or 5 cars from your room.
 
I'd be thrilled if the coffee machines in sleepers were changed to provide hot water as well as coffee. Love to watch daylight arrive in my roomette with a cup of hot tea. Hate to have to beg for it.
 
Don't the ones on the auto train do that? I think they do regular decaf and hot water For some reason the Douwie-Egbert name sticks in my mind....
Never been on the Auto Train, but the Club Acela lounge at the 30th Street Station in PHL has a single serve coffeemaker with a variety of pods for guest use (which are neither K-cups nor Senseo pods, but similar), and Douwe-Egberts sounds familiar, so I wonder if it's not the same setup. There are a number of commercial single-cup coffeemaker solutions [including Keurig®], so it wouldn't be a big deal (equipment-wise) to include them in a future sleeper build.
 
A small sanitary ice maker and self serve coffee maker should be included in any re-furb of the S-L sleeper beverage station. I've seen the coffee machines on the Auto Train, they aren't bad. That should end this as an issue
A commercial version of the 'countertop' ice makers which have been popular in the past couple of years would be a solution. I'm sure they are already out there. Having a water line connection to the potable water tank would be required, but should be no different than the water dispenser setups which are already built in to most of the sleepers currently.
 
Glad to see this wasn't about the other ICE.
Which is what I thought of originally, since the ice you put in a drink is "ice", and "ICE" is an abbreviation for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, for those that don't know.
It's also what I thought of when I saw the headline, but I knew that this being a conversation about Amtrak that it couldn't possibly be about the 'other' ICE...
 
I am amazed by the coverage in this forum how many folks get so bent out of shape over ice. When I'm on the train, that is one of the least of my worries, but then again I am one who rarely uses it.
 
Found a picture, not pods, but pushbutton dispensing. K cups and other pods are generally pretty good, but pricey.
I've only found those Douwe Egberts coffee syrup machines in exactly two locations. On Amtrak and in retirement home cafeterias. In my experience they're similar in flavor and freshness to freeze dried Nescafe.

I am amazed by the coverage in this forum how many folks get so bent out of shape over ice. When I'm on the train, that is one of the least of my worries, but then again I am one who rarely uses it.
Here in the US access to ice is both easy and nearly unlimited almost anywhere. At home, work, restaurants, theaters, hotels, etc. Including low end examples. I've never once been denied or charged for ice on an airplane so when I have to make multiple requests pay money or go hours without access on Amtrak I find it rather annoying by comparison.

Carlos Mencia does a better job explaining our relationship with ice than I can.

Link: http://www.cc.com/video-clips/5w0vwp/stand-up-carlos-mencia--uncensored---three-ice-cubes
 
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The yield ratio is variable, and multiple varieties of coffee are available. Set it weak or buy the cheaper coffee, get a bad product. Set at 32:1 or a touch stronger and buy one of the good blends and they work very well. It is a simple way to provide 24hr coffee service.
 
I am amazed by the coverage in this forum how many folks get so bent out of shape over ice. When I'm on the train, that is one of the least of my worries, but then again I am one who rarely uses it.
There are several factors that make it a bone of contention, IMHO. One is the fact that it is an item not easily provided by passengers on an ordinary basis. If there isn’t any shampoo in the showers, oh well, not a big deal; just pull some out of your luggage. But that’s not possible with ice (without careful planning, anyway).
The other factor is that it is simply another one of those amenities which used to be cheerfully provided, free-for-the-taking, which now is often not. Like the Corelle® dinnerware and table decor (ie, flower-in-vase) in the diners and a morning newspaper in the sleepers, it’s another reminder of an often better time gone by. There may be valid reasons for no self-serve ice in the Superliners, but it’s less of the fact that it’s not freely available than the fact that requesting it, as is required, results in a consistent inconsistency in outcome. And that is yet another reminder of service on Amtrak.
 
Found a picture, not pods, but pushbutton dispensing. K cups and other pods are generally pretty good, but pricey.
That is actually a pretty good solution (and obviously different from the setup inside the Club Acela). At least hot water is available (which, like ice, is another item not easily supplied by passengers); I default to tea when foodservice coffee isn’t to my liking.
 
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