Food Problems on Coast Starlight

Earlier this year I rode Amtrak with no reservations provided for any meals, including dinner, although this was on the Sunset Limited rather than the Coast Starlight.  At first I thought this was going to be a mistake with lots of upset and/or confused travelers, but to my surprise the dining car remained quiet and empty and they never had to turn anyone away.  I guess if the passenger manifest is low enough reservations don't matter.

There were no lunch reservations on my recent SWC trip. 

FWIW (nothing) there were lunch reservations on at least one of these last month: TE, CS and/or EB.  

This is a four and a half year-old thread that has been resurrected. [emoji848]

Chatter163 said:

This is a four and a half year-old thread that has been resurrected.

Click to expand...

It’s better to restart an old thread about the same topic than to start a new one.

Don't worry, Mr. Anderson will be along presently to fix all your problems with the diner...

cpotisch said:

It’s better to restart an old thread about the same topic than to start a new one.

Click to expand...

I disagree. Many forums do not even allow that. Starting a new topic increases the chance of current info being posted and viewed.

Chatter163 said:

This is a four and a half year-old thread that has been resurrected.

Click to expand...

&

cpotisch said:

It’s better to restart an old thread about the same topic than to start a new one.

Click to expand...

&

Chatter163 said:

I disagree. Many forums do not even allow that. Starting a new topic increases the chance of current info being posted and viewed.

Click to expand...

I think you can error in both directions.  For the first few months it's probably better to simply append your post to the previous thread.  By the time you hit the six month mark you're in the transition zone and by the one year mark it should probably be a rule that you start over again.  (IMO)

In a way, this thread illustrates the problem with reviving very old threads: it conflates one food problem (running out of food or food options) with a very different food 'problem': the taking or non-taking of reservations for lunch and dinner. Assuming that the purpose of threads is to organize discussion of similar or congruent topics, reviving very old topics runs the risk of having incongruent topics in a thread (contrary to the purpose of a threaded discussion) or of potentially misleading readers  into thinking that earlier posts still reflect current issues. 

flitcraft said:

In a way, this thread illustrates the problem with reviving very old threads: it conflates one food problem (running out of food or food options) with a very different food 'problem': the taking or non-taking of reservations for lunch and dinner. Assuming that the purpose of threads is to organize discussion of similar or congruent topics, reviving very old topics runs the risk of having incongruent topics in a thread (contrary to the purpose of a threaded discussion) or of potentially misleading readers  into thinking that earlier posts still reflect current issues. 

Click to expand...

Agreed. I would say that so long as the topic stays the same, you might as well revive an old thread to have that context, but you should not do so if it’s a totally conversation than what it originally was.

cpotisch said:

Agreed. I would say that so long as the topic stays the same, you might as well revive an old thread to have that context, but you should not do so if it’s a totally conversation than what it originally was.

Click to expand...

Most of the older content on this forum would resemble today's topics and discussions and yet would also be partially or entirely incorrect for today's experience.  Amtrak's hardware hasn't changed much over the years so those threads might still be relevant.  Nearly everything else has changed enough that older advice is unlikely to be accurate or relevant for today's passengers.  Topics like meals, amenities, refunds, and points redemptions are just as relevant to day as they ever were, but the answers have changed a lot over the years and even changed again in the last few months.

I agree that six months is a good litmus test, certainly not more than a year. If there has been no reply in that time, the thread would be better served by being locked to further comments, but open for reading.