New dining options (flex dining) effective October 1, 2019

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Anderson said:
Jim and I were texting back and forth this morning as I "enjoyed" the contemporary dining (by which I mean that I had the breakfast sandwich and then heated up a pork-maple sausage patty from an MRE on the platform in JAX and the breakfast sandwich came out wanting). In plain language, I would rather take the Star than the Meteor at this point, because at least with the Star I'm not paying for a breakfast that doesn't deserve that name. Next trip, I'll be declining to eat the breakfast, full stop.

Lunch was the shrimp and sausage. It wasn't too bad (I only ate it out of professional obligation, to be honest, though I suspect that, referencing the above line, anything tastes decent with enough spice thrown on) but it was delivered to my room and whomever decided to start pushing that should find a handy sword to fall on because the overall service delivery there absolutely sucks. This isn't to knock the crew (who were doing their best under the circumstances), but as long as I'm not under the weather (or some other odd circumstance hasn't attached) I'm going to flat-out refuse in-room food service ever. They can take that model and stick it where the sun don't shine.

I will concede that I enjoy being able to lounge in the (ex-)diner at will but I'm still going to call a net negative on that change.

So...yeah, I wish that the Star and Meteor had flipped schedules SB. I'd make no bones about skipping the new meals at this point.
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Thank you for the report. I'm switched to the Star in March NYP to DLD. Even though the trip is a couple hours longer, I prefer the earlier departure out of NYP. Return trip is Meteor. Will just pack food and go for the cafe if needed.
 
pennyk said:
Their sleeping car attendant will deliver the food to them, either in their room or in the sleeper lounge. During my last Silver Meteor trip, I saw the LSA deliver food to passengers who may have had issues with carrying their food to the tables. Also, other passengers helped.
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From what I could observe on the Lake Shore in May, there are a number of passengers, including some elderly and infirm with canes, who prefer to eat in the so-called dining car instead of the cramped quarters of their roomette. During breakfast the LSA would often bring food to these passengers at their table which was possible because the passengers didn't come in for breakfast all at the same time. This service wasn't possible at lunch because many passengers came in for lunch about the same time and the LSA was kept busy preparing the orders. There was a lot of grumbling as people stood waiting in line on a moving train for their food.
 
Anderson said:
The train or the Buick?
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Neither, technically...I was referring to the automobile mentioned in the opening theme to All In The Family, which is in the last verse featured in the show---"Gee, our old LaSalle ran great..[chorus] those were the days!"

Incidentally, that line used to be one of the biggest questions about the show, with numerous people asking trivia columnists and even some of the cast what it actually was.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaSalle_(automobile)
 
Bob Dylan said:
It was a GM Car Cliff, but closer to a Cadillac than a Buick.
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I checked and I mixed up the separate badge with the concept car proposed in the 60s.

(Incidentally, I'm in the process of selling off my mother's old Mercedes convertible...I was never quite able to drive it like it needed to be driven, partly because I was afraid of getting a dent in the can't-be-replaced windshield...and am looking at getting an old Cadillac land yacht.)
 
Winecliff Station said:
This change is by all accounts so outrageous and absurd.... and getting the reaction we all expected...that I can’t help wondering if it’s being used as a distraction away from something bigger yet to come. A red herring as they call it.
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Good point. I can't help but think that this might be the beginning of the end.....
 
Anderson said:
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/life/...cle_5179c3c8-962b-5ced-bc38-f5903858b436.html

A review. The writer picked up on the large shift in demand between the diners and the cafes from a different angle (and one I did not weigh), namely swamping the cafe.
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“Economic segregation”.... this is becoming a trend in the cruise industry as well, and mostly surrounding food service with restricted dining areas. There seems to be an acceleration lately in cheapening the basic or economy level of travel whether flying, cruising or taking the train. Maybe Amtrak is just following the trend.
 
Good. Because I read somewhere that the LSAs have been told they are not allowed to bring food to the table anymore.
 
Has anyone ever traveled on Cunard? The dining room you eat in is determined by the type of cabin you paid for.
 
Palmetto said:
Has anyone ever traveled on Cunard? The dining room you eat in is determined by the type of cabin you paid for.
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Yes, it is and has always been that way, but up until recently was in a class by itself with that system. Other cruise lines are now starting to follow that model, but the problem is that Cunard ships contemplate that system when being built, so there are sufficient non- premium public spaces available. The other lines joining the party are shrinking the currently available public spaces by allocating some to the higher paying cabins and others to pay-for-entry spaces such as the Sanctuary on Princess ships.
 
I rode the AT twice in the last year, once with the SSL and the other time with the converted diner. Although I love the SSL, it is kind of wasted on this train. First of all it is a fantastic car, very bright and inviting. However the serving area is downstairs and people were not aware of it. There was a crudely made hand-written sign saying the cafe was downstairs. Also the attendant came upstairs a few times to tell passengers that there was food and drinks available downstairs since no one was going down there. There is also a small seating area on the lower level.

It's important to note that the scenery on the route is not that great. Pretty monotonous trees most of the way. Also a majority of the passengers on the AT are on the elderly side and climbing up and down those stairs with food-in-hand is a bit daunting.

When the train was equipped with the converted diner it had the serving area in the center of the upper level and it was pretty busy. So even though I really appreciated the pleasure of riding in this beautiful railcar, I reluctantly have to say it probably could be used better somewhere else.

This is what the converted diner looks like:

AT Lounge.jpg AT Lounge 2.jpg
 
Winecliff Station said:
“Economic segregation”.... this is becoming a trend in the cruise industry as well, and mostly surrounding food service with restricted dining areas. There seems to be an acceleration lately in cheapening the basic or economy level of travel whether flying, cruising or taking the train. Maybe Amtrak is just following the trend.
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Economic (and other forms of) segregation in transportation was pretty much invented by the railroads among others. Nothing new there. Yes there have been periodic deviations from the economic segregation, but it is not like there is some huge novelty in that sort of segregation on trains. The Canadian is still fully economically segregated into multiple segments even today. Amtrak is just returning to the railroad roots in a manner of speaking as the country lurches towards the . ;) Now only if they would get back to the old standards of Diner service for the upper class.
 
crescent-zephyr said:
Coach passengers can eat in the diner on the Canadian. I was seated with them once for dinner.
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Yes, sometimes they are allowed to do so, but there is no guarantee that they will be allowed to do so. At least that is what the Train Service Chief told me. Maybe that has changed now.

Even in classic Amtrak Diner, Coach passengers got to use the Diner after Sleeper passengers were all accommodated in the classic Dining service. When I was a lowly Coach passenger back in my student days there were many occasions when I could not get service in the Diner. It was hit or miss.

But the fact still remains that fare class based segregation of service has never been all that unusual in transportation (rail or otherwise) as some are trying to make it out to be here. Indeed that is partly the reason there are fare classes.
 
Cruise lines that don't have classed dining still usually have added cost restaurants for those willing/able to pay more. Even on airlines with single class cabins like Southwest let people pay more to get on first and have a better shot at the seats and bin space they want.
 
jis said:
Economic (and other forms of) segregation in transportation was pretty much invented by the railroads among others. Nothing new there. Yes there have been periodic deviations from the economic segregation, but it is not like there is some huge novelty in that sort of segregation on trains. The Canadian is still fully economically segregated into multiple segments even today. Amtrak is just returning to the railroad roots in a manner of speaking as the country lurches towards the . ;) Now only if they would get back to the old standards of Diner service for the upper class.
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May be a little off subject, but GOOGLE Fanny Mae Duncan!!!
 
cocojacoby said:
Also a majority of the passengers on the AT are on the elderly side and climbing up and down those stairs with food-in-hand is a bit daunting.
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Elderly or not, it is a very challenging experience to do! I have said this before, but if the service area at the top of the steps on the SSL were used to sell beverages and snacks, as once was done, Amtrak would get more of my money when I am in the SSL.
 
Palmetto said:
Has anyone ever traveled on Cunard? The dining room you eat in is determined by the type of cabin you paid for.
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I was on the last transatlantic trip of the QE2, in steerage (or whatever the lowest class is called). Only twin beds in the rooms – hanky panky is a privilege reserved for the upper classes. The whole point of a Cunard trip is to experience life as it might have been during the golden age of ocean travel. Strict class segregation – the QE2 even separated elevators by class, with no access to unauthorised decks.

Except for the first and last nights, the rule was only evening attire (i.e. black tie) is allowed after 6pm outside of your cabin, although it's mostly enforced by peer (peerage?) pressure. There was a cafe on a lower deck that'll serve you regardless, if you're brave enough to run the gauntlet of glares from fellow passengers.

Members of the Cunard Critics chat board organised a tour of the all the decks and most of the different staterooms, so we got to see how the other half lived. And passengers with upper class accomodations were allowed to bring guests into their grill rooms for drinks, so we had a chance to experience life at the top.

It was a lot of fun.
 

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