LSL Sleeper Lounge community seating

pennyk said:

I like the idea of being able to choose whether you want to sit with others or sit by yourself. Depending on "who" is in the sleeper lounge and which way they are seated, I may choose to sit at a community table to choose to sit by myself. I like sitting facing the direction of travel. Sometimes I am sociable and sometimes I am not.

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I wonder if the community table is the result of low ridership on these trains. When we rode the Lake Shore last May under contemporary dining, there was not much choice about a non-community table. If you wanted to eat in the so-called dining car most passengers had to sit with others because otherwise there was no room. We had other people join us for breakfast and we joined others for lunch. (Dinner on the Boston section that trip was on a crowded bus and dinner was a little tiny package of snacks.)

pennyk said:

I like the idea of being able to choose whether you want to sit with others or sit by yourself. Depending on "who" is in the sleeper lounge and which way they are seated, I may choose to sit at a community table to choose to sit by myself. I like sitting facing the direction of travel. Sometimes I am sociable and sometimes I am not.

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My wife and I have always enjoyed the meals in the dining car and meeting new people. Since we are all on a journey, there is always something to talk about.

I guess there is always the chance to run into negative people but my experience is that if you act friendly towed people, they almost always respond positively.

Besides, it’s only for a meal, not forever.

So we always sit together on one side of the booth, and invite others to join us.

I would imagine that if a person who wants to sit alone comes in, and the tables without those cute little cardboard messages are all full, that person would simply sit down at a table with the cardboard message, then fold it up and put it under the menus.

If they are a regular NJ Transit rider, they might even go so far as to throw it on the floor to make themselves feel more at home.

Mail4MrTed said:

Is this a hint that Anderson and Co. may be wrong about people not wishing to sit together? Hmm. Good.

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Mail4MrTed said:

It is already clear that Anderson doesn't "get it," but will never admit a mistake or publicly back down. Look for hints about changing his "mistakes" through signs like those posted here.

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Don't look too deeply into this. The thing they underestimated (and it can bode well for the future) is passengers may not want to necessarily eat in their roomettes, particularly if multiple people are in a room. Additionally, this car is not designated as a dining car. It is designated and advertised as a sleeper lounge and people have been encouraged to hang out and spread out, 24 hours a day. As such, some passengers may want to camp out in the lounge and utilize a table to play games or just relax while some may want to eat....alone. While this may not be an issue on the LSL, it has definitely been an issue on the Cardinal and Crescent as people jockey for table space. I don't know if there have been issues in the CL or the CONO.

Based upon feedback, they came up with designated areas that basically let you know exactly what Crescent-Zephyr mentioned:

crescent-zephyr said:

Does the card change anything? just let people know shared tables are a thing so people can’t reserve a table just for themselves?

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It should also help out with this:

oregon pioneer said:

Well, if I want to chit-chat, I'd much rather have a designated table for it than have to make a choice of four tables with singletons, and no indication if *any* of them are open for a conversation.

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My personal opinion is the wording is vague and therefore, you have created another unclear guideline:

FrensicPic said:

"Priority seating for those who dine with fellow travelers"
"Priority"?
Priority what? I guess if you want to dine alone you are at the bottom of the list, LOL!

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Priority "what" indeed. If someone is in the space because it is the only place left (think the Cardinal and CONO, which only have a few tables, to begin with) and they aren't eating, are they expected to move?

These community and non-community tables just seem to be a sign of how pathetic the so-called dining situation has become on the Lake Shore and probably some other eastern trains as well.

Mail4MrTed said:

It is already clear that Anderson doesn't "get it," but will never admit a mistake or publicly back down. Look for hints about changing his "mistakes" through signs like those posted here.

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Anderson is a Trumpling. I think they have to take a pledge to never admit they are wrong before getting his endorsement.

I like the new table tents. They let people know that all four table spaces are available for use, even if you don't know everyone prior to seating. As it should be.

There is no explanation for what "priority seating" is meant to infer. But the only thing I think it could mean is that if you take one of the empty seats at a table already partially occupied, you don't need to wait for a totally empty table to open up. The attendant certainly isn't going to play maître d'. The table tent tells those seated to make room, and it tells the unseated they should politely join them. As it should be.

Should there be plastic flowers instead of table tents? No. In addition to table tents? I don't care; flip a coin.

Everybody over analyzing as usual. It's a card to encourage someone to sit down if the tables are occupied yet some only have one or two occupants. What's the big deal?

nferr said:

Everybody over analyzing as usual. It's a card to encourage someone to sit down if the tables are occupied yet some only have one or two occupants. What's the big deal?

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Who’s making a big deal? Would be a pretty boring discussion board if people didn’t discuss anything.

nferr said:

Everybody over analyzing as usual. It's a card to encourage someone to sit down if the tables are occupied yet some only have one or two occupants. What's the big deal?

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Could it be that the "big deal" is that the Amtrak sleeper lounge is something new, and many pax don't seem to understand that all four seats at a table are available to be occupied. These table tents clarify that in a way that is friendly enough but unmistakable. So, be friendly -- if you are seated and notice someone who appears to be looking for a seat, motion them over to join you. And if you're the one looking to sit somewhere, politely ask. New friends are about to be made!

They were going to do that up front but they decided to wait until they found out how many people would vomit after eating the new food or fall over in a diabetic coma after eating the sugar-only breakfast.