Coach passengers in the dining car

[JasonVG]

Say you are a coach passenger, and want to go into the dining car for, lets say breakfast, how do you get in. I mean does the dining attendant take your reservation, or what?

 

[AlanB]

Well breakfast is the easiest meal for a coach passenger to get into, especially if you go early. There are no reservations taken for breakfast per se, it's first come first served. Now if the dining car is full, or at least over the capacity level that the crew can handle, the LSA may take your name and party size and then page you when a table is ready.

Lunch and diner are by reservation only and the LSA starts with the sleeping cars first, then he/she heads for the coaches with whatever times are left. On a full train during peak times, that pretty much means that those in coach will have the worst possible seating times, like say 9:30 PM, and that there won't be very many slots left for coach pax. Many's the time that the LSA will enter the coaches with no more than maybe a dozen seats left for dinner, and they'll be taken in the very first coach the LSA visits. Those in the second or third coach will never even see the LSA, much less get a chance to eat in the dining car for dinner.

 

[da40flyer]

Well breakfast is the easiest meal for a coach passenger to get into, especially if you go early. There are no reservations taken for breakfast per se, it's first come first served. Now if the dining car is full, or at least over the capacity level that the crew can handle, the LSA may take your name and party size and then page you when a table is ready.
Lunch and diner are by reservation only and the LSA starts with the sleeping cars first, then he/she heads for the coaches with whatever times are left. On a full train during peak times, that pretty much means that those in coach will have the worst possible seating times, like say 9:30 PM, and that there won't be very many slots left for coach pax. Many's the time that the LSA will enter the coaches with no more than maybe a dozen seats left for dinner, and they'll be taken in the very first coach the LSA visits. Those in the second or third coach will never even see the LSA, much less get a chance to eat in the dining car for dinner.

In a situation like that, does the snack car stay open longer? Or is that a 24 hour operation? I'd really hate to be in the 3rd coach car and be left high, dry, and hungry.

 

[AlanB]

Well breakfast is the easiest meal for a coach passenger to get into, especially if you go early. There are no reservations taken for breakfast per se, it's first come first served. Now if the dining car is full, or at least over the capacity level that the crew can handle, the LSA may take your name and party size and then page you when a table is ready.
Lunch and diner are by reservation only and the LSA starts with the sleeping cars first, then he/she heads for the coaches with whatever times are left. On a full train during peak times, that pretty much means that those in coach will have the worst possible seating times, like say 9:30 PM, and that there won't be very many slots left for coach pax. Many's the time that the LSA will enter the coaches with no more than maybe a dozen seats left for dinner, and they'll be taken in the very first coach the LSA visits. Those in the second or third coach will never even see the LSA, much less get a chance to eat in the dining car for dinner.

In a situation like that, does the snack car stay open longer? Or is that a 24 hour operation? I'd really hate to be in the 3rd coach car and be left high, dry, and hungry.

Assuming other factors, normally the snack car is open till around midnight.

 

[RailFanLNK]

It helps to know the "secret handshake"! :lol: I was in the sleepers this last weekend but was in the Sightseer Car during breakfast. I was waiting for a friend to finish up showering so we could be seated in the Dining Car. The Dining Car was packed and I had to go to the Dining Car and get a reservation. They finally called my number at 8:55am. I was getting nervous thinking that it closed at 9am. We were then seated and we only had less than an hour till we reached LNK. Our waiter laughed when I said we would be in LNK in an hour. He said, "you will be totally taken care of by then" and we were! His name was Alexander and he was great!

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Lunch and diner are by reservation only

On the eastbound Empire Builder last May (sleeper) lunchtime started to roll around and nobody had taken a dining car reservation, so I asked. Turned out that lunch was first-come, first served, too. "What about coach," I asked. "Same for everybody," came the reply. And it was the same the next day en route as well.

"And they'll be taken [diner reservations] in the very first coach the LSA visits."

Maybe I encountered a contrary LSA, but on a southbound Coast Starlight not too long ago, coach diner reservations for dinner were taken beginning in the last coach and working forward. When the guy walked back forward without stopping - I was in the first coach behind the observation car - I got his attention and said I'd like to make a dinner reservation. He said there were none left. I complained bitterly - but politely - and we eventually talked for about 20 minutes in the aisle about service and crew problems regarding the diner. He was well aware of the shortcomings, and not unsympathetic.

Finally, he took my name and said to sit in the observation car to be paged in case a seat opened up. And one eventually did. EDIT: The guy didn't actually page me. He came and got me personally. "Come on in and eat, Patrick."

Sometimes it helps to be a squeaky wheel. But always be civil. Ranting, raving, and howling will only harm your cause.

 

[AlanB]

Patrick,

You are correct regarding the EB, since it is not on SDS and never went to SDS, they still run things the old way. That does mean no reservations for lunch and three en-mass seatings for dinner, as opposed to the SDS method of seating 8 every 15 minutes.

As for where the LSA might start in coach for reservations, that is indeed up to them. My use of the word first, was not meant to be indicative of the first coach closest to the dining car.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

it all depends how many people want to eat in the diner. I've been in the last coach car and have gotton dinner once at 6:30PM