Coach Seat and Premium Fare - Free meals included?

[CaptainEo]

Good evening fellow Amtrak travelers,

I have traveled on the NEC several times, mostly coach, but twice in Business Class as well. Also took the Empire Service from NYC to Niagara Falls. I finally have the time to venture out West, from Washington, DC to Denver via Chicago on Capitol Limited and California Zephyr. I wanted to have a Roomette at least on the longer leg on CZ and chose Coach for the Capitol Limited, booked via the Amtrak website under Premium Fare.

My question I could not find a definite answer for so far is, for the Coach portion on the Capitol Limited, is Meal Service still included? The way I read the fare rules it should be, but I would like to be certain. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[pennyk]

Maybe I am missing something, but looking at the Amtrak website, it appears that Premium Fares for the Capitol Limited are sleepers.
If you are in a sleeper on the Capitol Limited, your meals will be included. The meals will be the new boxed meals. If you are in coach, your meals are not included, and you will be limited to purchasing food in the cafe car (or bringing your own food).
If you are in a roomette on the California Zephyr, your meals will be included in the traditional dining car.

 

[jebr]

The coach fare, even if chosen under the "premium" fare, will not include meals. I believe it reverts to the same price as the value fare for that leg, though some segments may be less than the value fare for that segment as Amtrak does discount transferring traffic on certain lines (most notably Northeast Regional trains when transferring from a long distance train.)

 

[CaptainEo]

The coach fare, even if chosen under the "premium" fare, will not include meals. I believe it reverts to the same price as the value fare for that leg, though some segments may be less than the value fare for that segment as Amtrak does discount transferring traffic on certain lines (most notably Northeast Regional trains when transferring from a long distance train.)

jebr, thank you. That made me look up the separate fare for the Capitol Limited portion for the day in question. It is indeed the same price as the value fare for that day, while coach is not a listed option under Premium. Compared to the price breakdown listed on the eTicket receipt. Good to know!