Dining car limits?

[minstrel_miss]

I'm with my sweet husband on our first sleeper car experience (many times on Amtrak!) With meal service included, are we limited as to what we can order that's included? 2 sodas? Dessert at lunch? Thanks friends

 

[the_traveler]

You can order anything off the menu, available for that meal period.

During breakfast, you can order one entree, coffee (or tea or soda), juice and a side of meat (if desired). During lunch & dinner. You can order one entree, coffee (or tea or soda), a side salad and desert. Normally drinks are refilled. You can request your desert "to go" to bring back to your room to eat later. You can also request a bottle of water with your meal, since now bottled water in the room may be limited. (Many of us do this!) Alcoholic beverages and tips are not included in the "included meals".

Enjoy your trip!

 

[minstrel_miss]

Thanks We are having a wonderful time and the chocolate tort is to die for!

 

[norfolkwesternhenry]

basically what is above, go for the Signature Steak during dinner, I being only 13, don't usually need to pay, but my dad said I needed to pay the $9 difference, but is worth it.

 

[pennyk]

2 sodas? Thanks friends

With regard to 2 sodas, I say it may depend on the crew, whether they are low on inventory, how far along you are in the trip. I have seen it both ways - yes for a second and no, "you only get one."

I drink ice tea now, and I usually can get a refill. However, sometimes it is difficult to catch a server who is not busy serving others.

 

[minstrel_miss]

I needed to pay the $9 difference, but is worth it.

So there is a limit on your charge? A point that you are responsible for overages?

Thanks for the responses.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

2 sodas? Thanks friends

With regard to 2 sodas, I say it may depend on the crew, whether they are low on inventory, how far along you are in the trip. I have seen it both ways - yes for a second and no, "you only get one."

Ditto.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

basically what is above, go for the Signature Steak during dinner, I being only 13, don't usually need to pay, but my dad said I needed to pay the $9 difference, but is worth it.

Have the rules changed for sleeper class kid's meals? Back when my kid was young, he was allowed to order any meal on the adult's menu, at no extra cost.

 

[CCC1007]

basically what is above, go for the Signature Steak during dinner, I being only 13, don't usually need to pay, but my dad said I needed to pay the $9 difference, but is worth it.

Have the rules changed for sleeper class kid's meals? Back when my kid was young, he was allowed to order any meal on the adult's menu, at no extra cost.

He was in coach, not sleeper.

 

[minstrel_miss]

We are having the best time in our sleeper. Having traveled From New York to Chicago many times I've always slept in my coach seat. This time we are coming from New Orleans up to Philly so we splurged.

I don't know that I can ever go back

 

[the_traveler]

I needed to pay the $9 difference, but is worth it.

So there is a limit on your charge? A point that you are responsible for overages?

Thanks for the responses.

If you're in a sleeper, there is no "limit" on the "price" of the meal. The prices you see on the menus are what you would have to pay if you had to pay for your meals (if you were in coach). But being in sleepers, an $8 meal or a $25 meal are both included ("costs" $-0-).
I think what norfolkwesternhenry was saying was he was in coach and his parents said he could order a meal up to a certain amount and they would buy it. Being that the steak was more, he had to pay the extra $9.

 

[KmH]

Meals were paid for in advance as part of the sleeper berth cost, they are not $ 0.00.

 

[Ryan]

This remains a tiresome distinction with no real point.

Kudos for your consistency in pointing it out in Every. Single. Thread.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

I needed to pay the $9 difference, but is worth it.

So there is a limit on your charge? A point that you are responsible for overages?

Thanks for the responses.

No, there is no charge for overage. I think the young man was saying "his dad said he should pay an overage since he was only 12". Not sure Amtrak has a policy on that. There is a children's menu and the steak is not on it but not sure dining staff would require all children order from the children's menu.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

2 sodas? Thanks friends

With regard to 2 sodas, I say it may depend on the crew, whether they are low on inventory, how far along you are in the trip. I have seen it both ways - yes for a second and no, "you only get one."

Ditto.

My experience has been that I have almost always receive a second soda if I ask for it. The only thing that seems to change from one server to another is how they respond to the request. Usually they're fine with it but every once in a while they seem to get bent out of shape about it. Once or twice the request took so long I ended up leaving before confirming the soda was on the way, but I've never actually paid for any extra sodas when dining on a sleeper ticket.

We are having the best time in our sleeper. Having traveled From New York to Chicago many times I've always slept in my coach seat. This time we are coming from New Orleans up to Philly so we splurged. I don't know that I can ever go back

Glad to hear you're having a great trip. I can still do day trips without a sleeper but if it's an overnight trip I really struggle with a coach seat. If Amtrak had more comfortable seats with modern amenities that reclined further and provided more privacy I could probably swing it, but as currently implemented they're simply not comfortable enough for me to manage any restful sleep.

 

[KmH]

This remains a tiresome distinction with no real point.

Kudos for your consistency in pointing it out in Every. Single. Thread.

There is indeed a point.

Sleeper berth meals are not free.

Thank you for the kudos.

I will continue making the effort to point out factual errors.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This remains a tiresome distinction with no real point.

Kudos for your consistency in pointing it out in Every. Single. Thread.

There is indeed a point.

Sleeper berth meals are not free.

Thank you for the kudos.

I will continue making the effort to point out factual errors.

So, if I don't partake of a meal, do I get a refund?

 

[SarahZ]

This remains a tiresome distinction with no real point.

Kudos for your consistency in pointing it out in Every. Single. Thread.

There is indeed a point.

Sleeper berth meals are not free.

Thank you for the kudos.

I will continue making the effort to point out factual errors.

The point is that you don't have to pay for them in the dining car. By saying they aren't free and that you pre-pay them with your sleeper fare, it can confuse newcomers who think they actually have to pay in advance.

It's so much easier to just tell people meals are included in the cost of the sleeper, so you don't have to pay for your meals and can just ignore the prices on the menu.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This remains a tiresome distinction with no real point.

Kudos for your consistency in pointing it out in Every. Single. Thread.

There is indeed a point.

Sleeper berth meals are not free.

Thank you for the kudos.

I will continue making the effort to point out factual errors.

The point is that you don't have to pay for them in the dining car. By saying they aren't free and that you pre-pay them with your sleeper fare, it can confuse newcomers who think they actually have to pay in advance.

It's so much easier to just tell people meals are included in the cost of the sleeper, so you don't have to pay for your meals and can just ignore the prices on the menu.

*LIKE*

 

[A Voice]

Nobody who stays at a roadside hotel which offers free breakfast - as most chains do - would argue that the breakfast was pre-paid as opposed to an amenity included with the room. So why do we need to make such a distinction with Amtrak?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

This remains a tiresome distinction with no real point.

Kudos for your consistency in pointing it out in Every. Single. Thread.

There is indeed a point.Sleeper berth meals are not free.

Thank you for the kudos.

I will continue making the effort to point out factual errors.

The point is that you don't have to pay for them in the dining car. By saying they aren't free and that you pre-pay them with your sleeper fare, it can confuse newcomers who think they actually have to pay in advance.

It's so much easier to just tell people meals are included in the cost of the sleeper, so you don't have to pay for your meals and can just ignore the prices on the menu.

*LIKE*

I don't have a strong opining either way. Included, free, prepaid, whatever. What I want to know is where the hell is the like button? Who is preventing the like button from coming to AU?

 

[SarahZ]

I would like that video, but we don't have a like button.

 

[seat38a]

2 sodas? Thanks friends

With regard to 2 sodas, I say it may depend on the crew, whether they are low on inventory, how far along you are in the trip. I have seen it both ways - yes for a second and no, "you only get one."

I drink ice tea now, and I usually can get a refill. However, sometimes it is difficult to catch a server who is not busy serving others.

Ran into this same problem. Even asking for the bottled water when leaving the dining car is a hit or miss. They changed the iced tea to the fake garbage and ran out. I guess real brewed ice tea is too expensive now that they have to resort to the fake garbage sold by the liter at Walmart.

 

[OBS]

The ice tea switch was made to make it more "convenient" for dining car personnel, according to f&b dept.

 

[Ryan]

This remains a tiresome distinction with no real point.

Kudos for your consistency in pointing it out in Every. Single. Thread.

There is indeed a point.Sleeper berth meals are not free.

Thank you for the kudos.

I will continue making the effort to point out factual errors.

Can you pay for a room without the bundled cost of a room? No.

Do you get a refund if you don't eat? Nope.

Does the accommodation charge that pays for the meal and the room change if it's one person vs. two? Nein.

Do you have to fork over any cash when you're in the dining car? Negative.

So, is there a factual error? 沒有

Is there a point?



It's confusing, annoying, and just plain wrong. Stop it.