How long in advance should I book a roomette?

[MiniMax]

I'm traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans in June and plan to book a roomette. Since this is part of a bucket list trip I wouldn't want to take a chance on not getting one. I'm also trying to build up enough points on my Amtrak credit card to pay for it. (The Amtrak Guest Rewards people only update the month's total points at the end of each month, not as they accumulate.)

 

[SarahZ]

You can use http://biketrain.net/amsnag/watch/watch.php to set up a fare watch. You'll get an email alert when the price changes.

I'm not sure how busy the Sunset Limited is during June, but you can always keep checking Amtrak's website. It will tell you stuff like, "Only two rooms left at this price!" That, combined with Amsnag is the way to go.

 

[Guest Dennis]

I spent about 10 minutes surfing Amsnag, but could not determine how to find the cheapest fares.

What menu option should I select?

Thanks for your help.

 

[SarahZ]

Try this link: http://biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.php

That's for the quick, easy search. The first one I posted was for signing up for email alerts when the fares go down.

 

[the_traveler]

Actually, the points in AGR is updated as soon as the points earned are posted to your account. Not once per month. (If you log into your AGR account, you can see that a trip you took only a few days ago.)

You can either reserve and pay for the Roomette and then redeem later for an AGR award or wait to redeem an award. But be aware of possible refund penalties, and AGR must cancel your paid reservation and then make a new award reservation. If it's the last one, there is a small chance (although small) that someone else may grab it in the few intervening moments. However, the good news is that the "cost" of the award in points is (unlike airline awards) the same for the last room on the train as the first room on the train!

 

[dlagrua]

You can book the trip, do a price watch, then cancel and rebook, if the price drops. With the complex fare pricing system that Amtrak has, you never know what the price is going to be but if you see something on the site as "hurry, only two rooms available" the price will probably either stay firm or escalate. With demand outstripping supply on many LD routes, prices appear to be at an all time high.

 

[caravanman]

Hi.

My understanding is that the "fare watch" function on Amsnag is no longer working as expected, due to a change in the data stream from Amtrak itself. (It may have been fixed, but it was giving out wrong email alerts a few weeks back...)

Not sure about AGR as we don't get that facility living in Europe, but best advice seems to book early and then keep a regular watch on prices in case they drop.

ED

 

[Will]

You can book the trip, do a price watch, then cancel and rebook, if the price drops. With the complex fare pricing system that Amtrak has, you never know what the price is going to be but if you see something on the site as "hurry, only two rooms available" the price will probably either stay firm or escalate. With demand outstripping supply on many LD routes, prices appear to be at an all time high.

Sorry if this is an very basic question, but does this mean that if you are certainly traveling on a specific day there is no reason to not book far in advance?

Because you can always cancel/change your ticket into a lower fare if/when it becomes available? I am new to Amtrak, but with flights this usually doesn't work as there is a substantial change fee.

Thanks in advance.

 

[the_traveler]

Before, the Amtrak refund policy was very lienent - 100% credit or 90% refund at anytime. Beginning in Spring 2014, it is changing some but not as much as the airlines. The biggest change is that any cancellation must be done prior to the departure. (It used to be that it could be done at anytime.)

 

[daveyb99]

Bedrooms and Roometts are very limited in quantity. Book Now ... or you will likely be sorry for waiting.