Is there a secret to booking roomette on Level 1 of the sleeper car?

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iliketrains

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Aug 19, 2018
Messages
252
Is there a secret to booking roomette on Level 1 of the sleeper car? I thought most folks prefer to be on Level 2. I think Level 1 is better because the bathrooms, changing room/shower are both a few steps away and so is the luggage storage. The swaying is minimal and contrary to popular belief, there is not a lot of noise. Apparently Amtrak agrees with me and is charging more for roomettes on Level 1.

I just booked very far in advance because the roomette right now is super cheap, less than a hundred more the the flexible fare. I was assigned to Level 2. I called and asked if I could be switched to Level 1 and was told I have to pay almost $100 more and that there were no more roomettes available at the price I paid. That does not make sense. Switch me to Level 1 and for whatever price the remaining rooms will be going far, charge that amount for my old room. Should I call back and try again?
 
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Yes, call back. The agent apparently didn’t know how to change your room without affected the fare you paid. If the next agent doesn’t know how, ask for a supervisor.
 
It should be noted that whenever one calls to get a different room number, the 'new' room is priced at whatever the current price is. So, if you booked the room online for $300, then called a couple days later when the price for the same accomodation is $400, you'll have to pay the extra $100 difference. The same works in reverse, too! Earlier this year, I noticed the price I paid for a roomette 3-4 months prior to travel on the Crescent had dropped by over $200. So, I called and had my reservation MODIFY-ed (that's the key word to use!) and got a $200+ refund voucher!

For what it's worth, I much prefer roomette #14 on Superliners. Lower level, furthest from the stairs and luggage rack, and frequently an empty family bedroom (or it has a single adult that got a really low fare for it-it DOES happen!) So, when I'm booking multiple Superliner segments on the same trip, I usually call the AGR number and tell the agent up front I want #14 for all Superliner accomodations. What they have to do is 'book' the reservation, letting the computer pick a room number, then check to see what rooms are available (usually in the same car, but sometimes they'll check other cars, based on the amount of typing I hear over the phone), the 'grab' #14 and move my reservation to that room.

It should be noted that not all agents are adept at changing roomette numbers. This January, in booking a #11 to #421 PDX-LAX-CHI on points in April, the agent I got the first time screwed around for 10 minutes or more and by the time she finally looked at the resultant amount of points to be charged, it had more than doubled from what I saw before I called! I told her to skip it. I checked online again about 10 minutes later and the 'price' had dropped back to what I saw initially. Apparently, in all her futile attempts to get #14, she 'locked up' multiple rooms causing the ticket price to increase. I immediately called again and got an agent that took only 4-5 minutes to book both trains in roomette #14.
 
Yippee!! It worked. The agent explained that since I made my reservation there where no more rooms available at my price. Therefore their system always require an upcharge to change even if it's the same type of room. I had to speak to the supervisor who had to get guest rewards department involved to override. They were able to make the change and explained that in the future if I wanted to be in a certain room not to make reservation online because the customer can not choose specific room online. He said that maybe in the future the online system might be changed but at the present time the only way to choose a specific room to to call and make the reservation.

All I spoke to were nice people and were all helpful and sounded friendly. Three cheers for Amtrak customer service!!!
 
Oh yes Room #14 is the best kept secret. It is absolutely the best room on Superliner. What is the best room on Viewliner?
 
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Oh yes Room #14 is the best kept secret. It is absolutely the best room on Superliner. What is the best room on Viewliner?
It depends on whether you prefer Upper or Lower Level Rooms. IMO, Roomettes #3-#6 are the Best with Bedroom E being the Best Choice in Bedrooms.

On Viewliners #1- #6 are all good, but the H Bedroom isTHE BEST Room Amtrak has on offer on its LD Trains!
 
Why is 14 the best? Is it the one who does not have the glass panel?

Yup!

Invariably, whether Superliner or Viewliner, the far edge of the curtain over the useless glass panel always results in a light in eyes while trying to sleep. It comes in the slit, bounces off the mirror, and right into my eyes. I started taping them with gaffers tape so they won't end up with a light in my eye while trying to sleep.
 
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