We haven't given any grade yet and I'm not sure where you got that idea. I think you missed the point of my post. I didn't say YOU take my comments with a grain of salt, I said WE. If this is the kind of response I can expect in this forum then I think I will not be back. Thanks a lot.
Last week was probably our last LD trip on Amtrak
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keelhauled
OBS Chief
You said you are going to enjoy the trip before stepping foot on the train. With Amtrak, disappointment is always a distinct possibility and it seems foolish to pronounce yourself satisfied without even having started the trip.
I'm with loconut2be. The "worst" trips are the most interesting. Why take the trip if you are planning to be miserable? The times I really wish I hadn't taken the train are because I'm traveling with someone who I wish would take their attitude someplace else. About that hard bed? I've slept on the Superliner H-room floor more than once because my travel companion was too weak to climb to the upper berth. Late trains? My first long-distance trip was a day-and-a-half late.
keelhauled
OBS Chief
I never expect to be miserable anywhere, but sometimes it happens anyway. In fairness to Amtrak, I have also been miserable on planes, buses, and even my own truck, but just because other modes of transportation have failed me on occasion does not mean Amtrak gets a free pass.
It has been my experience that there are two fundamental types of Amtrak travelers--those who take the train because they need to go somewhere and those who take the train just because it's there. The expectations of the latter seem to be far lower than the former. I suppose if you're on a train for a joyride then an extra day and a half is just a better value for your money, but if you actually expected to get somewhere reliably it's an unmitigated disaster.
Amtrak is very rarely budget travel, so the acceptance of bad experiences as part of the adventure is baffling to me. I have been on trains where the heater wouldn't turn off and trains where it never turned on, trains that leaked water on the windowsill during every curve, trains that ran out of food, and trains with toilets that didn't work. And from what I've heard, I haven't even experienced the worst that Amtrak has to offer yet. The fact that people happily spend thousands of dollars on trips that are like as not to include some of these trials baffles me.
I don't mean to condemn Amtrak entirely, because in general they have served my needs well enough. And the vast majority of passengers I dare say are not on trains that the locomotive quits during or that see their promised sleeper car bad-ordered with no replacement. But the inconsistency in service is absolutely maddening and entirely within Amtrak's control, and I do not believe for a second that it should be excused as making the trip more of an adventure or exciting or interesting, as I have seen so many people say.
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I don't disagree with anything you said. Having a good time no matter how badly Amtrak performs is totally compatible with holding Amtrak responsible. Although I personally do not know how to hold them responsible other than phoning or writing later, or speaking up at the time if it is an issue that can be fixed right then.
RSG
OBS Chief
And/or general misanthropy.
Devil's Advocate
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I thought it was referred to as blind hypocrisy. I shall take your well traveled posts with a grain of salt but heaven forfend you treat my naive lack of exposure with same attitude. :lol:
Not all of humanity. Just one particularly disappointing tribe. -_-
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Mystic River Dragon
Engineer
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Loconut2b--I hope you're still here on the forum! Some of us are optimists, and there is always room for another one! 
Plus, we hope you will write a travelogue/trip report for us so we know how it turns out!
Plus, we hope you will write a travelogue/trip report for us so we know how it turns out! Orangesaint
Train Attendant
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I had the kind of experience on 49 (12) today that definitely would have me saying "never again" to Amtrak, due to poor service from the SCA (though saying poor service implies there was service to begin with, and there was not) and cleanliness issues. Fortunately, I have taken so many trips on the train that I know today was an exception. I won't get into it here, I'll save that for Customer Relations to hear; but sometimes it is best to forgive and forget, and hope for better.
I'm still waiting for my first miserable trip. So fari don't have anything to snivel about.
Devil's Advocate
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Have you had any disappointing trips or ever disembarked feeling the cost was unjustified? I've had a few doozies here and there but most of my trips work out fine. Between this forum and my personal experiences I already know about most of the potential pitfalls so there's not a lot that can surprise me anymore. That being said I have completed several trips that left me feeling my business wasn't respected or appreciated. I've also seen many new or infrequent travelers treated with indifference or even overt rudeness. I think a lot of the issues I have with Amtrak service levels could be improved by having customer service representatives riding on the trains themselves. The only time I've ever seen that sort of thing in action was the Coast Starlight. It honestly felt great to be able to give feedback directly to someone who cared enough to come looking for it.
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crescent-zephyr
Engineer
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DA makes a very good point. I've had alot of "Good" to "Excellent" trips personally. But I know the system. If you travel enough to be Select each year (how do you Select Plus guys do it!? What's the secret?) you know the ropes. You know what's expected when you enter the diner, you know the lounge will be closed throughout the day, you know that you will have to sit with strangers even when their are plenty of empty tables, etc. etc. Generally once you learn all this.. the worst that can really happen is I have to put my own bed up in the morning if the SCA is missing in action. Or I have to eat at an inconvenient time because the LSA makes silly rules. Only once in recent years did the dining car staff make the meal so unpleasant that I dreaded going in for the last meal on the train. Usually... it's passable for me. Kinda like that "local" diner. You know the waitress is gonna be sassy... you know they have silly no cell phone rules, but it's just part of the experience. Us "regulars" at the diner can get used to it... but Amtrak is not a "local diner." They should have much higher standards, and better consistency.
ScouseAndy
Lead Service Attendant
Human nature dicates that we are quicker to complain then to praise and will remember the bad experiences far more vidly than the good experiences.
If you have travelled thousands of miles on Amtrak then you will by the laws of averages had some bad experiences but you need to put it in to perspective.
As a one off trip on the basis of probability Loconut will have a good experience as these outweigh the bad experiences.
But if any one goes into a trip expecting a bad experience with an uncomfy beds with rude staff then you will have such a trip because your mindset is wrong and you will subconsciously be looking for and finding fault in everything simply to prove yourself right to yourself.
If you have travelled thousands of miles on Amtrak then you will by the laws of averages had some bad experiences but you need to put it in to perspective.
As a one off trip on the basis of probability Loconut will have a good experience as these outweigh the bad experiences.
But if any one goes into a trip expecting a bad experience with an uncomfy beds with rude staff then you will have such a trip because your mindset is wrong and you will subconsciously be looking for and finding fault in everything simply to prove yourself right to yourself.
tricia
Conductor
Keeping an open mind and hoping for the best with staff is reasonable, but expecting anything but an "uncomfy bed" on Amtrak is just setting yourself up for disappointment. The staff isn't always surly; the beds are always less-than-comfy.
I guess that this thread all comes down to the glass being half empty as opposed to being half full. We travel LD each year (this year to DEN again) and it can certainly be said that the sleeper and meal services can be better. Might be a true statement but we are dealing with an old, underfunded passenger rail service that rents track rights from the private railroads. In view of what Amtrak has to deal with; they are doing a credible job.
It is said that happiness and friendship is contagious, so we make it a point to be courteous to the on-board staff. Please, thank you and I'm sorry seem to go along way. Point is that if you extend the hand of friendship, it always comes back to you. About 90% of our encounters with Amtrak employees have been of a positive nature and that alone makes the trip tolerable and in most cases enjoyable.
As for the OP's comments on the new AGR system; I must agree that we were shortchanged on that deal.
It is said that happiness and friendship is contagious, so we make it a point to be courteous to the on-board staff. Please, thank you and I'm sorry seem to go along way. Point is that if you extend the hand of friendship, it always comes back to you. About 90% of our encounters with Amtrak employees have been of a positive nature and that alone makes the trip tolerable and in most cases enjoyable.
As for the OP's comments on the new AGR system; I must agree that we were shortchanged on that deal.
For you maybe, and others, but the beds have been comfortable for me.If everyone didn't have different comfort levels, there wouldn't be so many mattresses out there to choose from and we wouldn't have sleep number beds.
rrdude
Engineer
I don't think so. There is a proper way/method/style to provide premium service and products, and then there is everything below that. I guess if that's how you look at, fine, but if you took your car in to have a dent repaired, and they only fixed the dent, but didn't paint it to match the rest of the car, would you say, "Well, at least they fixed the dent?..." ) Glass Half Full.
Its not just in sleepers that issue occur or with equipment or under funding. I was on the platform waiting on a later train in BWI, when an Acela train came to a stop. A very friendly first time passenger ask the trainmen a newbie type question . his answer was so off handed and rude, that the lady ask him three times to get a civil response she understood. That basic customer service and a training issue. Geez I thought I was boarding a Penn central train. Amtrak Has issues it can not control, but this was simple customer service on the best equipment and trackage they own. Simply no excuse. On the other hand the lounge attendant was outstanding. This is a people business, both passengers and employees, training and consistency is a must.
fillyjonk
OBS Chief
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I had a miserable trip - during flooding about 10 years ago, I was bused from STL to MIN. 18 hours on a city bus (not even a motor coach, I guess things were too much of a cluster at that point for motor coaches). It was loud, cramped, and uncomfortable.
I was also on a train where there was damage that happened to the sleeper (minor derailment) and the sleeper pax were unceremoniously shifted to find what seating we could in the all-but-full coach (at 2 am).
So, it takes more than a grumpy SCA to make me "miserable."
That said: I wish Amtrak had more consistently-good service. I've had some wonderful SCAs down through the years (and let management know about them) and I've had some kind-of-blah ones (not bad enough to be worth letting management know about them). And I've had the classic rude-rushed dining car crew, but other times have had friendly gracious people. It would be nice to know what to expect and whether I will have to "pack my patience" or gird my loins to be a bit more assertive about getting what I need (e.g., getting help putting my bed down at night). I don't like being pushy but sometimes you have to be a little pushy with Amtrak.
Sometimes I find that being extra polite helps with service, other times it does not. The inconsistency is the problem.
The roommette beds are not that comfortable but in my opinion they're better than a coach seat where I can't stretch out properly and I'm too tall to curl up in it. And also I'm not getting elbowed by a seatmate or pushed-past by someone who needs a restroom every couple hours.
I was also on a train where there was damage that happened to the sleeper (minor derailment) and the sleeper pax were unceremoniously shifted to find what seating we could in the all-but-full coach (at 2 am).
So, it takes more than a grumpy SCA to make me "miserable."
That said: I wish Amtrak had more consistently-good service. I've had some wonderful SCAs down through the years (and let management know about them) and I've had some kind-of-blah ones (not bad enough to be worth letting management know about them). And I've had the classic rude-rushed dining car crew, but other times have had friendly gracious people. It would be nice to know what to expect and whether I will have to "pack my patience" or gird my loins to be a bit more assertive about getting what I need (e.g., getting help putting my bed down at night). I don't like being pushy but sometimes you have to be a little pushy with Amtrak.
Sometimes I find that being extra polite helps with service, other times it does not. The inconsistency is the problem.
The roommette beds are not that comfortable but in my opinion they're better than a coach seat where I can't stretch out properly and I'm too tall to curl up in it. And also I'm not getting elbowed by a seatmate or pushed-past by someone who needs a restroom every couple hours.
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tim49424
Engineer
Same here.
I don't like being bused anywhere and I've had more than my share of bustitutions but I've never experienced any unprofessional service and all in all am 100% satisfied with my travel on Amtrak over the past 9 1/2 years and 40,000+ miles. I suppose I'm luckier than most.
I feel the same way, I am not easily upset. I just wish the level of service was more consistent.
I try to treat every person I deal with in a respectful manner. How ever I don't think I need to go above and beyond to be treated correctly by any body in customer service field. Treating people right ( both as passenger and Amtrak rep ) can make even a bad Amtrak day better.
I try to treat every person I deal with in a respectful manner. How ever I don't think I need to go above and beyond to be treated correctly by any body in customer service field. Treating people right ( both as passenger and Amtrak rep ) can make even a bad Amtrak day better.
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