Meals and baggage

[sputnik]

Hi all, I'm planning a trip for later this year where I'll be taking the Capitol Ltd from Washington to Chicago, spending a couple days there, then getting the Zephyr down to Denver. It's all looking good, thanks to the threads on this board, but I do have a few q's. I'm sure the relevant info is somewhere on this site or Amtrak's, but I can't find it anywhere.

1. CL leaves Washington at 4pm, due into Chicago 9am the next day. If I book a sleeper, what meals can I expect? Dinner and breakfast only I assume?

What happens if the train is delayed by several hours and pulls into Chicago at say 1pm the next day. Is lunch served FOC to sleeper passengers? The same questions apply to the Chicago~Denver trip, what meals can I expect?

2. When I arrive in Chicago, assuming I have a sleeper, can I dump my baggage in the Metropolitan Lounge while I go have a day in Chicago? That is, since it'll be too early to check in to my hotel, can I just leave it there for the whole day and come back to claim it sometime in the evening? Will I have any trouble collecting my bags, 10+ hours after I arrive? I was going to ask the same question about Denver, leaving baggage there while I enjoy the city for a few hours, but it seems that a lounge is out of the question with the temporary station they have there?

I assume though that both stations have checked baggage halls, so if I checked my large bag and took my carry-on with me around the city, again would I have any trouble picking up the bags several hours after disembarking? Any tips on how to handle such early arrival times would be appreciated.

Apologies if these are well-worn 'tracks' in terms of frequently asked questions, but I really did search and maybe that pun will absolve me a little.

 

[tallguy]

Hi Sputnik, hope you will enjoy your trip!

I work OBS on the CL, as soon as the doors close on the train out of WAS, the Lead Service Attendant will come around personally to all sleeping car passengers and request your dinner reservation time, usually between 5 and 830 or so. Dinner is community seating, so therefor, you WILL be making some new friends over dinner. (Note to sleeping car passengers: please be aware that calls for dinner will be called on the PA system, please do not head to the diner at your appointed time as sometimes the staff can become backlogged. If you stay in your sleeper accomodations until dinner, please make sure you can hear announcements from the diner, if you cannot, let your SCA know immediately so the PA system can be addressed.

Breakfast starts promptly at 6am, your SCA should have a hot pot of rich coffee ready for you, along with the newspaper tucked under your door at 5am! Most SCAs will ready your room back to seating while you are at breakfast.

If the train is that late as you mentioned, lunch will be served, based upon what the chef was stocked with at WAS.

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[sputnik]

Tks tallguy, that clears some things up. Any idea on how to handle my baggage?

I'm really looking forward to this trip, first timer on Amtrak (first timer on any sort of sleeper train)

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

(Note to sleeping car passengers: please be aware that calls for dinner will be called on the PA system, please do not head to the diner at your appointed time as sometimes the staff can become backlogged. If you stay in your sleeper accomodations until dinner, please make sure you can hear announcements from the diner, if you cannot, let your SCA know immediately so the PA system can be addressed.

I just have to mention that I have yet to be on a LD train where the PA system worked reliably. Especially, for messages originating from the dining car. And honestly, I doubt the SCA would change (fix) that.

So, yea, we just show up in the dining car at our reservation time. That's the best we can do.

 

[the_traveler]

As far as your bags, as long as you arrive OR depart via a sleeper, you can use the Metropolitan Lounge (ML) in Chicago. (Since you're also departing WAS, you also can use the Club Acela there!

)You can leave your bags in the staffed storage room in the ML. In Denver, there is no Lounge (even in the original station). You possibly could leave them in the baggage room - but note the baggage service hours! If you return after the service ends, you may not get your bags that day!

 

[sputnik]

As far as your bags, as long as you arrive OR depart via a sleeper, you can use the Metropolitan Lounge (ML) in Chicago. (Since you're also departing WAS, you also can use the Club Acela there!

)You can leave your bags in the staffed storage room in the ML. In Denver, there is no Lounge (even in the original station). You possibly could leave them in the baggage room - but note the baggage service hours! If you return after the service ends, you may not get your bags that day!

Thanks for that. Yeah, I certainly plan on using the Club Acela to its full potential. I'm the guy who sits in the airport lounge scoffing peanuts and using their wifi on the rare occasion that I'm allowed in

I don't suppose anyone knows the service hours offhand? The DUS website is pretty poor (I guess that'll improve as the program gets up to full speed) and I assume I'll be able to figure it out when I get there, but good to know options ahead of time. If I have to take my baggage with me, I'll have to make alternative arrangements with the hotel (assuming they have some manner of baggage hold area)

 

[pennyk]

When I took the CZ to Denver last August, I stayed at the Oxford Hotel, which is across the street from the old train station. It was too early to check in, but I left my luggage at the hotel, until I checked in a few hours later. Most hotels will store your luggage if you arrive before check-in time.

 

[dlagrua]

Don't forget to venture into the sightseer lounge. Relaxing seating and nice views up there. They also serve adult beverages. We really enjoyed that part of the train on the CL during last years trip to Chicago. Now that they are running a full dining car, the seating and meal service should be more effective.

For a great lunch near Union Station you can walk three blocks to Halsted street to the Greektown section of Chicago. Many restaurants are located there along with coffee shops, a bakery, CVS pharmacy and a large supermarket. If you like Greek Food, the Greek Island and the Parthenon serve fantasic food at reasonable prices. If you prefer simpler fare there are a few good sandwixh shops there as well.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Hi Sputnik, hope you will enjoy your trip!

I work OBS on the CL, as soon as the doors close on the train out of WAS, the Lead Service Attendant will come around personally to all sleeping car passengers and request your dinner reservation time, usually between 5 and 830 or so. Dinner is community seating, so therefor, you WILL be making some new friends over dinner. (Note to sleeping car passengers: please be aware that calls for dinner will be called on the PA system, please do not head to the diner at your appointed time as sometimes the staff can become backlogged. If you stay in your sleeper accomodations until dinner, please make sure you can hear announcements from the diner, if you cannot, let your SCA know immediately so the PA system can be addressed.

Breakfast starts promptly at 6am, your SCA should have a hot pot of rich coffee ready for you, along with the newspaper tucked under your door at 5am! Most SCAs will ready your room back to seating while you are at breakfast.

If the train is that late as you mentioned, lunch will be served, based upon what the chef was stocked with at WAS.

Enjoy your trip!!!

This is why I advise you get an early dinner time, there will likely be the least backlog.

 

[sputnik]

Thanks all, it will depend on where I'm staying, but it seems more prudent just to collect my bags and go directly to my hotel (assuming they can hold them)

 

[RailFanLNK]

Also, meals on Amtrak can be spotty on the real good things to eat. So, if you see something on the menu (especially the CZ) order it first thing because they can run out of some things. Don't say, "oh, I think I will have that tomorrow" because it might not be around tomorrow. I've noticed this the most with desserts. Also, one thing I have never really used but packed for awile is "snacks". I've read where you should pack some snack food and I have never been very hungry after the meals on the train. You really don't exercise much and then have all this snack food packed. I do pack a bottle of water though. I board WB at 12:08am and EB at 4:00am so I always like having a bottle of water right at my fingertips instead of looking around for some in the middle of the night. Most of the time the water is right there in the roomette, but I like to have it with me when I board.

 

[sputnik]

I think I jinxed things. I notice today's CZ#5 arrived into Denver over 6.5 hours late. I wonder if people got lunch :unsure: