Multi-city reservations...

[Eric308]

Say I wanted to go from CBS to CHI to EMY to SEA to CBS with no stops to speak of. How do you figure the dates for the reservation? Would it be best to just call Amtrak rather than attempting to book online? I've been using some test dates such as departing CBS on 3/15, but don't know arrival times for setting up the next leg. Hope this makes some sense to someone. Thanks.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

If I were you I'd do some date and dollar crunching using AMSNAG: http://biketrain.netfirms.com/amsnag/amSnag.php

Then either call or book online.

I would book each segment seperately and then print each ticket off when you arrive ateach station before you board for that segment. That way you don't have to worry about losing your tickets.

 

[Eric308]

If I were you I'd do some date and dollar crunching using AMSNAG: http://biketrain.net...snag/amSnag.php

Then either call or book online.

I would book each segment seperately and then print each ticket off when you arrive ateach station before you board for that segment. That way you don't have to worry about losing your tickets.

Thanks, TDC...brilliant idea just to book separately. Much easier to figure layovers if I decide on that. Did you take your board name from the M65?

 

[The Davy Crockett]

If I were you I'd do some date and dollar crunching using AMSNAG: http://biketrain.net...snag/amSnag.php

Then either call or book online.

I would book each segment seperately and then print each ticket off when you arrive ateach station before you board for that segment. That way you don't have to worry about losing your tickets.

Thanks, TDC...brilliant idea just to book separately. Much easier to figure layovers if I decide on that. Did you take your board name from the M65?

Actually the name mainly refers to a former passenger train on the former San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway. It was known as "The train that is always on time." But then it had an average speed of 24 mph. Could there be a lesson for Amtrak in there somewhere? :blink:

On the other hand, I have been known to 'go nuclear' from time to time, and on those occaisions, the reference to the M-65 is certainly more appropriate. :giggle:

 

[Trogdor]

Do not book separately. Book all under one reservation. It makes things a bunch easier. If you are really that likely to lose tickets during the few days of your trip, then there are other issues that Amtrak can't fix.

There are rarely any benefits (excluding itineraries that are part AGR, part paid) to booking separately.

Arrow will calcluate fares based on an itinerary, and may give you a better deal than bookign separately.

When you have same-day connections, having everything on one itinerary puts your name on the connection report for a train (and "linking" reservations does not do this, only booking as one reservation will), so they know to expect you if there is a chance of misconnecting. Separate reservations doesn't invalidate any guaranteed connectons, but putting them on one makes it a hell of a lot easier.

Lastly, suppose you had separate reservations and didn't print your tickets, and one of your trains was about to misconnect and they had to bus passengers on a shortcut to make the connection. Well...now you don't have the ticket you'll need to take that connecting bus to the next train. You can't print the ticket on the train. *Maybe* you'd have time to run into the station at whatever connecting point they pick and print it there. Still, why bother with that hassle.

Just put the tickets in your wallet. How often do you lose your wallet?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If you are really that likely to lose tickets during the few days of your trip, then there are other issues that Amtrak can't fix.

That's a rather smug attitude considering that Amtrak is pretty much the one and only domestic transportation company I've used that still considers a generic piece of printed paper to somehow be worth hundreds or thousands of irreplaceable dollars while the uniquely identifying information it's tied to is considered virtually worthless.