There seems to be a consensus of opinion that the Coast Starlight On-Board Service crews consistently provide superior guest service compared with other Amtrak LD trains. From AU members’ experience is that really the case? (I know from my own travels on the CS that service has typically been top-notch throughout the train.)
Does Amtrak require OBS employees to have proven records of providing outstanding service as a condition to being assigned to the CS? Or is that kind of cherry-picking not allowed under union rules?
Or is the good service because the CS crews are based in sunny SoCal, where everyone’s happy?
I would rate the CS and EB equally.
I rode the CS from LA to Portland and then, after a day layover, the EB from Portand to Chicago a couple of weeks and found that by no means did the EB live up to its first-class pretensions as touted in the on-board magazine,
especially in comparison to the CS.
The velcro was missing on the privacy curtains in the deluxe bedroom, the folding table was broken, the main light did not work, and the toilet only flushed periodically. The conductor and SCA basically shrugged their shoulders. Only later did I realize that bedroom A was unsold for the entire trip, and I could have been moved there--except the SCA had decamped there with all his belongings for the entire trip. I am still pissed about that. The SCA was Mr. Invisisible except for twice a day, fixing the bed and putting away the bed. He never said anything to me about a wine tasting, and I learned about it at dinner the second night from seatmates in another sleeper who had attended.
The dining car servers were abrupt and, I'm afraid to say, generally unfriendly. One in particular made a big deal--two separate sittings--when a sleeper passenger inadvertently signed the wrong line on the order form. Several of us in the sleepers prayed the final day of breakfast and lunch to be seated in another server's section.
The food was OK and the scenery is frequently stunning. But in putting out top dough for this trip, I am still steamed over the crappy equipment. How can Amtrak send out a sleeper with basic issues not fixed? Does anyone check the lights, toilet, table, etc. during cleaning and maintenance after each trip?
By comparison, the entire crew on the CS, from the SCA to the conductors to the dining room staff, were professional, friendly and obviously
enjoying their jobs. In the Trax Lounge before boarding, the conductor introduced himself and talked about each of the SCAs and the dining car steward. The SCA was attentive to everyone during the trip, and talked about how he double-checks each room to make sure the beds are made properly. It's fortunate for the EB staff that no one introduced them to the sleeping car passengers.
It may be that if I were to ride the EB 10 times, 7 or 8 trips might be really wonderful experiences. But having shelled out once for the trip, I would NEVER risk my money again on the chance that I would still get the 2 or 3 lousy experiences. For those of you who say Amtrak travel is an adventure, I say to you: if you want to gamble on an adventure with your own money, then play the odds and see if you get a great trip (assuming you're all not riding on AGR points earned mainly through non-Amtrak purchases). But for my hard-earned money, I would like to have certainty that I don't end up incredibly irritated at all the little things that Amtrak can't fix or improve, both with equipment and personnel! Based on what I encountered for my money, the CS, not the EB, is the only train that provides the value it says it will provide.
