Your "bring list" for riding the rails?

[crescent2]

DP, you win the prize.

Rene50, I agree, lighter is so much better. I don't know offhand that I take anything on the train that I don't also take when flying or driving. Even the larger purse for taking electronics with me to the dining car isn't an additonal item, as I also take in on planes as my purse.

Obviously, some of these lists are in jest. Enjoy your trip; I think you'll like it! Just be flexible and go with the flow.

 

[SarahZ]

When I find lounge cars that still have the video games downstairs, I push them out the door at the first stop & set this up instead.

In case you're curious, I fill it up with ice I've stolen from the ice buckets in all the sleeper cars. The heater in the tub melts the ice. And I take all the ice out of the ice buckets with my bare, dirty hands.

This is so full of win.

 

[Ryan]

No, it's full of melted ice, norovirus, an attractive couple and the tears of AUers that can't take a joke.

 

[SarahZ]

D.P, you forgot the french fries. Shame on you.

 

[Bierboy]

I DO like the 8-foot, retractable window washer squeegee.....nothing irritates me more than a dirty window during the trip...

 

[NW cannonball]

No, it's full of melted ice, norovirus, an attractive couple and the tears of AUers that can't take a joke.

:unsure:

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I DO like the 8-foot, retractable window washer squeegee.....nothing irritates me more than a dirty window during the trip...

If I lived near an Amtrak station, I'd buy such a squeegee, & show up on the platform every time a train stops. Charge $1 per window for coach passengers, $2 per window for sleepers (they can pay it). I bet you could make $20-$30 in 10 minutes.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I DO like the 8-foot, retractable window washer squeegee.....nothing irritates me more than a dirty window during the trip...

If I lived near an Amtrak station, I'd buy such a squeegee, & show up on the platform every time a train stops. Charge $1 per window for coach passengers, $2 per window for sleepers (they can pay it). I bet you could make $20-$30 in 10 minutes.

Why do you think the sleeper passengers can afford to pay more? Some of them may have barely been able to pay their fare and have just enough for tips.

I find it presumptuous of members on AU that sleeper passengers are richer than coach passengers.

 

[crescent2]

Yes, I'm definitely not rich! Hubby needed a closer bathroom and later room for his wheelchair. By hook and crook I'm accumulating enough AGR points for a bedroom on the CZ, if I ever get there! I'm too self-conscious to sleep "in public," have trouble falling asleep anyway in unfamiliar surroundings, and feel it's worth it to have my own bathroom, especially at night. (I'm a "senior" lady.) BUT, I'd pay the $2 for a clean window in a heartbeat if mine was dirty! LOL Good idea, D.P.! (I always seem to like your posts for some reason.)

BTW, how much do you charge for the hot tub??

 

[City of Miami]

.....nothing irritates me more than a dirty window during the trip...

How about a high-pitched whiney voice on a cell phone for an hour or so? :help:

 

[roomette]

.....nothing irritates me more than a dirty window during the trip...

How about a high-pitched whiney voice on a cell phone for an hour or so? :help:

We just put in ear plugs and ignore you.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I DO like the 8-foot, retractable window washer squeegee.....nothing irritates me more than a dirty window during the trip...

If I lived near an Amtrak station, I'd buy such a squeegee, & show up on the platform every time a train stops. Charge $1 per window for coach passengers, $2 per window for sleepers (they can pay it). I bet you could make $20-$30 in 10 minutes.

Why do you think the sleeper passengers can afford to pay more? Some of them may have barely been able to pay their fare and have just enough for tips.

I find it presumptuous of members on AU that sleeper passengers are richer than coach passengers.

Where I live sleepers can easily run $500-$1,500 or so to the next terminus, so this will be costing them between 0.4% and 0.13% of the ticket fare each way. It seems odd that someone could afford to pay anywhere near that kind of money at reservation time but is suddenly penniless as soon as they board the train.

 

[MiRider]

.....nothing irritates me more than a dirty window during the trip...

How about a high-pitched whiney voice on a cell phone for an hour or so? :help:

We just put in ear plugs and ignore you.

:lol:

 

[SarahZ]

I think people are taking the $2 window cleaning joke a liiiiittle too seriously... It was tongue-in-cheek, people.

 

[MiRider]

I think people are taking the $2 window cleaning joke a liiiiittle too seriously... It was tongue-in-cheek, people.

Yeah, but it's still a bargain at twice the price even if you're a disgusting and annoying coach passenger (different thread).

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Dirty Windows are NEVER a Laughing Matter!​

^_^

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I think people are taking the $2 window cleaning joke a liiiiittle too seriously... It was tongue-in-cheek, people.

Yes, thank you. The discussion was about whether an 8-foot squeegie was necessary onboard equipment, I would have thought that was obvious...

More seriously, sleeper tickets are almost universally more expensive than coach tickets (theoretically, I suppose a coach bucket could get higher than a low bucket coach + sleeper). However, that does not mean that sleeper pax are automatically of a different socioeconomic class than coach pax.

Strange (but true) story: my wife and I were having dinner on the CS with an older lady and a younger man. Dinner was going well and we were all having a pleasant conversation until the lady found out we were in a sleeper. She stopped talking, glared at us, and said "I would NEVER pay to stay in a sleeper." She then refused to speak with us for the rest of the meal. Weird.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Why do you think the sleeper passengers can afford to pay more? Some of them may have barely been able to pay their fare and have just enough for tips.I find it presumptuous of members on AU that sleeper passengers are richer than coach passengers.

Having addressed the joking aspect of my comment aside - do you really get the "vibe" on this forum that sleeper passengers are richer than coach passengers? I've been posting on this forum for many years, and I feel that I'm pretty sensitive to that sort of thing, and I haven't seen it. I'm just curious as to whether you - and others - feel that sort of attitude is prevalent here.

I do think that sleeping car trips are described as more pleasant and less "dirty" than coach trips. However, as is often pointed out, this is usually due to the number of coach passengers in each car, how many people are using each restroom, and the lack of showers, rather than to the socioeconomic status of the people in each class.

I almost started a new thread about this issue - "Are AU members biased against coach passengers?" - but I think it would probably devolve very quickly. However, I think that sort of discussion might be helpful - we get a lot of new Amtrak riders in this forum, and if they get a whiff of bias, they may give up on train travel.

Personally, I'm broke and only marginally employed, and can only afford the train once a year, but I almost always travel in the sleepers. Between the points I earn on the Amtrak credit card & buying AGR points when they're on sale, I probably spend about as much on my sleeper ticket as the average coach passenger does - via rail or airplane.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Why do you think the sleeper passengers can afford to pay more? Some of them may have barely been able to pay their fare and have just enough for tips.I find it presumptuous of members on AU that sleeper passengers are richer than coach passengers.

Having addressed the joking aspect of my comment aside - do you really get the "vibe" on this forum that sleeper passengers are richer than coach passengers? I've been posting on this forum for many years, and I feel that I'm pretty sensitive to that sort of thing, and I haven't seen it. I'm just curious as to whether you - and others - feel that sort of attitude is prevalent here.

I do think that sleeping car trips are described as more pleasant and less "dirty" than coach trips. However, as is often pointed out, this is usually due to the number of coach passengers in each car, how many people are using each restroom, and the lack of showers, rather than to the socioeconomic status of the people in each class.

I almost started a new thread about this issue - "Are AU members biased against coach passengers?" - but I think it would probably devolve very quickly. However, I think that sort of discussion might be helpful - we get a lot of new Amtrak riders in this forum, and if they get a whiff of bias, they may give up on train travel.

Personally, I'm broke and only marginally employed, and can only afford the train once a year, but I almost always travel in the sleepers. Between the points I earn on the Amtrak credit card & buying AGR points when they're on sale, I probably spend about as much on my sleeper ticket as the average coach passenger does - via rail or airplane.

Not all AUers, just some come across as "sleeper passengers are 'better' then coach passengers" by what they post sometimes.

My only LD trip was on the CL/CZ in 2011. Since I might not get another chance at a LD trip, I did splurge on sleepers (and I was paying for two, my daughter and I). Though when I first booked it, I did book coach on the CL and sleeper on the CZ. Then watching Amsnag, I found the CL sleeper price dropped by $100, so I decided to splurge a little more. I'm not sure I've even paid this trip off yet. Though I probably did using some of my late husband's life insurance money. The trip was to see my other daughter who had moved across country earlier that year, so it wasn't a "just to ride the rails", but an "yay, I have a reason to ride the rails".

I'm still hoping to take more LD trips, but may have to do coach only.

BTW, I knew you were joking about the squeegee, but didn't like what appeared to be an attitude of "they can afford a sleeper, they can afford to pay more for the same service". Sorry if I misinterpreted it.

 

[BCL]

I think people are taking the $2 window cleaning joke a liiiiittle too seriously... It was tongue-in-cheek, people.

Yes, thank you. The discussion was about whether an 8-foot squeegie was necessary onboard equipment, I would have thought that was obvious...

More seriously, sleeper tickets are almost universally more expensive than coach tickets (theoretically, I suppose a coach bucket could get higher than a low bucket coach + sleeper). However, that does not mean that sleeper pax are automatically of a different socioeconomic class than coach pax.

I can afford to stay at pricier accommodations but I also like value. I think there are a lot of people like me.

I actually talked to a coworker about his experience coming to the West Coast to work. He was attending school in the midwest. I'm guessing the company flew him in for the interview, but once they had an offer they probably offered a flat "relocation bonus" and he was probably on his own. He said he took Amtrak including the CZ from Chicago because last minute airfare would have been more. When he mentioned how much one-way, I thought it was too high and looked up under $200 in coach. He said it was a sleeper (probably a roomette) just for himself. So here he is - a fresh college grad with little savings and who could pay for this out of his relocation allowance. I wouldn't say he was rich, but this was a choice he made to spend a bit more so that he might be relaxed. I guess the meals being covered might have made a difference.

 

[shelzp]

I'm fairly new to this board and I never got the impression that coach passengers are looked down on versus sleeper passengers here. I view coach passengers as intrepid and am impressed with them. My situation is that I usually take long distance trips from end to end on a line. Since I'm shy I simply feel more comfortable having personal space. I don't find it too expensive when compared to a hotel room and meals etc. I view the train trip as a big plus and look forward to it as much (and maybe more) than my destination.

 

[SarahZ]

I would travel in Coach for every trip if I could sleep on my back. Honestly. I really missed having a reclining seat and all that space when we had our roomette last time. I DID like that we could close the door and have it be fairly quiet, but then I started feeling claustrophobic and wished I could recline my seat. Plus, Coach is so much cheaper. The only reason we get a roomette is to prevent me from being a raging harpy after lack of sleep.

 

[crescent2]

Re coach/sleeper prices: I was checking on prices ATN-NOL the other day (amsnag.net and Amtrak site), and for several days--usually Wednesdays or Thursdays--a roomette was $133 but a bedroom was only $106. At $106 for an all-day trip that includes lunch and dinner, if two or three people were in the bedroom, that's pretty cost effective because of the included meals for everyone. And if you're using an AGR redemption, the sleeper is "free." So not everyone pays an arm and a leg for a sleeper.

Amtrak also gives a discount to handicapped passengers, so the H compartment can also be relatively inexpensive for a handicapped person and his or her companion.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Re coach/sleeper prices: I was checking on prices ATN-NOL the other day (amsnag.net and Amtrak site), and for several days--usually Wednesdays or Thursdays--a roomette was $133 but a bedroom was only $106. At $106 for an all-day trip that includes lunch and dinner, if two or three people were in the bedroom, that's pretty cost effective because of the included meals for everyone. And if you're using an AGR redemption, the sleeper is "free." So not everyone pays an arm and a leg for a sleeper.
Amtrak also gives a discount to handicapped passengers, so the H compartment can also be relatively inexpensive for a handicapped person and his or her companion.

Be aware that the discount is only on the rail fare portion, not the accommodation charge.

 

[rusty spike]

I DO like the 8-foot, retractable window washer squeegee.....nothing irritates me more than a dirty window during the trip...

If I lived near an Amtrak station, I'd buy such a squeegee, & show up on the platform every time a train stops. Charge $1 per window for coach passengers, $2 per window for sleepers (they can pay it). I bet you could make $20-$30 in 10 minutes.

How much would you charge to clean the rear "railfan" window?