Tipping in an amtrak dining car why, when, and how much. The lounge car in amtraks auto train december 30, 2010. From full meals to more informal cafe service, many trains have one or more options for onboard dining. All meals for passengers with sleeping accommodations and all auto train. Meals are included for the sleeping car passengers. Leave the driving to us while you settle in with a good book, stream a movie on your tablet or grab a bite to eat in the cafe car.
Amtrak continues to evolve the travel experience on longdistance trains with the introduction of a new, flexible dining service for sleeping car customers traveling on the cardinal, city of new orleans, crescent and silver meteor starting on oct. Tipping is always discretionary, of course, but you should tip in an amtrak dining car just as you would in any other restaurant. It is a shared car so there is no camping out n there. The auto train transports you and your car or your van, motorcycle, suv, small boat, jetski or other recreational vehicles nonstop from the washington, dc area to sunny florida, just outside of orlando. Southern specialties on the florida trains and the. Amtrak does offer some sort of business class on the auto train, apparently only since feb 2016. Meanwhile, back upstairs theres no assigned seating and anyone can hang out in the observation car. Canadian paper currency is accepted for bistro purchases on.
Lower fares on amtrak sleeping cars to florida and nyc. National archivesdocumerica early amtrak photo collection. Photo of amtrak autotrain dining car and sleeper bedroom lorton, va. Amtraks traditional dining service disappearing railway age. Most longdistance trains include a dining car serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. All meals are included when you book a roomette or bedroom on a longdistance amtrak train. Menu selections and prices subject to change without notice.
Note, also, that the irs assumes the staff is getting tips and they are taxed accordingly. Food to bring on an amtrak trip eat like no one else. And remember, you can pack your car as if it were your suitcase. Potage plus a hot bowl of soup accompanied by a loaf of french bread, gouda cheese and a chilled apple. Multicolor printed paper menu issued in 1991 for display in a food service car. All information including prices is as of the date indicated and subject to change without notice. Amtraks auto train is a passenger train that also takes vehicles between lorton, virginia, just south of washington dc, and sanford, florida, about an hour east of disney world. Load your stuff in your car, load your car on the auto train and let the train take the strain. This particular round trip experience was not up our amtrak expectations. Mar 19, 2015 last june, muckrock user conor skelding requested all complaints amtrak received regarding its lounge cars over the past two years.
The auto trains transition dorm 525300 is not a revenue sleeper, so i didnt include it in the list of at sleepers. Some dining car crews pool their tips, but others dont. We encourage bringing food on board, including togo meals from restaurants near stations, if you have special diet needs, like to eat large amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables or dont want to purchase food in the cafe or dining car note that. A sample amtrak lounge car menu from the amtrak california zephyr in january 2006. Be sure to visit the lounge car often throughout the tripthey are the focus of activity on the auto train. There is a full car for public seating and the cash cafe called the observation car. Amtrak auto train to fl train travel forum tripadvisor. Yes, you can bring food on amtrak trains that you can eat at your seat or in the superliner sightseer lounge if that is available on your train.
Amtrak advice for sleeper car passengers cruise maven. The auto train is the only amtrak train that runs between lorton and sanford, so theres no chance of you booking the wrong train if your travel involves those two stations, but there are still booking challenges. Traditional dining service is provided in the dining car on the auto train, california zephyr, coast starlight, empire builder, southwest chief, sunset limited and. Consider the dining car crew on the california zephyr, for instance. Business class on amtrak autotrain train travel forum. Use the prices appearing on the menu as your guide. Some items may not be available due to an unexpected high demand. Auto train benjamin franklin black hawk blue water limited.
Dining cars feature seasonal menus with a variety of entree. Thats because when youre in one youre actually on the second floor of the train. Auto train diner menu first class entrees include a small salad, dinner roll with butter pad, selected starch unless otherwise requested, vegetable and dessert. Complement your meal with a wide selection of beverages, including beer, wine, spirits for sale. The auto train transports you and your car or van, motorcycle, suv, small boat, jetski or other recreational vehicle nonstop from the washington, dc area to sunny florida, just outside of orlando. The actual cafe is located on the lower level of the amtrak sightseer lounge car. My parents will be in tampa, florida for the next few months and we had two options for their car from new york. Cafe car premium selections menu items may contain any of the following. Autotrain questions train travel forum tripadvisor. Dining cars feature seasonal menus with a variety of entree selections. Skip i95 traffic and take your car for the ride on amtrak s auto train between dc and florida. In addition to breakfast and dinner options, the menu features soup, etc. Amtrak sanford 2020 all you need to know before you go. The savings for a sleeper on the silver star without the dining car runs about 25% to 28% of the original cost.
We look forward to seeing you soon aboard the amtrak auto train. Dec 28, 2019 amtrak does have the restriction that if you are buying food on board the train, you need to eat that food where you purchased it, such as in the cafe or dining car. Aboard the auto train, coach customers can enjoy meals, snacks and beverages in a dedicated car. Id very much appreciate any other tips and suggestions to consider before i call amtrak to initiate the booking. Amtrak s lounge car complaints are the of the muckrock. Ill book a sleeper and i want to reserve a lower level roomette. Last week, after nine months of processing, the responsive docs finally came in, and boy, those must have been a busy nine months. Amtrak lounge car menu train web railroad information. Amtrak introduces enhanced menu and flexible dining.
I had heard a rumor that amtrak was going to allow passengers to ride without a vehicle but was told that was not truewish it were true as i travel to fl next month from dc. Learn all about saving on ticket costs, menu options and more. Montrealer menu, 1980s multicolor printed paper, bilingual englishfrench menu issued for use on the montrealer montrealwashington. Whereas today amtrak offers only prepackaged snacks today, years ago one could get actual prepared food from the snackclub bar it was only that the train offered a more limited menu than what would be featured aboard the dining car. The lounge car usually stayed fairly full the entire trip, and we always spent the majority of the time there, just to get out of the small bedroom. There is also hot water and plenty of teabags and hot chocolate, along with an ice bin and buckets. My experience taking the amtrak auto train from dc to. Amtraks lounge car complaints are the of the muckrock.
Our train combined with train 8 from seattle in spokane, washington, so we gained a dining car, more coach sitting cars and another sleeper car. Not just fresh salads or reakfast sandwiches amtrak cascades. These menus represent the menus throughout the amtrak system. If you want one, its best to reserve several months in advance. Note that passengers who book sleeping accommodations have free meals. Dining car service is ending for some overnight routes, but you can still enjoy the dining car experience on the auto train and longdistance trains. Jul 21, 2016 auto train from washington dc to florida.
This is the best way to drive i95 without even driving. Whether its a full sitdown meal or more informal food service, many trains have one or more options for onboard dining. Say goodbye to the congestion and stress of the interstate, unwind, relax and actually enjoy your journey. On the auto train you cannot just travel coach without bringing a vehicle along.
Heres a look at the new corridor cafe menu, now available on all northeast corridor trains. And when purchasing a ticket, business class is currently an upgrade option, as an alternative to the roomette or bedroom. Dining car service is ending for some overnight routes, but you can still enjoy the dining car experience on the auto train and longdistance trains that travel west of the mississippi river. Once all of her guests were aboard, her pa description of what we could expect on our trip was exceptional. If you paid by cash or payment card and did not receive a receipt, your purchase is complimentary. You cannot move about the train and sit anywhere you want. Dec 06, 2014 here is my amtrak advice for sleeper car passengers that ive learned over the years.
One was my usual over the shoulder bag in which my camera and equipment along with my medicine and a book was in. Some years later, traveling north of washington on an amtrak train during the christmas holiday season, bob lyon happened to meet a former autotrain employee, now working as a lounge car attendant on amtraks northeast corridor. My experience taking the amtrak auto train from dc to florida. The auto train sleeping car passenger dinner menu is a strippeddown version of what is offered in other longdistance trains fullservice dining cars. May 28, 2015 instead of the full service dining car, the silver star will continue to have their traditional cafelounge car, available to all passengers whether in coach or sleeping cars. A lounge car sometimes referred to as a buffet lounge, buffet car or club car is a type of passenger car on a train, where riders can purchase food and drinks. Most longdistance trains include a fullservice dining car, which serves meals.
And if you have a sleeper get out and about the train depending which added cars are available such as a cafelounge car andor observation car. Most of the lounge cars were specially designed for the auto train and feature lounge and booth seating and an upper level attendant service area where you can purchase snacks, and beverages. The car may feature large windows and comfortable seating to create a relaxing diversion from standard coach or dining options. Last week, after nine months of processing, the responsive docs finally came in, and boy, those must have been a busy nine months as we saw earlier with dots aviation consumer complaints, the complaints themselves are a mixed bag, with some. Movies in the lounge car after dinner thats right movies.
Dec 30, 2010 the lounge car in amtrak s auto train december 30, 2010. Apr 30, 2019 when train 28 left portland, we had just a sleeper car, two coach sitting cars and a lounge sightseeing car attached. Dont leave your car behind when you travel bring your car with you while on the amtrak auto train. Sep 26, 2019 each car on the auto train has a selfservice drink station. And, also for the staff at sanford and lorton as well. Amtraks website is workable for normal reservations but has problems digesting some of the auto train configurations. Aboard the auto train, complimentary traditional dining service in the dining car is offered as an exclusive benefit for sleeping car customers. Petite tender seared beef shoulder tender, braised slowly and cooked to medium, paired with a port wine sauce. It only takes one or two meals in an amtrak diner before most passengers become aware that theres a system in place. Visiting the sleeper lounge car, the lsa beth, welcomed me and i began hh before the train departed.
New auto train sleeping car menu posted amtrak unlimited. One notable difference between the lounge services offered by amtrak and those during the streamliner era was the food itself. All meals are included when you book a roomette or bedroom on a long distance amtrak train. Many of this writers dining car memories recount great meals almost a halfcentury ago. Theres something romantic about a dining car on a train and the southwest chief did not disappoint. Image download the fullsized version of this photo. Jim loomis december 18, 20 amtrak, dining cars, lounge cars, tipping, train travel advice 18 comments i have a lot of empathy for the people who work in the amtrak dining cars. The auto train s transition dorm 525300 is not a revenue sleeper, so i didnt include it in the list of at sleepers. The autotrains terminal is located just outside of downtown sanford. Amtrak advice for sleeper car passengers includes when to extend gratuities, how to get a seat in the amtrak dining car and other questions. Theres single seats, family seats for groups up to five and even tables for card games and laptops. What i have eaten in the dinning car, i usually go for lunch and get a pretty decent hamburger with kettle chips sorry no fries, deep frying on a train, not a good idea.
If you read the title of the post, you know what we chose. See below for the list of dining options on each amtrak route to learn. Our car attendant gave everyone a local newspaper at our first stop in the morning aboard the southwest chief. From what i have learned on au, booking auto train by phone is a more successful and pleasant experience than doing so online. Boarding the train with the help of a staff member, my sca, holly, welcomed me. Major changes in amtrak leadership have caused major disruptions to service. Alcohol can also be brought on board if you have private sleeping accommodations, as that is the only place you can consume it, and not publicly in coach seating. We were preparing to book what would have been our 25th roundtrip on the autotrain, and were informed that theres no longer a separate lounge car for the sleeper passengers. We are contacting you about your trip on train 52 the auto train from sanford auto train. Last june, muckrock user conor skelding requested all complaints amtrak received regarding its lounge cars over the past two years. Amtrak is ending whitetablecloth and fresh food dining car.
One change that wont please the sleeping car people is walking as many as six cars to the diner, and as many as nine cars to the remaining lounge car. Now, with just one lounge car serving both coach and sleeper passengers. Amtraks dining cars on longdistance trains will soon be killed, the. All auto train passengers receive meals as part of their ticket price. Please retain your receipt for all returns, refunds and exchanges.