Re tipping, my wife and I tip the sleeping car attendant when we first board. Unless the service is lousy, we would tip anyway. For a long trip, like CHI to Portland OR, I tip $20. That registers a positive note for them and we get a bit of extra attention.
I do exactly the same at the very beginning of the journey and also tip a 20 note when alighting. But I also confirm that the room porter is scheduled to be there through the entire journey. I've always gotten excellent service.
@@denizalgazi It does pay to tip well,i think most tip 5 bucks,so you got better service..I'm a X army veteran,I always buy a coach seat,bring a pillow and a blanket,and some snacks,no bags...lol A "roomette" is 4 or 5 X's the coach seat..i wander around alot,and sleep at the drop of a hat so that works for me with kids,familes,maybe not so much..still,the best way to travel in my books people are more laid back,not in a rush
And don't forget those Iron Pan Steaks. We traveled on the California Zephyr and I ordered one and it took up half the plate. It rivaled any good steak I ever had in a good steak house.
@@Ram44 Well, it depends on the dining staff. Some cook it however they want and just do the basics, and some perfect it. But some of them were real good.
I miss traveling and dining by rail (when I moved back to Missouri to take care of my parents all rail service had been discontinued except for select cities). One of my favourite cookbooks is titled "Dining By Rail," it is a wonderful reflection about how rail travel used to be and the recipes are really great, I recommend it to everyone. I remember the steward coming down the isle of the train with his chime calling either 1st, 2nd or 3rd seating for dinner 😊
@@T1DWanderer Dining by Rail is an amazing walk through the fallen flags dining on the rails. Written by James D Porterfield. My wife and I heard that he was going to be a guest speaker at the Age of Steam Roundhouse several years ago and made arrangements to go. Despite one of Ohio's snowbelt surprises we ventured out. Mr Porterfield had a great presentation - wish we had the opportunity to experience a small percentage of the golden, and even silver years of dining on the rails. Several more inches of snow had accumulated during the presentation leaving my wife and i wishing that we were travelling home by rail-- We enjoy your videos. Blessings.
TAKE FOOD,And Lysol FILTHY Bathrooms urine soaked toilet seat,We had a toilet in our roomette but Wife was asleep,I didn't use pub b room DISGUSTING!, Supposed to get dine car we paid extra,HELLISH TRIP,The view liner full of foreign people and the. BODY ODOR😡
"You won't go hungry." I beg to differ. I took the Capitol Ltd from Pittsburgh to Washington, and the limited food and beverage service was laughable. Everything available on that trip was the same food you would get from a vending machine at a highway rest stop. The coffee was excellent, but the pre-packaged bagel was microwaved mush. I was told when I purchased my ticket that, yes, I could go to the dining car. On the train I was told I could not because I did not purchase a sleeping compartment.
Max we had a roomette they lied to us I started looking for d car not even on that train,We got that SOY burger COLD,chips coke 11.25!, Saw attendant ck ticket and Soyburger,About STARVED Stinking LIARS&I want everyone to know!.
Will you be updating this video? As of fall 2021, the traditional dining menu is back and completely overhauled, there's no communal seating on most routes, sleeper accommodations only (plus business for a fee on the CS), and TX Eagle retains flex dining. These are only a few of the changes.
Back in 2018, I took my first Amtrak trip from Spokane to Omaha via the Empire Builder, Coast Starlight, and CA Zephyr. The dining car was always my favorite experience. I loved the chance to meet new people at every meal. And I thought the food was always very good. Never had a bad meal, though all those routes did use the same menu so it could get a bit repetitive. On the Spokane-Portland leg, because the dining car was on the other half of the EB that went to Seattle, we just got a boxed breakfast (and actually a boxed dinner on the CS because we had to bus 3 hours around a UP tunnel closed for maintenance). Those boxed meals were rather disappointing. I hope Amtrak wises up and doesn't do away with the traditional dining. And like you, I was a T1D wanderer on that trip!
All this cut in dining service on Amtrak trains started long before COVID and right after the new president took over. He's a former president of Delta Air Lines and was well known in the airline industry for making cuts in air schedules, routes and service. He has said he wants Amtrak to concentrate on it's regional service such as the NEC, midwest service out of Chicago and the west coast regional lines but anticipates the elimination of the long distance trains in the future with the exception of the Auto Train.
It is terrible in my opinion. Losing long distance would be a big blow to many small communities and historical sites, in addition to losing a great (even though not amazing) American treasure! .
Spot on! Appears I will NEVER ride Amtrak again... If I can't eat a freshly cooked steak on a sleeper train that cost me nearly $1000 for the fare, Amtrak can go to hell...
@@ronclark9724 You will be able to enjoy a fresh steak again. In June 23rd, Amtrak’s dining car is coming back to the western routes with fresh meals and tablecloth service. It is also rumored that traditional dining may come back to eastern trains.
Looks like it caters to vegans or vegetarians & standard American diet …….but not Keto or carnivore diets…..unless it’s fresh steak & eggs/bacon/sausage …..no pre-packaged for me……I’ll be checking back…….
is this before Amtrak just made that decision to get rid of food on most of these trains? remember last Amtrak trip I took out of Chicago to Lincoln Nebraska I called Papa John's what a pulled into Galesburg it had a 12-minute window and there they were with a pizza for me
I suspect this needs to be updated due to changes made to deal with the COVID outbreak. To my knowledge, dining car service is no longer offered. Sleeping car passengers are now served in their rooms and the menus are different.
That is what I understand as well. "Traditional" dining has been replaced, where it existed, with "flexible" dining. At least until it's deemed safe to re-open the dining cars as before.
I’m a millennial, But I prefer the traditional dining car experience way better. Flexible dining is just a cut, they should offer the experience as a option.
I rode both the "Crescent, Sunset Limited and the Silver Meteor" BEFORE Anderson became Amtrak President and curtailed Traditional Dining Car Services and instituted what passes for food today. In comparison to traditional dining "flexible dining" is a joke consisting of preheated slop served on plastic. One would be better off bringing their own food and drinks aboard and bypassing the entire affair.
Have you seen those bathrooms?,We had roomette w toilet Thank God pub b room FILTHY!. Supposed to got free dine car,wasn't on the train we got Amtrak LIARS!, Food SLOP!.
Yes it has. Traditional dining (i.e., fresh meals in the dining car) have been suspended in favor of "flexible dining" (microwaved meals). Hopefully it will be back to normal... eventually.
You could, if your route has it. The Covid-19 situation has disrupted eating on Amtrak these days so you'd need to check with them for the latest on your route.
Anyone can eat in the cafe car. In the dining car, anyone with a private compartment ticket gets meals as part of their ticket. If you're in a seat you can eat there but you have to pay for the meal when you eat.
The common denominator I've noticed in all these videos is that they display the menus for no more than an eighth of a second , apparently there would be an international incident if you actually got to read some of it.
@@T1DWanderer How? They laid off the entire chef staff. Appears only one of the waitresses was left behind to nuke the box meals in a microwave and have your sleeping car attendant deliver the box meals like a airline steward...
@@T1DWanderer Uh, I doubt Amtrak wants to bring it back. But I hope they realize how big of a mistake that would be, and that it does come back after COVID.
I would rather pay extra to have extra room, see fantastic sights that you can't see at 35,000 feet and be treated as a human being rather than a sardine jammed into a seat.
@@T1DWanderer Great as long as you are fed food worth your investment for the fare, not some crap your dog wouldn't eat... I pay $1000 for a fare, I expect steak or lobster for dinner...
@@T1DWanderer I doubt whether the flat iron steak will ever return to Amtrak. Not after they literally laid off all of their chefs with no intentions of ever hiring them back. Its microwaved pasta or rice entrees forever now, you can chow down in your sleeper... The days of the Idaho Star loaded baked potato has passed...
@@ronclark9724 Yea, I was talking to a lead service attendant on the Empire Builder two months ago. She said that they laid off/were about to lay off their chefs. I am really praying that Amtrak brings back traditional dining. That would be a monumental blow to long-distance. However I wouldn't put it past them to use COVID to completely abandon traditional dining.
all tv dinners... this guy made this when it was all shut down,,,, no table cloth... employees ie conductors spent almost all their free time in the dining car limiting space for passenger
Tried traditional dining (breakfast) on Capitol Limited back in 2015. Very amazing experience. What's more interesting was a blind person on my cross-table spot enjoying the meal too. It makes sense they're replacing traditional dining with the "flexible" one, perhaps for reducing the cost, but I'm very sad to see it's totally unavailable for coach seat customers, even if they have the potential to pay for it
I concur! I have been doing my research! My young son and I will be taking our first Amtrak trip across most of country. We have done it by Greyhound four times and plane once..it does not make sense that coach travellers cannot access that dining option!
My only suggestion, is to being your water, energy drink and snacks with you; because if your travelling on budget it, or with children, adds up quick. Amtrak café will nickel and dime you. Also, I seen family being small to medium cooler on the train too. I believe Amtrak have a problem with giving ice away either but double-check.
I have never had a bad meal in the dining cars. I have done the Silver Star, Crescent, and Empire Builder. No Michelin Star, but good food, and they seat you with strangers, which is great. Go for the steak.
I agree with everything you said. One piece of advice I would add for travelers is to cut down the size of meals and snacks. You burn far fewer calories on a train. I was too full for dinner on the first day of the Empire Builder. Glad I didn’t miss it the second night. Dining with strangers was a unique and enjoyable experience.
Right. As a T1Diabetic, I'm sensitive to lots of food and no exercise. And there isn't much exercise on the train! Even walking up and down the cars is very mild. No snacking between those Amtrak meals is probably a good idea.
@@T1DWanderer I am a t2 diabetic. Q: Do they have salads? I was planning a trip to the US, but due to COVID I can forget about travelling from Holland to your country right now!
monizdm unfortunately it looks like the steak and decent meals have stopped due to Covid. Frozen pasta meals with hard rolls have been the frequent fare that I have seen posted. I am waiting to travel until real dining, even in my room, is reinstated.
Hartford Line, Hiawatha, Keystone, & Valley Flyer should have a café car & Palmetto should be considered long-distance & have a dining car along with café
Jeremy you are absolutely awesome down to earth and travel like the normal person would and should. Not like some travelers on you tube that are all about them and all flashy. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK AND CONTENT.✌️🤘👍
Just a heads up, traditional dining is currently suspended until August 31 and temporarily replaced with flexible dining with the exception of the Auto Train due to the pandemic.
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I keep seeing "Amtrak" in headlines these days and I always get nervous. Reduced schedules, different dining... I hope it all returns to normal soon. I miss Amtrak :/
Excellent. The Rail Passengers Association/Washington DC has been successful at bringing back the dining car to at least one route (NOLA?). There’s a small annual fee to join but has discounts, etc. Sounds like OUR OWN LOBBY! On the Lake Shore Ltd I had the most pathetic meal 12/19 and on 12/18 Chicken Fricassee like my Mom’s. The new CEO hopefully cleans up what CEO Anderson did wrong. The chair of Amtrak is of course the VPOTUS Pence.
I just joined the Rail Passsengers Association - as low as $5/$6 monthly. RPA is recovering from C19 wave - good time to join. Includes lots of talks in DC. Any RPA members ???
Yeah the sitting together aspect makes some nervous, but that's part of the deal. Overall I'd say it's a good thing. Most people, when they first sit down, are a little closed off and there isn't too much talking, but you naturally open up a bit as you discuss your trips or whatever. Then the meal is over and you say your goodbyes. It's actually nice.
As in American, my father and I are in a pub in Cardiff, in which, I walked up to the bar to place a food and drink order. Afterward, I pass a £1 coin to the bartender, in which, looks at me with bewildered look of “why and okay” I guess. My conclusion tipping isn’t big thing in the UK. Cheers!
Tipping isn’t required in Australia either. When we went to the US, we found it really confronting to have to tip. Once we find out the hourly rate of pay for a server, we quickly got on board with tipping.
@@Cal90208 the other thing that drives me nuts is tax. In Australia the GST (good and services tax) is added into the price. You can have exact change ready to go to the register. In the US I never really knew how much I needed to pay, the coins were all unknown thus I just used notes all the time. I ended up with quite a collection of coins at the end of my trip.
Went from NY to Florida in 1995 with my 6 and 2 year old. When seated they brought out a huge adult size pork chop and baked potato for my kids, I told them no way were they going to eat all of that! Her reply, "well, you paid for it"! I ate a lot more of their meals than I should have, I just hated to to see it go to waste...
My wife and I have watched several of your videos. We had hoped to enjoy the Auto Train this past April, however, our cruise was cancelled due to Covid. Your videos are inspiring us to begin planning a long Amtrak trip, maybe coast to coast. Thank you for your work.
My pleasure! You would have been on Auto Train at the same time I would have been on Sunset Ltd (also canceled). I hope we both get to ride soon, or eventually. Thanks for watching!
I've eaten a few Amtrak steaks and french toast. Always very tasty and I'm hoping that post-COVID they don't completely discontinue fresh-cooked meals!
SOY BURGER ONLY 5.75 Want a coke?...chips?We spent over 11.00 for chips,coke and that soy burger,COLD breakfast!, Nearly frozen blueberry muffin,They turn coffee TOTALLY OFF About 6 PM!, We saw ONE employee they hid WELL!, Our trip was hellish NEVER AGAIN!, About 1000.00 going from Chicago to Tampa,We got roomette and NO Food except early morn&1 time evening,NO SNACKS of ANY KIND,We're diabetic!, Couldn't get ANY FOOD after 6 pm,We paid to get dinner car It didn't have Amtrak thieves😡&LIARS!
I've rode the Southwest Chief and the California Zephyr several times across the country. The dining car is one of the most memorable highlights of the trip. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 these routes have been cut to only 3 times a week and the dining cars have been turned into nothing but glorified concession stands. I've heard they're now serving frozen dinners that they've nuked in the microwave. I hope restore service and the dining cars after Covid.
Excellent update thanks. Thanks for the new food service clarifications!! I last took Amtrak on a RT on the Southwest Chief from LA to Chicago in '16. Other than one bad experience with 3 obnoxious people in the dining car who wanted to whine about politics, it was a great trip! Politics should be off limits conversation in the dining car. :)
I've travelling on Amtrak train even before Amtrak merged private Railroad Company for over 53 years. I hopped once or twice a year acrossing in any part of USA as I love it and no matter if the train is delays or on time because trains travel is a blast with a wonderful socially different people from all over the places and a beauty by looking views passing different areas too. And I'm using mostly sleeper car is the best! I used take Southern Pacific (SP) Peninsula Commuter trains for years. SP ran between San Francisco and San Jose and now it's called Caltrain extended to Gilroy (south of San Jose). For now covid and I will resume traveling again. For you guys taking a short trip on Amtrak to see if like the trains before taking long trip. Enjoy!
I took the Texas Eagle from Ft Worth to El Paso and back this week. According to the web site, Traditional Dining is available on The Texas Eagle but that is only partially true. The Ft Worth (and supposedly Chicago) to San Antonio portion of the trip only offers the much inferior Flexible Dining options. From San Antonio to El Paso (and supposedly Los Angeles) one gets the mich nicer Traditional Dining options. I was really disappointed with the Flexible Dining options and quality. I think that the microwave pizza and microwave burgers from the Cafe Car are a step up from the Flexible menu. And I'm not a picky eater. I thought the food in my college cafeteria was pretty good! It would have been nice if Amtrak would point this out on their web pages instead of making it look like the Traditional menu is available along the entire route.
We were supposed to take the Coast Starlight up to Seattle for a conference this July 4th weekend! First we got a call that they had cancelled business class, which was our seats! Then a second call that traditional dining was suspended. Then our conference was moved to next year! We cancelled our tickets and will try this trip again next year. Amtrak is currently having a sale, buy a sleeper room now and a companion can ride free. Travel must happen by Sept 30. I'm tempted but all my conferences have been cancelled. Train travel is fun, but not exactly cheap.
I took the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago in summer of 2016. Since I had a roomette, all my meals were free. The food was mostly okay, but the salmon at dinner was really good.
I can get better food off of Uber-Eats or Door-Dash compared to the Flex-Menu garbage Amtrak now serves... Just restore Dining Car Service on ALL Over-Night Trains East of the Mississippi for Crying Out Loud.
All long-distance routes have flexible dining. Traditional dining is said to return once the pandemic is over/coming to an end. However I wouldn't put it past Amtrak to use it as a way to permanently abandon traditional dining.
Thanks for the information. I have heard about the dining changes, glad I rode CZ last year with friends and had the traditional diner and took a couple of trips with local railfan group where we rode trains with diners too. Have rode City of New Orleans but traditional diner was not the same when I rode in 2016, still good food but not the same as traditional. Grew up riding trains as my Dad was RR worker and my parents and me traveled all over for free. It was always fun to eat while train was moving and talking to others we met in diner. I have taken some LD trains by myself and glad to ride with others, never had a bad experience. I will not be riding this year with the virus but look forward to trying the flexible meals on my next trip to New Orleans, hopefully next year.
Good comments, Mary. I hope you get to ride again soon. I had to cancel my plans for Amtrak this year too, which would have included City of New Orleans and some others. Thanks for watching!
Just rode the Downeaster. The foodservice does an excellent job. Wait staff takes your order at seat. Simple menu burger ($6), hot dog ($3), chips, Whoopie pie - also beer and wine. Cafe is closed to passengers.
@@T1DWanderer Maybe for a train trip of a few hours, not for a train trip that lasts a week... I am NOT eating microwaved hamburgers and hot dogs on a train for a week on a trip that costs me over $1000 for the fare. I expect at least a freshly cooked flat iron steak. No steak, you don't get my business!
Great info! Took the Zephyr CHI - SAC in Jan 20 dining/mingling was decent to great( inc'l w/ roommette). I doubt if I would ride 2 days without decent meal options. The big breakfast last a long time.
Great video! The son and I rode the Texas Eagle from San Antonio to Dallas and back. Breakfast and lunch on the way up, lunch and dinner on the way back. The food was great. The $25 steak 🥩 was on point. One of the best I’ve ever had. I don’t care for being seated with random passengers but we made the best of it.
My brother is a Sr. conductor on Amtrak in SLC. He also says the food is good, although he always brings his own. Sometimes he gets a food-ticket free from a co-worker.
@@fargokid71 Ridership is down!?? Wanna know why?, We had a roomette,supposed to be on a dine car,NO FOOD EXCEPT,Soyburger,coke ,chips 11.25!,I had to pay for that $hit!, viewliner FULL of foreigners who forgot to bathe.Pub b room a URINE FACTORY!. Amtrak liars!, btw got awoke@ 3 am Wife and I scared,train going about 110 MPH,"ridership down" I wonder why😡
My opinions: Traditional dining: Better than any plane! Not as good as restaurants, but DEFINITELY not bad. I always enjoy my meals. Flexible: It's edible. Cafe: I don't mind the pizza, and you can't go wrong with snacks.
I hear you Paul and Rob, flexible dining is garbage. Especially when you're paying premium prices for the sleepers. I used to be a semi-regular Amtrak rider, not any more. I'll be back when they bring real food back.
Empire service in New York state does not have any cafe or food service on trains between Penn and albany. Cafe service is only available on empire service trains that continue to Niagara Falls.
I hear they suspended service in the dining cars altogether. Heard it’s “carry out only,” but nobody has mentioned if it’s the same meals as traditional dining, flex dining or cafe menu food that you can carry out or have delivered. These tickets are expensive, so really need to know from someone who has risen recently what the food services like now.
Unfortunately I haven't ridden Amtrak recently (had to cancel my plans this year) but as I understand it, the take-out meals are the same as flex dining. I think that's from other commenters here. I could be misremembering but I think that's what people are saying. And I think the cafe is *also* open on most routes...?
I've taken Amtrak recently, the Coast Starlight and Empire Builder. Both were serving flexible dining. And you don't sit with anybody else. Very annoying.
Could you tell me what is customary as to tipping on an overnight & long distance train. Is it better to tip directly or in a sealed envelope. How many people will I need to tip usually. (Porters, wait staff, chef, etc...) Thanks. I'm really enjoying your videos.
I believe all I've personally done is tip some cash on the table for the server. I'm sure some people leave some, maybe in an envelope, in their private room? Or give it to the car attendant? As car as customary, I'm not sure but the wait staff at least. Any others would of course be appreciated! Thanks for watching!
In my experiences we tip after every meal directly. We tip our server, and our porter/steward/attendant. We tip the attendant at the end of the journey.
Just took Empire Builder Chicago to Portland last week. Took the same trip 12 years ago and had a wonderful experience. Today this trip is a shell of its former existence. The food is absolute microwaved crap. Instead of French toast and bacon or steak and baked potatoes, one gets instant oatmeal in a plastic cup or overdone meatballs with the Saran wrap cover still partially attached. It's just a mode of transportation now - no narration, no wine and cheese reception for the sleeper car passengers, no magazine in the rooms. Don't waste your time or money on this waste.
I agree with the food. However I will still take the train for the sightseeing and vibe of taking the train itself! Of course I'm biased, as someone with a passion for trains.