Amtrak Guest Rewards - Our recent Empire Builder Trip

We did a multi-part trip the last two weeks. We flew into Minneapolis to start the trip (enjoyed a Twins game and the MOA)

We got on the 11:15PM train heading west. It was on time and left on time. The train was PACKED. So glad we had a sleeper. We explored a bit when we got on because my son was so excited. The coach area looked like a war scene with bodies and "stuff" everywhere. No one looked comfortable in there. They were even assigning seats in the viewer cart because coach was full. We had sleeper 13 - and it was great. We liked that it was at the end of the hall and we actually enjoyed the bottom level. We slept great - but were up with the sun because we were excited to get the day started. The poeple across from us had a baby - but with the doors shut - we didn't hear a peep from him. I'm sure the track noise helps too.

We had first breakfast and it was good - omelet for me, pancakes for son. Service was good. We had Steward Darrell and he was great. Very attentive and a great personality. Lunch was pretty good - salmon salad for me, pasta for son. And dinner was a bit overcooked but good - chicken for me, steak for son. Dessert was really good - I had apple pie alamode and he had chocolate ice cream.

We spent a lot of time in our sleeper. My son loved pulling the curtain closed and having our little "bubble" to watch the scenary go by and just enjoy being on the train. We got to Glacier on-time (early actually) and it was a great trip.

Five days later we hoped back on in East Glacier and headed to Portland to complete the trip. Our Steward was nice Darriell or something like that. Similar to Darrell but with extra letters. He wasn't nearly as attentive as Darrell and quieter, but nice. The Diner service was HORRIBLE on this leg. All different people than the first crew. The diner manager on the first leg was asian (don't know his name) and he did a great job making sure everything was done and everyone was happy. At the time I didn't realize what a great job he did - he did it effortlessly. On this one - the diner manager sat at a table and sorted the order cards non-stop. Well - and chatted with the crew. He didn't help with the tables or make sure people were happy. It made a huge difference. And his entire staff seemed to not really care about service. We seemed to have the worst of the lot. His name was Richard and if you were under 60 - he didn't care about you. He seemed to do fine with the older diners - but ignored the younger ones. We had to ask for drinks (sodas) twice. We got our salads after our dinner only after I mentioned twice we didn't have salads. We sat forever waiting for him to take our dessert orders and they were out of most things - even though his older diners who came in much after us were eating the desserts we wanted. It was pretty annoying to be treated so poorly - but oddly the food was better than the first leg. My chicken was perfect and my sons steak was not overdone. So we enjoyed the food and had horrible service. It could have been worse!

Again - this leg of the journey was packed - and we were sitting in the viewer car and they asked at one of the stops for 4 people to give up their seats. They were again using the viewer car for coach seating. We decided to head back to our sleeper since we enjoy it in there. We were in upper room 6 this time. They had turned the car so even though it is on the opposit side of room 13 - we had the same side of the trian. Kinda funny....

On the first led Darrell had the sleeper ready for sleeping and even had chocolates on the pillows. About 10PM we had to track Darriell down to do it and he seemed a little - annoyed maybe - or stressed. Not sure why, he didn't seem to be doing all that much and everyone in our hallway was waiting to have rooms turned down. So alas, no chocolates tonight. LOL

We slept well again - the view is a bit better from the upper level but we like the feel on the lower level better. Since we were heading to Portland we just got a boxed breakfast. I'm sure Darrell on our first leg would have collected them for everyone and had them ready to hand out. He was that way. But Darriell didn't and we had to track him down to find out how to get breakfast. We had to go to the viewer car to get if from the kinda rude guy running the snack area. The breakfast was gross. I don't eat ham - and that is all they had was ham and cheese sandwiches. I took the top off and ate that. The yorgut was fine - but the fruit and the cake thingy were gross. So we had an early lunch when we got off the trian. I think - instead - they should give you a credit for the snack cart and let you pick out your own food.

Anyway - we loved the trip - we just enjoyed riding the train and the experience. My son wants to go again. Dining is hit or miss for both food and service. I wish I had gotten names on the first leg so I could write in a
good review. Actually - I guess just using the train and date they should know. It made a big difference to the bad staff we had on the second leg.

One note - Glacier was wonderful. We did many great hikes, a few boat trips and loved our room (and view!) at Many Glacier lodge. A great trip!

We slept well again - the view is a bit better from the upper level but we like the feel on the lower level better. Since we were heading to Portland we just got a boxed breakfast. I'm sure Darrell on our first leg would have collected them for everyone and had them ready to hand out. He was that way. But Darriell didn't and we had to track him down to find out how to get breakfast. We had to go to the viewer car to get if from the kinda rude guy running the snack area. The breakfast was gross. I don't eat ham - and that is all they had was ham and cheese sandwiches. I took the top off and ate that. The yorgut was fine - but the fruit and the cake thingy were gross. So we had an early lunch when we got off the trian. I think - instead - they should give you a credit for the snack cart and let you pick out your own food.


Change is coming, although it probably won't happen till next year. But thanks to some Stimulus monies being used to repair wrecked cars, a Cross Country Cafe will start running on the Portland section. This car, a marriage between a diner and a cafe car, will provide cooked meals to sleeping car passengers instead of that "boxed" meal currently being handed out.

And thanks for your report. :)

The coach area looked like a war scene with bodies and "stuff" everywhere. No one looked comfortable in there. They were even assigning seats in the viewer cart because coach was full.


By "viewer car" do you mean what AMTRAK calls the "Sightseer Lounge?"

I have considered making this trip, and part of the attraction has been spending some time viewing the scenery from this car.

Assigning people permanent seats in the car, because coach was full, would seem to limit the access/usage of the car by others.

What was your experience?

If you had wanted to spend some time there, would you have been able to do so?

yes that is the sightseer lounge....

i rode the EB several times and while crowded on occasion, they were not actually seating people in the lounge.....

i have done the CHI to SEA in both coach and sleeper....frankly i spent 99% of the time either in my room or in my seat in coach and minimal time in the lounge car.

i too had great service and food, and lousy service and mediocre food....but it is still a lot of fun and a great way to see the country.

and those newer combination cars are really nice....they were testing one on the Cap Limited a couple years ago and the food choices in the cafe part were good!

By "viewer car" do you mean what AMTRAK calls the "Sightseer Lounge?"

I have considered making this trip, and part of the attraction has been spending some time viewing the scenery from this car.

Assigning people permanent seats in the car, because coach was full, would seem to limit the access/usage of the car by others.

What was your experience?

If you had wanted to spend some time there, would you have been able to do so?

In my over 8,000 miles of travel on Amtrak (which pales in comparison to what some others here have done), I have NEVER seen them assign seats in the lounge car due to coach being full. With the one exception of the stretch of track between Denver and Glenwood Springs, CO, which is arguably the best stretch of scenery on the Amtrak system (so people claim seats early in the day and never get up from them), I have always been able to find a seat in the lounge car. It can get crowded, sometimes, especially in the more scenic areas, but (with the exception of that stretch in Colorado) people are constantly getting up and moving about the train, and usually there's an open seat if you don't mind sitting next to someone (and possibly asking them to move their belongings).

Yes - it was the Sightseer Lounge car - they actually did it twice. This was the Spokane to Portland portion of the trip. A lot of people seem to get on and ride it into Portland. The first time we were eating and didn't respond to the request. (No diner car) but someone else did. The second time we were about ready to head back anyway - but as we got up - so did a mother/daughter with a baby. They only needed two seats and that opened up 4. So no one was forced to move - but I'd recommended anyone riding that portion of the track to be in the lounge early. It was basically full the entire time. Except for the seat this many held for his wife - who didn't use it the entire time we were in there - rude! :-)

Jackl - just because you haven't seen it - doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It did twice that morning. Maybe try the Empire Builder in July - it is one full puppy.

Jackl - just because you haven't seen it - doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It did twice that morning. Maybe try the Empire Builder in July - it is one full puppy.

My point was that it's not a common occurrence, not that it never actually happens.

I'll be on the Empire Builder in a sleeper soon and I see my train is showing "sold out," too. It won't be the end of the world, but I hope they don't assign seats in the Lounge. It's nice to be able to go SOMEWHERE other than just the restaurant on a 2-day train ride.

BTW, any difficulties getting INTO the restaurant when the train is completely sold out? I've only seen reservations taken for dinner (with the sleeper car pax getting first dibs). Do they start taking reservations for other meals, too?

It just amazes me that folks would endure this journey in coach when you could fly (cheap!) in 4 hours. Don't get me wrong, I like the train but, realistically, I wouldn't do this trip in coach if I had another option.

BTW, any difficulties getting INTO the restaurant when the train is completely sold out? I've only seen reservations taken for dinner (with the sleeper car pax getting first dibs). Do they start taking reservations for other meals, too?One my one trip on the California Zephyr they took reservations for both lunch meals.

I'll be on the Empire Builder in a sleeper soon and I see my train is showing "sold out," too. It won't be the end of the world, but I hope they don't assign seats in the Lounge. It's nice to be able to go SOMEWHERE other than just the restaurant on a 2-day train ride.

BTW, any difficulties getting INTO the restaurant when the train is completely sold out? I've only seen reservations taken for dinner (with the sleeper car pax getting first dibs). Do they start taking reservations for other meals, too?

It just amazes me that folks would endure this journey in coach when you could fly (cheap!) in 4 hours. Don't get me wrong, I like the train but, realistically, I wouldn't do this trip in coach if I had another option.

Hmm......i was on a tight budget...........and the sleepers were full and/or WAYYY too much $$...and flying was expensive.....

plus it is just kind of fun.....and so many interesting people were ON the train that i got lots of material for blogs and stuff!;)

i managed to have 2 seats to myself so i had my own little space.....

but a sleeper is 10000% better!

It just amazes me that folks would endure this journey in coach when you could fly (cheap!) in 4 hours. Don't get me wrong, I like the train but, realistically, I wouldn't do this trip in coach if I had another option.

Keep in mind that a good number of the people in coach aren't going the whole way -- and perhaps starting from, or heading for, a town to which the train is the best (or the only) transportation option. (In fact, that's probably true to a greater extent on the EB than on any of Amtrak's other long-distance trains.)

Keep in mind that a good number of the people in coach aren't going the whole way -- and perhaps starting from, or heading for, a town to which the train is the best (or the only) transportation option. (In fact, that's probably true to a greater extent on the EB than on any of Amtrak's other long-distance trains.)

Precisely. Just last night I put my mother and sisters on the west-bound Empire Builder from St. Paul to Minot, ND. My mother finds coach more comfortable than a roomette, and the train costs a quarter what flying would. It's a ten-hour, overnight ride, and generally is pretty reliable.

My mother finds coach more comfortable than a roomette,
wow.

Coach isn't bad for one night, but I will take a roomette any day!

wow.

Coach isn't bad for one night, but I will take a roomette any day!

I agree with you completely, but my mother is a woman of firm opinions. I've suggested the upgrade, and offered to pay for the roomette, but she'll have none of it. Me, I've taken roomettes for day trips.

The dining for the coach passengers must have been a nightmare on our train. Our steward got us the reservations we wanted each night - and I think for lunch. I don't recall - for breakfast we were up early and there was plenty of room. But for dinner they were still calling people at 10PM. People would ask about reservations and they would scoff at them (seriously!) like they were crazy and say "you'll be eating after 10PM and nothing good will be left." I thought it was pretty rude - a big advantage to being in a sleeper.

As for people sleeping in coach - many did seem to be going the whole way. Many of them were on when we got on and still there at the end.

Oh - we had a scout troop on there and they did some sort of "take out" dinner from the dining car. We had first seating one night - and when we go there they said they wouldn't be taking any orders for 30 minutes. After a bit they brought out a lot of big bags and the Scout leader paid them. Then they started the service. I didn't mind - I wasn't that hungry yet - but we were getting off at 6:45 in Glacier which is why we got the first seating. We had plenty of time - but I assume all the reservations after us were slipped to.

It was nice having the extra time to visit with our table mates and just relax.

BTW, any difficulties getting INTO the restaurant when the train is completely sold out? I've only seen reservations taken for dinner (with the sleeper car pax getting first dibs). Do they start taking reservations for other meals, too?


Lunch and dinner will most likely be done by reservation if the train is sold out. Breakfast is first come, first served with a waiting list once the diner fills up.

Properly run, the dining car can serve 196 people in 3 seatings, and assuming that all the sleepers are at maximum capacity (unlikely) and that everyone actually goes to the dining car (again unlikely), that would take up 140 of the 196 seats.

I have always wanted to ride the Empire builder

I have always wanted to ride the Empire builder

you should.........great train, lots of fun!