Originally Posted by
bofc
1. We have a bedroom reserved -Is it customary to provide a gratuity for the Amtrak staff who help turn the bed down or provide other services? If so, what's the typical amount and is it provided right before we depart in RNO?
Yes, it is customary and most people hand the tip over as they leave the train or right before arriving into the station. A general rule is $5 per person/per night. But that can and should be varried by how well your attendant does their job and how helpful they are or aren't.
Typically they should greet you at the door to the sleeper, and direct you to your room. Shortly after departure they should come by and tell you about your room, which way to the dining car, and other useful tidbits. They should provide a wakeup call in the morning, if you request it, as well as having coffee & juice available at a central location in the car by the stairs to the lower level. And of course they should put down your beds in the evening and put them up in the morning, preferably while your at breakfast although that's not always possible.
Originally Posted by
bofc
2. I've been told by many that the first couple hours of this trip are very scenic. Is the observation car typically packed with people? Is there a separate observation car for passengers with sleepers?
During the summer months it can be impossible to get a seat in the lounge car for the climb out of Denver into the Rockies. The rest of the year it varries, but once your tickets have been taken (and that usually happens in the station at Denver) and your attendant has given you the tour as it were, I'd head right to the lounge so as to guarantee a seat.
Sadly on most trains there is only one observation car, called a Sightseer Lounge car, and it's open to everyone on the train. The cafe is downstairs in this car. Only the Auto Train and the Coast Starlight between LA and Seattle provide a seperate lounge car for sleeping class passengers.
Originally Posted by
bofc
3. I understand you reserve meal time slots ahead of time. How does that work? Is it done prior to boarding?
Reservations are required for lunch and dinner, breakfast is first come first served and they often end up with a waiting list. The Lead Service Attendant (LSA) who is responsible for all operations in the dining car will come around to your room to make the reservations for lunch and dinner. If you happen to be in the lounge, they'll usually stop there on their way to the coach section or you can send one person back to the bedroom when you hear the announcement, while the other holds the seats in the lounge car.
Be sure to have a few alternate times in mind, as the LSA may have already sold out the time you wanted the most.