California Zephyr to Coast Starlight
I'm doing some advance planning for a trip in 2015 that will use AGR points for a Bedroom from Denver to Seattle via the California Zephyr and Coast Starlight. The "forced" connection point for that is Sacramento but it's a 10 hour scheduled connection with an 11:59pm departure from SAC. We have friends in the Bay Area we'd love to spend a few hours with so would like to make the connection at Emeryville.
From what I've read, there is no option to move the connection point on the AGR points ticket. Which leaves buying a cash coach ticket SAC-EMY-SAC. EMY-SAC on the CS is no problem as that can be sold. But all stations SAC and west on the CZ are discharge-only station so can't (at least via the web site) buy that. So options seem to be:
1) See if Reservations can "force sell" a SAC-EMY ticket on the CZ.
2) Buy an unreserved (Capitols) tickets SAC-EMY and see if the conductor will let us stay on with it
3) Buy a Roseville-EMY ticket on the CZ (but risk of duplicate ticket logic catching that)
Has anyone done something similar? Suggestions?
Separate issue will be seeing if we can be in "our" bedroom despite coach tickets but that I know will need to be handled day of operation with the conductors. SAC-EMY on the CZ logically shouldn't be an issue since it would otherwise be empty (can't be sold west of us officially departing it at SAC). EMY-SAC on the CS will depend on if someone else has the bedroom south of SAC. Ideally we'd be able to get in it as soon as it's available so we don't have to wait until SAC at midnight to settle down.