So I called in 3 times to change the room. Each time, the agent insisted I would have to pay the current (higher) points cost for an identical room, different room number. The third time, I was careful to call during weekday business hours in hopes of getting a more experienced agent. The agent did sound more experienced, but the story was the same. At least she was reasonably courteous.

Rather than HUCA a fourth time, I asked pleasantly if she could check with her supervisor to see if an "override" was possible. After a bit of time on hold, she was back to say that the change had been made "as a one-time exception."

Of course I complimented her, but why can't Amtrak change its systems to allow simple room changes without upcharges - or better yet, allow passengers to select or change their own room from an online map?