Originally Posted by
WeekendTraveler
The only odd thing was boarding. An announcement was made to “head to track — for your usher”. So I darted out of the lounge right when the announcement was made. The announcement for general boarding was made when I was on the ground floor of Moynihan Train Hall, so a line had formed when I got to the track. So I boarded last, and the escalator leading to the platform was at the other end of the train from the sleeping cars. That’s like being in Group 9 on an airline, I guess.
How is boarding from the Metropolitan Lounge supposed to work?
I don't know how it's supposed to work but I can tell you from multiple trips that what you experienced is definitely how it works in practice. The track is announced a mere seconds before it is to the general population, thus ensuring there will be a long queue winding around the hall before you arrive. People on the main floor are adept at seeing the clues and knowing where the train will board (I'm guessing the "usher" is the Amtrak personnel at the top of the stairs and that's the signal to pretty much everyone that boarding is about to happen). I don't especially care because of assigned seating but there's no such thing as priority boarding and in fact, as you have seen, folks coming from the Met lounge are effectively the last to board. I only go there when I am on the Acela or in Regional BC for this reason. When I'm on the Regional in coach, I board downstairs at Penn and can snag a quiet car seat before anyone except the redcap passengers have arrived.
It's kind of funny but I used to use the lounge as a means to board first and now I use it only when I know my seat number in advance and have a few minutes to grab a free snack before boarding. Things change!