Amtrak restores traditional dining on 5 LD routes 6/23
Jun 3, 2021, 9:54 am
#1
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Amtrak restores traditional dining on 5 LD routes 6/23
https://media.amtrak.com/2021/06/amt...stance-routes/
Amtrak is restoring "traditional" dining to 5 western long haul routes on June 23. This includes the Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, and Sunset Limited. Sleeping car passengers only.
Amtrak is restoring "traditional" dining to 5 western long haul routes on June 23. This includes the Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, and Sunset Limited. Sleeping car passengers only.
Jun 5, 2021, 1:58 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2009
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I noticed that the menu has added appetizers and free alcoholic beverage with dinner for sleeper car passengers. They are also bringing back glassware and silverware. It will be nice to drink wine from glass rather than plastic.
Jun 7, 2021, 3:39 pm
#3
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Wow, I can't believe they're not only bringing back service but also improving it! Still seems they're leaving money on the table not letting the coach passengers eat in the diner, but still a good improvement.
Jun 8, 2021, 1:53 pm
#4
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Only on Superliner routes in the west -- supposedly just for now, but eastern dining services have been steadily melting away for years. I actually don't really mind "flexible dining" for one-day trips, but it seems a bit silly to buy a bunch of new Viewliner dining cars and then retire them.
Jun 9, 2021, 5:09 pm
#6
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Hopefully Biden will eliminate the mask requirements for vaccinated passengers while traveling by train, especially in dining car and sleeper rooms. Many over zealous conductors want you to put your masks on between bites.
Jun 10, 2021, 3:58 pm
#7
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Yeah that direction seems to have come from the CDC - they were proposing the same policy for cruise ship passengers when that resumed. (They backed down from that after a backlash.)
Jul 4, 2021, 4:50 pm
#8
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Only on Superliner routes in the west -- supposedly just for now, but eastern dining services have been steadily melting away for years. I actually don't really mind "flexible dining" for one-day trips, but it seems a bit silly to buy a bunch of new Viewliner dining cars and then retire them.
But I agree with you; the Viewliner dining cars are very nice.
Jul 8, 2021, 6:29 pm
#9
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Mentioned in the article but at odds with the headline: this is ONLY for First Class passengers. The peons are still restricted to the cafe or whatever it's called on the particular train. (At least, that was the situation when I rode the Coast Starlight -- living up to its Coast Starlate nickname -- on 6/19. Of course, paying full price for a meal in the diner is no great value, anyway.)
Jul 9, 2021, 9:20 am
#10
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Mentioned in the article but at odds with the headline: this is ONLY for First Class passengers. The peons are still restricted to the cafe or whatever it's called on the particular train. (At least, that was the situation when I rode the Coast Starlight -- living up to its Coast Starlate nickname -- on 6/19. Of course, paying full price for a meal in the diner is no great value, anyway.)
Jul 9, 2021, 1:02 pm
#11
Join Date: Apr 2007
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How do you propose to determine which passengers are actually vaccinated, and which are just saying they are vaccinated (as now happens in other venues) just in order to avoid wearing a mask? There is not now (and never was) any mask mandate when you are within your own sleeping car room.
Jul 9, 2021, 8:21 pm
#12
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Although the Amtrak policy did not require masks in rooms, the Biden order requires masks everywhere on the train. I travelled on Amtrak under both policies, so I know this to be a fact. Most room attendants will tell passengers they can take off masks when they close their doors and curtains, but they could be cited by a conductor for disobeying the federal policy.
People who have been vaccinated have medical records showing they have been vaccinated, so these can be used as proof.
People who have been vaccinated have medical records showing they have been vaccinated, so these can be used as proof.
Jul 13, 2021, 8:27 am
#13
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Jul 13, 2021, 8:22 pm
#14
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It appears that you haven't travelled on Amtrak recently and heard the frequent announcements that you can be forced to get off the train if you don't wear a mask. Some conductors enjoy their authority more than others, so there is always a risk of encountering one who is looking for an opportunity to enforce their authority. The previous Amtrak policy made sense, but the federal dictate of masks everywhere at all times is a little over the top. The rules should be adopted to fit the travel situation.
Now that the traditional dining experience in the diner has returned, it will be interesting to see how mask policies are enforced while dining.
Now that the traditional dining experience in the diner has returned, it will be interesting to see how mask policies are enforced while dining.
Jul 15, 2021, 7:38 am
#15
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My most recent trip was on the CZ CHI-EMY July 2020. I understand that the conductor has the power to force you off the train if you don't wear a mask. The part of your post that I found confusing was the use of the word "cite (cited)". You seemed to imply that the conductor had the power to issue citations to passengers. I never heard that before, so that's why I asked.