Hi Everyone,
I am considering taking one of the weekly special rides on the empire builder, and I am curious about what it is like to upgrade on the train? To go from CHI to SEA in coach doesn't sound like fun to me, and I think I would rather ride in a roomette, etc. So, I guess the question is, how risky is it to book coach and upgrade on the train, and how much do you think it will cost? Since it is a weekly special, I can't book a roomette, however, will I save any money by buying this on train upgrade? Anyone who has done this before, please let me know what they think. Thanks a lot!

I'm not certain, but IIRC one of the "restrctions" for the weekly specials is that "upgrades are not allowed"!

I dunno--I took the Coast Starlate from SBP to SEA and back once (it was a very long time ago), but I found it pleasurable enough in coach, if you don't mind having a greasy bedhead upon arrival (no showers for the cattle class). The seats in the Superliners recline enough to make sleeping at least possible.

Then again, I'm fine with hostels and old European pensions, so some people's standards may be above mine.

I plan on doing a North American Rail Pass sometime in the near future (is it possible to explore every major line over the course of 30 days? I'll see...), and it would be cost-prohibitive to upgrade accommodations on every one of the trips. I may end up going 30 days without a shower (let's hope not!), but I think I'll be plenty comfortable, based on my prior train travel experience.

I've done most of my travel on Amtrak in coach. I find that the LD coaches are comfortable enough for sleeping. (A regional seat - that's another thing! But a LD coach is something different. ^ )

True, you won't have a flat bed, but if you can sleep in your recliner while watching TV, ... Personally, I find it OK for a 4-5 day trip!

More and more, first class sleeping accommodations seem to sell out very early. Since the fares are cheaper the further out you go, many who like to travel Amtrak, will book their rooms far in advance, especially retired seniors. I think if you booked the "special" coach fare and tried to upgrade on board, you could. If you tried to book the special fare and then combine it with a sleeper days in advance, I could see how that would make it ineligable. If there are open sleepers, they try to sell them and sometimes even make announcements on certain trains.

You are correct, one cannot upgrade rail sale ticket pre-departure, but once on board if a room is available then one can upgrade for the lowest bucket price for that room/distance.

What would the lowest bucket price be for a trip from CHI to SEA, for a roomette? Just curious, thanks a lot!

Train McGhee

The cost to upgrade to a roomette should be $200 at the lowest bucket price.

I am assuming it would be $200 per person in the roomette? I am just curious because I think I would be able to do the trip in coach but my wife would need a bed. Of course if I could sleep in her "roomette" without an extra penalty, I would.

And are paid in-transit upgrades allowed on AGR reward travel?

The cost for a roomette is good for 2 people. You don't pay per person for the roomette. Or to put it another way, one person pays for the roomette and their railfare (the amount Amtrak charges to go from point A to point B). If a second person joins the first, they only pay the railfare charge. There is no extra charge for them to occupy the room with the first person.

So if you upgrade on board the additional cost, assuming that the prices don't go up across the board before your trip, would be $200 more than what you've already laid out as a couple.

I've never tried to upgrade an AGR reward, so I'm not sure if that is permitted or not.

Well then that is definitely worth it if they allow it. Now, only thing I would have to do is try to find a train that would definitely have spare roomettes to rent on board.

I've always wanted to do a cross-country train trip.

I'm thinking, and I suspect AlanB would confirm that if you waited until after the 1050p departure of the EB from MSP the bucket would drop even further. Beyond that time it doesn't seem to make any sense to book the room due to the late hour. You would lose the dinner meal for two however, that is included so maybe for the $30-35 savings on the fare it is really a wash.

Two questions:

1. Can you upgrade from one type of sleeper to another?

In other words, if I wanted to try a bigger compartment (say, a bedroom as compared to the roomette) but didn't want to pay the difference (on one test booking I did, it was almost double the price of a roomette for the bedroom and almost four times for the family bedroom), can I book a roomette and then upgrade to a bedroom on board for what would hopefully be less than booking the bedroom directly?

2. If I'm planning to do a trip where I'm going to try to upgrade, is there a way I can check inventory to see what travel days are going to be most likely to have room to upgrade on board? If not online, can Amtrak reservations agents look that up? Reason being this: on my standard trip of SIM-PRB on the CS, I'd like to upgrade to a sleeper a) just to see what they look like and b) to experience the Parlour Car. Since I'm on leisure travel just visiting family, I can play with the dates, so I'd rather book a seat on a train that has more sleeper compartments available so there's less of a chance they'll fill up before I board (I'd book it just a few days in advance, although I'd have to balance out the desire for flexibility for an upgrade with the chance that the coach seat fare will go up with a short-notice booking and the desire to use a discount code).

What would the lowest fare bucket for a roomette on the CS from SIM-PRB be? The lowest I could find is a $68 upgrade (on top of a $35 fare--it's a 5.5 hour trip). If, once I know my dates, I can find something close to that (assuming that is the lowest fare bucket), I'll just skip the upgrade and book it...unfortunately, most of the rest of the year I'm seeing at least $100-150 for an upgrade to a roomette.

All I really want is the Parlour Car--will the conductor "sell" me access to just that for a crisp $50 or something?

As a rule of thumb to determine the lowest bucket fare for any AMTRAK fare I do a reservation check for eleven months out. This should represent the lowest bucket fare. This should apply to either coach, business class or sleeper, etc. The only other lower fare would be if AMTRAK offered it a some kind os rail sale special such as the weekly specials.

Also, if a sleeper isn't available all the way from CHI to SEA, you may find segments where it is.