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I've never heard of them giving away roomettes at the last moment but you could always try. I don't know what Amtrak's motive would be.
You can buy them on the train.. But, I have no idea how payment is done.. I would assume the normal methods that you can buy anything else on the train.
But.. It's apparently a roll of the dice as to whether they're available, whether they're offered, and whether or not the conductor feels like offering them.
You get a reduced rate by purchasing your ticket ahead of time.
Why should I pay two months in advance and you get a better deal than me?
The gall of cheapskates is amazing.
If you don't like my response, put me on your ignore list.
Okay, I'm being upfront and friendly:
Hotels do it all the time. If their rooms haven't sold: they reduce them at the last minute. The risk to the customer is that they'll sell the rooms and you'll be stuck without a room.
Cruises do this too -- I've gotten fabulous deals this way.
It's part of how the economy works. If the business hasn't sold enough. . . let's say, donuts. . . then they reduce them before they close for the day rather than toss the donuts and make nothing.
I was just wondering how Amtrak handles empty roomettes?
I just got off Amtrak yesterday (8-7-15). I asked if they had any roomettes and was very politely told by a sweet porter that the train was packed -- so no roomettes or rooms were available.
Another porter piped in that rules have changed and if you are going to grab a last minute roomette -- if they're available -- you need to call the 1-800 number to arrange it and price it.
And Amtrak has gotten smart: they're not reducing the prices like hotels or cruises do. You might actually pay more if it's last minute. I guess they feel like people are desperate to get a good night's sleep and will pay big bucks.
So, it's become the opposite of "throwing donuts out" at the end of the day.
I've traveled cross country by train several times. The roomettes are cramped and not much more comfortable than a chair. The food in the train restaurant is unremarkable. I
I like to travel business class on routes they offer it. Much more comfortable seating, coffee, juice, newspapers... Well, worth the upgrade.
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