This is topic Extending trip a little in forum Amtrak at RAILforum.


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Posted by TALKrr (Member # 683) on :
 
I am presently booked from Chicago to Fullerton, California on the Chief, next week. I would like to extend the trip west on to Los Angeles. I have an economy bedroom, by the way.

Should I contact Amtrak by phone before I leave and "book" my room on into LA, or simply inform the conductor of my wish and pay the additional charge to him/her right on the train once it enters the area ?

SURELY, I will NOT be charged any extra fee , besides the rail fee , for the additional short ride.

I PRESUME that my charge would be the SAME whether I book the change before I leave, or wait until I am actually on the train.

Have any of you ever done this before ?

What do you all suggest ?


 


Posted by Room Service (Member # 2405) on :
 
Presume NOTHING!

It may already be booked. You don't have to travel overnight to book a standard bedroom for a short ride.

[This message has been edited by Room Service (edited 10-30-2003).]
 


Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
 
Unlikely to be charged for 25 miles on top of the 2200 you've already paid for - but you never know. It would probably be best to arrange it before you go, but if that incurs a penalty charge, I'd wait until boarding. Chances are the conductor will just wink and not even bother with a ticket.

Geoff M.
 


Posted by royaltrain (Member # 622) on :
 
Just stay on the train. Tell the attendant that you changed your mind about leaving at Fullerton and wish to go all the way to Los Angeles. Nobody will have booked your room for that one stop, and I have no doubt that the fare from Chicago will be exactly the same to either city. I've done this myself and I never had any problem with the conductor. However I doubt this would work if you are booked Chicage to Kansas City, and you decide to continue on to Los Angeles.
 
Posted by CoastStarlight99 (Member # 2734) on :
 
I argee with Royaltrain, tip the attendant though--
 
Posted by UncleBuck44 (Member # 2049) on :
 
Tip Attendant and Conduct man
 
Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :
 
Here is a story about playing around with tickets.

Once I was at a Yankee game with a friend on a humid night in August. We had the cheapest seats. They were high up in the bleachers.

The start of the game was delayed somewhat by a thunderstorm. Many people left the stadium during the rain. By the time the first pitch was thrown the stands were only about a quarter full. The field and the crowd's spirits seemed equally dampened. The game didn't go well. By the Seventh inning the Yankees were down, 7-2.

My friend and I decided to sneak down from the bleachers into one of the box seats. It seemed unlikely that the chairman of United Toilet Paper or whoever owned those box seats was going to show up that night.

Shortly after settling into the box we were confronted by stadium police. When we couldn't produce ticket stubs and started stumbling over our attempted alibis the cops got excited and drew their pistols. We were ordered to lie face down on the ground. I got sticky soda goo and peanut shells stuck on my face. We were handcuffed and led to a security office deep beneath the grandstands.

We were confined in a small cage with only a hard wooden bench to sit on. The small pen was tightly packed with other ballpark offenders: graffiti artists, dopers, drunk and disorderlies, public urinators, bathroom pervs, parking lot vandals. One guy had been busted videotaping the game without express written consent.

It seemed like we waited an eternity, but eventually our parents came and picked us up. We were just about to try tunneling out, like those guys in Shawshank Redemption.

So, in short, I'd make sure you have your tickets in order. Don't go where your tickets don't entitle you to go. Who knows? You might have to spend the night in the nearest Amtrak police bullpen or maybe even the county jail.

The sheriff might sick the boys on you and bring you on down.

[This message has been edited by dnsommer (edited 10-31-2003).]

[This message has been edited by dnsommer (edited 10-31-2003).]
 


Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :
 
Oops. I posted my message 2x. Solly.

[This message has been edited by dnsommer (edited 10-31-2003).]
 


Posted by Kairho (Member # 1567) on :
 
1. Check online at amtrak.com and see if there are still economy bedrooms for sale for that last stop. If there are, you will probably be able to offer the attendant or conductor payment for the additional. As above, chances are you will get a wink and a nod. YOu can also check the additional transportation charge online.

2. Call Amtrak (1-800-USA-RAIL), have the agent access your record, and ask for the additional fare to change the destination. Again, chances are it is zero or real low and the agent will put a waiver in the record (especially if you are in the Guest Rewards program).

Especially in the dense areas, it is advisable to ticket to the furthest destination as you can board and disembark at intermediate (shorter) stations without penalty. A few times a year I visit friends in South Florida who are at the Hollywood, Delray Beach, and Palm Beach stations. When I see a Rail Sale, I ticket to Hollywood and work out the pickups and dropoffs later.

The only caveat here is to let Amtrak know any change of boarding point (if first or business class) otherwise they will be looking for you (they're pretty good about that!) and may delay the train slightly. Surprising, but true!
 


Posted by rmiller (Member # 341) on :
 
Just tell the attendant you want to get off at LA instead of Fullerton, there will be no problem. SWC doesn't accept Fullerton passengers going to LA and the price would be the same had you been ticketed to LA originally.

Doesn't warrant an extra tip, either...have never seen a conductor accept a tip.

 


Posted by Amtrak207 (Member # 1307) on :
 
That's what you get for going to a Yankees game.
 
Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :
 
L O L!

Dave
 


Posted by CoastStarlight99 (Member # 2734) on :
 
Thats a funny story Dave! I watch Drew Carey and it happen to them to! IT seems fun..LOL JK. What is an AMtrak police bullpen anyway?

Iv alyas thought those amtrak cops were coolo!

anton
 


Posted by CHATTER (Member # 1185) on :
 
Am I the only one here who has difficulty picturing police pulling teens, face down, out of box seats at gunpoint, just for being in the wrong seats?
 
Posted by UncleBuck44 (Member # 2049) on :
 
lol
 
Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :
 
Chatter, consider yourself one of the smarter ones.

Dave

PS - Nobody commented on my supposed cellmates, either.
 


Posted by espeefoamer (Member # 2815) on :
 
dnsommer,one warning about your cellmates;If you drop the soap in the shower,DON'T bend over to pick it up!

------------------
Trust Jesus,Ride Amtrak.
 


Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :
 
CoastStarlight-

When someone is arrested they are usually brought first to a local police precinct house or headquarters where they are held in a temporary jail cell while the arresting officer prepares the charges against them. This temporary jail cell is sometimes nicknamed the bullpen.

I doubt Amtrak has bullpens, except perhaps at its larger terminals. Amtrak police officers probably transfer persons they arrest to local police or the FBI, as the case warrants.

Dave
 


Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :
 
posted 2x. solly.

dave

[This message has been edited by dnsommer (edited 11-10-2003).]
 


Posted by AMTRAKLVR (Member # 2843) on :
 
CHATTER, I'M WITH YOU. IT NEVER HAPPENED. DNSOMMER IS FULL OF HIMSELF. HE THINKS HE KNOWS EVERYTHING OR JUST LIKES THE FOAMERS TO BUY INTO HIS STORIES.

[This message has been edited by AMTRAKLVR (edited 11-15-2003).]
 


Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :
 
I'm trying, dude! But I hate work. Luckily I don't have to work. It's awesome. A lot of people wish they had it this good.

I'll probably get bored with Amtrak and move on soon enough. Meanwhile I gotta keep you happy! It's all about you!

Take it easy!

Dave

PS - Did I ever tell you guys about the time I was touring Australia by rail and our train across The Outback was attacked by rabies-crazed Aborigine tribesmen? I stood on the roof of The Ghan's diner, AK-47's blazing from both my hands, a machete in my belt, my shirt torn wide open, and a bandana 'round my head to keep the blood from tricklin' down from where a flaming spear had grazed my left ear. Then they got the engineer, and I had to swing down from the roof into the sidewindow of the cab and drive the train myself, shootin this way and that all the while. We must've been doing 80 or 90 mph. They'd burned the 200' trestle over Dundee Creek to try and stop us, but I jumped the whole train consist from one side of the creek to the other. That's how darn fast we was going! In the end we went back in a chopper and sprayed anti-rabies aerosol over the tribesmen and they came back to their senses and said they were sorry. I got a medal from Olivia Newton-John. That trip was really something, I'll tell you.

[This message has been edited by dnsommer (edited 11-13-2003).]

[This message has been edited by dnsommer (edited 11-14-2003).]
 


Posted by AMTRAKLVR (Member # 2843) on :
 
DAVE,NOW THAT STORY IS NOT ONLY BELIEVEABLE BUT ENJOYABLE!

[This message has been edited by AMTRAKLVR (edited 11-14-2003).]
 




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