Passenger Trains > Question About 49/449

Since the Boston baggage car is gone is the Boston sleeper now
directly behind the power??   If yes, not a quiet night.
Also where on the Amtrak website do you find a button
to change from adult to senior?   Does it disappear if
the value fare is less than senior??  

Yes, the Boston sleeper is now directly adjacent to the locomotive...all the way to Chicago (after Aug 31).  However, due to CSX trackwork in Massachusetts, through the end of August, train 448/449 goes to/comes from Boston only 2 days per week and there's NO sleeper!  The other 5 days are bused.  Instead, there's 3 sleepers every day from New York vs the normal 2  Once the trackwork is complete, 448/449 should resume to the 'normal' consist of sleeper, cafe/business class, and 2 coaches (drops to 1 coach during the winter after Jan 1 or so) and the New York section will return to 2 sleepers.

As for booking as a 'senior' vs 'adult', there's multiple options to do so:

First, if you don't already have an Amtrak logon ID, simply click the 'Join' button at the top of the www.Amtrak.com screen and choose the 'senior' option.  If you already are a member, sign on to the Amtrak as normal, click 'my account' at the top of the screen, then click 'profile' on the next screen and change it to 'senior'.

Option 2 would be on the initial screen, on the right of the 'window' where 'from/to/depart date' is first entered, the last field 'Traveler' has a drop-down box where you can specify the number and types of travelers.  It should be noted, however, that if you choose 'multi-city' in the first part of that window, it's only at the bottom of the last segment to be entered where it provides entry for the type of traveler...but it doesn't offer senior!!!  Go figure!  But all is not lost.

Option 3 is a little later in the booking sequence, when you get to the 'discounts' screen (it may be the same screen where you enter your credit card number), there's an opportunity to change the traveler type to 'senior' if desired.  If you change to 'senior' at this point, it's necessary to click the 'apply discount' button to get the lowered price.

As a senior myself, I've noticed a couple of 'surprises'.  First and foremost, the 10% senior discount only applies to the basic 'value' fare (coach).  The 10% senior discount does not apply to any 'accomodations' charges such as business class or sleeper space.  Also, I don't think it's available for the Acela (I haven't fully checked).  In some situations, mostly on the NEC, in my experience, the 'saver' fare is lower than 10% off the 'value' fare.  So I sometimes price my NEC travels as 'senior' and as 'adult' and take the lower of the two. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/19 17:49 by BRAtkinson.

Thanks for the detailed reply.  If I travel August 5 49/449 then the three sleepers will
be on the rear?? 

CP8888 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the detailed reply.  If I travel
> August 5 49/449 then the three sleepers will
> be on the rear?? 

No - according to Amtrak's Service Alerts web page wrt 448/449 bustitution and sleeper service, services should revert to normal as of Friday August 2 meaning Boston sleeper should be at the head end of 48 and 49 before your 8/5 travel date:
https://www.amtrak.com/alert/lake-shore-limited-track-work.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/19 05:17 by JPB.

JPB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CP8888 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thanks for the detailed reply.  If I travel
> > August 5 49/449 then the three sleepers will
> > be on the rear?? 
>
> No - according to Amtrak's Service Alerts web page
> wrt 448/449 bustitution and sleeper service,
> services should revert to normal as of Friday
> August 2 meaning Boston sleeper should be at the
> head end of 48 and 49 before your 8/5 travel
> date:
> https://www.amtrak.com/alert/lake-shore-limited-tr
> ack-work.html

Thank you, JPB, for correcting my end of August date.  I was thinking it was the entire summer repair season.  Regretably, I get to be bused on 449 two weeks from now and that's how I got to thinking it would be all summer long.