January 2023, 16-hour [actually 18-hour] Amtrak ride from Toledo
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| View from Lake Shore Limited Car 4812 Roomette 1 |
Ticket purchase and Toledo station
We initially purchased coach seats online, and then upgraded to a roomette via telephone a few weeks before our trip when Amtrak was running a Buy 1 Get 1 special. The Amtrak representative had told me we did not need to pay the balance due until the day of our travel, and she had said we could pay the balance online. After we completed the upgrade process, I could not find our trip online [to view or to pay the balance]. I ended up calling back to pay the balance right away because we wanted to be able to view the trip details. I presume the trip needs to be booked online in order to pay the balance online, although this is not what we were told. This was our first experience upgrading and booking a roomette, so I had chosen to call. In the future, I think I would just complete everything online. After we paid in full, we received an email confirmation, which showed we had been assigned a roomette in car 4812. Apparently, the Amtrak system does not update throughout, because in the days leading up to our trip, we received several emails with upgrade offers for a roomette or sleeper car. This was a bit alarming before I double-checked the Amtrak website to confirm that our upgraded booking was in fact there.
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| Baggage policy sign in Toledo station |
Although we live in Michigan, we chose Toledo, Ohio for our starting point because this station has baggage check, and it is open 24 hours. The station is a mile from the Hilton Garden Inn downtown where we had stayed the night before. The agent in Toledo was helpful and professional. He clearly explained where to board the train when it arrived, at the far right end. When the train arrived in Toledo, there were about 10 passengers waiting to board in coach, and we were the only roomette passengers to board at this station.
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| Lake Shore Limited Car 4812 Roomette 1 |
Roomette #1 in car 4812
We were in room #1, and we were the only passengers in our car for most of our ride. Although this car was not a remodeled newer style, we had a great experience concerning our room. It was comfortable and quiet. The bed was made up when we entered at 3 AM. Four pillows and wrapped blankets were provided, along with two bottles of water. The photos above are what the room looked like when we arrived.
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| View from Lake Shore Limited Car 4812 Roomette 1 |
The roomette had everything we needed, although the space was a bit smaller than I expected. The older style roomette has a toilet in the room along with a pull down sink. The electrical outlets are located next to the sink and water spigots, rather than by the counter next to the coat hangers, which made no sense to me. The room had heat controls, and several light controls. There is a small storage spot above the sink, which was big enough for our backpacks and carry-on size bag. There was not enough space in the roomette for our large bag, so we were glad we had chosen a station with checked baggage service. Our attendant was attentive and helpful. A community/shared shower is located in the back of the car. Coffee, and additional water was available in this area, as well.
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Sunrise from Lake Shore Limited Car 4812 Roomette 1
Below: approaching Buffalo station |
Lake Shore Limited ride from Toledo to New York City
The window in the roomette is quite large, and we had a great view of the scenery and activity along the way.
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Above: train status at 7:30 PM
Below: view from Lake Shore Limited Car 4812 Roomette 1 |
Our 16-hour train ride was delayed almost 2 hours, due to technical and fuel issues. We were glad we had a comfortable room with great views along the way. Our scheduled arrival time was 6:42 PM, and it was almost 8:30 PM when we arrived. Amtrak did not offer an apology or compensation for this. We found more information about the delay on the app than we heard while on the train.
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Salmon dinner on Amtrak Lake Shore Limited ride to New York City
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Dining
Food and beverages are included with a roomette during meal times. The food was very good. We had the salmon and short ribs for dinner. One alcoholic beverage is also included with dinner.
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| Breakfast on Amtrak Lake Shore Limited ride to New York City |
For breakfast, we had the egg omelet and continental breakfast. The wrapped items with the continental breakfast are a warm breakfast sandwich and a blueberry muffin.
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| Dining car on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited |
WiFi was available in the dining car; however, it would not connect in our room. You can go to the dining car to sit, as long as it is not during meal times. The dining car attendant was actually kind of rude when he told us this after I had brought my laptop to our table during dinner. I suppose when the roomettes are all reserved, this is more of an issue so passengers are able to find a seat in the dining room for dinner.
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| Another view from Amtrak Lake Shore Limited ride |
Misc. and overall
Overall, we were happy with this trip, and I would definitely want a roomette or bedroom for another trip like this. The cost for a roomette without the B1G1 offer that we had is a bit steep; however, if you can book with a promotional offer like we found, I would jump on it. Having a room on Amtrak also includes: meals, priority boarding, and lounge access. I am working on another post about our return from New York City, which includes information about the lounge in Moynihan Station.
Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this post!
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