ACRF/Amtrak trips
#1
Posted 01 March 2013 - 08:50 PM
#2
Posted 01 March 2013 - 09:50 PM
No you're not, as it has nothing to do with my own preview trip from 6 months ago. But don't fret, I'll be splitting and re-creating new topics as we go along and new threads develop. I've split this into a new ACRF/Amtrak trips topic which I'm sure we will use a lot.I am not sure if I am posting in the correct place... but wanted to give a "heads up" because I had a confusing experience this afternoon/evening.
The reservation system can't determine that you are taking this trip as part of a longer journey, so it assumes you live in Norfolk. Since the bus driver isn't equipped to handle e-tickets, the whole combined ticket has to be sold as a paper ticket. The same would hold true if anyone decides to take #95 from Richmond to Newport News -- because of the 6095 bus, you would need a paper ticket for the entire journey by train and bus.I went on line to make my reservations from Norfolk to WAS (via 6066 and 66). The first thing I discovered was that the price was discounted to $38 (which I later found out was 20% off), however, the discounted rail fare does not apply if you upgrade to business class. I made a reservation in coach at the $38 fare (which is a bit more than half the price of BC). I guess if everyone else opts for BC, I will change my reservation so I do not have to ride alone on coach.
When making the reservation, the website gave me a choice of having the ticket mailed to me for free or delivered otherwise for $15.00. I chose mail - however, I wanted an e-ticket. (I even clicked to "talk" to Julie to try to figure out what to do to get an e-ticket - I just wasted time and was almost late to yoga class).
I was emailed a purchase summary with my reservation number - but no e-ticket. After yoga class, I phoned Amtrak to determine what I had done wrong. A got a very nice agent on the phone who explained that I had not done anything wrong.
Because the trip starts with a thruway bus, and the bus drivers do not have scanners yet, paper tickets work better. The agent told me that if I wanted him to, he could over-ride the mail option and email me an e-ticket. However, since the bus driver will not have a scanner, I would be ticket-less on the bus. The agent told me that in those cases, the bus driver collects id's from the passengers without paper tickets and holds them until Newport News, where tickets would be printed out, including the bus portion. (I may not remember his explanation exactly, but this is close). Since I have plenty of time until July, I remained with the "mail ticket" option and I really do not like the idea of relinquishing my driver's license to a bus driver.
As for coach vs. business, I'll pose the question in this thread in the next posting so that we can talk about it further so that people can make their plans without having to change them. Often we do end up with some in one class and others in another. It happens -- it's impossible to expect 100% of the group to stay together the entire time, especially as how most seek out their own window seat and thus end up sitting next to a stranger anyhow.
Kevin Korell
OTOL Board Leader
Lakewood, NJ
#3
Posted 01 March 2013 - 09:55 PM
#4
Posted 01 March 2013 - 10:00 PM
Kevin Korell
OTOL Board Leader
Lakewood, NJ
#5
Posted 01 March 2013 - 11:19 PM
Take care and take trains!
#6
Posted 02 March 2013 - 01:54 PM
#7
Posted 03 March 2013 - 10:14 PM
#8
Posted 07 March 2013 - 12:10 PM
#9
Posted 07 March 2013 - 12:25 PM
As I mentioned in another thread, Wifi is offered in the RVR station.... but for a price. You can purchase it from the snack/newspaper vendor in the station. If there's time for a meal there is a McDonald's just north of the station entrance on Staples Mill Road, and they should have free Wifi available.For the trip from Charlotte to Norfolk, I have reserved 80/125 (with the long layover in Richmond) in coach. I had a layover in RVR a while ago, I do not recall wi-fi in the station, but it is possible I did not try.
Kevin Korell
OTOL Board Leader
Lakewood, NJ
#10
Posted 15 March 2013 - 04:51 PM
Edited by saxman, 15 March 2013 - 04:57 PM.
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users