Subject: Tips and Sleeping Car Attendants
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 1999 21:53:16 -0800
From: "Gregory H. Mazzie"
Steve,
I thoroughly enjoyed your comments in Trainweb. I travel with my young son to Florida and back from Washington, DC every winter for vacation. I have found overall the attendants in the Viewliners are excellent. I also agree about the $5.00 tip rule of thumb. Like you, I also hate the eviction from my room (usually about 1/2 hour prior to Miami) so they can make up the room. One attendant asked us bruskly to step out, while on another trip, the attendant offered another room he had alreayd made up to wait in until he was done. On still another trip, the attendant topped them all. He offered me a cup of coffe and a soda for my son and invited us to sit in the diner while he made up the room. He even asked if we would like a snack and apologized for the inconvenience!!!
Now on to the Diner. In the last few years I have found EVERY dining car attendant to give excellent and courteous service. This was not the norm 8-10 years ago! Let me give you an example of superior servie that I received. On a northbound train out of Miami, they no longer fully staff the diner at the begining of the trip. They offer only one meal for everyone. It was an oriental stri fry plate which my 4 year old son was having none of!!! The dining car attendant Mrs. Rosenthal (or as she asked us to call her, "Rosie) immediately saw that my young son was not going to like the meal. She immediately mentioned that as a First Class Passenger, since the diner did not offer a full menu, I could get something from the Cafe car at no charge. Now since it was only he and I travelling together, the idea of holding his arm while while maneuvering through a moving train, then trying to carry it back to diner was not a very enticing idea. She sensed my problem at once and said that if I could wait a couple of minutes while she took care of two tables that were waiting for lunch, she would take my order, go to the Cafe car and bring it back. Thanks to her, we had a great meal, my son was happy and I was truly impressed with Amtrak service. Its employees like that who make passengers return to Amtrak!!! Yes, she got an exceptional tip from me! (She almost wouldn't take it).
Greg Mazzie
