I am traveling with my handsome special needs adult son; we are on our third train of this epic Amtrak journey over the Thanksgiving holiday and what a difference staff makes. The trains have all been quite similar in set-up and layout, but the staff is what made the difference for us. The sleeper car attendants have been a mixed batch, and I must say that I am thankful that Erika was our first, on the westbound Empire Builder out of Chicago. Women do have a nurturing and caring attitude, no way around it. It's like flight attendants, some good, some meh, and some bad. The male attendants on the California Starlight and currently the California Zephyr have been disappointing to say the least. The current attendant on the Zephyr (Gregory) has been the worst. I couldn't believe that he has the nerve to request tips, ahead of the journey on embarkation! He doesn't even answer his call bell! This is our second day on board, and he is consistently MIA! Why would I give him a tip for service when I get off?
He even had the nerve to say he was busy on our first day, when I heard him attend to the car next to me and NOT come in to address our call button that had been lit up for 20 minutes already! He showed up 40 minutes later, after blatantly ignoring us. So, I have decided to just ignore him, pilfer what I need from "open" sleepers, like extra bottled water, washcloths, soap, and be done with him, except…. I need him to get our food from the dining car! Got a repeat performance this morning after he delivered breakfast, without water? He refused to answer our call button for 30 minutes this time.
His style is his own, that was obvious to us, unlike the other attendants. He acts as if he is so busy, when it appears there are lots of empties here? Everyone had the same number of 23 "rooms" to attend to. Do your job man! He was of the mind-set that we ate when HE was ready to feed us. This included a rude knocking on our door at 7:15 A.M. the first morning out. We were not even out of our births nor were we ready to order and eat breakfast!
Erika on the other hand was attentive, responsive, and timely in providing services. Amtrak will be losing her, unfortunately, probably to more care-less men. On the Starlight, while dining for lunch in the dining car, we had the pleasure of hearing the attendant (his name escapes me) dissing "us sleeper car passengers" for expecting our food in a timely fashion, was arrogant about it, really? Isn't that your job? This Amtrak package is not cheap! The rooms are dated, the amenities are none, the food is nothing to write home about, so what else is there for us to expect if not good, did not say great, just plain simple polite, good service? Please tell me what kind of training the men got, because the female attendants appeared to have been heads and shoulders above them?
The views from our stateroom are lovely from both sides, there are no cabins on the other side of us, which is great for privacy and viewing. You can hear conversations in adjoining cabins, but it is not bad considering the proximity. Having your own toilet is wonderful. I cannot imagine with all the transient activity that the public restroom or shower is a great deal for those who cannot afford privacy. Amtrak did provide good hotel accommodations in both cities (Seattle and San Francisco) and the tour packages were perfect in both locations as well. We thoroughly enjoyed staying right at the base of the Space Needle, visiting the impressive Chihuly glass museum, and having time to do the Aquarium and shop!
Visiting Muir Woods in San Francisco was fabulous, great tour guide, interesting attractions, and a wonderful city to explore on your own. We will remember this trip for years to come and I am so thankful that we did it over this holiday. The weather in both cities was absolutely postcard perfect and getting from the train station was relatively simple in both places. Amtrak did provide luxury bus service into San Francisco since there is no train station in the city proper and it was an easy Uber ride in Seattle. I was told they have new trains on order, thanks to President Biden's infrastructure bill. That may be the next time I try this journey again, on a different route, and hopefully with better attendants and food.

P.S. I started the above review on the second day of our journey home. It only got worse, we did not make it with Gregory on the Zephyr, he truly showed his worse side on our second evening. He refused to answer my call button after 20 minutes AGAIN, so I asked the neighboring riders to push their call button. He came in 5 minutes to their cabin, totally by-passing mine, and when they told him that they only called him because he was ignoring MY CALL, it was absolutely the last straw. He had the audacity to YELL at me and tell me that I expected too much! Where is customer service? I paid for his services, I was not allowed to go get my own food or WATER, so what the hell? Unfortunately, it did not end there, he then had the thought to just ignore me the next morning in passing thru the corridors? Who does this? Why? I reported it to the conductor, but AMTRAK, you have a problem. I did not use my call button for the duration of the trip, all day, for 12 hours! There was obviously a problem here and I don't do drama or stress. This was a let down to an otherwise lovely week-long trip.

We booked a round trip with 2 sleeper rooms from Austin to Boston. Almost $5k per room but we thought worth it based on fond memories from childhood and maybe last such trip for 88 yr old father to enjoy. Didn't work out that way.
Outbound leg from Austin to Chicago was late arriving. Old train cars - dingy and worn. No AC control and temps in room in low 60s. Had to have vent duct-taped closed by attendant. No observation car, though they continue to show one in their ads. And the food… Terrible. They say they "cook" the food, but most people would say they press a button on the microwave. Plastic plates and table-ware. The menu consists of 3 choices for breakfast and 5 choices for lunch and dinner (total of 5 choices, not 5 each). Which means that for our round-trip we got the same 5 choices for 8 separate meals. Plus they were frequently out of some of the choices. The cafe car (when it was available, and when it was open - both big "ifs") has minimal seating so coach passengers basically had to eat in their seats.

In Chicago we had an 8 hr layover (probably the best part of the travel). After we made it past the nazi lady guarding the lounge where you can store your luggage in an open non-secure room, we had time to walk around and go to a restaurant in Chicago.

Boarding our 2nd leg, we had newish sleeper cars. With adjustable vents! Unfortunately, the redesigned beds/rooms now completely block access to the room. With the bed down you have to walk or climb across the bed to get in or out of the room.

Return trip (where the fun really starts). The day prior to our scheduled return we get an email from Amtrak indicating that we have been down-graded to coach for the first part of the leg from Boston to Chicago. No explanation. Can't reach customer service no matter how long I wait on the phone. Ticket personnel on the phone don't know the reason. One even says that we must have made the changes ourselves because Amtrak can't do that without our approval. Well, they did. When we get on the train we are told by the crew that the problem was the entire outbound from Chicago to Boston had mechanical trouble so the sleeper and dining cars never got to Boston. We would catch the train from New York to Chicago in Albany. Which we did (although it was 90 minutes late). Of course, same 5 entrees. And they are out of red wine (on the first meal served on the train).

In Chicago we arrive 3 hours late so just time to run to a sub shop in the terminal and get something to take on the train so we don't have to eat the same entrees. Find out you can only eat your own food in your room or at your seat - can't take it into the dining car. Incidentally, the rule doesn't apply to the crew who we saw getting food from restaurants along the way that they ate in front of us. The train out of Chicago is delayed due to electrical problems with the Cafe car and one of the coach cars, as well as mechanical problems with the locomotive. So we leave about 2 hours late. We stop before getting out of Chicago because a truck hit a bridge we were supposed to cross and they were going to wait to have it inspected before we could cross. After an hr they decided to back the train up and re-route to other tracks. Of course, this meant that we were now subject to multiple additional waits for freight trains that were traveling in front of us. Had a total of 5 of these delays (so far). In Ft Worth apparently the locomotive "fix" didn't work, so we were delayed without electricity or AC for 90 min while they put a new locomotive on.

The engineer apparently then decides that he/she is going to make up some time. Our speed becomes unbelievable. There is no way the train was going less than 80, perhaps significantly higher. The faster the train goes the more severe the bumps and rocking / jerking becomes. My father has been riding trains for over 60 years and he said he has never been afraid for his life, until now. We seriously consider getting off at the next stop and renting a car. This was the train journey from hell. Have taken some video and will try to upload.

Advice: Avoid Amtrak. Defund Amtrak. Close Amtrak. Encourage private rail companies that might care about their customers, their safety, and their money.

WORST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE EVER FROM AMTRAK

In short, after being offered $750 as compensation for my recent trip I declined as the trip was 100% not to my satisfaction nor would anything less than 100% refund be acceptable.

Upon arrival at Ft Lauderdale bound for NY we were given our room and offered a coffee by the conductor, or whatever his title is. The first time we used the toilet we noticed it was stuffed up. My wife, 7+ month pregnant attempted to flush whatever was there down. The result was the toilet overflowed with urine and feces with a foul oder. We advised the conductor and he attempted to snake the toilet unsuccessfully. During the entire 26 hour trip we were unable to use the toilet in the room we purchased and we also could not shower in the bathroom as the water that came up and over the top spilled out the floor where one would stand for shower. The smell was awful and lasted the entire 26 hours. We complained and nobody made another attempt to fix the issue. We asked to be moved to another room and was informed no rooms were available. To add insult to injury when we reached NY we noticed that the conductors bag was in the handicapped room and perhaps we could have used it instead of him.

We both had the stink of that room make us sick to our stomachs. And the only reason we stayed is because ny wife could not trevel by car or place due to her late stage pregnancy other we would have left the train, rented a car or found a flight.

One more thing I might add. The conductor never offered to turn down our bed and so we didn't know there were two mattresses in the top bunk and I ended up sleeping on the bottom which was hard and uncomfortable and ended up wrenching my back which made the rest of the trip worse. I am unfortunately sick with Stage 4 cancer and am weak enough. This made the whole experience a nightmare for my wife and I.

It has taken more than a month to have Lou call me back and I would imagine it had something to do with me contacting American Express and complaining about the charge of more than $3850 for the trip so they could intervene. The hardship of this experience is worth much more than $750 or an offer for credit toward my next AMTRAK travel. I will never use the service again after the aforementioned experience.

I would like AMTRAK to refund my trip as compensation for the awful experience. While I do not know the name of the conductor the fact that he never offered to turn down the bed and didn't call ahead to the numerous locations along the way where the train stopped and perhaps someone with experience requesting someone fix the bathroom is unreal!

Hope of getting adequately compensated instead of insulted with the offer of $750 or Amtrak credits.

Wanna make complain on staff in train and Washington train station of Amtrak.

The serving personal rude and don't know their job.

On my way, Nyc-Washington I carried a pet. During all trip the staff on train stress me and my dog out. The person in my car complained about me carrying the dog on my hand without asking any documentation of emotional support. In the end, when I said about certification for emotional support of my dog the same person allowed me to carry the dog. The person said that if this is emotional support I was no supppsed to pay fee for the pet.

By reaching Washington DC Union Station, I went to Amtrak Tickets Box to ask how I can return paid money for carrying the pet since the staff on train said I don't have to pay for emotional support animal. I met supervisor, the Mr Banks, who in emotional, far from professional way, start scream on me about Amtrak working just with service dogs and have nothing to do with emotional support. Mr Banks, called himself supervisor and resist to give any assistance with reaching out his farther management. I was so stressed out and confused by different information from different unprofessional staff of Amtrak. I just left in distress and called the hot line of Amtrak.

The lady on the phone with hot line of Amtrak told me about Amtrak no having special policy for emotional support animal but she said I allowed to carry the pet on my lap since it's emotional support. Also I asked to connect me to department in order to leave complain for Mr Banks. I never got the chance to reach the department because waiting on the phone line took more time than expected so I left request for call back. No one from Amtrak never reach me to make my complain about Mr Banks in life.

On my trip back to Nyc on 6:20am April 15 2022 from Washington DC I met again unqualified unprofessional rude staff of Amtrak. The lady ( unfortunately didn't get chance to get the name since she was stressing me out and acting rude), who met me in front of the train, ask me to close the carrying bag with the dog. For the first time on Amtrak staff asked me close the bag. On my question why she asked me to do that the lady start yell on me and advised me no to show up on her eyes and walk to the last car so she can't see me. I hope Amtrak has the cameras with recorded sound to track such unprofessionalism of the staff and stop abuse of customer.

Moreover, the website ask for release form for the pet. I haven't been ask for such form on traiN NYC-Washington 12 April 2022. On train Washington-Nyc 15 April no one ask me the form either. But in Union Washington train station theory in tickets box ask to fill the form and was asking no in nice way to show up if my carrying bag be able to close with my dog in. It was no great experience for my 7 month puppy, 6am in the morning, carrying her in and out as a toy, in order to show up the staff of Amtrak how works specialized for up to 16 pounds dogs bag. And I see no reason for this because no one ask anyway for the form on train itself. So why the staff of Amtrak stress out customers who paying for service in such way.

I'm asking to check all possible cameras in order to confirm all provided by me information above and consider my complain seriously and provide corresponding commission or discount for paid tickets on 12/15 April 2022 for me experiencing stress caused by staff of Amtrak.

I got most awful experience on train with my pet because the no clear policy for pets on Amtrak websites and regulations and lack of needed training of staff who presents company called Amtrak. Please consider my complain with fair and I'm gonna be waiting reaching me out Amtrak in order to resolve this issue.