Thank you for the info on Limoliner - I spoke with them last night and looked at their web site - as we are in no rush to get to Boston we might give it a try! I will report back based on the view from an out of towner - ref the last post - You can reserve seats on the bus and I have managed to get 4 together and a seat across the aisle -

With a Restroom on board - it all sounds too good to be true! keep your fingers crossed for us!

Also foudn this review which helped
http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/...1/02/limo_tips

I do find it suprising that you cannot assign seats on Amtrak Acela - I for one would pay a premium for this (I did ask Amtrak about this for 1st class guaranteed a seat but not assigned! )

Again thank you all for info

J

I took the limoliner once, last spring, and I really liked it. The seats are wide, and comfortable. The box lunch offered was pretty uninspired, but it was edible. They show movies on a couple different video screens, and they have wireless internet service, so you can be entertained. Of course, the bus is subject to delays caused by traffic, but I found the trip very pleasant. no hassle whatsoever.

jonld -

Welcome to the world of American train travel. The system is very marginal - since so few Americans ride trains and the system is barely tolerated - never mind supported by the government. Except for a few lines in the NE corridor it is really just a joke. (The governmnet prefers that we all drive everywhere - using as much gas as possible - to boost profits for the oil companies.)

But nytraveler, we ARE talking about the busiest part of the Northeast corridor.

Assigning seats on the trains would add to the burden of selling tickets and would complicate boarding. This just isn't a service that would be in great enough demand justify inconveniencing all the other passengers (who would have to find a specific seat rather than just taking the first one they see) for the sake of a few who find it important to all sit together.

Seat reservations are available at a small cost for most IC and EC trains in Europe, and mandatory on the Expresses. That has worked well over there, and I don't see how and why it can't for the Acela Express service.

I think the AMTRAK people are just too lazy mentally to think about added value and services to their customers.

If we subsidized train travel to the level Europeans do, we could probably add this service. But because Congress and Americans are unwilling to pay for this level of subsidization, reservations are probably out of the question.

Remember, we have entire airlines in the U.S. that don't offer reservations, so there is clearly sense that this is an additional hassle and cost that is not worth the effort.

The reservations on IC/EC trains cost extra. That's extra money that AMTRAK can earn.

Southwest doesn't have seat assignments when it started, it was flying short intra-Texas routes that seat reservations don't matter. But now with long flights in the schedule, I think they're giving up plenty of business. For example, I live in Houston where SW has significant operation, but I haven't flown them in years, even though we though closer to Hobby than IAH.

Its interesting reading the replies to the issue of seat allocation on railways from a European stance and specifically UK - whilst I can see the points that are being made and would agree with the hassel for " standard service" Amtrak in promoting Acela IMHO are missing a trick and the chance to earn cash in not offering this service ( I was prepare to upgrade to 1st Class for this) - British Rail (not the most efficient in the rail network in the world by any stretch of the imagination!) offers this and I can tell you it is a GREAT thing when you get on the train knowing that you have a an allocated seat

Thanks again to all of you for your suggestions etc... makes me remember why this site is one of my faves!

Please help me understand why having a specific allocated seat is better than knowing you can just board and sit anywhere.

ACELA is designed for business travellers, not leisure travelers. Therefore, its focus is on flexibility, holding an impromptu meetings, etc. etc. Business travelers are more interested in being able to move around and be flexible, especially on the N.E. corridor. Assigned seats are less important for a business traveler on the train.

Its interesting - when we book to travel buisness in UK we like the idea that we can specify that 2 people travelling together can sit and work together - get a table etc etc...

Maybe UK trains are busier? the other point for UK is that, unlike AMTRAK Acela as I understand it, the trains can be oversold! ie you ARE NOT guaranteed a seat therefore you may end up standing in the corridors! not so good on an early morning trip to Leeds from London I can tell you!

This sort of information is why this site is SO useful! in different travel tips round the world!

If anyone wants to know the Etiquette of travelling on London Transport (dont smile - look grumpy, ensure that your bags block exits etc... please let me know!) BTW Thats said tounge in cheek - please dont post me with how great LT is etc etc.. :)

You can end up standing on some Amtrak trains, too. The non-Acela trains are designated as either "reserved" or "unreserved;" The former means that they will not oversell the train (though of course it does not mean specific reserved seats). I've traveled on Amtrak many times when there were people standing -- but I'll buy a ticket for such a trip only if I'm getting on at the first station!

But no one will be standing on Acela. It's a reserved train, meaning you are reserving a space, just not a specific space.

This would be my strategy: Either you or your sister make the mad push when the gate is announced to save seats for the group while the others tends to the folks in a more leisurely way. Also,if you take a morning or midday train versus an afternoon or evening train,you may have fewer people to deal with,although it is two days before Christmas,so...

Oh, yes, of course; the Acela is superior to the regular trains in various accommodations.

I think of the train and bus sevices from Boston to NYC to DC as each having three levels of service:

For the Amtrak trains there's Acela, then reserved, then unreserved.

For buses, there's the Limoliner (which as we've seen offers reserved seats, internet service, etc.), then Greyhound, then the Chinatown buses, which don't even have a waiting room (except that the Fung Wah bus in Boston now has accommodations at the regular Boston bus terminal).

I take Acela and other Amtrak trains out of NYC at least once a month. Here's a few tips:

*To better ensure getting a seat, try to take a train that originates in your city. If I'm going to DC, I try and find a train that originates in NYC and not Boston so that it's empty when I get on.

*Also, in NYC, wait for the train on the LOWER level of Penn Station. Just stare at those departure screens until the track is posted, then you can be one of the first on the train.

*If the train is very crowded, head to the bar car. The bartender will assume you didn't get a seat and may give you free drinks!

*There are some seats that are situated back-to-back...there's a perfect little space in between to slide in a suitcase.

*Amtrak has an excellent guest rewards program. I've got their credit card and earn points through that and through train travel. I somehow earned FIVE free round trips within one zone (like NY-Boston or NY-DC) in less than a year, taking 1-2 trips/month. And everyone knows how expensive Amtrak trips can be.


I'm so used to traveling on Amtrak that when I went took a train from Stockholm to Copenhagen last year I didn't realize that they assigned seats. Several people came up to me & my friend and muttered something to us we couldn't understand, then walked away. I didn't realize the problem until near the end of the trip when someone told us in English. D'oh!