Auto Train dining question?

[robin714]

Can any Veterans of the Auto Train tell me if we can eat dinner in our room. We have a bedroom booked but my daughter is really uncomfortable around strangers and since there is just the 2 of us, I know we will have companions for dinner? Do I ask when I check in or do I ask the attendant for our car that we are assigned to?
Thank you for the help.

 

[NJRRK]

Can any Veterans of the Auto Train tell me if we can eat dinner in our room. We have a bedroom booked but my daughter is really uncomfortable around strangers and since there is just the 2 of us, I know we will have companions for dinner? Do I ask when I check in or do I ask the attendant for our car that we are assigned to?
Thank you for the help.

Ask the car attendant.We've never eaten in our room though. Even if you eat in your room I hope you and your daughter at least get out and wonder around, even if it's just to sit in the lounge car for a while, maybe to see the movie. One thing I LOVE about train travel is that you're not stuck sitting in one place for the whole trip.

 

[got2sammies]

I think you can but be sure to ask the attendant. They will ask you what time dinner service you want anyways. If you can not eat in your room, maybe you can ask if you can eat in the snack car since that will be less crowded than the dinning car. Don't forget to ask about breakfast also since they will feed you about 7:00am in the morning (if you decide to eat breakfast)

 

[POOHsie]

DD and I took the auto train in 2010. We had a handicap room (for me) on the lower level. The attendant brought our meals (dinner and breakfast) and collected the trays afterward. We both gave a generous tip as we departed the train because of his timely assistance. He had to take our orders, put together the tray items, silver, napkins, check on us mid-meal, etc., just as if he were waiting on us at a table service. This was in addition to his normal work preparing the beds and linens, and clean-up in the morning.

So I would say it is possible for you to have food service in your room, but not sure if it's limited to handicap patrons. Ask the attendant. Just wanted to add, the train is a good place to help your DD learn to socialize with strangers, because she'll have a parent there to guide her. It could be a confidence-builder for her. Good luck.

 

[shburks]

We rode in August as a party of three (dh, ds and I) and it never occurred to me that we would have dinner or breakfast companions! We did for both meals have a single traveller sit with us. Both times it was fine although I would have preferred to NOT have a stranger eating with us! I think it depends on the number of riders though. Our train was full (or rooms were full) so we had to share. I would NOT have wanted to eat in the lounge car though. It was terribly smokey and I hated just going through it!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

We rode in August as a party of three (dh, ds and I) and it never occurred to me that we would have dinner or breakfast companions! We did for both meals have a single traveller sit with us. Both times it was fine although I would have preferred to NOT have a stranger eating with us! I think it depends on the number of riders though. Our train was full (or rooms were full) so we had to share. I would NOT have wanted to eat in the lounge car though. It was terribly smokey and I hated just going through it!

I have traveled many times solo on the Auto Train and this is my worst fear, too! I dread having to sit with strangers at dinner, and the last thing I want is to be the awkward solo crashing a group of 3 who are together! To avoid this, I purposely try to enter the dining car behind nice-looking couples, usually senior citizens who look like my parent's age. This helps the likelihood I would be placed with a couple, and maybe get another solo to make our table of 4 complete. I find this WAY better than being with 3 who already know eachother. A few times I was placed in a table with 3 other solos - that was fun!

The other way to avoid an awkward situation as a solo is to pick the latest dining time - I usually get the 9:00 pm. It is most often all adults at that hour, so no young families to worry about being placed with.

The only awkward time I had eating on the train was when I was placed with 2 other solos - a young lady who just looked at her phone the whole time, and a widower who just lost his wife and was devastated and grieving. Not much conversation there.

As other posters said, I only seen food brought to people in the handicapped room on the bottom floor.

As for the OP's question - if they are a couple, it's almost positive they will be placed with others, even on a less crowded train. The dining car attendants want to fill all 4 seats at the tables - they rather put everyone together and leave some tables empty (since it's less cleaning for them).

Ugh this thread is making me wish I had a trip coming up on the train!