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Can you bring your own food and drink on Amtrak?

You may bring your own food and beverages onboard for consumption at your seat or private Sleeping Car accommodations. However, you can only consume food and beverages purchased in Dining and Lounge Cars in those cars. Personal food and beverages are allowed in the upper level of Superliner Sightseer Lounges.



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Personal Food, Beverages and Medication You may bring your own food and beverages onboard for consumption at your seat or private Sleeping Car accommodations. However, you can only consume food and beverages purchased in Dining and Lounge Cars in those cars.

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You can bring a smaller cooler or insulated lunch bag with you on the train to include refrigerated foods, or consider buying a meal at or near your starting station to eat while on board. If you're planning to pack food at home before your trip, here are some idea: Salty snacks like nuts, chips, crackers, pretzels.

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They do random bag checks sometimes, but they don't make everything go through security like at the airport.

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You may bring your own food and beverages onboard for consumption at your seat or private Sleeping Car accommodations. However, you can only consume food and beverages purchased in Dining and Lounge Cars in those cars. Personal food and beverages are allowed in the upper level of Superliner Sightseer Lounges.

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Each passenger may bring onboard two pieces of carry-on luggage (this includes bicycles), plus two personal items, including small bags, backpacks, laptops, and purses. Please speak to the conductor if you have questions about any other items.

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Whether it's a full sit-down meal or more informal food service, many trains have one or more options for onboard dining. And with your food and beverage purchases you make onboard using your Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard®, you'll get a 20% rebate in the form of a statement credit*.

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“Can I bring a cooler on board in reserved coach area on empire builder and California zephyr trains?” Yes, but subject to size and weight (and content) limitations. It will count as one of your carry on bags.

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Bring a Travel Pillow and Blanket While Amtrak does provide bedding in the Sleeping car rooms, you may wish to have your own pillow and an extra blanket for warmth.

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Arriving at the Station Plan to arrive at the station at least 30 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart (Auto Train passengers should arrive at the station at least two hours prior to departure).

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You + Two Bags = No Extra Charge Unlike many transportation options, traveling with Amtrak is twice as nice with our generous baggage policy. When you travel with us, you can carry-on two free pieces of luggage. Each item should not exceed 50 lbs. (23 kg) and needs to be 28 x 22 x 14 inches in size.

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Carry-on and personal items must be kept with you, stored in overhead racks, under seats or designated baggage areas. Most buses have baggage storage bins under the bus floor, and the bus driver will assist you.

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Flexible dining A wide selection of wine, beer, and spirits (the first one is on us), plus unlimited soft drinks throughout the journey. Complimentary room service provided by the Sleeping Car attendant. Exclusive onboard lounge space for Sleeping Car customers to dine and socialize 24/7.

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In almost all cases, Amtrak seats are not assigned. The exception is Acela Express route seats and business class seating on the Northeast Regional, Carolinian, Palmetto, and Vermonter. Otherwise, Amtrak has a first-come, first-serve seating policy for coach seats.

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All your meals are included You can enjoy good food, drinks, with a window seat to view incredible scenery. In addition to our regular menu items, kids can get all their favorites onboard. All food onboard is handled with the utmost care for your health and safety.

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Trust us: You need a phone charger. And you're going to love the fact that every seat has an outlet for charging!

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Room to Roam Instead of being confined to a cramped, uncomfortable seat for your entire trip, a train lets you get up to stretch your legs and walk around to other parts of the train. That's not even an option when you fly, ride a bus or drive a car.

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Purchasing Tickets Onboard Passengers who do so are not guaranteed a seat and may be instructed to get off the train at the next station stop. In those limited circumstances when you are permitted to purchase your tickets onboard, you may pay with cash.

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If you're traveling in coach on some of Amtrak's long-distance train services, you'll now have the opportunity to use the dining car onboard. Coach passengers will now be able to enjoy full-fledged meals for an additional cost in the dining car, which was a beloved service removed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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What kind of security do you go through on Amtrak? None! The train stops, you get on, and you go! They have the option of asking for ID, but rarely do.

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Your seat will be automatically assigned when you complete your reservation. You may change your assigned seat at any time after your booking is complete using interactive seat maps on the Amtrak app or on Amtrak.com. There is no fee to change your seat.

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Why isn't there TSA security for train travel? There is sometimes, TSA does random TSA level Security from time to time on AMTRAK stations. But you really can not HiJack a train, and take it somewhere, you could disable the driver and ram the train into the station at the end of a platform.

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You should check with your airline first, but most domestic airlines permit a carry-on piece of luggage that is 45 linear (total) inches. A common sized bag for carry-on luggage is 22x 14x 9. Most airlines have a carry-on weight limit of 40 pounds.

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Items subject to the 3-1-1 rule include liquid and aerosol deodorant, cologne, perfume, shampoo, conditioner, dry shampoo, lotion, sunscreen and toothpaste. Outside of your clear quart-sized bag, you can pack your solid deodorant, toothbrush (manual and electronic), tweezers and mirrors.

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