pmmcTO,
Thank you for your previous post about the night train...that is great information...very helpful. There are 4 of us..2 couples and we are planning on reserving two 2-person compartments. I read somewhere that every other compartment has a slightly different configuration...one being less roomy/convenient than the other...and that you can see looking down the hallway that every other door has a step up...I wonder if these were the older cars. Also I wonder what the numbering system is since we would like to have our compartments close to each other. We may call a travel agent in Rome 3 monthes ahead to get us good fares and the compartments we want. I have looked at seat61...good information but I still find the numbering systems in the compartments confusing.
Sorry that was a bit longwinded.
kasialouise
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Hi kasialouise. I%26#39;m afraid I have no idea about the compartment set up being different for every other one - I have never heard about this.
With respect to the numbering system, it is a bit confusing. When I first booked, my ticket said it was for number 11 and my husband%26#39;s was for number 15, and I got a bit uneasy about this, thinking they had put us in different compartments, but apparently the compartments were designed to contain three bunks, so the bottom is number 11, the middle is number 13 and the top is number 15. There was just no middle bunk when we were in it, or if there was, it was stored behind the wall so we didn%26#39;t notice it.
When we booked our tickets, we arranged for the booking through eurorailways.com. This was a long time in advance, and then when the 90 days before came up, they then processed the booking, ordered our tickets and charged our credit card. What I didn%26#39;t realize at the time was that these booking companies charge a premium for this service. I%26#39;m not quite sure what the difference in cost was - I don%26#39;t think it was cheap - but I was still happy with them because I could contact them whenever I wished without any language barrier, and they couriered our tickets to us well in advance of our trip. I%26#39;m not sure if a travel agent in Rome will be able to get you any kind of %26quot;deal%26quot;, but I could be wrong on this.
I do know that several people on this forum have reported difficulty in trying to book the overnight trains on the SNCF website (or the Italian rail site which name escapes me) because it said they had to have a European credit card. Hopefully someone else can help you out on this point. You might be able to see what the cost is on the SNCF site, and then check the cost on www.eurorailways.com to see what the difference is.
Best of luck, and if you have any more questions, I%26#39;ll do my best to answer.
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I tried out the costs through the SNCF website and put Italy in the box as the country where you would pick up the tickets, but it gave the results in Italian. Based on a random date in August, it showed the fare as being 255 euros for two people, and on Eurorailways it was $306 US each - so the difference is HUGE. Roughly $360 directly through SNCF, compared to $612 on the booking agency site. Needless to say, you should try to book them yourselves if you can.
I unfortunately found out about the price difference long after we had booked ours already. Live and learn.
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pmmcTO,
Thanks again. I registered ahead with Trentalia and did that extra Visa verification on my credit card, but I don%26#39;t think they mail to the US. I will try to book my tickets with a travel agent in Rome 90 days ahead and hopefully get a good rate...then pick up the tickets at the agency. Someone recommended an agency in Rome...can%26#39;t find it in my notes yet. I won%26#39;t sweat the configuration thing. Your explanation of the numbers was very helpful. Thanks.
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