we have student eurail passes and are trying to book some reservations for long or night trains, but the Eurail schedules, Duetsch Bahn schedules and Raileurope schedules are ALL different. How do we navigate this?
Eurail and Rail Europe only show timetables for trains for which they sell tickets. The Deutsche Bahn timetables will be the most complete. Start there. After you've picked a departure date and time for a particular train, go to Rail Europe and see if they offer pass holder seat reservations for that train.
Hi, I've never checked, that is, closely, if they were all different. Since you're taking long and/or night trains with the Passes, forget about the other two and stick with Deutsche Bahn. It is the most reliable. You can use the DB ticket Automat at the train stations in Germany (near/in the Reisezentrum) to plan your rides The DB ticket Automat isn't just for buying tickets.
Night train reservation (for accommodations) often sell out well in advance, so buying them when you get to Germany is not advised. For many night train routes, reservations for rail pass holders can be made online with the Bahn website. Click "purchase", then "Book only extra charge".