Amtrak: a partial trip report

[NYCgrrl]

im not sure if this was brought up but it is a quite a big price difference. A coach ticket is like $100, a roomette is close to $800. at that point, i would consider stopping somewhere, get a hotel night, then hope on the next day would probably be worth it. (pricing is LA -->SEA).

Your right about the snack cart. Even on a 2 hour trip south and north, they were out of almost everything. (LA -->SD).

I think when we booked during the summer the cost was around that price but included the trainfare for 2 people so it averages 350.00 p/p and also includes at least 2 meals per person in the dining car. I don't remember the cost of the single coach ticket which of course doesn't include meals. As an approximately 23 hour trip I think the additional cost is justified in comfort.
I still want one of those brownies I had from the snack car last summer but that's about it. Found the snack car offerings underwhelming as well as expensive.

 

[RedSox68]

Thanks for your trip report, Redsox68.

We'll be leaving in about 10 days travelling AMTRAK's dining car train down and I hope I have all the travel comfort accessories in hand: neck pillow, a poncho that will multi-function as a blanket and thermos. Can you think of anything else we might need/want? Two of us will sleep in a roomette and the other has a coach seat.
Sounds like the going down engineer made the ride a tad lively and I thought the mattresses were hooked to the frame; guess not and think I'll try and think of a something simple to "MacGyver" them. Thanks for that heads up!

Good to hear firsthand the food is edible. Have read several reviews but nothing like hearing it directly.

Forgot to respond about the mattress. The (very thin and hard) mattress is kept folded in the upper bunk until the beds are made. They simply bring it down already made and place it on the folded out sofa below. Nothing to hold it on or keep it in place.

 

[RedSox68]

im not sure if this was brought up but it is a quite a big price difference. A coach ticket is like $100, a roomette is close to $800. at that point, i would consider stopping somewhere, get a hotel night, then hope on the next day would probably be worth it. (pricing is LA -->SEA).

Your right about the snack cart. Even on a 2 hour trip south and north, they were out of almost everything. (LA -->SD).

We had heard that they run out of breakfast items because they are the cheapest so people buy them for dinner. We boarded at 12:30 (the Acela Lounge was amazing) and went to the cafe lounge at about 2:30 to get our sandwiches. They do shut down the train services once they reach Washington (including toilet flushing) because they change engines to or from diesel. So we were warned if we wanted something from the cafe to get it before 3:00 or wait until later. We did go back later for another cheese platter, but the sandwich was very filling and we had our snacks, so didn't get any dinner.

 

[RedSox68]

I think when we booked during the summer the cost was around that price but included the trainfare for 2 people so it averages 350.00 p/p and also includes at least 2 meals per person in the dining car. I don't remember the cost of the single coach ticket which of course doesn't include meals. As an approximately 23 hour trip I think the additional cost is justified in comfort.
I still want one of those brownies I had from the snack car last summer but that's about it. Found the snack car offerings underwhelming as well as expensive.

We got really good pricing by using the AAA discount and booking early. I will say that after hearing reports from my friends about their experiences in coach on a 19-hour trip, I would never do it. Having our private space, no matter how small, was so worth it -- the quiet and the scenery and the bathroom in our room made the pricing well worth it for the comfort of privacy. If it was a trip that was less than 10 hours, then we might just go for coach as that is like flying in a plane for 8-9 hours.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We got really good pricing by using the AAA discount and booking early. I will say that after hearing reports from my friends about their experiences in coach on a 19-hour trip, I would never do it. Having our private space, no matter how small, was so worth it -- the quiet and the scenery and the bathroom in our room made the pricing well worth it for the comfort of privacy. If it was a trip that was less than 10 hours, then we might just go for coach as that is like flying in a plane for 8-9 hours.

We used AMTRAK points for most of the cost of this trip which put our cash output at a bare minimum...certainly below $25.00. The idea of private space was a real bonus to us for all sorts of reasons but especially morning dressing and necessities. Really wish we could have booked a family room but wasn't available even though we booked in late July/early August. I'm used to traveling solo so anticipate enjoying my time in coach. Plan to throw a flap of my poncho over my head for most of the trip, read a book, listen to music and enjoy the scenery whilst all think I'm sleeping.
Thanks for heartening me and mine for our forthcoming trip. DGD read your report and told her somewhat on the fence Ommpah she thinks it'll be fun!.

 

[RedSox68]

We used AMTRAK points for most of the cost of this trip which put our cash output at a bare minimum...certainly below $25.00. The idea of private space was a real bonus to us for all sorts of reasons but especially morning dressing and necessities. Really wish we could have booked a family room but wasn't available even though we booked in late July/early August. I'm used to traveling solo so anticipate enjoying my time in coach. Plan to throw a flap of my poncho over my head for most of the trip, read a book, listen to music and enjoy the scenery whilst all think I'm sleeping.
Thanks for heartening me and mine for our forthcoming trip. DGD read your report and told her somewhat on the fence Ommpah she thinks it'll be fun!.

Our whole point of doing it was for the adventure -- and it was that and we are so glad we did it. Sure, flying and driving are faster, but nowhere near as relaxing Lots of time to read, talk, play games (got some great magnetic travel games on Amazon) and yes, the scenery -- that was the best part of all! Went through a lot of really quaint towns, saw lots of houses decorated and rivers, etc.

 

[VandVsmama]

I just wanted to say thanks so very much for posting about your experience! It's been interesting to read about. And it confirms how much I do not want to take a long distance trip on Amtrak anywhere.

 

[kandb]

Having the dining car down will save you quite a bit on food. Our trip down did not have the dining car and we brought lots of snacks and bottles of soda. Two sandwiches, a cheese tray (small) and a bag of chips in the cafe lounge costs us $24! I tended to think that the reason our ride back was smoother was because of the dining car and the fact they couldn't drive like they were in the Indy 500 with food being prepared and served!

We took extra ponchos for fear of being cold, but a sweatshirt was fine as the rooms were very comfortable and had the ability to switch off the air vents. There were some unpleasant odors every time the train stopped, so bring a travel size can of room freshner for a quick spritz. Neck pillows are a must.

The food really did surprise us -- the pecan tart was amazing. For breakfast I had an omelet with potatoes and my husband had scrambled eggs. We both got bacon and "croissants". They don't serve toast, so I asked for 2 croissants -- which really turned out to be square fluffy "biscuits" and were amazing. For lunch we had the salads with goat cheese, walnuts, pecans, grapes, etc. and it was huge. Came with a roll.

Funny you mentioned the odors. We took the autotrain twice and had a family bedroom except one way going south. Whenever we had the bedroom, every morning the smell from the vents would be from people who had their daily bowel movement after their coffee. I remember having to leave because of the odors. We did the autotrain twice and then I decided to suck it up and fly which is much more pleasant and faster. Also, our whole family found the coach seats unbearable. None of us slept all night. I felt like a zombie in the morning.

 

[kandb]

We also had a really fast train ride on the auto train going North to South some years ago. It felt like the train was airborne a few times. It was really unsettling. It really makes it feel like the train is going to come off the tracks.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Funny you mentioned the odors. We took the autotrain twice and had a family bedroom except one way going south. Whenever we had the bedroom, every morning the smell from the vents would be from people who had their daily bowel movement after their coffee. I remember having to leave because of the odors. We did the autotrain twice and then I decided to suck it up and fly which is much more pleasant and faster.

What a weird odorous experience that must have been!
No odor backfires for us. My recollections are that the most negative time was when I slept in coach the overhead lights closest to the train's doors never dimmed. This put those who chose seats at the front and back at a disadvantage if they didn't use a sleep mask. I packed my mask in my suitcase and wound up throwing my shawl (bought one instead of a poncho; very versatile article) over my face, LOL.

There was no designated quiet car for this train but I found my fellow travelers not interested in overly loud communications during the sleeping hours. Guess we were all tired and/or understood etiquette. I also noted that for this train the coach cars had seats modeled after the Acela business class cars; nice recline for feet and head and wider seats. Unfortunately only one recharge outlet per half row so if you scored the window seat life was good. Sitting on the aisle side? You needed an extra long cord (7 or more ft) to access the window outlet assuming your seatmate isn't using it.

We ate in the dining car once and had breakfast brought to the roomette by the steward once. Our first meal was dinner and I found by choosing simply prepared food we took no chances. The others ate steaks, had salads and sides; I opted for a fish filet. Everything was prepared as requested (so nice when a cook knows the difference between medium rare and medium). We were seated with a woman traveling alone who regularly traveled this route so she was filled with insider tips for the train and our destination; made for a congenial meal. Breakfast was pancakes and sausage for one, oatmeal for another with yogurt and fruit. I flinched the unwanted yogurt included with the oatmeal order and was happy. Self serve coffee and tea was available at the end of each sleeper car 24/7 and a steward was assigned to each sleeper car to keep the beverage station clean, refreshed, and respond to any requests you had.

There is no public bathroom in the sleeper cars (there were 4 or 5 in the coach cars throughout the rest of the train) so when you need to use the facilities everyone else had to leave the roomette. I was on the tail end of a gastrointestinal disorder soooooooooo the others spent a bit of time sitting in the cafe car or standing outside our compartment, LOL. This is where a family rm has a definite advantage over the roomette. I did note families w/o a family rm reservation who rented 2 roomettes across from each other. This solved a lot of problems.

We were quite comfortable in our cots, no sliding in at least the bottom cot but neither adult slept in the upper; that was the domain of our DGD who needed to be pried out of her hidey-hole. No problem reaching her spot since the way up is intuitive.
This train left on time but lost a good hour or two at the stop before Kissimmee; next time we do a train trip to Disney we may well just deal with the mob scene at Orlando and get off there since we could have joined the hordes and reached WD from there. There was a private cab (minivan) looking for business at the station when we arrived so we jumped in it for the ride to WDW. Cost us $50.00.

All in all, a pleasant and leisurely start to our Disney trip and the man is looking forward to another roomette experience.

 

[RedSox68]

Funny you mentioned the odors. We took the autotrain twice and had a family bedroom except one way going south. Whenever we had the bedroom, every morning the smell from the vents would be from people who had their daily bowel movement after their coffee. I remember having to leave because of the odors. We did the autotrain twice and then I decided to suck it up and fly which is much more pleasant and faster. Also, our whole family found the coach seats unbearable. None of us slept all night. I felt like a zombie in the morning.

Yeah, I thought this would be a great solution to my fear of flying -- but in talking with my DH about our trip to Miami next year for a cruise, we discussed the train again and then decided we would rather do Southwest to Fort Lauderdale and rent a car. But it was an interesting experience for sure.

 

[kandb]

What a weird odorous experience that must have been!
No odor backfires for us. My recollections are that the most negative time was when I slept in coach the overhead lights closest to the train's doors never dimmed. This put those who chose seats at the front and back at a disadvantage if they didn't use a sleep mask. I packed my mask in my suitcase and wound up throwing my shawl (bought one instead of a poncho; very versatile article) over my face, LOL.

There was no designated quiet car for this train but I found my fellow travelers not interested in overly loud communications during the sleeping hours. Guess we were all tired and/or understood etiquette. I also noted that for this train the coach cars had seats modeled after the Acela business class cars; nice recline for feet and head and wider seats. Unfortunately only one recharge outlet per half row so if you scored the window seat life was good. Sitting on the aisle side? You need an extra long cord (7 or more ft) to access the window outlet assuming your seatmate isn't using it.

We ate in the dining car once and had breakfast brought to the roomette by the steward once. Our first meal was dinner and I found by choosing simply prepared food we took no chances. The others ate steaks, had salads and sides; I opted for a fish filet. Everything was prepared as requested (so nice when a cook knows the difference between medium rare and medium). We were seated with a woman traveling alone who regularly traveled this route so she was filled with insider tips for the train and our destination; made for a congenial meal. Breakfast was pancakes and sausage for one, oatmeal for another with yogurt and fruit. I filched the unwanted yogurt included with the oatmeal order and was happy. Self serve coffee and tea was available at the end of each sleeper car 24/7 and a steward was assigned to each car to keep the beverage station clean, refreshed, and respond to any requests you had.

There is no public bathroom in the sleeper cars (there were 4 or 5 attached to the overall train) so when you need to use the facilities everyone else had to leave the roomette. I was on the tail end of a gastrointestinal disorder soooooooooo the others spent a bit of time sitting in the cafe car or standing outside our compartment, LOL. This is where a family rm has a definite advantage over the roomette. I did note families w/o a family rm reservation who rented 2 roomettes across from each other. This solved a lot of problems.

We were quite comfortable in our cots, no sliding in at least the bottom cot but neither adult slept in the upper; that was the domain of our DGD who needed to be pried out of her hidey-hole. No problem reaching her spot since the way up is intuitive.
This train left on time but lost a good hour or two at the stop before Kissimmee ; next time we do a train trip to Disney we may well just deal with the mob scene and get off there since we could have joined the hordes and reached WD from there.

All in all, a pleasant and leisurely start to our Disney trip and the man is looking forward to another roomette experience.

The one time we went coach, there was someone from the car in front of us that kept opening the doors between the cars to throw garbage away. The doors between the cars really are very loud, especially in the middle of the night. A family in front of us got so annoyed at this man who kept opening the doors to throw their garbage away that the guy jumped up and started screaming at him in the middle of the night. It was just a bad experience and we couldn't wait to get off the train.