Solo Amtrak travel

[White Cat]

Something I was happy to experience. But also happy when it was over. Was fortunate to have a room on the end. Less people traffic.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Sounds great! I took Amtrak a few years ago, from DC to Chicago, when I had an absessed tooth (the dentist in DC wouldn't let me fly home for 48 hours) and had a roomette. It was fun (apart from the tooth!). I found there's a whole subculture of people who only take trains -- met some really nice people.

The roomette was pretty small -- I know it's meant for 2 people, but I frankly can't imagine how DH and I would both fit -- our knees would hit each other sitting in the chair. But it was pretty comfy to sleep.

Safety seemed fine, but I basically just stayed in the room except for meals.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[White Cat]

Sounds great! I took Amtrak a few years ago, from DC to Chicago, when I had an absessed tooth (the dentist in DC wouldn't let me fly home for 48 hours) and had a roomette. It was fun (apart from the tooth!). I found there's a whole subculture of people who only take trains -- met some really nice people.

The roomette was pretty small -- I know it's meant for 2 people, but I frankly can't imagine how DH and I would both fit -- our knees would hit each other sitting in the chair. But it was pretty comfy to sleep.

Safety seemed fine, but I basically just stayed in the room except for meals.

Hope you have a great time!

I agree about the people. We met some very nice people. Most had traveled many times by train. We were the only ones we ran into that had not before. And the food was good.

 

[NYCgrrl]

And the food was good.

This was becoming a bone of contention on our last train travels (2019/2020) together. A decision to only serve microwaved food on the Silver Service was made and many regular passengers were nightly peeved.

We got around the problem by ordering Italian heroes in Philly from a favorite shop ( I am sooo fussy about food, LOL). For a fee they delivered them to our train on time and we just took beverages and desserts from the dining room. Only meal we needed from the dining car was breakfast and we cobbled something together.

I’m hoping that the food service has been restored as this was a major travel advantage.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

This was becoming a bone of contention on our last train travels (2019/2020) together. A decision to only serve microwaved food on the Silver Service was made and many regular passengers were nightly peeved.

We got around the problem by ordering Italian heroes in Philly from a favorite shop ( I am sooo fussy about food, LOL). For a fee they delivered them to our train on time and we just took beverages and desserts from the dining room. Only meal we needed from the dining car was breakfast and we cobbled something together.

I’m hoping that the food service has been restored as this was a major travel advantage.

Yes it has. Read my trip report from June 2022, with photos. I had a roomette and it was full service in the restaurant, with 2 chefs cooking to order for all meals.

 

[kanerf]

Check here for mult-ride discounts Multi-Ride. You can get 6 or 10 ride passes.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Yes it has. Read my trip report from June 2022, with photos. I had a roomette and it was full service in the restaurant, with 2 chefs cooking to order for all meals.

Sorry, I thought your trip was solely on the West coast. Our national service is convoluted and the NE Corridor has different train layouts and service. I think the service downgrade (IMO) was only for the NorthEast Corridor but could be wrong. It was particularly stinging because the NE Corridor subsidizes the rest of the passenger system.

I read your report and it warmed my heart

 

[bcla]

Sorry, I thought your trip was solely on the West coast. Our national service is convoluted and the NE Corridor has different train layouts and service. I think the service downgrade (IMO) was only for the NorthEast Corridor but could be wrong. It was particularly stinging because the NE Corridor subsidizes the rest of the passenger system.

I read your report and it warmed my heart

Dining car meal service is more or less gone now except for those with rooms, where meals are still included. Coach passengers are more or less stuck with the cafe car. And one of the things about the cafe car is that the cheaper breakfast items are often the first to sell out. I was on the southbound Coast Starlight from Seattle, which left in the morning. By early evening there was an announcement that they were out of all breakfast items and wouldn’t have any more until restocking in Oakland.

https://www.amtrak.com/dining-car

I’ve had dining car meals a few times. Just breakfast or lunch. At least at the time, beverages were included with an entree, which was an incredible deal. Even with a kid’s meal. I remember just going on a day trip with the 2 year old, although now I’ll say that maybe I didn’t pay the child fare. I’ve chatted with some conductors saying that they seen repeat passengers where the same kid seemed to be “under 2” for up to five years. However, I think I paid maybe $3.50 for a basic kid’s meal with an egg, bread, and potatoes, but also a full glass of milk and one of orange juice on request. I think what I paid was more than their a la carts prices for the beverages.

The thing about the Northeast Corridor is that it generally doesn’t have much overnight service. It’s kind of a commuter service more or less, but I guess it’s good for shorter routes too.

 

[Pooh2]

We've travelled all over the country on Amtrak.
Our longest trip was from Emeryville, Ca to Boston (Zephyr and Lake Shore limited).

We only did one overnight in coach (autotrain) and would never do that again.
We did not get any sleep and did not have access to the showers.

Having our own space makes for a much more pleasant long distance trip.
Pack some snacks, water and a book in case of delays.

At the moment, two favorite trips that come to mind was traveling the Zephry through the mountains and traveling over Lake Ponchatrain.

So much beautiful scenery just out your window!

There are lots of facebook pages and a few discussion boards for details on specific trains/trips.

 

[Pillialle]

It sounds quite interesting, I've never had such an experience but I would love to. I've been contemplating doing that this year, as it feels like the perfect opportunity to go on a trip of self-discovery and exploration. Plan to contact eau palm beach customer service to figure out all the details. I always liked the idea of traveling solo, it provides the freedom to set your own pace and create unforgettable memories.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

My husband and I have done several Amtrak based vacations. We’ve done the Lakeshore Limited in a room twice. We’ve done the Zephyr twice both time stopping at Grand Junction and driving. We’ve taken the Southwest Chief from Flagstaff back and the Silver Estero from Miami to NY. We did all of that in rooms but we did one trip with our boys in roomettes for one LSL and Zephyr vacation.

We absolutely loved it. We plan on doing more overnight Amtrak trips. So far we have 6 overnights on Amtrak routes.

 

[lisaviolet]

I have done The Canadian (Toronto to Vancouver, eighty plus hours) four times, and have stayed at every sleeper level - open bunk, closed regular cabin & upscale cabin (Sorry can not remember the proper terms). Once on my own.

As for Amtrak I have ridden The Montrealer from Montreal to DC, and back - by myself. That was the only time I was in coach. Well did Montreal to Sherbrooke & Montreal to Toronto coach too many times to list, on my own.
Amtrak's Montrealer no longer exists.

I am an introvert who has watched extroverts have the time of their lives on these trains. Laughing. Insert big wink. So as others have said, it really does depend.

It also depends who is on the train as well, as far as energy level. One of my Canadian trips was filled with British tourists - fantastic energy.

The food on The Canadian (dining level) is exquisitely wonderful but because one isn't getting the usual amount of fresh air and exercise, couldn't even look at another meal at times

Dome cars make it for me, I could live in them. And I loved sleeping on the train.

 

[bcla]

I am an introvert who has watched extroverts have the time of their lives on these trains. Laughing. Insert big wink. So as others have said, it really does depend.

Nothing wrong with being an introvert on a train. On my Seattle-Emeryville trip I sat next to the same guy from the start, and we never said a single word to each other. Gestures was about it, like pointing when getting up or back to a seat.

I guess Amtrak dining cars are another matter, where the point is social engineering. Our first time the kiddo was 2, and we were seated with a couple with a room. That sort of thing is deliberate. Another time we were seated as four solo coach passengers. There are always those passengers who ask to be seated alone, and typically they won’t oblige. But these days they’ve reduced dining service, including none for coach passengers on most routes.

 

[lisaviolet]

Absolutely @bcla, you're right - absolutely nothing wrong with being an introvert on a train trip.

I was laughing to myself about a very social friend on one trip. He would be here, there and everywhere constantly bringing us people he had met during the day. To the point we had to tell him "Stop bringing us people! We are quite content in our own little world, thank you so much." I love extroverts, they are so entertaining.

 

[lisaviolet]

@Minnesota! You have me checking Amtrak prices & schedules!

My niece lives in Southern California, but is getting married in Colorado - I am like hmmm, Chicago to Denver looks interesting.

 

[Karin1984]

I didn't do a long journey, but I once took the train from Los Angeles to San Diego. I was seated on the side with a view of the ocean, and I timed it with the sunset. During my trip I had gorgeous views.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

@Minnesota! You have me checking Amtrak prices & schedules!

My niece lives in Southern California, but is getting married in Colorado - I am like hmmm, Chicago to Denver looks interesting.

Hands down the best part of that train ride is between Denver and Grand Junction. You’ll miss the best scenery if you get off in Denver.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Hands down the best part of that train ride is between Denver and Grand Junction. You’ll miss the best scenery if you get off in Denver.

 

[bcla]

Absolutely @bcla, you're right - absolutely nothing wrong with being an introvert on a train trip.

I was laughing to myself about a very social friend on one trip. He would be here, there and everywhere constantly bringing us people he had met during the day. To the point we had to tell him "Stop bringing us people! We are quite content in our own little world, thank you so much." I love extroverts, they are so entertaining.

Unfortunately on that trip there was an extrovert. He met someone with a common interest in the lounge car. But then he decided to find his new friend and they proceeded to talk in our coach car for about an hour after the lights had been dimmed and people were trying to sleep.

 

[DanBoris]

Hello people!

I have far more PTO than anyone else in my house does and I am ready to travel again. I used to take the train 2x a week to/from my college town. I loved it and always felt safe.

I am considering taking myself on a cross-country trek, via Amtrak. Just LITERALLY riding the rails. No plans in any one city, only planning to switch trains and continue on to the next "end of the line" destination.

I have done a ton of reading and research on it, thus far, but now I am looking for "real life" experiences. Have you done something similar? Have you done it solo? I would probably get a roomette for the longer sections and then a seat for the shorter (under 12 hours).

I wouldn't be on a set timetable, so them always running behind wouldn't bug me. But...safety? Of my personal stuff/space, and of the train itself. Has a ton changed on board since the late 90s?

Thoughts, experiences, warnings?

Thanks for anything you can contibute

I have traveled all around the country by train and love the experience. As for safety, I have never felt un-safe on the train. I encountered a troublesome passenger once and they were eventually kicked off the train, Amtrak doesn't mess around with that sort of thing.

You will want to be a little more cautious when it comes stations especially if you are getting off at smaller stations or over night. Just use common sense and be sure to know what you transpiration plans are from the station to hotel.