Train Travel in these times

[ScoopKona]

But we don't want the train portion of the trip to be something where we'd have to be aggressive and clever in order to avail ourselves of the amenities.

Any ideas about this?

I grew up reading Paul Theroux train travel books. Much like Paul, "I have never seen a train, and not wanted to be on it."

My advice? Pretend the amenities don't exist. And buy the "hop on hop off rail pass" ticket. That's what we do in Europe. And that's what we'll do with Amtrak.

Rail dining car food (except in India) isn't particularly good. But you can bring a picnic on board with you and have delightful meals, any time you want them. I never get on a train without a cornucopia of beer/wine/mineral water/bread/cheese/fruit -- nibble and watch the scenery en route to the next stop.

Load up at the next stop with their regional specialties and repeat for the next leg of the trip. All you really need from the dining car is coffee. And that can be to-go.

As for the passive-aggressive people in the observation car who "reserve" their seat with a jacket, move the jackets elsewhere. When they return and snivel at you, inform them, "Your jacket is not so important that it deserves the best seat on the train, all to itself. You must have an awfully high opinion of this jacket, if it is better than the other passengers."

You'll probably get a couple hours of viewing this way. It doesn't work like this in Europe because the conductors will simply remove jackets and other personal items and place them in lost and found.

Last I checked, Amtrak was basically giving away their 10-stop go-anywhere rail pass. Best of all, you can choose termini which make sense for you. In general, I have found that US trains make more travel sense West of the Mississippi, and are more utilitarian east of it.

The Chicago to Los Angeles Southwest Chief train is particularly appealing. Have a rental car waiting for you at the station to explore New Mexico and Arizona. And interesting stops in Kansas City and Los Angeles. (I build my Los Angeles visits around Union Station already.)

 

[savory]

I haven't heard of the Secret Valley, but I guess that is why it is a secret. I did tour the Sacred Valley when I was there.

Oops. What a coincidence, we went to the same place.

 

[savory]

It was one of the best vacations we took. Our Peru vacation included the Secret Valley to climatize and see the sites. We hiked the Inca Trail. Most people bus to Machu Piccu.

When we completed our hike, we took a bus to Puno to enjoy Lake Titicata. The bus was no more than $50 a piece with a great tour guide. This was a great and positive surprise. We thought we were just taking a bus.

Now the train. Before we left, a friend said to schedule the train. The train goes one way, each or certain days. You will need to check the schedule. It is a few hour ride. When we scheduled, only the return was open for our trip. We seem to remember $500 to $600 each for the overnight stay. We also seem to remember, less than 1/2 that for going to Lake T. You will need to check what the train to Lake T includes beyond the train ride

The length of the trip is just a few hours. But when they return to Cusco, they stop just outside of town where you sleep for the night.
Each car is divided into 3 or 4 sleeping rooms which are nearly as wide as the car. Queen size bed, full bathroom, and plenty of room. Dinner was appetizers, drinks, etc. All well done. Breakfast another great meal but not as memorable. If memory serves, the train ride in the morning is 30 minutes or less.

I am frugal like many on this site. It was not something I would purchase every trip but after the Machu Picchu hike it felt well deserved. Yes, it is one price, like a cruise. Dinner, drinks, and the other passengers were great fun to get to know. They gave us a nice small duffel bag as a gift.

I hope this helps. I have some pics but need to get going and do not know exactly how to do upload. If you think you want to see them, let me know and I will try later, if I can.

Just to be sure no one is confused, Sacred Valley is the right name, not Secret Valley. Thanks Travelover for pointing that out.

 

[youbet]

I grew up reading Paul Theroux train travel books. Much like Paul, "I have never seen a train, and not wanted to be on it."

My advice? Pretend the amenities don't exist. And buy the "hop on hop off rail pass" ticket. That's what we do in Europe. And that's what we'll do with Amtrak.

Rail dining car food (except in India) isn't particularly good. But you can bring a picnic on board with you and have delightful meals, any time you want them. I never get on a train without a cornucopia of beer/wine/mineral water/bread/cheese/fruit -- nibble and watch the scenery en route to the next stop.

Load up at the next stop with their regional specialties and repeat for the next leg of the trip. All you really need from the dining car is coffee. And that can be to-go.

As for the passive-aggressive people in the observation car who "reserve" their seat with a jacket, move the jackets elsewhere. When they return and snivel at you, inform them, "Your jacket is not so important that it deserves the best seat on the train, all to itself. You must have an awfully high opinion of this jacket, if it is better than the other passengers."

You'll probably get a couple hours of viewing this way. It doesn't work like this in Europe because the conductors will simply remove jackets and other personal items and place them in lost and found.

Last I checked, Amtrak was basically giving away their 10-stop go-anywhere rail pass. Best of all, you can choose termini which make sense for you. In general, I have found that US trains make more travel sense West of the Mississippi, and are more utilitarian east of it.

The Chicago to Los Angeles Southwest Chief train is particularly appealing. Have a rental car waiting for you at the station to explore New Mexico and Arizona. And interesting stops in Kansas City and Los Angeles. (I build my Los Angeles visits around Union Station already.)

Interesting ideas, thanks!

 

[ERD50]

As a full-fledged geezer, I no longer enjoy open seating, waiting in lines, impossible parking, intrusion into my personal space, etc. Therefore we seldom attend concerts, plays, etc., that don't have reserved seating. We seldom go to restaurants that aren't pretty good about honoring reservations. And those kind of things........

What would it be like for us on a long train trip? Friends told us they had an issue with availability of seats in the observation car because folks left jackets on seats unofficially holding them for themselves. And that it was tough to get seating in the dining car. And some other issues.

We think we'd like to take a train to the west coast, tour out there for a few days and then fly home. But we don't want the train portion of the trip to be something where we'd have to be aggressive and clever in order to avail ourselves of the amenities.

Any ideas about this?

DW and I did the Chicago to Grand Canyon Amtrak trip in 2019. We didn't experience any of those problems. There was one delay on the train getting back, but just inconvenient, not a big deal.

I wrote up the experience here at the time:

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/our-chi-grand-canyon-south-rim-amtrak-trip-99452.html

-ERD50

 

[Sunset]

As a full-fledged geezer, I no longer enjoy open seating, waiting in lines, impossible parking, intrusion into my personal space, etc. Therefore we seldom attend concerts, plays, etc., that don't have reserved seating. We seldom go to restaurants that aren't pretty good about honoring reservations. And those kind of things........

What would it be like for us on a long train trip? Friends told us they had an issue with availability of seats in the observation car because folks left jackets on seats unofficially holding them for themselves. And that it was tough to get seating in the dining car. And some other issues.

We think we'd like to take a train to the west coast, tour out there for a few days and then fly home. But we don't want the train portion of the trip to be something where we'd have to be aggressive and clever in order to avail ourselves of the amenities.

Any ideas about this?

When we did an overnight train ride with a roomette (which is really small, but 2 people do fit in it), we had priority for the dinner car, we got to eat before the seat people.

I found the food good, since it was included I picked the priciest thing which was steak.

snacks and pop was also included, but I only took 1 pop for the whole trip.

 

[Boose]

We're booked on the Sac-Chi train (California Zephyr) for early September, using our Amtrak credit card points to reserve a bedroom with a private bath. Can't wait! Getting from home to Sacramento also solves the problem of what to do with an expiring Alaska Airlines credit.

We have taken an overnight Czech train from Berlin to Amsterdam, bedroom with ensuite and breakfast on a tray. Sounds fancier than it was, and the train didn't leave until midnight to ensure a morning arrival, but the rocking was relaxing. I didn't dare use the shower stall - I was sure I'd fall out of it. Although it did have a waist-high safety bar that clamped across the entrance.

Our least-fancy journey was an overnight 2nd class air-conditioned from Kerala to Madurai in India. We each had a bunk in a curtained area shared with a lovely older couple. Toilet was down the hall, stainless receptacle in the floor with a cup chained to the wall for washing and a sign not to use the toilet in the station. I assumed chaiwallahs and food vendors would be coming through at each stop, so I didn't jump on the few that did, and had to make do with the packet of cookies and 8 ounces of water I'd brought aboard. My intrepid husband ate upma (vegetarian semolina breakfast) wrapped in newspaper and sold from a 5-gallon pail - he suffered no ill effects. We both had terrible headaches by the time we got to our hotel, and couldn't decide if it was dehydration or carbon monoxide poisoning. Not sure I would do that trip again, but it was memorable.

DH highly recommends the blog Seat 61 for train info.

 

[Idealer]

We think we'd like to take a train to the west coast, tour out there for a few days and then fly home. But we don't want the train portion of the trip to be something where we'd have to be aggressive and clever in order to avail ourselves of the amenities.

Last year I took Amtrak's Southwest Chief from Chicago to LA in a roomette, stayed a week and flew back. It was delightful! I'd planned for delays based on reputation, but we arrived punctually in LA despite an hour or so waiting on tracks in Colorado, I forget why.

As was mentioned, meals are included for roomettes. I was trying to COVID isolate before seeing friends, so I opted for meal deliveries to the room, making sure to tip the car attendant well at the end of the trip.

I thought I'd bring books and entertainment for the 2 days, but watching the scenery was so mesmerizing the other stuff hardly got used.

The roomettes would be snug for two but it was perfect for one, though I'm a small person. I got off to stretch my legs at every stop that allowed, this was usually just a few minutes. During the ride I'd stand up and march in place or swing my arms around to stay active.

If traveling as a couple I'd consider getting the bigger sleeper compartment.

 

[sengsational]

You made me look for May 9th, and the price was close when picking a seat on the train, but since it takes 59 hours, one has to buy meals, so the train cost is a bit higher.

If you want a roomette, that adds $350 to the train ticket, but when we did it, the meals were included with the roomette, so the train turns out to be 2.1 times more expensive.

$569 train vs $269 for the plane.

Train has advantage of no extra charge for luggage (up to a limit) and get to see the scenery.

I priced a cross country train with roomettes and it came to over $4K. And it required hotels along the way. https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/travel-hopes-for-2022-a-107923-17.html#post2719088

I concluded that if a train starts where you are, and ends where you're going, that's great, but with Amtrak, there are very few starting and ending points that make much sense.

 

[Sunset]

.....
I concluded that if a train starts where you are, and ends where you're going, that's great, but with Amtrak, there are very few starting and ending points that make much sense.

Same issue with Trans Atlantic cruise ship crossings.
While the fixed end points are fine the first few trips, after that, it becomes a transfer point and transfer hassle.

We don't live near a cruise ship starting point, so their starting point is really another transfer point for us.

For people who do live near the start point, it's an interesting option.

When we did our Amtrak NY -> Chicago trip, it was convenient to get off the Amtrak train and hop on a local commuter train to get really close to home.

Planes certainly are the fastest and can be the cheapest per mile.

 

[Drake3287]

I'd love to take a long Amtrak trip but at this point, I refuse to wear a mask for that long of a time period. Flying is bad enough.

 

[Koolau]

The only reason I would (and did) take a train was to see sights along the way. That worked out fairly well. However, the comfort for a 2 day trip wasn't ideal. At my age now, I simply would not do it. I hate flying (the process - not the actual flying) but at least you can put a lot of miles behind you for the level of misery.

Admittedly, the train is more comfortable than coach air. Still, a flight is probably 10 times the distance for the same amount of time - and that includes the airport madness. YMMV

 

[Marita40]

I'm back from my California Zephyr trip and it was fantastic! I had a roomette for the two nights between Chicago and Sacramento. The trip was comfortable, the food very good, the passengers friendly. The scenery between Denver and Sacramento rivals any in the world for beauty. Up and down the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada. One of the conductors gave a historical narrative as we went. I'd like to do this trip the opposite way, from Sacramento, again just for the views.

Passengers were obliged to wear masks in the public areas. The crew tried to enforce the rule by stern commands every so often. It wasn't bad at all and, again, I had the roomette to retreat to if I wished. I spent the majority of my time in the observation car.

 

[Sunset]

I'm back from my California Zephyr trip and it was fantastic! I had a roomette for the two nights between Chicago and Sacramento. The trip was comfortable, the food very good, the passengers friendly. The scenery between Denver and Sacramento rivals any in the world for beauty. Up and down the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada. One of the conductors gave a historical narrative as we went. I'd like to do this trip the opposite way, from Sacramento, again just for the views.

Passengers were obliged to wear masks in the public areas. The crew tried to enforce the rule by stern commands every so often. It wasn't bad at all and, again, I had the roomette to retreat to if I wished. I spent the majority of my time in the observation car.

That's interesting, I didn't even consider they would have an observation car.

 

[Koolau]

That's interesting, I didn't even consider they would have an observation car.

Oh yeah! The observation car was the only thing that made our train trip a winner.

Not only are the sights amazing from there, but you meet all kinds of interesting people. From 35 years ago, I still recall a guy we met who was in the USA to teach wool-sheep raisers how to sheer sheep - with sheers, not electrical sheering devices. He was from New Zealand. He claimed he could sheer a sheep faster with his mechanical clippers than those using electrical clippers - and he would cause less (as in no) physical trauma to the sheep which apparently is common with electrical clippers.

 

[Marita40]

The observation car made the entire trip. Comfortable seats with holders for drinks and snacks. Wall to wall windows. Incredible views!
This guy does Amtrak trips and posts on Youtube. He was my inspiration for the California Zephyr trip:

 

[Aerides]

The zephyr is a great route. It's made for the observation car.

For several years that train/route hosted the annual "Train Jam" for a bunch of indie game developers to travel to the GDC conference in SF in March (stopped in 2020 for obvious reasons, might continue again one day). Initially they took just one car, and grew so much that they needed a whole train, totally coordinated with Amtrak.

Basically a whole bunch of mostly 20 somethings working on coding new games for 2 days, looking up for views every now and then.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

The observation car made the entire trip. Comfortable seats with holders for drinks and snacks. Wall to wall windows. Incredible views!
This guy does Amtrak trips and posts on Youtube. He was my inspiration for the California Zephyr trip:

What a great video. I'm seriously going to look into doing this trip this year.

 

[Marita40]

Just a note that the earlier you book Amtrak the cheaper it is. I booked about 3 months ahead and paid $550 for the entire trip, the lowest price I believe. That's two nights in a roomette and 6 meals.


The experience of the guy in the video mirrors my experience almost completely. However, we had a different shower room than he shows and there was plenty of hot water. I took a shower each day. Also, the train crew kept us well informed of the train's ETA. As it turned out, we left 1/2 hour late from Chicago and arrived 1 hour late. There were a couple times we had to stop briefly during the trip. One was a rock slide (an ever present hazard) and one was that we almost killed someone! Turns out a young male was walking on the tracks in head phones in semi-darkness. The train stopped pretty much just in time. I really understood the hazards these train drivers face, especially on this route.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Just a note that the earlier you book Amtrak the cheaper it is. I booked about 3 months ahead and paid $550 for the entire trip, the lowest price I believe. That's two nights in a roomette and 6 meals.


The experience of the guy in the video mirrors my experience almost completely. However, we had a different shower room than he shows and there was plenty of hot water. I took a shower each day. Also, the train crew kept us well informed of the train's ETA. As it turned out, we left 1/2 hour late from Chicago and arrived 1 hour late. There were a couple times we had to stop briefly during the trip. One was a rock slide (an ever present hazard) and one was that we almost killed someone! Turns out a young male was walking on the tracks in head phones in semi-darkness. The train stopped pretty much just in time. I really understood the hazards these train drivers face, especially on this route.

I just did some pricing. In my random sampling through November, the lowest roomette I can find is $1052 for one person. Then, starting in December, I can find some for $886. Obviously, summer/fall season drives the price up some, but I'm betting their prices are higher due to inflation costs just like everything else. Even thru March 2023, which is how far out you can currently book, the rate seems to be $886 per roomette.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Not long distance, but we took a trip from DC to NY and back last week. $230 for a family of 4, was faster and cheaper than driving, taking the bus, or flying. Very impressed with Amtrak, and very convenient. Looking forward to doing that again.

 

[Marita40]

I just did some pricing. In my random sampling through November, the lowest roomette I can find is $1052 for one person. Then, starting in December, I can find some for $886. Obviously, summer/fall season drives the price up some, but I'm betting their prices are higher due to inflation costs just like everything else. Even thru March 2023, which is how far out you can currently book, the rate seems to be $886 per roomette.

I lucked out then. I booked in January 2022 for travel the first week of April for the price I mentioned. Note that I did Chicago to Sacramento, and not all the way to Emeryville. No doubt people are returning to leisure travel post Covid and prices reflect that.

 

[Pluperfect]

As a full-fledged geezer, I no longer enjoy open seating, waiting in lines, impossible parking, intrusion into my personal space, etc. Therefore we seldom attend concerts, plays, etc., that don't have reserved seating.

In July 2021, I took Amtrak from Chicago to Washington, DC, and back. It was scheduled to be a 17-hour trip each way (and was of course late both ways--Amtrak has a web page devoted to griping about how they are always delayed because of freight train priority and Congress won't pass a bill to fix it).

I was traveling alone, and the biggest annoyance (other than mask noncompliance) was having reserved seats, which were assigned by the conductor as you got on the train.

If there were two people traveling together, at least you would have both seats on your side of the aisle, but as a solo, I had an assigned "seatmate." And on one leg, I had a seat among a group of five or six people traveling together, with little kids. It was miserable.

I finally walked the length of the train to find a less horrible seat, and rustled up a conductor to change me to that seat.

Another time, the woman next to me was lax, to put it mildly, about wearing her mask (remember, this was the summer of 2021), so I found a seat in another car next to someone who looked more complaint, and got the conductor to change my seat. But it was awkward both times because the conductor came with me to get my stuff from the seat I was vacating, and went with me to the new seat.

On another leg, late at night, I (finally!) had an empty seat next to me, but when we stopped someone got on who had been assigned that seat, even though there were several rows that had two unoccupied seats together. The hell?? So I complained to the conductor, and he said the train was going to be full after a couple more stops, and I guess he didn't want to have to be moving people already on the train at that point, to be able to seat the new people together?

In my general vicinity, there were three of us who had an unoccupied seat next to them and the conductor announced that two of us were going to have to double up when the train becomes full at a later stop, and it was up to us to decide who it would be. Again...the hell?

I vowed never to travel Amtrak alone again if it was reserved seating like this.

 

[Koolau]

^^^^^^^^

Also, considering that a train trip of any significant length means you have to eat their food. When we traveled by train, the food was good though not cheap (nor was it outrageously expensive.) My point: Train travel is not cheaper than air so you would only do it because you fear flying or you want the experience. So, quite frankly, I just don't see any (real) reason for keeping passenger train travel. Obviously, Amtrak isn't trying to make it better (or even acceptable as an alternate to air or bus.) YMMV

 

[stephenson]

Recent Amtrak experience:

younger son took train from San Diego to San Jose in late December. Picked up covid. The train was super crowded from LA to San Jose - standing room only for part of the time. (He had a seat.) Fortunately, he was double vaxed and had gotten his booster a few days before the trip - so his covid was mild. Unfortunately, he spread it to his girlfriend, her twin brother, and his friend who was also a houseguest. (Her parents didn't get it.)

He took the train from San Luis Obispo to San Diego a week and a half ago. No incident, no covid. No problem getting a seat since SLO was the first stop of the southbound surfliner.

As a family we did a nine week vacation in Europe by train in 2015. We did couchette's from Sicily to Milan. Since we were a family of four - we had the whole room. Set it up with bench seats during daylight, then put the bunks up at night. On that same 9 week trip we did high speed trains in France and Germany, took the train through the chunnel, and took local trains along the french riviera to try out different beaches.

I like trains.

Rodi,

Love the sign off ... exactly what I would and do say! One of my fav parts of a month in Portugal/Germany was the train from/to Munich to/from Salzburg! Wish it was longer than the 1.5 hours!