I don’t have any experience with Amtrak and need some advice…
My son will be getting married this summer in Washington State and instead of spending 6-odd hours in a cigar tube I would like to make a trip of it and travel by rail. (I drove cross-country when I was young, but my wife & daughter have never been.) It would be myself & my brother, my wife, and my adult daughter traveling.
So here’s the problem, unless you are willing to forgo sleeping accommodations and travel coach, (which we are not, from NY it’s a 2-1/2 day ride man!) it seems you have to be independently wealthy to travel by rail. With the upgrade to 2 roomettes the price is roughly 3x that of flying!
Also, the “rail” price seems to be totally constant, regardless of how far in advance you book, only the sleeping upgrade seems to change. Is this a function of how far in advance you’re booking, or is it a seasonal price structure?
I’ve lived on Long Island basically my whole life. I have ridden the LIRR many times throughout the years, (I remember the double-deckers of the 1960’s as a child.) but have never been on a “real” train however, so this is something I would really like to do.
Any insight into how/when to book on Amtrak to get the best price, or any other ideas to make this trip affordable would be greatly appreciated.
I look at a train ride this way: 1) transportation - which is the coach price and is about the same as airfare in many cases; 2) hotel/food - remember the upgrade also includes meals; 3) sightseeing - what are you willing to pay to see the US from ground level and not drive.
Airplane trips are very forgettable - I know - I have 2 transcon round trips in the next 3 weeks. But your Amtrak trip will be unforgettable. We did a Philly to Texas trip with our son a year or so ago. What are the memories worth?
The last time I rode Amtrak I swore that would be the last time. They are not the enjoyable experience we wish they could be. Sadly, the truth is that Amtrak is on a par with the airlines in many respects. They must “overcharge” in order to cover as much of their direct operating costs as humanly possible and manage their capacity, which is limited and not growing[2c]. The trip described has some promise, but be prepared for a disappointing experience. Sorry.[banghead]
Sometimes if you can change your travel day(s) you can get a MUCH better price, and that could include upgrading. Also check their special deals section.
I like to travel by train, but that is a very long trip. Westbound, the Lakeshore Limited leaves Penn Station at 4:00pm gets to Chicago the next morning. The Empire Builder leaves Chicago that afternoon and gets to Washington state after two full nights. That makes it more than 3 1/2 days.
Just to satisfy my own curiosity, I checked a round trip non-stop air fare JFK-Seattle of $355 per person, and Amtrak round trip New York-Seattle with two Standard Bedrooms at about $1250 per person. Both for dates in mid-July. You are certainly correct that you are paying a big premium to see the US from ground level.
If you got your travel quote from another source, you can go on Amtrak.com and play with travel dates to see if any days get you a lower rate for the bedrooms. Of course, summer is peak travel time and you may already be looking at the highest fares. You can also get information and diagrams of the sleeper accomidations. Its doable, but you may find the rooms rather cramped, especially with the rooms made up for the night.
Since you appearantly haven’t traveled on Amtrak long distance, if your train ride out falls way below your expectations, it may put a real damper on your whole trip. I would recommend looking at flying out and taking the train back. As you know, Amtrak is prone to delay, sometimes so serious that you miss connections at Chicago and are stuck for an extra 24 hours. Amtrak will provide hotel accomidations for the night, but I am sure that you would not want to be late for the events at your travel destination. If you just take the train on the return trip and that it is an ordeal, at least you will have gotten in the sight seeing one way and you won’t be starting your trip with a bad experience.
You will also find the different routes are vastly different fares. Coming out of NYC to Chicago they probably put you on the Lakeshore Limited. When I checked it last year, this was one of the higher fares to Chicago. On the Amtrak website, check the other routes.
Chicago to Washington State is pretty much going to be the Empire Builder. This is one of Amtrak’s premier trains with full meal service dining car (included in your sleeping car fare). You may even want to look into the Family Bedroom accomodation, but two of you will need to be short. Remember that the fare includes two nights hotel type accomodations and all meals. Plus, you will be able to see a lot more of the country at ground level than at 35,000+ feet. Are you old enough to remember the old Amtrak slogan “See America at SEE level?” Airlines get you there fast, if you don’t mind being sandwiched in an aluminum tube like sardines. Amtrak is a whole different type of travel, and it can be considered part of the vacation.
Thanks guys, some good ideas. I was on the Amtrak website but I will check and see if there are any alternate routes to Chicago avail and play with the days a bit more. Flying 1-way also sounds like a possible option. And Tom, I didn’t even consider the family bedroom, not because of height, (I’m 5’6" and my wife is 5’3") but because on the Amtrak website they mentioned 2 adults & 2 children. You mean they’ll let 4 little people book those?
Also, nobody’s commented on the pricing-vs-advance notice issue. Does it get cheaper when you get closer to your depaerure date?
Thanks again
P.S. And PBenham, I hope you’re just an eternal cynic…
I agree with Tom Diehl. As pure transportation, first-class travel on Amtrak is a luxury expenditure–but even in the 1920’s - 1950’s when many Americans traveled on the named trains, a roomette in a Pullman car was something of a luxury. You didn’t find too many ordinary middle-class Americans booking the sleepers; Pullmans went to the well-off and the expense-account crowd mostly (think of the airlines’ “business class” or first class today).
If you have the patience, I think you can more than justify the trip for its scenic “land cruise” potential. Compare what the Empire Builder costs to what the cruise-ship companies want for their Alaskan rail sightseeing trips (to Denali for example), and it will start to look quite a bit more reasonable.
A couple of caveats – BNSF. your host railroad on the Empire Builder, has a better on-time record in handling its Amtrak trains than do some other RR companies. Nonetheless, it is a very long land trip and if it would put you out or destroy your plans/connections to be several hours late, consider not doing it or leaving yourself more time. Also, if you smoke, even in private sleeping compartments smoking is ABSOLUTELY forbidden. You can smoke outdoors when the train makes a few minutes’ stop.
I checked Mid July travel dates and found east-bound somewhat cheaper than west bound in the same time period. Amtrak employs a fare management system that attempts to get historically slower days booked up, however I think the lower rates might only be available for bookings made far in advance of travel dates. The exception may be that open space still available within a few days of departure dates may go at lower prices. However, that is not a situation you can bank on. During summer vacation travel times, sleeper space is often sold out weeks in advance and that is especially true of the popular Chicago-Seattle/Portland Empire Builder.
I think PBenham had a bad experience on his last trip so ignore his comments. The Empire Builder which runs from Chicago to Seattle is Amtrak’s premier train. Excellent equipment, service, scenery and a good record of on time arrival. I did a quick check of fares and 4 adults can travel round trip (with an AAA discount) for $2167. There are other discounts available such as Seniors (62+), NARP, etc. I would recommend you let a travel agent handle your arrangements as they will know of, and be able to get you, the lowest fare possible.
While I priced the round trip to Seattle, the Empire builder also makes the following stops in Washington state: Spokane, Pasco, Wishram, Bingham-White Salmon, Vancouver, Ephrata, Wenatchee, Everett and Edmonds. One of these other stops might be more convenient to your final destination and if so the fare would be somewhat reduced.
I didn’t check the fare on the Lake Shore Limited from NY to Chi but if you wish to hold down costs you might wish to consider travelling by coach for that portion of your trip. The Lake Shore arrives in Chi about 6 hours ahead of the Empire Builders departure time so even if it ran late you should have ample time to make your connection.
Frankly going all the way by train is pretty much of an odysee and if it were me I’d likely fly from NY to Chi then take the train the rest of the way. This would also be the best way to hold your cost down, shorten the trip time, and still enjoy the luxury of the train. If you fly I would think a taxi from O’Hare to Union Station would run you all $50 max.
As sleeping car passengers your party can enjoy Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago while awaiting the Empire Builder’s departure. I think you will enjoy the trip and wish you bon voyage.
A couple other thing came to mind. Plan packing a carry-on bag just for your needs on the train and pack other luggage to check in the baggage car. Space in the standard bedrooms is a little confined and the less you have with you, the more comfortable you will be.
While looking at the scenery and visiting with fellow travelers may be a big part of the trip, there can still be long hours when the country is flat, darkenss has settled or conversation has faded. Many travelers bring a laptop, portable DVD player or a cell phone (recharge outlets are available), cards, games or favorite reading material.
An aside. My personal pet peeve is the clown in coach talking on the cell phone for hours late at night when I am trying to get some sleep. Of course, that is not a problem in the sleepers.
If you want to look into travel agents, trainweb.com has a travel section with links to some travel agent sites that seem to be very good with Amtrak travel. I have no experience with any of the agencies and for the dollars involved you would certainly want to proceed with due caution. Just seems to me that one would want to work with a travel agent with solid experience handling Amtrak bookings.