Riding Amtrak-Questions

[Dough]

I have been considering riding Amtrak with the family from Gainesville (north of Atlanta, GA) to Washington D.C. It amounts to a night trip both ways, and I am unsure about what kind of accommodations and how to get the best fare. My parents will be coming and I am not sure if they would like the regular coach seats. However the sleeper cars seen to be quite pricy for a one night trip.

I am really beginning to look and would appreciate any advice. [;)]

[Anonymous]

Buy the sleeper car tickets. You will have your own private room that's much more secure than just a seat. Also your meals should be included with the sleeper ticket as well. The bathrooms in the sleepers are superior to the coach cars. Sleeper cars should also offer complimentary juice/coffee and fresh fruit. In the AM you may get a free newpaper to read too.

For overnight travel on amtrak, the sleeper is the best value. Sleeper car passengers also board and unboard the train first.

[pacificelectric]

I went coach from L.A. to Austin, TX (2 nights) and I found the coach seats quite comfortable. You can recline them (MUCH more than in an aircraft), have footrests and plenty of room for your feet. We even got pillows and some people had blankets, but as I read in a lot of complains that doesn't seem to be standard.
So I can recommend it but I can't tell if older people would also like it.[^]

[Big_Boy_4005]

Having taken a few overnight trips on Amtrak, I can honestly say that I am torn. It is nice to have a private place to go on a trip over 24 hours, although being the large person that I am, I find the compartments somewhat cramped. If you are much over 5'-10" you will find sleeping in the beds a bit uncomfortable too.

I have heard that the handicapped rooms have more space. They are located on the lower level of the superliner cars, and are often available on request. This means that you will be going up and down the stairs a bunch, but if you aren't handicapped, that shouldn't be a big deal.

Keep in mind that part of the fun of riding the train is sitting in the coaches and meeting the other passengers, but again, it is nice to have an escape. If your group is large enough, maybe the solution is to get one room and use it as a home base for your trip, giving you the best of both worlds. Just no fighting over the beds and shower.[swg]

[Anonymous]

Don't buy your tickets to far in advance, just in case Amtrak isn't around when you're ready for your trip.

[Anonymous]

If you want privacy like Doggy get a sleeper another tip book Coach then if their is rooms left they could sell you one for a $100.00 we did that when we went to New Mexico we had 2 rooms fro $200.00. Oh Yes You get to meet people you wouldn't on an airplane and meals come with it.

DOGGY

[CG9602]

You write that you're embarking at Gainesville. That means that you'll be riding the single-level equipment, no matter what. My advice would be to get a sleeping accomodation. There is something to be said for being able to sleep laying down versus sleeping in a reclined position. Being over 6 ft tall myself, I definitly prefer sleeping laying down. As for the prices, those can vary depending upon what dates you're traveling, and on how full the train is. Remember, Amtrak works their prices just like tha airlines do - the closer to capacity a train is on a given day, the higher the prices become. Another thing that you should be aware of is that the sleeping accomodations are considered first-class accomodations, and, as such, you'll be paying first-class prices. If you've ever travelled first-class aboard an airline, you'll see what I mean (even though comparing train prices to airline prices is like the proverbial apples-to-oranges comparison). The sleeping accomodations, as noted above, are a bit on the small side. You'll be paying for a sleeping compartment, not a "room" like a hotel room. For the Standard sleepers, that means a door to shut out the corridor noise, two bunks, and a window - that's it. Not a room, a compartment. The food is also included in the price of your tickets (for sleeping car passengers, that is) and this means that you'll get full, real, sit-down meals, included in the price of your ticket. Coach passengers don't get that priviledge, as their food must be paid separate from their train tickets.

having made several trips on the train, all i can say is that one trip isn't enough to be able to draw generalizations. I've had trips on one route that were terrible going one way, but the return was very good. Your experience can vary depending upon the crew, the amount of business over a specific route, the number of passengers carried, or how the host railroad treats Amtrak (IOW, dos the landlord get Amtrak over the rails in a punctual fashion, or, like some RRs we could name, is the landlord totally indifferent or blatently hostile, to Amtrak), inflated or unrealistic expectations (some people get aboard thinking that they're going to be pampered from head to toe, which is a mistake), or the condition of the equipment, or if they are aboard with the deliberate intention that they will find something wrong (ie, whine about everything - even the smallest imperfections). Your train trip can also vary depending upon how much freight the landlord freight RRs put on the track (Amtrak doesn't own the tracks, they're private - unlike the public taxpayer-supported highways and airports and airlines)

For all those who are going to chime in and write that all Amtrak trips are terrible, let me be the first to point out that our nation finances its highways & airports much, much more than Amtrak has ever recieved. I've had terrible plane trips, palnes where there were ***-engorged toilets for several hours, and broken equipment, so Amtrak isn't the only form of travel that gives out bad trips. And for the highways - the nice thing about taking the train is that someone else is taking care of the driving headaches.

I'd get the sleeper. Just remember that it is priced as a first-class accomodation - even the standard sleeping compartments, small though some may think them to be. When you compare the prices to the prices of certain hotels in many larger cities, I think that the sleepers are a bit of a bargain (many hotels will charge at least $70 - $100 per night, depending upon how full to capacity they are - just like Amtrak and the airlines). I've had no problems travelling in a standard compartment (again, notice that I didn't write "room") for the trips that I've taken, and for just one person, they work out just fine. Be sure to visit the lounge/cafe and have a drink - both of which are impossible when you're driving and flying. Relax & enjoy this stress-free mode of travel. Look out at the scenery, and see what there is to see.

[Anonymous]

Yes it's nicer than Airline 1st Class

DOGGY

[passengerfan]

And here I thought the handicapped rooms were for the disabled only. I didn't realize big and tall qualified as handicapped. Must check with my ADA compliance manual and see if this is a violation by Amtrak. If it is I will be the first to register a complaint with Amtrak. Being genuinely handicapped have had great difficulty booking handicapped space on Amtrak. Was forced to use a lower compartment on one occasion and found out the crewman was using handicapped space in car. What's up Amtrak?

[Big_Boy_4005]

I didn't realize that ADA extended to cover that. I would think that the policy would be of course handicapped first, but if still available by a certain time, open. They don't have to run with an empty. This policy may no longer be the case since ADA, and my undretanding may be outdated.

Of course, this is moot on non superliner cars. I have never ridden in the rooms, but I have seen them. I did travel with a tour group about 6 or 7 years ago. We rode the Empire Builder, and if I remember correctly someone in the group, who was not handicapped did get booked into that space.

[espeefoamer]

They open the handicapped room to the general puplic 24 hours before train time.