My older kids, ages 7 and 4, wanted to visit their grandma in Illinois, and we had a spare weekend coming up. I took a couple days of vacation and scheduled time on the Empire Builder. On a lark, I checked to see if any bedrooms were affordable, and the Family Bedroom was going for $88 each way. I snapped it up.
The train may have arrived on time in St. Paul, but we weren't. In the future, we'll pick up our tickets the night before and avoid the line. We did leave on time, though.
The Family Bedroom is very nice. The first nice thing is not having to carry any bags upstairs! The bedroom is at one end of the lower-level (the wheelchair accessible room is at the other end). It spans the width of the car, with windows on both sides. The windows are half the width of the windows in other bedrooms, but it didn't detract from the enjoyment of the view. The lack of a toilet or shower inside wasn't a problem, since both were just down the hall (and a shower was done at home). The multiple pillows, car-width bench of seats, and two tables more than made up for it.
Also, I've read that some people said the train noise is greater in the family bedrooms, but I didn't notice it. In other words, there probably is a difference, but it wasn't big enough to be noticeable when we were walking upstairs.
We had four bottles of water; later, the steward gave us a couple bottles of sparkling apple cider and a bottle of champagne. There was also a single snack pack of a strawberry-flavored nuts-and-dried-fruit mixture, but it was almost too sweet.
We avoided breakfast at home so we could eat it on board. I debated about getting room service, but the kids wanted to go to the diner, so away we went. The food we got was all the right temperature and tasty. We also saw a coyote on a frozen river while dining. It was a lightly-attended breakfast, and our threesome didn't get assigned a single person at our table.
Later, we went back to the room to clean up. My son wanted to play a game of cards in the lounge, and my daughter wanted to nap, so we left her and walked the train. All the way to the end, and looked out the door on the receding tracks. It turned out that the lounge car had a bad axle in Portland, and was left behind. I guess a table in the dining car was set up as a place to get snacks, but we went right by it without noticing.
Back in our room, we played a game. Then the kids wanted to rest, so I lowered the smaller of the two upper bunks. They enjoyed climbing the ladder up there and lying down, and I could enjoy my book or looking out at the scenery. Later, we played some card games.
We had lunch in the diner as well, but I wasn't too hungry; the kids were (of course), and even added an appetizer of chips and salsa. I decided to skip ordering any food, since the kids wanted cheeseburgers, and I was pretty sure they would not finish the things. I was right, so we managed to avoid wasting food, and I wasn't feeling stuffed. During lunch, we saw a bald eagle hover over a break in the ice where two swans were swimming.
We did have a single person sit with us, and it was an excellent chance to demonstrate how to be polite to a stranger who is polite to you. The kids behaved very well, answering questions and interacting, without going overboard, so to speak.
The kids seemed to enjoy the trip, but they are no strangers to train travel, or even sleeping car travel. I had debated bringing my laptop on the trip, but decided against it. First, it was more bulk to carry around and worry about. Second, it increased the chances of both kids wanting to do different things, like playing a game or watching a movie, and that would only lead to open conflict. Plus, taking the train is all about the journey.
We can drive from St. Paul to Skokie, where my mom lives, but it takes about as much time, when you add in stops for food, gas, and toilet visits. To this, add the fact that everyone is strapped in. The result is kids who can bounce off the walls when you get to the destination, and at least one parent who will feel in need of therapeutic massage. In fact, we usually stop overnight in a hotel on the trip, in order to allow the kids a chance to decompress. This also means that the train has an obvious financial advantage, as tickets are cheaper than paying for a hotel.
The disadvantage of not having a vehicle is lessening, as we now have three kids. Before, with two, we could fit my mom in the back with the kids (we have a station wagon). With three kids, there's no room. It is easier to rent a minivan at the destination. And in this case, my mom's car had adequate room, and my wife was going to take the baby to see an old friend in a different direction, so the train made perfect sense.
But again, with driving, the driver has to attend to what's going on, and with the train, you can just relax, and get familiar with the passage of the landscape. Learning patience -- such as, lunch isn't ready yet, or the station is still an hour away -- is part of that, and it is a good lesson for a kid to learn.
I think we left Milwaukee on time, but there was some track work on the way down from there, which slowed us a bit; we were probably less than ten minutes behind schedule in Glenview.
Our return trip was a Tuesday afternoon departure, only Chicagoland had experienced a wet snowfall the night before. I was glad I wasn't driving or taking a plane.
Again, we had the joy of the family bedroom. The steward did tell us that he had others boarding in St. Paul who would be using the room, so he asked for twenty minutes before we arrived so he could set it up. I didn't see a problem with that, as the kids were as likely to be up, and could nap on the long couch if need be.
Apart from that, the trip home was the same. The main difference was the car: The sleeping car was an original one, according to the steward, but it had been recently refurbished. The most noticeable part of that was in the toilets.
Instead of the typical, rectilinear layout, each toilet was in the corner of the room, proving more elbow room. The trash was in one adjacent corner, while the sink was in the other. The paper towel dispenser was underneath the mirror. Instead of the small sink handles, there were push-button handles that flowed for a set period before shutting off. It felt much roomier, was brighter, and more easy to use, I thought. Another nice touch was that there was a light inside the toilet room, indicating that the door was properly latched, as well as the one outside.
Dinner reservations were taken after we left Milwaukee; we opted for an early one. The kids did fairly well, but I suspect they weren't terribly hungry after grandma fed them spaghetti before we left to catch the train. During dinner, we sat with another single person, and the kids were well-behaved (she even made a point of telling me so as we left). While we waited to be served, we saw a sizeable herd of deer running through the trees.
We did spend some time card playing in the lounge car, and my son skipped dessert in order to get a candy bar at the snack counter. We otherwise stayed in the room, and enjoyed looking out at the night landscape with the room lights off. Oh, the night light in this refurbished car was an intense blue at a low level, instead of the dim incandescent bulb from the other sleeping car. It reminded me of the old low-watt blue bulbs in the heritage fleet of Pullman sleepers.
There was a blanket folded up in one upper bunk, so I used that when my daughter wanted to nap. My son and I enjoyed looked out the window at the night sights as we approached St. Paul. We actually got in a half-hour early, which was nice. This meant that the steward didn't really come to prep the room for the next group until we were virtually at the station, and were getting ready to leave anyway. And he had an unused roomette right by our room that he directed us to sit in while we waited for the train to stop.
I did take care to tip the sleeping car stewards and diner waiters. There are some good references online for that. On the whole, it was a great experience. Now, especially if the whole family goes, I'm always going to check on the rate for the family bedrooms. I might even cheat, and see about adding it close to departure time, if possible.
Jacob
The last time I got off a train at Glenside was from the afternoon Hiawatha.
Enjoyed reading your trip report . Wish you many more such trips and hope someday you and your kids can go Amtrak Denver - Salt Lake City. Thanks!
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