amtrak travel?

i'm wondering if anyone has travelled across the states using amtrak? i did this when i was a kid...but my most recent experience was a bit of a nightmare. the train was delayed by 4-6 hours because they forgot to put diesel in the train! i've read a few blogs which talk about terrible...almost rude service, microwaved meals, and consistently running late.

we would visit family on both sides of the states. fly zoom into new york, train to maryland to visit relatives. then spend the next couple of weeks travelling to seattle. i'm looking at spending time in perhaps atlanta, new orleans, san antonio, tucson, and san francisco. and then fly zoom from vancouver back to the UK. the 15-day rail pass is $389 or the 30-day $469.

it seems like a great way to see some of the bits of the states that i've not seen...and a chance for my british husband to see much more of the states as well.

any experiences?

when i was preggers with triplets i took the train from ny to texas, and it wasmay, i was living in egypt at the time and just flew almost13 hours, anyways so on the way the train did have ac, and when they did stop they wouldnt allow anyone off and would allow the doors open, i was so sick, i did get a 50 travel coupon after going off ...anyways, why not drive .. it may end up being cheaper? and more convient, since u can always take a break when u want, etc..

I've done this before - during my study abroad year .

My friend and I took the Amtrak all the way from LA to New York, changing in Chicago. It took 3 days to get there and I think cost about $150 or so one way. It was a long, tiring journey and we nearly missed our connecting train in Chicago because we'd been delayed for 4 hours in the middle of Colorado (broken engine), but it was a cheap way to travel and we saved the cost of 3 nights' accomodation . I don't remember having problems with the service or food. We most brought our own food snacks with us, but did have a nice breakfast in the dining car one morning and a sandwich or two from the snack cart.

You do get to see a lot of the country, but there are quite a few parts that you also miss because you're travelling overnight as well. We did get to see some of the southwest, lots of farmland and water towers in the midwest and then the gorgeous scenery and lakes of upstate New York. It was a great experience, part of our end-of-year travels - we visited Phoenix, San Diego, LA, New York City and Las Vegas, all within 3.5 weeks!!

i just took amtrak... providence-trenton return.

now that's just 5 hours.  but i must say- it was pleasant.  trains were on time, clean, food was okay (cheese & crackers, yogurt), power points, big comfy seats.  

thanks ksand24 and meggles...both your experiences sound encouraging! we would have at least 3 nights on the train...without a sleeper car because they are ridiculously expensive. i do worry about feeling exhausted by the time we get to seattle.

but i do love train travel...you're right you see so much more!

I have used Amtrak when (now) hubby and I were leaving Canada to come here. We went through Canada and back around through the US in a loop. It was a great way to see the country. 

The most beautiful bits, IMHO, were New Mexico and California up to British Columbia, all along the cost.

The key is to allow for delays and somewhat go with the flow.

My husband and I took Amtrak from Vancouver down to California on the way back from our honeymoon. It was a very pleasant experience, overall.

The key is to allow for delays and somewhat go with the flow.

Yep, train travel is a completely different mindset from flying! At first we got really stressed and anxious when they stopped for no apparent reason, or when we were delayed (by hours, in the end), but eventually we just relaxed and enjoyed the trip. If you're not under time pressure it can be a very soothing way to travel.

Just make sure you get your reservation number ahead of time. I wasn't aware of this aspect of Amtrak recently and my husband and I were at a station that had broken ticket machines and a closed ticket office, so we ended up getting charged a much higher price for our tickets when we were on the train. It's definitely a shock to the system when you realise their process is much different than it is here in the UK.

Just make sure you get your reservation number ahead of time. I wasn't aware of this aspect of Amtrak recently and my husband and I were at a station that had broken ticket machines and a closed ticket office, so we ended up getting charged a much higher price for our tickets when we were on the train. It's definitely a shock to the system when you realise their process is much different than it is here in the UK.

True.  I recently travelled from Battle Creek, Mi to Chicago on Amtrak.  i knew (or thought I knew) that the tickets were 18 USD.  When I went for the ticket the day before I travelled I had to pay 50 USD because, of course, there are only so many cheap seats.  So a good idea to book early.  The train journey itself was a bit of a pain to be honest and I dont think I could do a three day one.  It took almost four hours to travel around 170Km - lots of delays if you get stuck behind a cargo train.

Not the US, but I have taken a train from the west to the east coast of Canada, so a similar trip in length. Parts of it were really great, but I'll admit that there was a lot that wasn't exactly thrilling. The middle bit, in particular. I wouldn't worry about the train itself - you'll be comfortable and the food will be fine. I just got slightly bored. And it was a looooong time to be bored.

Not the US, but I have taken a train from the west to the east coast of Canada, so a similar trip in length. Parts of it were really great, but I'll admit that there was a lot that wasn't exactly thrilling. The middle bit, in particular.

Was it the wheat fields of Saskatchewan that enthralled you?   

Was it the wheat fields of Saskatchewan that enthralled you?   

LOL! Yes, absolutely! 

Seriously though, there's a lot of beauty in great flat expanses of nothingness with an occasional silo to break it up ... but after a couple of days of that, I was slightly less than enthralled.

thanks for all your experiences! we plan to have a rail pass....so i think we're okay as far as reservations...hmmmm....better check a bit more on that. i'm trying to plan the trip so that we would do 1 or 2 days on the train and then stay in one place for a few days....like new orleans. the difficulty is that the train from new orleans to LA does not run every day of the week...some M/W/F others Tue/Thu/Sat...which means if we didn't plan...or if there are big delays...we could end up in some place that we'd rather not stay for up to 4 days.

i'm thinking of this as the itinerary:
   new york - 2 nights
   maryland - 3 nights (my dad lives there)
   train - overnight
   new orleans - 5 nights
   san antonio - 3 nights (but it arrives at 3.00 am and leaves at 5.40 am!)
   train - 2 nights
   san francisco - 2 nights
   train - overnight
   seattle - final destination

we wouldn't be heading home for another couple of weeks....so we don't have an exact day that we need to finish the train journey of the trip. but i have my lovely new granddaughter to visit in the northwest, so want to have time for a nice visit!

I realize this doesn't exactly fit with your itinerary, but I wanted to mention it because it's such a happy memory for me.  My mother and I, and my two kids, took Amtrak from Minneapolis to Seattle and back(to visit my sister) three years ago.  We got a family sleeper car with all meals included.  We started at night (10/11pm?) from Minneapolis, slept that night on train, spent the day on train, slept second night on train, and arrived in Seattle in the aft. I think.

It wasn't the cheapest but we all thought it was worth it.  Getting there was truly half the fun!  The train whizzed through some of the most beautiful countryside - Montana, Glacier National Park, Rocky Mountains.  We could sit in the dome car for maximum view, or hang out in our room reading books, playing cards, etc. without having to be seatbelted in.

The meals in the dining car were delicious, and because we had prepaid for them we felt free to Eat-Our-Way-Across-America.  We could take as much luggage as we wanted(lots of skiers getting on with full kit) and we had no annoying crowded airport-terminal-type experiences.  Our train was not delayed and we rarely even saw another train.  I remember one night we passed a lone car driving along a windswept Montana highway while we were at the table in the dining car.  I raised my glass of wine to them in a kind of toast, and they waved.  I was so glad to be in that train instead of a car like them - I've rarely felt so luxurious in my life!    And I've never, ever, felt so relaxed when traveling with my kids.  I'll remember that trip always.

okay...so everyone has been so positive....just booked our trip! i'm really excited...i love train travel.

so a bit of advice needed....we're stopping in two places that i've not visited.....new orleans and san antonio. any recommendations for things to see, places to stay. a bit of a challenge with san antonio in that the train arrives at 3.00 and departs at 5. 40. we'll stay a few days...but checking into a hotel in the middle of the night might be impossible. so is san antonio the best place to stop in texas? the guide book USA by rail seems to say it has the most to offer.

thanks for all your fond memories. i have some as well. we travelled by train from anchorage to fairbanks in a newly restored dome car train. it was so amazing! i do love the things you see out the window of a train.

k