Amtrak from East To West
 

Anyone ever take an Amtrak train trip across country. This is something we have very seriously thought about. We would start out either in Boston or fly to Chicago and head west from there. The trip ends in Van Couver. We would rent a car, spend a few days exploring the area and then fly back to Boston.

The sleeper cars sound "cozy" and romantic, and I am thinking the scenery would be breathtaking. Just wondering if anyone has ever been there, done that - and what they thought of the trip.

Thanks in advance,

NannyJan

my friends have looked into this as flying is not their favorite thing to do, to have a sleeper, it's EXPENSIVE it will cost you a couple thousand dollars or close. maybe fly to denver and rent a car for the rest of the trip?

An English friend of ours did this a few years ago and absolutely loved it.

I did a trip in a sleeper car from NYC to Cleveland, and although the scenery was pretty and the service was very good, (sleeper cars have their own butler for about 8 compartments), it was not very comfortable, and sleeping was difficult, because of the noise and the bumpppppppping around.

The sleeper car for one is very small, and probably not alot bigger for two. There was a toilet in the room and a sink but in order to use the toilet you had to fold up the bed, and to fold up the bed you had to open the door and stand outside the cabin.

It might be a bit nicer in newer trains, but not sure I would do it again.

<b>wantsomesun</b>,

What you had was a <i>roomette</i>. Amtrak also has <b>bedrooms</b>, very roomy, with private bathroom with shower. BIG difference.

BTW, NYC-ORD-SEA, one-way, 2 adults, bedroom suite with full board is ~$1250 all in. It's a 4 day/3 night trip

I took Amtrak a couple of years from Washington D.C, to San Diego CA via Chicago IL in Deluxe Bedroom (which is now a bedroom) and missed my connection back from Chicago IL by a couple of hours. At Amtrak put me up in a hotel for the night. I decided to fly home since there was no sleeping car space available

Hi

I've taken the DC-New Orleans train (24 hours) a few times in recent history and took a roomette. I found the first time I did this, I had difficulty sleeping, what with the speed and clickety-clack of the train and the excitement of travelling through the Deep South and seeing New Orleans for the first time. The next 3 times I took it, sleeping was not an issue at all; in fact I dozed off during the day for a few hours.

I've found the food to be fine, and sometimes even good, in the dining car; dining can be a fun experience, as you're seated with other passengers and get to learn a bit about their journeys. Landscapes I find interesting, as was passing through some of the towns/cities along the way. The roomette is by no means romantic, but I've found it adequate for sleeping and certainly more comfortable than many other means of travel.

All in all, despite hour delays here and there, I found it a great experience, but not for people who can't take it slow &amp; easy. I'd recommend bringing a book or three and maybe some needlepoint too, and you'll be set :). DAN

I had friends who looked into this for their honeymoon - and ended up going across Canada instead.

Said the train was nicer, the scenery better and the price much lower - due to the difference between US and Canadian $. Since you;re going to Vancouver anyway you may want to consider this instead. (I understand they also have a much better on-time record.)

My husband and I did the Amtrak trip where you get to choose any three stopovers on the route. We had a sleeper car without bath where the seats make a lower berth and an upper berth pulls down. It was pretty comfortable, and we slept okay. There are plenty of restrooms and shower rooms available.

We rode from Chicago along the southwestern route through Colorado to California and then returned along the northern route through North Dakota back to Chicago. We enjoyed the scenery; the food (dining car included in your rate); the observation car; and the pleasant fellow travellers.

The stops we chose were Portland, Seattle, and Glacier National Park in Montana. You can stay as long as you like, up to 90 days, but we did it in two weeks. The only thing we would have changed was that on another trip we would fly home only because the scenic beauty is decreasing coming east and the trip was becoming old hat. We did do a day trip to Victoria Island from Seattle.

I encourage you to make the trip. It really shows you what a big and varied country the U.S. is and is different from other kinds of travel.

I took a sleeper compartment from NY to JAX FL several years ago and loved it.

Funny how two people react to the same things. I'm a very light &amp; restless sleeper and yet, with the rocking and the rail noise, the sound of the engine horn, and the doppler effect of the bells at rail crossings, I SLEPT LIKE A BABY!

i don't really consider the cars cozy or romantic ... just functional. I love railroading, but if you are a &quot;type A&quot; personality then DO NOT take a train trip. However, if you can &quot;roll with the flow&quot; and make the best of delays and not get upset, then do try it.

From today's Seattle <i>Times</i>:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...aintrip05.html

my folks took this train a few years ago and really enjoyed it. they traveled from dc to seattle via chicago with a couple nights in glacier national park. they had a 1st class sleeper but i don't think they slept too well. they flew back via united.

the scenery was beautiful--the overnights are scheduled so you are traveling through the more boing parts-- and i think they are really glad they did it. they got a huge kick out of the different people who got on and off the train as various points. they also said the food wasn't bad.

Last summer I went on Amtrack in a sleeping car from Seattle to Chicago and back again with friends who, up until then, didn't fly. The experience made them born again airplane enthusiasts.

I like the fast, modern trains in Europe, but not the poorly kept, lumbering Amtrack trains with a few hard-working employees doing all the work for a bunch of slackers.

In the USA, I'd rather fly to a great destination and rent a car. Or, living is Seattle, hop in my car and drive down the coast or into the mountains.

On my Seattle-Chicago-Seattle trip I met a few people who really love Amtrack travel. If you're one of them, you know it. However, unlike a cruise in a private yacht, Amtrack is not a form of travel that should, in my opinion, be foisted on the unsuspecting public.

The sleeper cars are &quot;cozy&quot; in the sense of &quot;snug,&quot; and they are &quot;snug&quot; in the sense of &quot;offering a private hiding place.&quot; They are a welcome refuge, but they are not my idea of romantic. A walk on the headlands at Mendocino is romantic, but a night tossing around in an Amtrack sleeper car is not.

Happytrails...

I think it is looking like we are doing Europe - probably Paris and Geneva Lake - and will experience those fast modern trains you are talking about.

Thanks for your (everyone's) comments. I do think we will try this trip someday, but maybe, as one poster said, just for the most scenic part of the trip. Or perhaps we will save the train ride for Alaska one day...

Thanks, NannyJan