It's not too late to cancel my reservations on the Empire Builder from Chicago to Portland. Is this a good or bad idea? What do you think?

hello -- i LOVE train travel -- of course the longest trip i've been on was an overnight trip (16 hours) from portland to whitefish montana -- i was down at the train depot once and i "interviewed" several travelers -- people who were traveling the same route as you -- a few said they'd NEVER do it again, and others were on their second or third excursion -- have you ever traveled that far on a train before? -- i believe it's all an attitude!! -- if you tend to be flexible and like adventures, then go for it -- what do you have to lose? -- one thing i did learn -- i am not a smoker, but if you are, be warned that the smoking breaks are FEW and FAR between!!! -- have a grand adventure -- you'll be going through some beautiful country in southern oregon, that can only be seen from a train!!

hello again -- i was laying in bed last eve and to my embarrassment, i realized that the "empire builder" travels through montana, eastern washington and either down the columbia gorge to portland, or to seattle first and then to portland -- i got that route confused with a trip that heads south out of portland to california and then points east -- silly me -- in any case, the info above, except for the comment on southern oregon still holds true, with two additional thoughts: if you have the extra $, treat yourselt to a sleeper for a more deluxe trip -- and enjoy the trip through glacier national park and through the fabulous and famous columbia river gorge, (if you go that way) from the comfortable train seat, you'll LOVE it -- be sure to take your camera!!

Go EARLY to the dining car to avoid being told they've run out of food. If you are sleeping in your seat, bring an eye mask. They don't turn all the ceiling lights out on those trains and they will be shining in your eye all night. Other than that, the 18 hours on the train from Chi to DC were fun.

The route sounds wonderful, and of course, you'll be free to look at it instead of having to worry about driving. But AMTRAK travel is very disappointing -- not at all what you expect from watching movies. The dining room service and food are terrible -- microwaved entrees served with plastic utensils -- not even as good as airplane food! And during the trip we were on -- from Dallas to LA -- they had half the dining room reserved for people who were waiting for a table, so there were only half as many tables being served! My recommendation is to bring your own food.

Also on our trip, there was derailment on the line, so were rousted out of our beds at 6:00am in San Antonio and put on buses. There was no coffee or food or anything. Two hours later, we came to another train in Uvalde, Texas. The people from that train got on the buses, and we got on the train. There was no food on that train, because they were scheduled to reprovision in San Antonio, so we had to go all the way to El Paso before we could eat. They made us wait in the club car while they made up the beds in the sleepers, and the staff was not in a very good mood.

I would not do it again. If you want to have a lovely train trip, go to Europe. Or sign on with one of the luxury trains in Canada or the US. It'll cost you a fortune, but it will be what you visualize when you think of train travel.

The scenery on that route should be worth looking at. Recently we took a train from California to Chicago. I'd recommend getting a sleeper, (which is what we did) and it is worth it, despite being more costly. Still, the compartments (even the deluxe sleeper) are very small. Many amenities on AMTRAK have been cut, and the food is horrible. Bring your own. Also, there is no white linen table service like in the old days. What I have found is that the
service differs, depending on the route. Also, on some of the routes there are delays, and the train was rarely on time.

The scenery on that route should be worth looking at. Recently we took a train from California to Chicago. I'd recommend getting a sleeper, (which is what we did) and it is worth it, despite being more costly. Still, the compartments (even the deluxe sleeper) are very small. Many amenities on AMTRAK have been cut, and the food is horrible. Bring your own. Also, there is no white linen table service like in the old days. What I have found is that the
service differs, depending on the route. Also, on some of the routes there are delays, and the train was rarely on time.

We are taking same trip stopping at Glacier for 3 days in the middle. we took amtrak Chi - Flagstaff last year and loved it. We had a sleeper (meals included in the price) and thought the food was good - not great, but not bad either. Our kids caught on fast and ordered the best (prime rib) at lunch and dinner since we could order anything. we had linen and silverware, no plasticware at all.
The service was good and it was wonderful to enjoy the scenery without worrying about driving. In the lounge car they plyed videos and had a guide speak one day. I hope the "empire builder" is as nice. This was a fun way to travel and you'll see sites not possible by car. I would recommend a sleeper but if not, bring your own food, blanket and eye mask, ear plugs. Give it a try, I say.

I have taken Amtrak many times. The overwhelming thing to say is that there is NO consistency. Amtrak could do better at this. I would recommend the California Zepher as your best bet at scenery and service. Sleeper is worth the money for comfort but isolates you from the flavor of meeting more people. Of course you will meet some in the dining car since they fill each table. I would recommend you do this instead of eating with the same people all the time. Sometimes there is silverware and table cloths and plenty of food (unless you want the fresh fruit plates). Other times the food is to be skipped ( included with ticket or not). Prepare for this contingency. If you have to be somewhere at a certain time, NO NOT TAKE THE TRAIN unless you have days to spare built in. I think I have had the best car stewards and the worst. My train has arrived a few minutes early to almost a day late. I have never been in a train derailment but have suffered from train malfunctions. ( Expect at lest a little one.) Amtrak does seem to be responsive to written complaints ( the forms are available for the asking from the conductor). Best advice is don't go by the brochure get a geography or travel book to see what the scenery will be on the actual route you choose. Days of Texas flat land can get boring. Overall try it. Your trip will be unique. A little of everything that you have heard here plus whatever your personality brings to it.
I wish you "smooth rails".

My daughter and I took the Empire Builder from Chicago to Minneapolis a month ago. It was very enjoyable, much more scenic than the highway version. Next I'd love to go to Glacier. Definitely bring enough food, beverages for the trip and be pleasantly surprised if you are able to enjoy meals in the dining car. We were not able to have dinner because all reservations were taken by the time they got to our car. We were told that people who have sleeping accommodations get first choice and then they start at one end of the train in the coach cars, the next day they start at the other end of the coach. Coach seats are spacious, like first class on a plane and have meal trays like airline seats so having a picnic is easy. The snack bar has some food and we were able to get glasses with ice at no charge.

I would definitely have a sleeper on a long trip if I could afford it. Otherwise bring a blanket and pillow. Like the food, if you dont need it fine but it helps to be prepared. Enjoy your trip.

We enjoyed the trip from Portland to California. We had not made advance reservation for a sleeper,(a mistake) so as soon as we were on board we ask the conductor if there has been any cancelations in the sleepers. In luck! were transfered to a sleeper the rest of the way. Go to the club car to meet other people,you don't have to spend all your time in the tiny sleeper. travel Happy.

I took Amtrak from Seattle to Sacramento a couple years ago, and I enjoyed it a lot. People living along the tracks waved at the trains as it went by (!). I've also taken the train from Sacramento to San Francisco, and it was also a lot of fun. It's slower than air travel, but a lot better than by car. The trip from Seattle by car takes 16 hours. Take the train, and don't expect luxurious travel. I read and watched the scenery the whole time.