Amtrak

[DGS49]

I have a lifetime interest in railroads and LRT, but have only actually ridden AMTRAK once. I keep thinking about possible rail-excursions but never actually do it.

I got a solicitation by email the other day for some AMTRAK vacations, and one of them sounded pretty good. It's a trip that starts in the Twin Cities, spends three days at Glacier National Park, and ends in Seattle. Apparently, I'm on my own getting to Minneapolis and getting home from Seattle, but I assume I can work that out. There's actually an ad on the site for an airline booking agency, so maybe the specialize in trips where you go to one destination then return from another. Just a guess.

Lodgings are included every night (6 hotel rooms and 2 nights on the train), but only two meals are mentioned. I guess I have to buy my food on the train.

Has anyone ever done one of these? Is there any reason to book this as an AMTRAK excursion, rather than just buying a train ticket and paying for my own rooms?

 

[strollingbones]

trains are nice....as long as they dont wreck...simple as that...they will rock you to sleep....now remember trains normally have an enclosed air system....so dont be smoking the weed in your sleeper car....it stinks up the whole car and normally gets the conductor to knocking...

 

[martybegan]

Always wanted to take a long train ride somewhere. Is part of my bucket list.

 

[rightwinger]

The Trans Canada rail trip is also supposed to be awesome

 

[Unkotare]

Took a nice, long train ride through Alaska once. Very nice.

 

[JenCoop202]

I've never taken a vacation by train but I have taken a 14 hour Amtrak train ride from LA to Albuquerque before. I was in college and I needed the cheapest form of transport to get me there. Amtrak had the best offer at that particular moment in time. It was hands down one of the coolest travel experiences I have had. Seeing so much different terrain in such a short amount of time was just amazing. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and being in northern Arizona forest and then in the morning heading over to the viewing cart to enjoy the desert view while eating breakfast. There were a few strange characters on there, and a guy did get kicked off somewhere along the way for smoking in the bathroom, but all in all, it was great. Go for it.

 

[Political Junky]

AMTRAK is decades behind in train travel. I always dreamed of a long train trip, too, and I finally got to do it all over Europe on great modern trains.

 

[Politico]

Amtrak lobs trains in people's back yards. If you wanna ride on that go for it.

 

[ABikerSailor]

I have a lifetime interest in railroads and LRT, but have only actually ridden AMTRAK once. I keep thinking about possible rail-excursions but never actually do it.

I got a solicitation by email the other day for some AMTRAK vacations, and one of them sounded pretty good. It's a trip that starts in the Twin Cities, spends three days at Glacier National Park, and ends in Seattle. Apparently, I'm on my own getting to Minneapolis and getting home from Seattle, but I assume I can work that out. There's actually an ad on the site for an airline booking agency, so maybe the specialize in trips where you go to one destination then return from another. Just a guess.

Lodgings are included every night (6 hotel rooms and 2 nights on the train), but only two meals are mentioned. I guess I have to buy my food on the train.

Has anyone ever done one of these? Is there any reason to book this as an AMTRAK excursion, rather than just buying a train ticket and paying for my own rooms?

I'll admit, I've never bought a train vacation ticket, but back in the mid 80's, I did buy a 300 dollar trip pass that allowed me to travel for 30 days on any train that AMTRAK had.

I went from Memphis TN, to Chicago IL, to Havre MT (got off the train to visit family for a couple of weeks), then went to Portland OR, down to San Francisco CA, back up to Salt Lake City UT, and then back to Chicago and returned to Memphis TN.

It was a wonderful trip. Not only did I get to see parts of the country I wouldn't normally see (being at the bottom of a canyon next to a river in the observation car was STUNNING), but I also got a chance to meet up and talk with a bunch of different people, many of whom I had a lot of interesting conversations with.

There's just something about riding on a train that is magical. You get where you're going faster than a bus or a car, but you also travel slower than an airplane, and people tend to converse more on those types of trips more than others.

If you have the money, I'd advise getting a sleeper car (if possible) and getting your meals on the restaurant car. Granted.............you will stop at places where you can buy food, but again, there is something kinda magical about riding along and looking at the changing scenery while eating.

I just wish that AMTRAK had more trains and more places where they traveled. Out of all the forms of transportation (and I've ridden buses, airplanes, ships as well as trains), I like trains the best.

Besides...................it's easier to become a member of the Rail Society than a member of the Mile High Club.

I know..................I'm a member.

 

[Pogo]

I've been on that train, out of Chicago... forget about rocking to sleep unless you're three feet tall or you get a sleeper car, which you have to book waaay in advance. Can be hard on the back but won't kill you outright.

If this is a special deal that only goes one way, you could look into buying a short-term railpass that would get you home, even provide another travel diversion (but no lodging). That's how I did the trip, the railpass.

Bring storable food on the train. There is a snack shop and a dining room but it's neither cheap nor outstanding.

If you're on at the right time you'll prolly have some national park people aboard in the observation car especially through Montana - that's fun.

Bring camera of course but also binoculars. And be advised the route back eastbound is usually delayed.

 

[Sarah G]

We took the train from Windsor to Toronto to Montreal. We also took a side trip to Quebec City. It was really fun, we met some really nice people. We stayed in condos rather than hotels. We were with several other couples so it made sense.

I want to take The Orient Express sometime or any Euro train journey.

 

[Political Junky]

We took the train from Windsor to Toronto to Montreal. We also took a side trip to Quebec City. It was really fun, we met some really nice people. We stayed in condos rather than hotels. We were with several other couples so it made sense.

I want to take The Orient Express sometime or any Euro train journey.

OMG, the Orient Express would be awesome. I once saw the Orient Express in a train station that my train was going through. Even that was exciting.

 

[Sarah G]

We took the train from Windsor to Toronto to Montreal. We also took a side trip to Quebec City. It was really fun, we met some really nice people. We stayed in condos rather than hotels. We were with several other couples so it made sense.

I want to take The Orient Express sometime or any Euro train journey.

OMG, the Orient Express would be awesome. I once saw the Orient Express in a train station that my train was going through. Even that was exciting.

I saw a documentary on PBS once and I've wanted to go ever since.

 

[Political Junky]

Just found this site.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express - Luxury Train Journeys to Venice, Paris, London, Istanbul

Was the documentary hosted by David Suchet? I saw that one.

 

[Esmeralda]

It's quite expensive, the Orient Express. I looked into it one time.

Having lived in Europe for some years and done a lot of traveling there, I've done a lot of train travel. In fact, it is what seems normal to me. I didn't have a car when I lived there and usually traveled by train. I'll be in France for 8 weeks this year, and will travel by train when I travel, as I will be based in one city. I've traveled short distances and long distances as well as quite a few over night trips. One time I spent 5 weeks traveling around the UK with a railpass; I essentialy made a circle starting in London and ending in London, covering the Southwest of England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Yorkshire, the Lake District, and back to London. I started one time to travel around Spain on the train, but found that their trains are rather expensive, so I changed to buses. Those are just two examples. I traveled once from Germany to Athens, through Yogoslavia when it was still a satelite country. That was a 2 day trip, over night of course. In the middile of winter and the heating went out. There was snow and the windows iced up: and I was young and didn't have money for a sleeping cabin. I like train travel a lot, especially when it's comfortable and inexpensive. Certainly though, there are times when having a car would be a lot better.