Dipping my toe back in?

[port msp]

On 8/3/2023 at 3:24 PM, Toofarfromthesea said:

Yup.  It is amazing how knowledgable some of the folks there are.  The website is

 

https://www.amtraktrains.com/

 

in case anyone would like to have a look.

Thanks for the link!  I've been thinking about doing some exploring by Amtrak and that website should help answer a lot of questions.  We took the Empire Builder from St. Paul to Seattle a number of years ago on a planes, trains, and automobiles (and many other modes of conveyance) trip and really enjoyed it.  I liked the pace of Amtrak, just sitting, reading, and watching the world go by.  A roomette would be about perfect for one, for two it's a little tight, especially in sleep mode.  We've also traveled around Europe and Japan by rail and had great trips.  My advice based on our Europe/Japan trips one Amtrak trip; 1) pack light in a bag that's easy to move up and down steps/down narrow corridors, and 2) don't plan a tight connection based on Amtrak's timetables.  We got into Seattle many hours late.  What was planned as an all day visit to the Museum of Flight on arrival day turned into a 1.5 hr mad dash through the exhibits before the museum closed.  Because of work schedules, it had to be a very tightly scheduled trip.   We were able to string together 16 modes of conveyance on that little adventure.  After the leisurely Amtrak leg, the rest of the trip was pretty frenetic!  

 

I hope your test run to St. Louis turns out well.  

 

 

 

[Toofarfromthesea]

44 minutes ago, port msp said:

Thanks for the link!  I've been thinking about doing some exploring by Amtrak and that website should help answer a lot of questions.  We took the Empire Builder from St. Paul to Seattle a number of years ago on a planes, trains, and automobiles (and many other modes of conveyance) trip and really enjoyed it.  I liked the pace of Amtrak, just sitting, reading, and watching the world go by.  A roomette would be about perfect for one, for two it's a little tight, especially in sleep mode.  We've also traveled around Europe and Japan by rail and had great trips.  My advice based on our Europe/Japan trips one Amtrak trip; 1) pack light in a bag that's easy to move up and down steps/down narrow corridors, and 2) don't plan a tight connection based on Amtrak's timetables.  We got into Seattle many hours late.  What was planned as an all day visit to the Museum of Flight on arrival day turned into a 1.5 hr mad dash through the exhibits before the museum closed.  Because of work schedules, it had to be a very tightly scheduled trip.   We were able to string together 16 modes of conveyance on that little adventure.  After the leisurely Amtrak leg, the rest of the trip was pretty frenetic!  

 

I hope your test run to St. Louis turns out well.  

 

 

 

 

Thanks.  I got a lot of my initial knowledge about Amtrak from YouTube videos on the Grounded Life Travel channel.  It brought me up to speed on the basics very quickly.

[Charles4515]

On 8/2/2023 at 8:39 PM, Toofarfromthesea said:

Especially if I can handle it in coach rather than a sleeper car,because the price difference is huge. 

I would not book a coach seat on any long distance Amtrak train. You won't get much sleep with kids running around and people getting on and off. Roomettes are worth it. Also expect delays as the frieght railroads don't treat Amtrak well. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

2 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

I would not book a coach seat on any long distance Amtrak train. You won't get much sleep with kids running around and people getting on and off. Roomettes are worth it. Also expect delays as the frieght railroads don't treat Amtrak well. 

 

I'm hoping that traveling midweek in October will greatly lessen the kid issue.  We'll see.  I haven't seen that happening in the videos I've watch but that can be deceptive.