fly wait or Amtrak

[GlenandVal]

has anyone thought of taking Amtrak seems the prices are comparable

 

if you have the regular seats it d cost us from vancouver to los angels 194 one way but with a sleeper room its 441 southbound and 397 norhtbound return 838 before taxes us dollars the air flight is 818 return canadian dollars and how many hours waiting

 

the amtrak includes food when you book a sleeper room

 

and would be a more enjoyable ride and very scenic

 

 

justa thought

[Petert]

Hi SilverVal,

 

We live in Orange, CA , which is about a hundred miles from the San Diego cruise terminal. We can't get a non-stop flight there, and it would be a miserable flight that would take us at least four hours. We drove there once, and had to park our car at the local rates. Then we got smart and started taking AMTRAK. The rail station is only a 10 minute ride from the house, and we can get there 20 minutes before our train leaves. For $31 we get a reserved seat and a snack with a bottle of wine. A nice two hour trip gets us to the old Santa Fe Station, which is about two blocks from the cruise terminal. We then walk over to the terminal and are on board within about three hours of leaving home.

 

We have seriously considered taking the AMTRAK to Vancouver. My daughter took the train to Seattle once, and she really enjoyed the trip, but it is a bit long. We have traveled extensively, through out Europe, by rail and enjoy this method of travel. I don't think we could justify the sleeper for this trip, but the coach rate is comparable to air fares. When they improve the travel time we will sure use this service.

 

Petert

[GlenandVal]

duplicate post clicked it seems to go through so slowly

[GlenandVal]

duplicate post clicked it seems to go through so slowly

[GlenandVal]

duplicate post clicked it seems to go through so slowly

[GlenandVal]

well we live approx 30 minutes from the train station but thats the same distance we are from vancouver international airport

 

if we got the sleeper car on the 35 trip from seattle to los angles leg there and the same on way home it would cost maybe 20 or a little more then air fare or less depending and the train includes food when you have a sleeper car and we do not need to be on the train 3 hours early and can bring our shampoo and such and water bottles

 

in a sleeper car they give us water bottles though

 

we are seriously considering the train for our back 2 back cruise out of san pedro esp sicne we can get a train right to san pedro or long beach and arrive the evening before

 

would be a nice trip

 

 

but for you so close to the train and ti lets you out so clsoe to cruise port in san diego sounds great 2 hours but by plane 4 hours how crazy so wroth it for you 31 dollars each and a bottle of wine

[beachchick]

Yes absolutely. Although we've not done it to get to a cruise, our DD lives in Seattle. We've taken the Coast Starlight a few times and LOVE it. Do get the room. We've done the little roomettes, but after this past trip in June, we're going to price it with the larger room. Then again, DH and I have physical disabilities that do make that tiny room not work so well for us these days.

 

I got a tip from one of the staff that usually the further in advance you book, the less expensive the room will be. We kind of decided last minute (4 weeks before) this time. Had we booked 4 or 5 months earlier, we could have booked the larger room for what we paid for the roomette. My mom also took the train up, but I had booked it for her about 1 month before I booked ours. Sure enough, the price for the roomette had gone up $80 in just a few weeks. So, book as far in advance as possible and then keep checking. They actually will do a price adjustment (although it's usually in the form of a voucher) right up until you leave.

 

The reason we decided to do the train this time was that it cost less to train up and do a o/w flight home than to fly r/t. The bonus is that you don't have to hassle with the airports, you get to see amazing scenery, and it's kind of like the cruise ship experience in that there is a parlor car for sleeping compartment guests. You meet all kinds of interesting people. The down side is that the train is almost always late, and these days there are delays caused by track work--we were 4-1/2 hours late getting into Seattle; my mom was 7 hours late, we had to pick her up at 3:00 am. We were exhausted; she was fine because she had been sleeping right up until about 1/2 hour before the train came in!

 

It's a fabulous trip. We will probably do it in the future. I will say though that they've scaled back on the parlor car goodies. You can get water, soda, juice, etc. all day (included in your fare), but the wine selections at the afternoon tastings are not that great (they used to be really good) and the morning and afternoon snacks are limited (they used to have an amazing selection of local yummies). Still, it was acceptable and the trip was wonderful.

 

beachchick

[sonnykub]

You're lucky to have the Coast Starlight right there - many people think of that train as a "once in a lifetime experience".

 

DH is afraid of flying. Thankfully, living in Tampa, we're close enough to Port Canaveral/Miami/Fort Lauderdale to drive in a few hours, though Miami and Fort Lauderdale are also easily done by train.

 

I personally enjoy train travel, and since tranquilizer darts are not allowed on board a plane (:-)), it's just easier and less stress on both of us to take the train if we have to go somewhere up the eastern seaboard. If we had to go to, say, Houston or New Orleans...the train service isn't as quick.

 

With this in mind, there are some train routes that are great to get you to your destination. The Coast Starlight from Seattle to LA is fabulous for that. If I had to take the train from Orlando to LA...uhm....I might opt for the darts in pill form for DH.

 

It's hit-and-miss for availability and pricing on Amtrak given their "buckets of inventory" scheme. If it's low season, and you can book well in advance, you're more likely to obtain deep discounts for travel. For instance, we booked our train from Orlando to Boston about 11 months in advance, and paid $300 for a bedroom sleeper to NYC, and First Class Acela seats from NYC to Boston. Just a few months before the cruise, some friends found pricing close to $1000 for the same itinerary (!!!). Personally, I swear it was a fluke or we were just lucky, as I've never seen anything close to $300 since.

 

Other things that help are being members of NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers), AAA membership, and asking if any other discounts may apply due to the passenger's age or organization affiliation.

[CruisinMommas]

Hey Sonnykub, I am much like you husband. My husband will have to knock me out at home first to get me on a plane. We have taken Amtrak to Orlando (Autotrain) and the Meteor FTL. We will be taking Amtrak to MIA in Feb. I found out that we both could have a roomette for the price of the bigger room. I have to start plinking the keys to see for this trip. I am wanting to use Amtrak to go Vancouver in the future. I was concerned that if the bus from VC to Seattle was late does the eastbound train wait for the bus. I am going to call Amtrak for this info. I also have to wait for the 2008 spring sailings to come out. My point is that we enjoy the train. Another vote for Amtrak.

[Druke I]

I'm a huge Amtrak fan, but unfortunately the Coast Starlight has a terrible on-time record, and it is now being called the Starlate by wags.

 

There have been several newspaper articles about it the past couple of weeks, at least in the Sacramento Bee and the San Francisco Chronicle.

 

We last rode it May 04, and it was five hours late into Sacramento after the overnight run from Portland. That was OK for us, but for those attempting to connect with the San Francisco Zephyr and points back East, it was a nightmare.

 

Too bad, because it goes through some beautiful country, and should be a relaxing ride.

[phopte]

I took my Dad on an around the country Amtrak trip a couple of years ago and loved it! We went from Atlanta -> New Orleans -> LA -> Seattle -> Chicago - D.C -> Atlanta - 7,500 rail miles/10 days. We had first class compartments the whole way and it included the food (pretty good in my opiniion). Yes the train was often late but Amtrak is pretty aware of this and if you are connecting to another train, they will get you there. We were on the Southwest Chief and it was running late to LA. They took us and the other northbound passengers for the Coastal Starlight off the train in Palm Springs and bused us and our luggage to Santa Barbara. It worked out well although I was hoping to se LA from the train. :(

 

It really depends on where you are in the country as to the level of service you might find. As with the air routes, I would plan on arriving the day before to allow for train delays.

[Treven]

Unfortunately I decided to take Amtrak from Sacramento to LA for my last flight to Puerto Vallarta. I wasn't in a hugh hurry and felt certain that the train would go through places I'd never seen, even though I've lived here for 35 years.

 

BIG MISTAKE!!!!! Passenger trains are the poor cousins of the freight trains; freigh trains are the money makers so our passenger train always had to wait for a freight train to pass; or if one broke down ahead of us, we had to wait for that problem to be fixed before we could proceed.

 

It took 18 hours to get to LA; got in about 2 in the morning, instead of about 8 the previous evening. After checking into my hotel I left a wake up call for 7 so I could get out to LAX for my flight to Mexico.

 

NEVER again!!

[Autumnrose]

I used to work for AMTRAK so I know that they can run late. I have seen trains arrive anywhere from a few minutes early to 12 hours late. This is mainly because AMTRAK does not own the rails so they have no control of what the freight trains will do and the freight trains have the right away. The is no tax on AMTRAK so the fare you were told would be total. AMTRAK's fare's are much easier to understand then the airlines. The fares are tiered and based on availablility only not advance purchase and they usually only do fare updates twice a year instead of several times a day like the airlines do. If you are going to travel overnight I would highly recommend a sleeper. Sleeping in the regular seats is a miserable experience!

[leoandhugh]

beachchick are you aware that there is a handicapped accessible bedroom on the lower level of a couple of cars on the starlight?:) we, who live in san diego have used it from here to seattle and it worked well for us.

[GlenandVal]

thanks to everyone for their replies

 

we have been thinking about this for years and now wioth all the long waits on the planes we are going go to our TA at BCAA and check this out seriously on wednesday

 

 

DH says it sounds romantic I say he gets the top bunker lol

[creddick]

As far as I'm concerned, the train is the only way to travel. My DW and I are taking Amtrak from East Lansing, MI, to Vancouver in three weeks. Don't plan on the train being on time, although some are better than others. Throw your watch in your suitcase and enjoy the trip. Spend the extra bucks for a sleeper (I recommend the bedroom) and arrive rested and ready to go. The sleeper includes all meals too and they are quite good. I have not flown since 1987 and I sincerely hope I don't have to ever again. Take the train! Enjoy. See the country.

[KarinaGW]

I recently had to go home to NYC for a day trip and I started out with a plan to drive as I always do. I decided that that would take too much out of me and I'd probably crash, so I investigated my options. Airfare and railfare (2 days out) were comparable with airfare being somewhat higher. I decided to take the train...it would get me into the city an hour earlier than driving and I didn't have to drive.

 

I had forgotten how nice taking the train was. The seats are more spacious than on a plane (coach), there are fold-down trays and if you sit in the right car, you have an electric outlet at your disposal. No seatbelts, a short stroll to the snack car which has a much better selection than a plane...very relaxing, I'm glad I did it.

 

That said, I would only use it as an option to driving (3-4 hour range) if I was only going. I could barely justify the huge price difference for just one of me, two or more...nope.

[beachchick]

beachchick are you aware that there is a handicapped accessible bedroom on the lower level of a couple of cars on the starlight?:) we, who live in san diego have used it from here to seattle and it worked well for us.

 

Yes I am, but thank you for thinking of that. We do not require that type of accommodation though. Neither of us is in a wheelchair (yet, and hopefully never). However, we both need to be able to recline and put our feet up, as well as lie down and rest. It's not practical or really possible to have the beds made up all the time; the upper berth has simply become more than I can comfortably handle; and the seats don't really "recline," plus to put your feet up you have to put them up on the other person's seat--and DH has long legs. We managed, but we won't take the trip in the roomette again. The larger room (not the family room) has a separate club chair, private bath, and much more space. That's the way we'll go in the future. Years ago it wasn't so much an issue, but now it is.

 

Fortunately, the club chairs in the parlor car are incredibly comfortable. We spent quite a bit of time there, but would have preferred to be in our own room more of the time. We both get fatigued easily and need to rest, and when we are fatigued we don't want to be around others and "socialize" or even be in a busy environment. We enjoy meeting people. In fact, we met a couple on this past trip and really hit it off. We've been in contact ever since and plan on getting together soon. We just need the flexibility to go "be" quietly by ourselves when our health requires it. That's one reason we always get a balcony cabin when cruising. We spend more time in our cabin and on our balcony than many pax. (When someone asks what kind of cabin might be best, there is always the "cheaper the better because 'you're' never in your cabin except to sleep, shower, and dress" answer. I feel compelled to respond that is not true for all cruisers, both for preference and health.)

 

beachchick

[LynneL]

Our family uses AMTRAK for any vacation that requires more than a few hours driving (husband works for them so I need to say no more). We've traveled to many to count times from NYC to Florida. Besides the $ savings for us, it is a nice trip only if you think of the train as part of the journey or vacation experience - not just getting to your destination. For those that view it only as trying to get from point A to B within a certain amt. of time, you may not enjoy it as much. Some friends who come with us go crazy over the delays (yes they are annoying & depending on the route almost to be expected, same as if you had a very long drive somewhere). As another poster said the freight has priority. It is, however, a nice opportunity to sit back, spend time with your family/travel partners & just escape the everyday rush.

 

This does not apply to the OP - but for those traveling with families on a long train ride, food can get expensive if you have a coach seat & don't have meals included. Pack a light-weight soft sided cooler with sandwiches, drinks, snacks, etc. Rooms are without a doubt the most comfortable way to sleep; however, for anyone traveling with kids (besides the budget issue) this does confine you to that small room. You can't sit in the coach section where kids can be diverted with other children on board. You only get the booths at snack bar area & they get taken up quickly. My kids slept fine in the coach seats - however I didn't. It is something I think everyone should try at least once (& I'd say that even if hubby wasn't an employee).

[cusyl]

We did Amtrak a few years ago for a cruise out of California. I did enjoy it, but there were a few problems...mainly with the train running late. We had the roomette which consists of a sofa and an overhead bunk, the bathroom was down the hall and the shower was downstairs.

We were so late that the train ran out of food and the chef quit and got off the train. They called ahead to a town they were going thru and got frozen sandwiches and oranges. Have you ever tried to eat an orange on a train? LOL

I m glad the cruise we had booked didn't sail until 2 days after we arrived which gave us time to see the area and unwind. All in all, it was still better than a coach seat on a plane. Next time I would get the bigger room which had the bathroom facilities in the same room.