http://reason.com/archives/2005/12/01/amtrak-sucks#slide1
Here's the first page, rest at the link.
Daughter and I went from Omaha to Chicago two years ago and it was OK. No Wi-Fi, and power for phones was hit and miss. On the upside, the seats are spacious and you can bring a cooler with food and drinks.
Had a two hour delay on the return trip and it’s like riding a Greyhound. You stop at every little town. Maybe try Omaha to Chicago first before a cross country trip.
It is the last civilized mode of travel available to the American public.
But they only promise that you will leave the originating station on time. After that it’s a crap shoot.
Food, very good
Get a sleeper and the service is excellent.
Go First Class and you’ll never travel any other way again.
L
You need to be a train person.
I have traveled overnight many times. I have always spent the extra money for a first class cabin. The room is quite nice, for a train car. There is a nice sofa, table and chair with a big window. The beds that make up from the sofa are small, but reasonable. The bathroom has a little shower over the toilet that works surprisingly well.
The food is hit or miss. It is diner quality, nothing fancy. What you have to know is that for fire safety reasons, they don’t have a grill on board, so everything is either crock-potted, or microwaved. That means they can’t make a good burger, but the slow-braised short ribs are excellent. Again, hit or miss.
The service is for the most part very good. There is definitely a government subsidized employee feel to the atmosphere, and you get the occasional apathetic type, but you also get some great people that have a real knowledge of the rail and scenery. It’s better than the airlines.
The routes are also hit and miss. Some of the really old train stations are super cool, and you’ll see some of the most scenic places in the world. Unfortunately, stations are often in the seedy part of town, since they use the same rail as the freight lines.
Which brings us to another problem. Time schedules. Because they use rail that is owned by the freight companies, they must adhere to a strict schedule of hitting rail junctions. Once they (inevitably) miss one, they miss them all and are required to yield to freight traffic, which means you sit on a siding for twenty minutes while freight crawls by. The good news is you can always count on Amtrak to not be there on time.
Overall, I enjoy it enough that I won’t fly if I can make the time to take the train, despite the extra cost. Some routes have a fabulous bar car with big swiveling chairs and 180 degree view windows, but I don’t think your route does. You’ll also meet some really interesting people on the train, since they aren’t in a hurry to get where they are going, and are there for the fun of it.
Again, you’re doing it for the experience more than the travel convenience.
I like AMTRAK. You can get up and walk around, enjoy the landscape, there’s a sightseeing car and snack bar, people aren’t hurrying to get somewhere. You’re thinking of a pretty long trip. Perhaps a shorter one before that to see if it’s for you would be a good idea. The last two times I made reservation, it was months ahead of time. The price was very reasonable by doing that.
I’ve taken Amtrak many times, as have family members. It’s more timely on the East Coast, but there are also a lot more shady characters, and the restrooms are typically not even close to tolerably maintained. The cars and restrooms are cleaner everywhere else that I’ve taken their trains, and the people are often more interesting, but you never know when you’ll get there. Overall, I like it enough to do it again and to put my kids on the train often. It’s worth trying for variety, even if you won’t use it as your regular mode of transportation.
If money is no object there s also the larger rooms with showers. Pretty roomy for a train.
Go online and check out their website and there should also be videos on YouTube of the accommodations and reviews.
I travel from Hampton roads to DC and it is quick, clean an enjoyable.
However the journey Friday nights fron DC to Norfolk can be slow because the freight trains take priority. Passenger trains are sidelined while the CSX and NSou trains go through. Plus the cars are coming back from NYC so the lavatories are less than pleasant.
“Question, has anyone here ever taken Amtrak and if so what did everyone think?”
Never.
Hi Navy Vet,
In 2008, we flew to Denver and got on the Amtrak at Union Station (that is quite the experience)road to Salt Lake City. Then, we rented a car and went to Yellowstone, etc. We did the same in reverse a week later. I think you and your wife will love it. The people you meet in the dining cars and the sandwich shop are memorable.
The only thing I would change, is I would get a sleeping car. Otherwise you have to sleep in you traveling chair.
The observation cars really make the trip.
The best of luck to you and your wife, Navy Vet.
Just took Acela BOS-NY and back yesterday..
Right idea, poor execution.
my love and I took it from Kansas City to St. Louis and back and had a great time
I took Amtrak twice from Chicago to San Francisco about 10 years ago. I loved it. I was traveling solo, but had a sleeper room. Very relaxing, loved sitting in the sight seer car and looking at the country side. Going up the mountains to remote places in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada was awesome. I actually met some really nice people that I still keep in touch with today. I’m not a chatty person, so this was a little unusual for me. The trip took 48 hours, so you do need some extra time, but I would like to do it again.
Drawbacks include speed. It is slower than a plane, but you know that. (This is partially remedied by the fact that a first time trip on a train is an event itself) The other drawback is that it isn't cheaper than flying.
There are a lot of YouTube videos of people taking train rides, you can get a very good idea what it is like from that.
My wife uses it all the time and loves it. She did get bogged down in an accident once involving a car on the tracks and had to wait hours for the coroner to show up. But that is not a usual occurrence.
Like many things, it isn’t as good as it used to be and it’s expensive. However, it sure beats flying and in many cases driving! For overnight trips, spring for the sleeper car. Very relaxing. We dined with many interesting people in the dining car over the years. I think my favorite was the young Russian couple who were so thrilled to be in America and thought capitalism was the best thing ever! They were really cute.
I’ve taken it several times between L.A. and Colorado. Believe me, if you are in for a long trip, GET A ROOM.
You get away from the cattle cars and have some peace and quiet. You can lay down and read as you wish, plus you either have a private toilet or have one that is shared by very few people. I got a lot of work done and met some very nice people who were in the same car. Meals are included.
You will have delays. Are you in a hurry?
It sure beats the airport energy and crowds.
Many years ago, I took the California Zephyr - Desert Wind from Chicago to LA. Scenery was nice and I recommend sleeper for a long trip. You meet interesting people on a train like that. You have time to talk with your fellow passengers. I don’t think the Desert Wind service is still available, but there are other routes. The service can be unreliable, with late departures, delays, etc. I think it’s a good experience to have, long train ride, being served a meal in the dining car, like the old days.
When I got to Portland, I could take the MAX light rail line to my hotel and to my business destination the next day.
Likewise, on my trips north to Vancouver (BC), if you go business class, your car is the first one off at Canadian customs. Skytrain is less than a block away, and it was only a few stops to my hotel.
I've gone cross country from Philadelphia to Seattle around 7 times. Some trips weren't so good, but most of them were fine. I met a number of interesting people in the dining car, to include an author on a book tour, and a former spec ops E-5 who, when apprised of my military past, told me a few things he probably shouldn't have. (Don't worry; I know the rules about security.)
I've gone from Los Angeles and San Jose to Seattle and back on the Coast Starlight, and I loved the Pacific Parlor Car, which was recently taken off the train for good. That's a shame; I enjoyed the wine-and-cheese parties, and the fact that the overstuffed chairs by the window had a little rack on the window to prevent one's drink from falling over. It was a civilized way to go.
I've taken Pacific Surfliner service from San Diego and Los Angeles as far as San Luis Obispo, and I loved the bar car. On my last trip I had two large bottles of microbrew ale to slake my thirst because I was so dehydrated from the Santa Ana winds. (Yeah, that's the ticket. I was dehydrated.)
On the East Coast, I've taken Acela trains from DC and New York to Philadelphia and back more times than I can count. I've never had a bad trip. Even at 125 mph, you can barely see the ripples in your glass of beer.
I'll take the train to flying any day.
California Coast.
Fun. it’s a novelty. Helps if you’re a train buff.
Get a roomette if your trip is long or longish.
Lots of YouTube videos of Amtrak trips.
http://reason.com/archives/2005/12/01/amtrak-sucks#slide1
Here's the first page, rest at the link.