Posting in IMHO to facilitate comments like, “NO! Don’t do it!” and so forth.
My beloved missus wants to take a trip to Washington DC (from Denver) this coming April. For several reasons, driving is not an option. I really REALLY don’t want to fly because I find the whole process degrading. And there aren’t any major shipyards in Colorado so taking a cruise is also not in the cards. At this point, it’s looking like a 2 day train ride, which seems pretty cool.
Here’s the questions: Is Amtrak pretty much the only option? I note they have like 3 levels of accommodation: a seat, not unlike that on a Greyhound Bus, that costs about as much as a skillfully procured ticket on Southwest Airlines; a private cabin with beds, shower, etc; and of course, topside–riding atop the train, holding on to the natural seams in the sheet metal. The private room seems a bit overly self-indulgent, even for me. But while the seats in Coach look considerably more comfortable than what you find on commercial air, I don’t know that I can sit for two days without getting another PE.
So, that’s about as baked as my cunning plan is at the moment, so feel free to tell me what I’m not wondering about. The questions: Is a 2-day ride in coach on Amtrak as awful as I imagine? Is there an option between coach & private rooms? Is it like an airplane where they expect you to be in your seat for 99% of the trip?
I’ve done it before. I think the seats are quite comfortable - probably twice the size of airplane coach seats, with plenty of room to stretch out in all dimensions.
I enjoyed every trip except one, in which they sat us at one end of a car with permanent, bright overhead lighting. We couldn’t sleep and we were miserable. And it was luck of the draw - they don’t assign seats until you get onboard (at least for us). But every other trip was pleasant and even a bit fun.
Pulmonary embolism, or blood clot. As you age and with certain medical conditions, sitting for long periods of time, especially in a cramped space, can trigger it.
I’m really interested in this as well. If I could get around without ever enduring another airport, I’d do it.
The seats are better than airplane seats, but you’re still trying to sleep upright with people all around. If you have good seatmates, all is well. If you’re near a family with loud children, or people who have poor personal hygiene, it’s not going to be as fun.
You can generally go to the snack car and bathroom without really any restrictions that I recall. There aren’t really other places to go though.
I rode from Seattle to Chicago in an Amtrak roomette this April, a 46-hour trip. I found the roomette to be just the right size for me - it might be a tight squeeze for two people unless you’re both on the small size, though. Being able to lie down at night is worth the extra price and it’s much nicer than riding in coach, though I didn’t get much sleep the first night going over the Rockies.
I’ve been riding Amtrak for, oh, 40 years now. So far I’ve always ridden coach, even on overnight trips. You don’t have to sleep “upright”, the seats recline, they have footrests - it’s like sleeping in a good LazyBoy type recliner. It’s a bit of a luck of the draw on who else is in the car. How light or heavy do you sleep? If you’re easily awakened coach may not be for you. Food options in coach are either the cafe car, which eventually closes at night, or bring your own food. I usually bring a few things with me to snack on as cafe selections are limited. Although if I’m on the train in the morning I usually opt for a bagel and cream cheese and a hot cup of tea for breakfast.
You can get up and walk around whenever you want. Granted, there’s not a lot of places to go, but there’s no reason you can’t plod up and down the length of the car, or even most of the length of the train.
At this point I’ll do a 12-16 hour ride in coach (when I take Amtrak to visit my sister in Buffalo, NY it’s an overnight ride) but anything longer than that I’d seriously consider a roomette. They look pricey, but remember you’re essentially paying for a hotel room along with transportation. I think meals are also included for roomettes in which case the price includes food, too. Meals are certainly included for higher grade rooms. There’s an attendant to help you with stuff, including converting the seats into beds in a roomette.
I find taking the trains a lot less stressful than flying.
Meals in the diner car are included with the roomette, and you can also get free bottled water, soft drinks, and coffee in the morning. An alcoholic drink is included with dinner.
Coach passengers can also access the diner for a flat rate per meal - I think it’s something like $20 for breakfast, $25 for lunch, and $45 for dinner. West coast trains actually cook the diner meals on the train - east coast ones are prepackaged and heated in an oven, I believe.
I like the train. I got lucky when I went from California to Washington State. There was almost no one in the car I was in both ways and so sleeping was fine. I could use two seats. Plus they had a viewing car you can go sit in to see the spectacular scenery.
The food was decent and two drinks had me pretty darn buzzed.
I took my Nintendo switch so I could play that when we hit no wifi areas.
Given the route you want to take, you’re almost undoubtedly looking at switching trains (and types of accommodation) in Chicago.
From Denver to Chicago, you’ll likely be in Superliner cars (which are two-level cars, in which the passenger space is largely on the second level). I’ve taken an Amtrak train from Chicago to Denver, on a Superliner, and the small bedroom (the “Roomette”) converts to, effectively, bunk beds – whoever has the top bunk is right up against the curved top of the car, and my wife and I both found that rather claustrophobic. And, overall, the Roomette is, well, “cozy.” If either you or your wife are bigger people, or just don’t like close quarters, you may not be happy with it.
From Chicago to DC, Amtrak’s passenger cars are single-level, but I believe that the beds in the Roomettes on those cars are also bunks.
The bottom photo on this page shows part of a Roomette, and at the top of the photo, you can see the upper bunk, which has been folded up into the “stored” position.
I took a long distance trip on Amtrak last year; here’s my thread on that experience:
TLDR: I really enjoyed it! I will, however, mention that you shouldn’t plan on getting there at a specific time. Pretty much assume they’re going to be at least a couple hours late.
Well, not exactly, but there are less expensive sleeper options other then the Bedroom, which sounds like what you described:
The cheapest sleeper option is what Amtrak calls a “roomette”. This is the smallest room they offer. During the day it’s two seats facing each other. When you want to go to bed the seats fold down into a bed, and a second bunk folds down from the ceiling. This option does NOT have a private bathroom or shower. You’ll have access to communal bathrooms and a communal shower in the sleeper car.
Each sleeper car has one “Family bedroom” and one “accessible bedroom”. The Family Bedroom is, like the name implies, intended to accommodate an entire family, up to four people. That’s the biggest room, the full width of the car in fact, but does not have a private bathroom either. It’s priced in between the Roomette and Bedroom, but from what I understand it’s hard to snag that room since there’s only one per car.
The Bedroom is the most expensive option. That’s the one with it’s own private bathroom and shower.
All the sleeper accommodations include meals in the dining car. Amtrak’s steak is actually quite excellent! Getting to eat in the dining car really enhances the experience IMO.
No! Since you said you’re leaving from Colorado, I assume you’ll be taking the California Zephyr for the first part of the trip. There will be an observation car (Amtrak calls it the “Sightseer Lounge”), where you can hang out, look at the scenery, and socialize with other passengers. Downstairs in the lounge car is a cafe where you can buy snacks and drinks (including beer and wine). The Sightseer Lounge is accessible to both coach and sleeper passengers.
Out of curiosity I looked up reservations for leaving a week from now. Enough before Christmas that it wasn’t exactly holiday travel. The train was already booked to 70 or 80% capacity depending on which segment we’re talking about.
The idea that one can wander a half-empty train, sit wherever, and get a good seat in the top-deck observation car only works great when the train is half-empty. If it’s full, it’s full.
The OP can certainly book a trip now for 4-5 months from today and see their chosen train is nearly empty. My experiment suggests that same train may be a lot more full by departure day. Of course planes will be the same way, and less spacious.
The schedule I saw was leave just after dinner time on Day 1, and arrive on Day 3 around dinner time. So two partial days plus one full day on board with two overnights. Plus a train change in Chicago. Which is probably scheduled for late afternoon / early evening on day 2. But might turn into much later, thereby screwing up one night’s sleep. And with an unknown amount of hanging out in the Chicago station to await your next train. 2 hours? 8 hours? The next day? Amtrak is mongo unreliable.
I’ve taken day trips on Amtrak and enjoyed them. 4-1/2 hours on an airplane or 48 hours = 10 times longer on a train? I’d need a private suite with hookers and blow to make that ride bearable.
I’ll point out that unlike an airport, it’s totally possible to leave the station during your layover, and there are a lot of great dining options within walking distance of Union Station (if you have time). And Chicago Union Station is really beautiful architecturally; it’s really not a bad place to wait IMO. And if you’re booked in a sleeper car you get lounge access at the station.
I departed from Chicago Union station just once back around 1996-1998 after staying in a hotel downtown for a few days. Once the cab dropped us off outside the station we dragged our suitcases around behind us for four hours awaiting the ever-more delayed train. Didn’t see much except dirty walls and a greasy McDonalds. Reminded me more of a subway station than a big city airport in terms of amenities.
I have taken the Coast Starlight in coach many times between the Bay Area and LA. That’s about a 10 hour trip, mostly during the day, so not exactly what you’re planning. But, for what it’s worth, I’ll say this: It’s much slower than a plane, but much, much more comfortable.
I’ve taken the train from DC to Montana. 2 nights. One night is fine in the coach seats. Two nights, well, if I were taking that trip again, I’d spring for the room.
I took it once from Sacramento to Santa Barbara, about a decade ago. It’s probably slower than driving would have been, even, even if you include meal and bathroom stops. But the train is much more relaxing than either driving or flying. You can just disconnect from the stresses of the world, and sit back and enjoy the scenery (and I think the Coast Starlight is nearly as scenic as the California Zephyr).
Back then they let coach passengers eat in the dining car, you just had to pay for your meal. Now only sleeper car passengers get to eat in the dining car.