Next month I’m going to be traveling from Cleveland to Seattle via Amtrak. I’ve never taken a train before. For the first leg of the journey (to Chicago and Milwaukee) I’ll have a coach seat, then a roomette for the Milwaukee-Seattle and back portion. I’ll be alone for the first part, then with a friend for the second portion.
Any advice on what to expect, what to pack, how things work on trains?
Um, much like they work on any public transport, really. Pack lightly for the stuff you need to sleep etc–berths are tiny and a wonder of precision-think ship’s cabins, not luxury cars. Prepare to get tired of not being able to see head on, so to speak, but the countryside can be quite beautiful/austere/interesting in its own right.
It’s been 30+ years since I did any major train travel, but I have heard that the Chicago to Denver (Boulder?) portion is decent. Since you are going through (over?) the Rockies, I’m sure it will be all that much better (I do hope you don’t do that portion at night).
Enjoy your trip!
I’ve taken long train trips in roomettes before. They’re tiny, but functional, and can be quite comfortable. You’ll have a larger-than-average seat, a bed that folds down/pulls out (depends on the type of sleeper car), a sink, and a tiny toilet. There isn’t a lot of room for large pieces of luggage though, so make sure you have your essentials in something smaller. I generally took a sports bag that could fit in the overhead rack and was light enough that I could easily pull it down and put it back as necessary.
Don’t spend all your time in your seat or your roomette. One of the great things about train travel is that, unlike plane travel, you are not expected to sit in your seat the whole time. Get up and explore–try a meal in the dining car (if there is one), see what the view is like from the dome car (if there is one), get to know the people who are having a drink in the bar (again, if there is one). If you’re curious about anything that has to do with the train or the railroad, ask the train crew–they will generally be happy to answer any questions. One one of my trips, the crew even had handy little info sheets that explained all the railroad signs and signals that could be seen along the track.
It’s a great way to travel. Enjoy!
There might be an observation/lounge car available for passengers with sleeping compartments, so you can see a lot more. You’ll be on the train for quite a long time, so take a variety of things to amuse you.
I have taken only one train trip, but my advice is to take twice as much reading material as you think you’ll need, snacks (the food offered was horrible), your own pillow, a blanket, and some cards or other small games. Yes, the seats were extremely comfortable and roomy.
Report back on your return!
I’ve taken Amtrak from the Bay Area through Portland to Seattle, with a room for the Bay Area to Portland portion. All in all, a great experience. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Don’t have any tight schedules at your destination. Train travel is very relaxing in itself, but not very reliable in terms of scheduling. You need to be okay with being many hours late - it isn’t unheard of. We were just on vacation, spending a few days in Portland and Seattle, so we didn’t have any detailed schedule. We were mostly on time, but it wouldn’t have been a big deal if we weren’t. Check the Amtrak website, it gives actual versus scheduled arrival times so you can see how your particular train typically does.
The food wasn’t the worst I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t great either. If you are a fussy eater bring your own snacks, etc. Personally I am of the “a bad burger / fried chicken / any comfort food is still a good experience” school of thought, so I was happy enough with the dining car. If you can be to it is a nice experience, sitting at a restaurant table eating and watching the scenery go by.
As others says, spent time exploring the train, hanging out at the bar or in the observation lounge, etc. My train had all these amenities, it is likely that yours will too. Ours offered complimentary wine tasting as well, but that might just be a North California thing. Check if they do cool stuff on your route.
I just did this – Iowa to Seattle. Three days/three nights. I had a roomette – the cheapest one. It has two seats, a big window, and no storage space. The station where I got on has no baggage service so I had a choice of keeping my bag in my room or letting it be stored in a common area. I kept it in my room but it was a PITA to deal with a big bag in such a small space. When the bed is folded down, there’s no space to move around. On my return trip, I’m gonna try to put everything I need in a smaller bag and store the larger one.
The two seats fold down to make a small bed, and it was surprisingly comfy. I couldn’t manage the fold-down – it takes muscles – but the car attendant will do it for you. I tipped him $5 each time and hoped it was enough.
The sleeper cars have toilets but unless you spring for a bigger room, you won’t have a toilet in your room. The toilets are about as big as an airline toilet. The one in my car smelled like a porta-potty after the first day. You’ll have access to a shower but it’s tiny and the floor is slippery – don’t attempt a shower unless the train is gonna be stopped for awhile.
When you have a roomette/sleeper, your meals are provided. The food wasn’t terrible but if it was served in a restaurant, you’d probably only eat there once. I’m pretty sure everything was microwaved. For one dinner I had pasta and meatballs with veggies on the side. Some of the food was hot and some was cold.
You’ll be seated with other travelers and if you’re lucky, like I was, they’ll be interesting, friendly people. They’ll announce when the dining car is open and if the train is full, they’ll have you make reservations.
There’s also a lounge car where you can buy soda, coffee, sandwiches, etc. You can take your own food but you can’t eat it in the dining car. There are observation cars where you can sit and enjoy the view.
You’ll be able to get off the train at some stops so you can walk around a bit but don’t stray far from the train – it won’t wait for you. They’ll let you know when a stop is a walk-around stop.
My train (the California Zephyr) was supposed to go through the Rockies but the tracks are being worked on so there was a detour – no Rockies. But we did go through the Sierra Nevadas. Some folks from the historical society were on the train to tell us what we were looking at.
It was fun and comfortable, but if I did it again, I’d get a bigger room.
I’d love to do the west coast jaunt via Amtrak some time, I’m jealous!
I’m glad you have sleeping accommodations for the longer leg, that’d be a tough one to do in coach.
The roomettes are great for one person; for two the legroom is a tad cramped, though as others have said the seats are pretty wide. Also, there’s no headroom in the upper bunk - when we’ve taken the Auto Train to Florida, we make the kids sleep in the top bunks (though now that Dweezil is taller than Daddy, we may have to rethink that :D).
Bring plenty of reading material. As space is short, if you’ve been looking for an excluse to get a Kindle or something, this would be the time :). At least on the Florida run, there’s a lounge car and they show videos at night; there might be something similar on your train.
Walk around when you can. It’s a whole new skill, walking while the train is lurching from side to side.
Good advice from everyone. I’ll be sleeping in the top bunk, as it doesn’t look like the bottom bunk is big enough for two. And if I can’t get to my bag while on the train, I probably shouldn’t bring one…we only have one night in Seattle before back on the train again! The route we take runs through all the northern states, near the Canadian border…Milwaukee to Seattle.
Yes, walking while the train is in motion requires some practice. DO NOT use people’s seat backs to steady yourself. This is very annoying to coach passengers. If you look up, you will see that you can easily use the luggage racks for this purpose without bothering people.
/pet peeve
I hope I’ll be able to knit…
I discovered that I can neither read nor do needlework on the train. If the train’s moving, I have to be sleeping or looking out the window, or I get motion sickness.
The thing about bags – there was an area on my car for unchecked large bags, but it was an open space with cubbyholes. You can get to your bag but so can anyone else, so it’d be best to have a lockable bag. And it’s a hassle. One woman was forever blocking the exit because she was getting stuff out of her bag and nobody could get past her.
One of the smaller size bags would work in a roomette. My bag was 28 inches tall, 18 inches wide, 11 inches deep – if it had been about 10 inches shorter, it would have been fine. There’s a little nook in the roomette where you can tuck it away.
It’s impossible to pack 3-4 days worth of clothes and toiletries in an overnight bag.
It does take some practice, but it can be learned fairly quickly. One thing the OP should remember about walking through a train is that with the exception of coach seat backs, if it looks like a handhold, it probably is a handhold. Rail car designers and railroads themselves know that passengers are not as familiar with walking on a moving train as railroad personnel, so they make sure that passenger cars have plenty of places for passengers to hold on to, if they feel the need as they walk through the train.
Fortunately I don’t have any problems with motion-sickness. I just hope I’ll be able to sleep. The first leg of the trip, which starts at 3:45 in the morning, takes 7 hours to get to Chicago. It only takes the MegaBus five hours to get there, starting from three blocks closer! I guess the train doesn’t go as fast as a bus on the highway? I couldn’t sleep on the bus…the seats were just shaped wrong, but I’m really going to need to get at least two hours sleep on the train, in a Coach seat.