ilovedolphins
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Post by ilovedolphins on Apr 22, 2014 10:27:33 GMT -5
I was looking at driving on my vacation but then I think that the distance I want to go is several days drive. And I hate driving in big cities. The Amtrak would take about that long also but I wouldn't be driving.
Any thoughts, cons, pros?
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Apr 22, 2014 10:29:22 GMT -5
I took a trip to Vancouver BC on the Amtrak Coast Starlight, and it was a nice, comfortable ride with great views of the coast! There were annoyances when crossing the border into CA, but the train itself was very clean and updated. I don't know about their bunks, because my portion was only an 11 hour ride.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 10:30:34 GMT -5
Well, we love the train. We have only taken it short trips however. What are your options for exploring along the way/when you get there... Were you planning to drive straight thru. I briefly looked at it when we were planning cross country, but it didn't make sense because we wanted to see certain things along the way...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 10:33:07 GMT -5
I once took Amtrak from Newarkston, which is about 5 hours. I was getting a bit stir-crazy by the end even though it's FAR more comfortable and civilized than flying. Not sure I'd want to be on one for days and nights, but when I lived in NNJ, it was a no-brainer to go to Philadelphia, DC amd Boston by train.
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ilovedolphins
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Post by ilovedolphins on Apr 22, 2014 10:39:38 GMT -5
I was thinking of taking one to Seattle which I believe took around 54 hours. I could always take it one way just to try it out and then fly back. I thought you might be able to see more scenery if you weren't driving.
And I could always just fly there and then take it to places I want to go in the Seattle area.
I just don't know how comfortable it would be to sleep since I can't sleep in the airplanes.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 10:46:43 GMT -5
I was thinking of taking one to Seattle which I believe took around 54 hours. I could always take it one way just to try it out and then fly back. I thought you might be able to see more scenery if you weren't driving.
And I could always just fly there and then take it to places I want to go in the Seattle area.
I just don't know how comfortable it would be to sleep since I can't sleep in the airplanes. The seats are a LOT more comfortable than airline seats! Plus, you can get up and wander around from car to car or go to the observation deck or dining car. I've heard the private bunk rooms are nice, but they're spendy and I've never gone more than a one day long trip, so no experience with them.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 10:49:46 GMT -5
I think if you get a sleeper car it's like a bed. But I think its expensive. We took turns driving to Seattle.
Do you want to see the badlands? Mt Rushmore? Any of the state parks? ... If not,mid just fly and rent a car. Otherwise I'd drive. You don't really have to go into big cities unless you want to. In fact with SD and Wyoming, I'd i was driving myself I'd be more concerned with the isolation than the cities...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 10:52:26 GMT -5
We took it to New Orleans. The train started in New York City and ended there. The main thing I remember is that they ran out of alcohol.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Apr 22, 2014 10:53:04 GMT -5
The advantage of driving is that you can pick the route you want and stop whenever you want. The sleeper car will be fairly expensive and take longer than driving the same route but you have no control over things.
I'd say that if sightseeing on your way is your goal, drive and make your own plans. You mentioned not being able to see things while driving. That's perhaps true, but you have this magical thing called a brake pedal.
If sightseeing you way out to Seattle is not your goal, just save yourself the trouble/expense and fly.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 11:09:03 GMT -5
I was thinking of taking one to Seattle which I believe took around 54 hours. I could always take it one way just to try it out and then fly back. I thought you might be able to see more scenery if you weren't driving.
And I could always just fly there and then take it to places I want to go in the Seattle area.
I just don't know how comfortable it would be to sleep since I can't sleep in the airplanes. To Seattle from where?
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 22, 2014 11:13:14 GMT -5
I do know that they are not inexpensive. My dad was considering taking one to visit me, it would have been a 3-4 day journey and cost him more than a first class plane ticket.
He has taken it several times to NYC to see his family and has found it much easier and comfortable than driving. But that's only an 8 hour train ride. Not sure how much it is though.
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ilovedolphins
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Post by ilovedolphins on Apr 22, 2014 11:23:28 GMT -5
From Ft. Morgan, Colorado. It does seem to be more expensive than flying.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Apr 22, 2014 11:24:47 GMT -5
Our friends took one from Chicago to New Orleans and they loved it even the sleeper cars!
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Apr 22, 2014 11:29:00 GMT -5
From Ft. Morgan, Colorado. It does seem to be more expensive than flying. I did the drive from the PNW to CO a couple of years ago, and it was only about 2 10-hr driving days. Realistically, there's not much to sight-see between CO and the PNW (NoCo, WY, and Eastern WA are all mostly snoozers visually), and you can stop to see the things that are interesting (perhaps Yellowstone as a side-trip, the Columbia Gorge, or some places in Idaho).
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Apr 22, 2014 11:31:27 GMT -5
I have never done it... but I find it intrigueing. I have a train buff friend who had planned to go from Chicago to Seattle? by train (a couple day journey if I remember) but the vacation got scrapped because weather stopped all the trains by damaging the tracks. He and his wife did take a train trip which they enjoyed BUT they found that the trains were often "late" sometimes by hours.. since in America the 'commuter/traveler' trains run on the same tracks as the freight trains (which OWN the tracks) and so must give the freight trains right of way. If your 'schedule' is flexible enough to handle long delays (think 2 to 5 hours or more if weather is bad or something shuts down the train tracks) it might work for you. My adventurous 20 something nephew took a 8 day 'bus and train' tour to get from Florida to Chicago - he had some breaks in between when he visited some 'sights' and friends along the way. I think the Bus parts were the hardest. Not sure how he slept on them. He was also taking the lowest fares available (so some uncomfortable overnight journey legs). He also found that for longer runs (thinking crossing many states) on the train there were often delays.
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Apr 22, 2014 12:51:22 GMT -5
My wife and kids took the train from Chicago to Denver two years ago. The response I had from them was "never again". The ride wasn't bad, it was all the other people and wild kids running/screaming all hours of the day and night that ruined it for them. My wife might try with a sleeper, at least then you can shut the door and escape the rest of the people (and get some rest).
The most fun they had was when the train ran into 200 cows on the tracks, it was a complete mess, took hours to clean up and delayed their trip even more.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Apr 22, 2014 12:58:00 GMT -5
My wife and kids took the train from Chicago to Denver two years ago. The response I had from them was "never again". The ride wasn't bad, it was all the other people and wild kids running/screaming all hours of the day and night that ruined it for them. My wife might try with a sleeper, at least then you can shut the door and escape the rest of the people (and get some rest). The most fun they had was when the train ran into 200 cows on the tracks, it was a complete mess, took hours to clean up and delayed their trip even more. Sounds like the cows didn't enjoy it so much!
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Apr 22, 2014 12:58:26 GMT -5
I've taken two vacation-type train trips: one from So Cal to Seattle and one from So Cal to the Grand Canyon. I concur with many others here: do it because you want to experience a train trip. A regular Amtrak seat is far less expensive than a plane ticket (but MUCH longer - the trip to Seattle was 23 hours vs. 2.5 hours on a plane), but a sleeper car will bump the price way above even a first class airplane ticket. Each time we went we didn't just have the destination in mind, we wanted some "down" time and some nice scenery along the way (we wanted both the journey AND the destination). Every once in a while I look longingly at the train trip through Western Canada during leaf-peeping season, but the cost per person works out to be almost $5,000 each. Ouch.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 22, 2014 13:01:30 GMT -5
Every once in a while I look longingly at the train trip through Western Canada during leaf-peeping season, but the cost per person works out to be almost $5,000 each. Ouch.
You must be looking at rates for the Rocky Mountaineer. I'd like to do that too, but a short trip costs a lot.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Apr 22, 2014 13:05:24 GMT -5
I do think a particular route or destination train vacation would be fun, but not just to go from point A to point B if it's longer than 12 hrs.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Apr 22, 2014 13:18:36 GMT -5
From Ft. Morgan, Colorado. It does seem to be more expensive than flying. That might be really cool going through all the mountains and gorges.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Apr 22, 2014 13:20:53 GMT -5
I have taken many trains before and loved it. I think you either like it or don't. One was an overnight car in Thailand between Bangkok and Chang Mai. Another was a 16 hour train ride to Puno in Peru. Very cool and fun. I like relaxing and the forced down time; so much more comfortable than flying.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Apr 22, 2014 13:35:08 GMT -5
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bookkeeper
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Post by bookkeeper on Apr 22, 2014 17:31:59 GMT -5
My brother and his wife took the Amtrak from Seattle to Minneapolis back in the early 90's. The trip took 30 hours and they did not book a sleeping car. The train stops a lot. Imagine yourself trying to sit/sleep in an airplane seat for 30 hours.
They caught the stomach flu on the ride home. Now imagine being stuck on this train for another 30 hours with vomiting and bowel distress.
They vowed never again. The flight would have taken 6 hours total.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 22, 2014 18:39:16 GMT -5
Interesting....
I just did a search as to how much it would cost to go from Denver to Seattle. Cost of a one way train ticket runs from $258 to $1022 (includes berth). Time taken is anywhere from 21-31 hours.
A one way flight from Denver to Seattle is $158, first class is $416. Flight time is a little less than 3 hours.
Not really seeing how the train is going to be any less expensive than a flight.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Apr 22, 2014 18:57:17 GMT -5
We wanted to take the train from Portland to Glacier National Park. But we realized that most of it was a night and we wouldn't be able to see the scenery at all.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Apr 22, 2014 19:02:32 GMT -5
Interesting.... I just did a search as to how much it would cost to go from Denver to Seattle. Cost of a one way train ticket runs from $258 to $1022 (includes berth). Time taken is anywhere from 21-31 hours. A one way flight from Denver to Seattle is $158, first class is $416. Flight time is a little less than 3 hours. Not really seeing how the train is going to be any less expensive than a flight. It doesn't compete with flying over any distance. But it may compete with driving the same route, especially if overnight hotel costs are added in.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 22, 2014 19:29:00 GMT -5
It doesn't compete with flying over any distance. But it may compete with driving the same route, especially if overnight hotel costs are added in.
Denver to Seattle is 1330 miles (via Mapquest), or 21 hours driving. One night hotel.
You'd pay around $200 for gas, another $100ish for a hotel for one night, so $300 total. A train with a berth is over $1000.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 19:40:48 GMT -5
It doesn't compete with flying over any distance. But it may compete with driving the same route, especially if overnight hotel costs are added in.Denver to Seattle is 1330 miles (via Mapquest), or 21 hours driving. One night hotel. You'd pay around $200 for gas, another $100ish for a hotel for one night, so $300 total. A train with a berth is over $1000. if I'm driving alone, there's no way I'm covering 650 miles in one day....just the sheer boredom, plus having to stop for food and bathroom breaks and to get the blood flowing....so a 1330 mile trip would be at least 3 days if not more (if I wanted to actually stop somewhere along the way that was interesting).
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toomuchreality
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Post by toomuchreality on Apr 22, 2014 22:30:51 GMT -5
My BF took his mother on a 4 day trip. I have never talked to her about it, but he said it was wonderful.
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