All Aboard!! A Trip on Amtrak

Superliner Sleeping Car

Folks who know me are aware that I hate flying.

I am not afraid of flying.

I HATE flying.

Which is something quite different.

And if the airlines and Amtrak are smart, they will read the rest of this post to find out why I may very well be abandoning airplanes for trains for my travel needs.

Because I am not alone.

In the last 15 years a WHOLE BUNCH OF US have come to hate flying. I'd love to blame it on the terrorists but I can't. All the crap you go through involving security is annoying but probably necessary.

No, I blame the airline companies. Not only do they cram us into inadequately sized seats like cattle, the planes are filthy, the staff is grouchy, and we're being charged up the wazoo - especially for baggage. Not to mention all the flights cancelled willy nilly with nary a concern for the disruption of the lives of the passengers.

Add to that the horrific delays - planes sitting for hours on the tarmac only to turn around, discharge passengers and enter the "flight cancelled" zone, and flying isn't even a nice convenient, quick way to travel anymore.

But I digress. This post is really about trains. Specifically Amtrak trains.

To date I have traveled by train from Chicago to Washington DC and back twice, and done the round trip between Chicago and Denver once. My sons have frequently taken the trip between Milwaukee and Minneapolis St. Paul.

Between us we have logged about 60 hours in sleeper cars and 85 hours in coach.

I offer the following pros and cons of traveling via Amtrak. The list takes information into account from my own trips and the stories gathered from fellow passengers.

Amtrak Pros

Big comfortable seats that recline nicely and have tons of leg room - my seats in coach were 10 times roomier and more comfortable than those on an airplane
A lounge car with great scenic views - the car is almost all windows and there are two types of seating, seats that swivel and face the windows and seats with tables for eating
Ample opportunity to walk around the train and "stretch your legs"
Dining car with terrific food served by nice staff on real china
Plentiful bathrooms as well as showers and changing rooms
Easy to navigate security at the station
Historic stations - not all of them but many of them. Especially major destinations like Chicago and Washington DC. Union Station in DC has to be seen to be believed. This place was built when traveling was an EVENT
More fuel efficient way to travel than either flying OR driving - (click here for fuel usage comparisons)
The train takes you through what feels like a secret world, right through small towns that super highways have forgotten
Despite the small size of our sleeper car "roomette" I never felt cramped or crowded. Though the space is small (one woman taking her first trip remarked that prison cells were bigger) you should remember to compare the space, not to your living area or a hotel room, but to the amount of room you have when driving or seated on an airplane

Amtrak Pros specific to Sleeper Cars

By paying the extra fee for a sleeper you are automatically a "First Class" passenger for much less money than first class on an airplane. First Class comes with the following perks:

All meals in dining car included in the price of the ticket (my companion and I would have spent over $150 on food each way without this feature.)
Private seats in your own "bedroom" with large windows for a great view
Access to the first class lounge in the train station - this has been invaluable when I've had to wait 3 hours on either end of the trip due to check in, check out policies at hotels. It was nice to have a place in the station to wait where we could relax and store our luggage securely
Pre-boarding
Personalized service from the sleeper car attendant
Complimentary juice, coffee, and water available in the sleeper car 24/7
You can keep most of your luggage with you in the compartment unless you have very large suitcases. We stored ours on the top bunk when we weren't sleeping and on the floor stacked up by the door when we were in bed

Now for the bad stuff - because, unfortunately, there is some.

Amtrak cons: Amtrak officials - I'm talking directly to you here

Let's talk bathrooms - honestly Amtrak, these need a serious upgrade! To be fair, they are no worse than airplane bathrooms but that isn't saying much. If you really want to steal passengers from the airlines you should offer great, clean, energy efficient bathrooms! You could easily fit them out with new fixtures and flooring without breaking your budget. And they could definitely be cleaner!
Beds - too hard! It's time for some memory foam or other such material that is small and thin enough to fit in the room but more comfortable. I'm considering taking my own small foam mattress the next time I travel via sleeper car!
Too expensive for families! The sleepers that have enough space for families are prohibitively expensive. Years ago I priced a one way trip for a family of 5 from Chicago to Seattle. One way tickets with two family bedrooms cost more than round trip airfare! We couldn't afford it and had to fly
Not enough routes - too many places I can't get to by train
Long trips (Chicago to Seattle, Chicago to Los Angeles) take too long! We need more high speed trains
Delays - my son often takes the train from Minneapolis to Milwaukee and it is usually delayed due to problems way west on the line
Alcohol - there should be one complimentary alcoholic beverage to first class passengers with dinner and fruit juice available at breakfast rather than just soda, water, coffee, or tea
Amtrak needs to go green - there should be ample opportunity to recycle all the plastic cups and water bottles generated on the trip
The first class lounges need more snack options than goldfish crackers and pretzels. Especially now that many people avoid gluten and you are not supposed to bring your own food into the lounge. Amtrak needs to offer packets of nuts for protein and maybe some fresh fruit or granola bars
Lounges Again - The diet pepsi was out of order in DC Union Station when we arrived on Sunday. It was still out of order when we departed on Thursday. This tells me that the lounge doesn't keep up with its service needs and makes me wonder how long it will be before someone fixes it
Attendants in the sleeper cars should be screened for interpersonal skills. Some porters are fantastic - others not so much.

Amtrak cons: Notes For Passengers

Beware if you are a large person, and by large I mean wide. The rooms and corridors will not accommodate a body wider than 20 inches - especially the stairways. If you are a very very large person you will probably need to reserve the handicap accessible room - of which there is only 1 on each train - or a family bedroom
The beds are narrow - again, you will have problems if you are a large person. The lower bunk is 30 inches wide and the upper bunks are 24
Take an extra pillow for the sleeper car if possible. Amtrak pillows are fairly hard
Take your own pillow and blanket if you are sleeping in coach. Amtrak sells blankets for $15 each
Coach is not terrific for a trip of more than 12 hours - especially one that lasts overnight. I found the seat very difficult to sleep in. Although still easier than sleeping in an airplane seat.
At peak times there is not much seating in the lounge car
Dining car meals for regular passengers are pretty expensive. If meals had not been included with my sleeper ticket dinner would have cost over $30 apiece! If you are traveling coach take advantage of the more affordable "cafe" car.

Wrap up:

Despite the list of cons above, I have really enjoyed my train trips and would travel by rail again. I wish we had as many routes as they have in Europe and I wish there were more high speed options. With things as they are, I can only take the train when I am not in a hurry and will probably save it for trips where I am more "on vacation" than " business type travel. BTW - a special note to our Congressmen and Senators: I notice that you have built yourselves a lovely first class train from Washinton DC to New York while, slashing funding for the rest of the Amtrak routes. Shame on you! You think my tax dollars are only supposed to be spent on the train you ride? I beg to differ!

Here is a gallery of photos from one of my trips:

Amtrak Superliner Roomette as viewed from the doorway

Amtrak observation car

Amtrak Dining Car

The Amtrak Accessible Bedroom comes with private bathroom - A note about the accessible bedrooms, they are opened up to public purchase 2 weeks before the trip and are only available if no other room is available.

Amtrak accessible bathroom

Amtrak accessible room seating - note that the window is smaller than the double window in a roomette but the compartment has another window on the other side of the room, by the toilet