Comments on: Overnight Amtrak — Never Again!

By: Mikey

Mikey — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:32:29 +0000

MORE than the cost of an airline ticket. I thought it might be “fun” to start a vacatin by train instead of air.

Wow was I shocked to see how much more expensive the train is…all so you can get there a lot slower. Why would anybody choose train over flying?

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 10:43:12 +0000

FYI, the reason they make the announcement about wearing shoes is due to the rocking/bouncing motion of the cars. The height difference between cars when passing in between can be as much as 6″ on a big bounce. One ill timed step and it’s goodbye toes! (Possible, not probable).

By: sarah

sarah — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:55:06 +0000

I googled reviews and it brought me here… well, I have a 26 hr trip myself from MT to CA next month. I really do need the honest review from someone honest. I have taken the greyhound from MT to NM and it was HORRIBLE… yet sometimes I got to see a movie, and if it werent for my game and music devices I wouldv’e stuck a pen in my eye. I hope the amtrak isn’t any worse!! I figure it would at least be a tiny bit cleaner but fro what I hear.. Im not too sure now!! thank you for your input!

By: rachelle

rachelle — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:23:43 +0000

really awesome post. i came across your blog while i was doing a google search on amtrak. i was super excited before i read this. on the 30th of oct i will be leaving from miami to atlanta which will take almost 28 hrs. like a genius i did not book a sleeper b/c i was being frugal. lol… i was also envisioning the dining carts and white table clothes… hmmmm we will see what happens.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:33:21 +0000

Sorry to hear about your bad experience.
As for the dirty bathrooms, I gotta say WTF. I hate dirty bathrooms, regardless if I’m driving, flying, or taking the train.
Although the delays are bad, they aren’t always Amtrak’s fault, and steps can be taken beforehand to prevent the chances of missing a connection or important event.
Delays by themselves aren’t too bad, but rude attendants is what makes any journey suck. Honestly, you probably wouldn’t have such a bad view of Amtrak if the attendants weren’t rude to you and your friend. IMO, that’s worse than delays, but for some reason in people’s stories, rude attendants seem to be included along with a multi-hour delay.
Being separated from your friend really sucks, but it’s probably something that could happen on a flight as well. Heck, all of these things could have happened to you on a flight. But would it make you never want to fly again because it wasn’t as glamorous as it once was? Probably not.
In my view, try out Amtrak again, and but don’t go on that route.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:20:41 +0000

What did you expect, the Super Chief or the TGV?
What route are you going on?
Expectations are a huge part of the traveling experience, Amtrak or any other mode.
Although lots of people are deterred from riding Amtrak by people’s bad experiences on certain trains, ask yourself this: are you deterred from flying by horror stories of people being stuck on planes for hours on end, canceled flights, or the TSA?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:11:37 +0000

Plane ride from STL to Chicago is going to take just as long, so I’d prefer the train.
If you’re the person who prefers flying anyway, the long-distance Amtrak trains don’t have much appeal. Yet not enough people take passenger trains seriously, and at the same time they’re expecting some sort of romantic journey.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:04:33 +0000

Don’t expect much romance out of flying either, unless you consider the TSA’s frisking “romantic”.
Train travel tends to appeal more to those who prefer car rides over flying anyway. Even so, the relatively short rides (like the one your mom took) are the best potential market for train travel, but unless the Feds or the States step in to upgrade the Infrastructure, it’s going to be a long ride.
If you book far enough in advance, it’ll be cheaper than greyhound anyway.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:56:59 +0000

Train travel nowadays isn’t as romantic as a trip on the Super Chief back in the ’40s, but then again, air travel isn’t as glamourous as it was in the ’60s, and even driving has lost most of its vide of independence and relaxation.
Of course, you can still have your vision, but you didn’t include possible delays or rude attendants either.
If you’re wanting an experience like that on Amtrak, the only train I can think that offers that is the Coast Starlight and its pacific parlor car… but only for 1st class passengers..

By: Brett Wrape

Brett Wrape — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:08:27 +0000

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