Author: admin

One of the best ways to travel with children or grandchildren, is on a train. I remember my first ride at 5 years old. We could safely walk around, get ourselves snacks, color, read and of course, sleep. It was unforgettable and probably set the stage for my late in life love affair with trains.

The Family Room is perfect for 2 adults and 2 children.  You are in the same room together and the bathrooms and shower are just a few feet away. It makes it easier and safer, dealing with the children.

If you have more than 2 adults, I would recommend booking two Bedrooms that have a connecting door. The main problem with booking Bedrooms, is that it would be quite expensive. You would need to book through an Amtrak agent, but it would be the best. If you want to go the cheaper route, book 2 Roomettes across from one another. You could save several thousand dollars doing it that way. Again, you need the help of an Amtrak agent, since you do not see the room numbers until you have paid for the online booking.  Explain your situation and I am sure they would help you.

In a case like booking multiple rooms, being flexible on days, would help you get the reservation you want. Booking far in advance, also helps you. Remember, all meals are free with these reservations, so figure that into your budget for travel.

In the Fall of 2022 I had an opportunity to ride from Los Angeles to Flagstaff Arizona for free. Since it was just an overnight journey, my husband and I took a gamble, and booked 2 seats in the Coach car. We used our saved money to book a lovely hotel room right near the rim of the Grand Canyon.

For the trip over to Flagstaff, we booked something called the Lower Level Coach car seats. I had never done this before, but it sounded to me as a safer way to travel. There were 12 seats in the lower level and 3 bathrooms across the way from us. We had absolutely no contact with the passengers in the upper level and only the Amtrak Staff, who offered to bring us food if we wanted. If you are handicapped, this is definitely the area of the car for you.  We were spread out decently and we kept our mask on the entire night, for extra safety. When it was time for sleep, they turned the lights down and shut the door to our little area. An even better protection from passengers getting on and off the train.

For the return trip from Flagstaff to Los Angeles, we were not so lucky. We had to book a regular Coach seat on the Upper Level. Again, it was an overnight trip, so we sat in our seats and went to sleep with our masks on. I figured if we ended up catching COVID-19 or some other illness, we would be home before we tested positive and had to quarantine. We did stay home for 5 days just in case, and nothing happened. The next week, we resumed our normal life, going to the gym, etc.

A couple of things regarding Coach.

No food is provided. You have to bring your own, or purchase it from the Café Car.

You can’t choose your seats. The Coach attendant does that, as you board.

Many people are not wearing masks and some are coughing. Let the buyer beware.

If it was longer than an overnight journey, I would definitely book a room.

There are several stations along a long-distance Amtrak route, that have “Fresh Air” breaks.

What is a fresh air break and what can you do during one?

A fresh air break is a stop that takes a bit longer then just loading and unloading passengers.

If you want, you can get out of your car and light up a cigarette, or just walk on the platform for a few moments.

Your car attendant will know how long the break is scheduled for and definitely do not go far from the train.

They will not wait for you.

Several times on a long-distance train, they need to change crew and/or service the train. These stops will take much longer, due to the fact that they must gas up the train engines. The car attendant will let you know how much time you have to visit the station and make sure you return to the train at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure.

An example of potential breaks on a long-distance train.

The Southwest Chief (Los Angeles to Chicago)

Fresh Air breaks

Fullerton, CA

San Bernardino, CA

Barstow, CA

Kingman, AZ (Change Engineers and some Conductors)

Flagstaff, AZ

Gallup, NM

Raton, NM (In the summer, Boy Scouts get off for summer camp)

La Junta, CO (Change Engineers and some Conductors)

Dodge City, KS (Change Engineers and some Conductors)

Newton, KS

Kansas City, KS Refueling occurs in the Arlington Fuel Yard, (just outside the city). It is a transfer point for the Missouri River Runner. (Change engineers and some Conductors)

Fort Madison, IA (Change Engineers)

Galesburg, IL

Refueling

Albuquerque, New Mexico (This could be a half hour or more, stop)

Arlington Fuel Yard outside Kansas City, Kansas (fueling only, no passengers allowed out)

I got COVID-19!

I didn’t feel terrible, but I did lose my sense of smell. After 2 ½ years of checking it every day, it left me the minute I tested positive. To say the least, I am heartbroken about that.

I worry about my husband. Will he get it? Yes, indeed. He got it two days after me.

All those times I masked up and looked silly to the rest of America, I don’t regret at all. I don’t want to be in this situation again.

I participated in an Icon workshop that was delayed for 2 1/2 years. It lasted for 5 days and I masked for the first 2 of them. When we got to the adding of the 24K gold to the nimbus (which is the halo around an Icon), I had to have the mask off and everyone else did too. It was a high church-like ceiling and we were far apart, so I risked it. I made it a month with no problems, so I thought I was through all that. We did a follow-up afternoon workshop, and I thought that having the same people finishing up their icon would be just as safe. It was a basement with a low ceiling and there were about 10 of us. Not the same situation and I should have known that, and definitely should have worn my mask. Even though fully vaccinated, three days later I got COVID-19. It was bad, but not terrible and I have fully recovered. The hardest part was not being able to go to the drug store to get decongestant for my husband, when he got sick two days later. A tip for your future travels. Ask your Doctor if you can take Robitussin, if you do end up with COVID-19 during your trip. Of course, don’t forget to mask up!

I am heartbroken and as a person who writes about avoiding COVID-19 I will restate for the record that yes, you can travel safely, but it is much less of a problem if you spend the extra money and get a private room on an AMTRAK train. You can travel with your mask off for most of the journey and come home healthy, instead of sick.

If you decide to take a 2-day journey on one of the Long-Distance Trains (LDT), you have a choice.

You can spend a small amount of money in the Coach Car and have to bring all your food (or buy food in the Sightseer Lounge). The bathrooms are pretty icky, and there is no shower.

It is a way to travel, but for me, not the best way.

I personally like getting a Roomette (which is the cheapest private room). Along with that option, you get 4 bathrooms in the car for a maximum of 15 rooms, and a shower!

Most Long Distance Trains leave mid afternoon, or early evening. The next day, in the late afternoon, I am ready to clean off the road dirt and get myself ready to leave the train the following day. I have noticed that the shower seems to be the less used feature, which confuses me. As a matter of fact, I have taken several showers over the years and I have never seen another person. Though the towels in the bag give a hint that others have taken one during our journey. Maybe I choose a less busy time, and people use it early in the morning or late at night.

Thankfully, it has a hand-held shower head, so you can point the water where you want it to be. My preferred way to shower. Many hotels now days, to not have that amenity.

It may look a bit strange, at first, but it works out well and the feeling of cleanliness, is not to be beat.

Definitely a feature that is worth the money.

There are times when things outside AMTRAK’S control happen.

We had that occur in 2021 when there was a freight train derailment in Marcelene, MO.

We were informed that the train was stuck in Kansas City and we would have to board a bus for a 7-hour ride.

During COVID-19, it felt not very safe, but we were all masked for the entire trip.

In the way of food, a small snack box was all they gave us, along with some water.

2-bathroom breaks that passengers had to beg for, and no dinner for a 9-hour trip.

It was grim.

It took me 10 days to realize that I should complain to them, for multiple reasons. Lack of communication being one of them. I heard later that many passengers changed their train to the next day. Who knew that was an option? I certainly didn’t.

I wrote an email and didn’t hear anything for weeks. Crickets…

The call came through, finally, when my Husband was showering. So, we had to call back.

We did and then found ourselves waiting for a connection for 2 hours. We finally got through when it was after they go home for the day, so we had to call back the next day and again wait another hour to be connected.

In good news for us, we got money for future travel for the both of us and a couple of upgrades to their Metropolitan Lounge area at several stations. Win!

So, if you feel that something was mishandled, let them know. If something was handled well (the AMTRAK representative on the bus went above and beyond to make the situation better for us), let them know that, too. 

Note: This is part 2.

In Part 1, I discussed the Family Room. This time the post will go into the Roomette and the Bedroom.

The Roomette: I have used the Roomette on many trips. It is a tight fit for two adults, but it is the cheapest option. It looked much more comfy, if it was occupied by just a single person, instead of a couple of adults. I saw one of them set up with the upper bed down all the time, which would allow you to store your luggage in the car, rather than downstairs. The Roomette is very crowded with 2 people and you spend all your time, rearranging things, as you move from day to night or just from viewing to wanting to read or watch a movie. I enjoyed it, but it is extremely tight quarters. The plus is, that it is substantially cheaper than the Bedroom. You also have to use one of the communal bathrooms and shower down the hall.

The Bedroom: It has a larger bottom bed (probably a little tight for 2, but if you are traveling with a young child it might work) It also has an overhead bed and a chair. It also has a restroom and shower of your own, which is kind of nice. As to COVID-19, it is the BEST option health wise. Is it worth the extra money, sometimes upwards of $1,000 more, it’s up to you to decide.

When looking at the prices, note that when you book any room you get all your meals for free in the dining car. You are treated like royalty and they even have coffee, cold drinks, and water available in the sleeper car starting at 6:30 AM.

All in all, the train is a fun way to travel and explore this land of ours.

So, what was life like on an AMTRAK trip?

First off, each train trip is different. You have the day trips, where you get a chair and watch the scenery. You pay for your food and some of the time, you try to get into the lounge car, for the views. A very inexpensive way to travel, but in the world of COVID-19, not the safest one.

Our second trip on the Empire Builder, from St. Paul to Chicago, was like this.

Our first trip was a 2-day journey on the Empire Builder from Portland, Oregon to St. Paul, Minnesota in the Family Room. We had a window on each side of the train and couches throughout the entire room. My side was actually 2 chairs for kids and what I ended up doing, is that I had my feet up on the opposite chair. My daytime viewing was excellent. It was the night, that was a problem for me.

I didn’t realize when I booked the Family Room, that the side bed is substantially smaller than the adult bed. As in, a person needs to be 4′ 9″ or less, to be comfortable. It is for young children, not for adults. For the adults, you need to use the lower and upper bed, which is what we did the second time we booked the Family Room. During Covid-19 it ended up being a smart choice, because it only cost about $100 more than a Roomette and gave us so much more room to move around. My husband found that it was much easier to climb the ladder in the Family Room, too. A substantial improvement over the Roomette.

Next up. I will go into detail on the Roomette and the Bedroom. Stay Tuned for Part 2.

Welcome To Train Travel Help.

This blog will explore traveling, using Amtrak, to see our Country safely.

Come along for the ride.

The author and her husband in front of #161 the 50th Anniversary of Amtrak engine. 2022