# Chicago to Emeryville on Zephyr



## Jeannine (Oct 8, 2021)

Traveling soon, any recent experiences? Will be in bedroom. Wondering about meals, masks, etc.


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## Cal (Oct 8, 2021)

Masks required at ALL times when outside of your room unless actively eating or drinking. Enforcement varies, some very strict crews and some very lax crews. 

Meals served in the diner are wonderful. I hope you enjoy them. Cafe car has a decent variety of snacks, all for a price. 

The equipment is showing it's age, and you will probably find many small problems with it (vents not working, loose plugs, etc) 

Staff will either be great, okay, or terrible. Chances of "terrible" are low but still possible. 


My recent (from late July) experience on the SWC was positive. Great staff, stayed close to on time for most of the journey, food was excellent, ride was smooth and comfortable. No big complaints. I hope you experience mirrors mine


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## joelkfla (Oct 8, 2021)

Grab a seat in the Sight Seer Lounge while the train is at the station in Denver, for the scenery climbing into the Rockies.


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## Tlcooper93 (Oct 9, 2021)

I did the Zephyr last November and loved it.
I suspect you will too. It’s a Beautiful route especially on day two through the Rockies. Make sure after Denver you get a seat in the lounge car early, as it will fill up, and there is a lot you will want to see.

at Denver, the stop is close to an hour, so there might be time to explore a really beautiful station! I loved it.

Now that Amtrak has upgraded It’s dining on western trains, your experience should be much better than mine was. The menu looks great!

everything Cal mentioned is on point.
I had wonderful staff during my trip. Very friendly, and really tried to get to know us through the time on board.


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## Jeannine (Oct 9, 2021)

Thanks to all! Wondering about baggage? And seating in diner?


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## JayPea (Oct 9, 2021)

Checked baggage at both locations. No community seating in the diner, which is still open to sleeping car passengers only. Traditional dining has returned as opposed to flex dining, and no community seating. Seating at the tables is restricted to you and others in your party. No communal seating.


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## basketmaker (Oct 10, 2021)

joelkfla said:


> Grab a seat in the Sight Seer Lounge while the train is at the station in Denver, for the scenery climbing into the Rockies.


Agree 100%. First trip on the CZ I meet a Cicero, IL Police detective still in his suit straight from work in the lounge while we were still in CUS. He asked if I had been on this trip before and I said no. He said I don't know how religious you are but from Denver to Salt Lake will make you believe in God. So I did just that for the whole day in lounge (Sightseer Lounge) and that detective was right! I was born and raised in Miami and then living in Nashville. Well I thought to myself I'd love to live there someday. It took 15 years but made it to Denver in 2006 and have no plans on leaving.


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## Synthguy1 (Oct 10, 2021)

JayPea said:


> Checked baggage at both locations. No community seating in the diner, which is still open to sleeping car passengers only. Traditional dining has returned as opposed to flex dining, and no community seating. Seating at the tables is restricted to you and others in your party. No communal seating.


Did they change the dining car rules back? We took the CZ from Galesburg IL to Emeryville at the end of July and followed that with the SW Chief LA back to Galesburg in August and community seating was the norm on both routes. Great meals and really good company with everyone my wife and I dined with. Made a few new friends that we have plans to meet up with and do more train trips.


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## Cal (Oct 10, 2021)

Synthguy1 said:


> Did they change the dining car rules back? We took the CZ from Galesburg IL to Emeryville at the end of July and followed that with the SW Chief LA back to Galesburg in August and community seating was the norm on both routes. Great meals and really good company with everyone my wife and I dined with. Made a few new friends that we have plans to meet up with and do more train trips.


Yes, they did.


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## Synthguy1 (Oct 10, 2021)

Cal said:


> Yes, they did.


To bad. I will be so happy when things return fully back to normal.


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## Jeannine (Oct 17, 2021)

Synthguy1 said:


> To bad. I will be so happy when things return fully back to normal.☹


Another question? We will,be in a bedroom but I have been told our large suitcases can be stored outside of our bedroom on a rack. Wondering if this is right and assuming that we do need to lock our cases and keep nothing of value other than clothes etc. This is what an agent told me,


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## zephyr17 (Oct 17, 2021)

I use the downstairs rack routinely for my suitcase. I don't lock it. I only bring toiletries, medications, and my "toy bag" backpack (books, scanner, headphones, etc) up to my room.

I have traveled more than 100,000 miles in Superliner sleepers and never had an issue. Don't leave your laptop bag down there or that 100 carat diamond.

No one is interested in taking your undies.


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## denmarks (Oct 17, 2021)

Just to clarify. There is no storage upstairs. The only storage is downstairs. It would be difficult to take a large suitcase up the stairs but possible.


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## joelkfla (Oct 17, 2021)

But you might want to lock it if it's a hard side and easily opened. The baggage on the rack sometimes gets rearranged to make room. You wouldn't want it popping open accidentally.


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## Cal (Oct 17, 2021)

On my two rides with a bedroom, we had two carry-on sized pieces of luggage in the room with electronics, snacks, and things we would use frequently. Clothes went in a big suitcase downstairs that we only went to get once a day.


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## Synthguy1 (Oct 17, 2021)

On our trip, we checked the big bags and used 2 really good multi-compartment backpacks for underwear, books, snacks, and multi-outlet plug to recharge our electronics. We were in a roomette for the trip out to Emeryville so space was at a premium but the backpacks both fit easily in the tiny closet. Also had 1 other soft bag with a couple of shirts and shorts and toiletries for daily clothes changing duties.


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## moosejunky99 (Oct 17, 2021)

I did the zephyr Oct 1st to 15th.. it was community dining going to California.. and non-community dining on the way back.. (guess it depends on the crew).. I did a roomette because i was alone. the trip was great.. I did a trip log and a few pics.. it is a great ride.. and the OBS crew from Chicago was nice and friendly.. there was some strict mask wearing rules.. The Denver to Glenwood Springs was a full train and they did SSL time limit. The food was great and amazing.


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## caravanman (Oct 18, 2021)

You _can_ take your cases into your room, but they will take up a lot of valuable space. It is an honour system when you leave bags on the racks downstairs, they are on view. Like others, I have travelled tens of thousands of Amtrak miles, with my suitcase untouched on the rack downstairs. You should probably lock you cases, and keep valuables with you when you move around the train. I have seen folk secure their bags to the luggage rack with a flexible "cycle type" loop lock.


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## drdumont (Oct 18, 2021)

I've not had any issues with leaving bags in the downstairs rack. Of course, electronics, things of value, important papers, stay with me. 
As lots of bags, rollaboards and other luggage can look alike, I carry a cable I made of small aircraft cable from the hardware store, with a combination lock. There are a number of premade items like that - bike locks, for example, even small chain. I run it through the handles and if I can, around the support or shelf opening. While some might think this is similar to locking a tent, all I am looking to do is make sure my bag(s) don't get confused with a lookalike in the hustle and bustle of detraining. I leave plenty of slack so bags can be rearranged if necessary.
And always, always, each bag has a "permanent" tag outside as well as inside.


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## Barb Stout (Oct 19, 2021)

In a different thread called "Baggage racks", a number of people have indicated that there really isn't anything to tie/lock a bag to; it's just like a box with nothing narrow enough to attach anything to. That's the way I remember it also, but it's been about 2 years since I have been on Amtrak and I don't have a photographic memory, to put it mildly.


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## drdumont (Oct 19, 2021)

There's usually a vertical post. Barring that, just hooking my stuff together is enough of a deterrent for someone to grab my bag(s) in error. 
And if you are able to put it together in the rear of the compartment, that's a help. 
Even when I leave bags in the lounge at the station, I tie them together. Harder for me to leave one behind.


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## joelkfla (Oct 19, 2021)

Here's a screen capture from a Jeb Brooks trip report:







I don't see any holes.


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## drdumont (Oct 19, 2021)

Indeed. However, comma, not all Superliners are exact copies of each other.


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## MARC Rider (Oct 25, 2021)

denmarks said:


> Just to clarify. There is no storage upstairs. The only storage is downstairs. It would be difficult to take a large suitcase up the stairs but possible.


You can haul a large suitcase upstairs, but there's really no place to store it in a roomette. Or a bedroom, for that matter, though there's more space, so you could keep one there if you don't mind it being in the way all the time. It could be stored in the overhead racks in the coaches, though.


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## 20th Century Rider (Oct 25, 2021)

Restating my dislike for the overall design of the Superliners.


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## zephyr17 (Oct 25, 2021)

20th Century Rider said:


> Restating my dislike for the overall design of the Superliners.


Congratulations for toughing it out for 41 years since 1980, then.


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## Crystal (Oct 31, 2021)

Tlcooper93 said:


> I did the Zephyr last November and loved it.
> I suspect you will too. It’s a Beautiful route especially on day two through the Rockies. Make sure after Denver you get a seat in the lounge car early, as it will fill up, and there is a lot you will want to see.
> 
> at Denver, the stop is close to an hour, so there might be time to explore a really beautiful station! I loved it.
> ...


Hi, I'm taking Chicago to Emeryville in ten days and this may be a silly question but are there sides to sit on in the Lounge Car? If so, which side is recommended on the trip going west?


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## Tlcooper93 (Oct 31, 2021)

Crystal said:


> Hi, I'm taking Chicago to Emeryville in ten days and this may be a silly question but are there sides to sit on in the Lounge Car? If so, which side is recommended on the trip going west?



There are sides to sit on, and honestly, there will be better sides at various different moments in the trip. I think they are about equal.


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## Rasputin (Oct 31, 2021)

You could go dizzy trying to do this stuff. I would say that leaving Denver going west, it is better to sit on the right side but then a few hours later along the Colorado River it is better to sit on the left side, until of course the train crosses the river and then it is better to sit on the right side again and then the next day approaching Donner Summit it is probably better to be on the right side. So I don't think there is a wrong side but you just try to go with the flow and if you need to, stand up to get a better view if you are not on the optimum side. I realize this is as clear as mud and I hope you have a great trip. Whichever side you are on, the scenery is usually great.


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## Cal (Oct 31, 2021)

Rasputin said:


> Whichever side you are on, the scenery is usually great.


I beg to differ, when going through a canyon one side will have a stunning view while the other one will be staring at a wall of rock. Although to some it might be interesting to see the form and detail up close, most would probably go for the the other side.


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## zephyr17 (Oct 31, 2021)

The nice thing about the lounge car is you can look out of both sides from most seats. Some of those close to the middle of the car have the view to the other side blocked by the old, never-staffed, drink station and the stair entrance though.


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## BoulderCO (Nov 6, 2021)

Also, in the lounge car, you can move around as you wish. Rarely would you sit in the same chair on the same side all day. The windows are large enough that you will see plenty of both sides. Most people will want to come and go from the car and just select whatever seat is available.


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