# AGR Rewards Trip



## Guest (Jan 27, 2012)

What suggestions do you have to maximize train time on a 2 zone award? Scenic/ intersting routes would be a plus. I can start or end my trip anywhere. I will be traveling in a bedroom. Thanks for your help.


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## the_traveler (Jan 27, 2012)

Personally, I think the best 2 zone award trip is from Kirkwood, MO (KWD) to Columbus, WI (CBS)!




You could start in either CHI or STL. (The connecting afternoon train from CHI to KWD - even though it changes numbers in STL - is the same equipment!)

I assume this would be a sleeper award ticket!

You would buy a coach ticket to KWD, then your BC starts in KWD (although they probably would let you sit there from STL -- 13 miles away). In KCY you would board your sleeper on the SWC to LAX, then connect to a sleeper on the CS to PDX, and then connect to a sleeper on the EB. From CBS to CGI (or STL, buy a coach ticket. You can probably remain in your sleeper from CBS to CHI, since all meals are thru.)

All these are guaranteed, same day connections!


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## Bob Dylan (Jan 27, 2012)

Dave has a Great Route, this is one of the so called "Loopholes" from the Old Days that used to be a 1 Zone Award!  , took it a couple of times myself!

Another suggestion is to ride the Sunset Ltd./Texas Eagle #422 from El Paso(ELP) to SAS to Springfield,IL(Remember that it only runs 3 days a week!),, Thruway Van from SPI-Galesburg

(GBB), California Zephyr #5 from GBB-Sacramento (SAC), Coast Starlight #14 from SAC-Portland (PDX), Empire Builder #28 from PDX-Columbus,WI as was said, then buy a Coach Ticket from CBS-CHI, probably get to stay in your room as Dave said! This will give you 8 Days/6 Nites on 5 Routes Train with 20 Meals in the Diner! (Ive done this one too!  )

A Test Booking in Feb. shows a Total Fare in Bedrooms of $3,826.00, Im sure it will be higher in the Summer and Remember the points for Awards for Bedrooms Go up April 1st for trips not yet booked so try to Book it ASAP!!!


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## the_traveler (Jan 27, 2012)

jimhudson said:


> Another suggestion is to ride the Sunset Ltd./Texas Eagle #421 from El Paso (ELP) to San Antonio(SAS)


Jim, how do you take #421 from ELP to SAS?



#421/#1 goes *WESTBOUND*, #422/#2 goes *EASTBOUND*!



And wouldn't that be more than 2 zones, since they would route you on #1/#421 to connect to the CS in LAX (Los Angeles)?


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## Bob Dylan (Jan 27, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> jimhudson said:
> 
> 
> > Another suggestion is to ride the Sunset Ltd./Texas Eagle #421 from El Paso (ELP) to San Antonio(SAS)
> ...


I corrected it to #422 Dave (damn arthritic fingers! :help: ), and it's bookable, I did it on Amtrak.com on Multi-City and I used this route myself once on a 2 Zone Award!!!


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## amamba (Jan 28, 2012)

Straight up CHI to SEA is a nice two zone award, too. You can either do the SWC to LAX and then switch to the CS north up to SEA. Or you can take the CZ to Emeryville and then switch to the CS for the ride up to SEA. Either way you get three nights on the train.


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## Steve4031 (Jan 30, 2012)

I haven't actually done this, but when my points post, Im going to try to go chicago to Los Angeles on 421 (3 nights on the train) and then Los Angeles to Seattle on the CS ( 1 night for a total of 4 nights) in a sleeper.


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## the_traveler (Jan 30, 2012)

Steve4031 said:


> I haven't actually done this, but when my points post, Im going to try to go chicago to Los Angeles on 421 (3 nights on the train) and then Los Angeles to Seattle on the CS ( 1 night for a total of 4 nights) in a sleeper.


I don't think they will allow that as a 2 zone award - but I hope I'm wrong!



Let me know!


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## JayPea (Jan 30, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> Steve4031 said:
> 
> 
> > I haven't actually done this, but when my points post, Im going to try to go chicago to Los Angeles on 421 (3 nights on the train) and then Los Angeles to Seattle on the CS ( 1 night for a total of 4 nights) in a sleeper.
> ...



A couple of years ago my uncle and I made a similar trip, from Bloomington to LA on 421, then the CS to Seattle. I couldn't book it from Bloomington, though. It only worked if I booked it from Walnut Ridge to Seattle (which was indeed a 2 zone trip). I had to buy coach tickets from Bloomington to Walnut Ridge, though we were able to occupy a sleeper starting at St. Louis. Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you!


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## reefgeek (Feb 1, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> 1327693935[/url]' post='343268']Personally, I think the best 2 zone award trip is from Kirkwood, MO (KWD) to Columbus, WI (CBS)!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Dave, I must ask: how do you get to Kirkwood Mo from the east? It looks like you would need to overnight in Chicago, the website won't make any same day connection (they're either broken or under an hour).


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## frugalist (Feb 1, 2012)

Guest said:


> What suggestions do you have to maximize train time on a 2 zone award? Scenic/ intersting routes would be a plus. I can start or end my trip anywhere. I will be traveling in a bedroom. Thanks for your help.


How about these possibilities:

Miami > New York on the Silver Meteor (#98)

New York > Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited (#49)

Chicago > El Paso on the Texas Eagle (#421)

4 nights, over 97 hours and at least 11 meals on the train

(I couldn't get this itinerary to come up on Arrow, but it should be doable if you get the right AGR agent.)

Or, substitute for your third train: Chicago > Albuquerque on the Southwest Chief (#3)

3 nights, 71 hours and at least 8 meals on the train.

Or, your third train could be: Chicago > Denver on the California Zephyr (#5)

3 nights, 64 hours and at least 7 meals on the train.


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## frugalist (Feb 1, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> Personally, I think the best 2 zone award trip is from Kirkwood, MO (KWD) to Columbus, WI (CBS)!
> 
> 
> 
> You could start in either CHI or STL. (The connecting afternoon train from CHI to KWD - even though it changes numbers in STL - is the same equipment!)


I thought that since they ended the 1-zone loophole for this trip, it would be booked as a 3-zone trip, since you're traveling in 3 zones (Central, Western, then Central again). Similar to the way Atlanta > Chicago is now charged as a 2-zone trip since you have to go through the Eastern zone to get to Chicago, even though Atlanta is a zone-border city. Am I totally misunderstanding the way the system works now?

If this is, indeed, a 2-zone award, it would be a great trip! 5 nights, 111 hours and at least 13 meals on the train.


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## the_traveler (Feb 1, 2012)

reefgeek said:


> Dave, I must ask: how do you get to Kirkwood Mo from the east? It looks like you would need to overnight in Chicago, the website won't make any same day connection (they're either broken or under an hour).


KWD is the 1st stop west of STL - only 13 miles away! And I forget the actual numbers - and I'm too lazy



to look them up right now - but #303 (I think from CHI to STL) turns into the MORR #313 (after a short layover) - and a few minutes later stops at KWD!


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## the_traveler (Feb 1, 2012)

frugalist said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > Personally, I think the best 2 zone award trip is from Kirkwood, MO (KWD) to Columbus, WI (CBS)!
> ...


No, actually they only consider the total number of zones you travel thru.

In the case of KWD-CBS, you travel thru the Central and Western zones - thus is is a 2 zone trip!





In the other case, ATL is a border city - thus if you go east, it's in the Eastern zone and if you go west, it's in the Central zone. Because at first you go ATL-WAS, it's all considered the Eastern Zone. Thus, ATL-WAS-TOL is one zone and TOL-CHI is another - a total of 2 zones!


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## frugalist (Feb 1, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> frugalist said:
> 
> 
> > the_traveler said:
> ...


So, you're not paying extra for going through the same zone a second time, right?

Let's see if I understand this. If I wanted to go from Slidell, LA to Chicago, I can take the Crescent from Slidell to Washington (Central Zone to Eastern Zone) then connect to the Cap. Ltd. to Chicago (Eastern Zone to Central Zone). This trip would be a 2-zone trip? Ignore the fact that I can buy a cheap coach ticket from Slidell to NOL then take the City of New Orleans directly to Chicago as a 1-zone trip.


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## the_traveler (Feb 1, 2012)

Correct!





But to take the CONO, you would need to stay in NOL (on your dime), because the Crescent arrives in the evening and the CONO departs in the afternoon! And the same with the SL which departs later in the afternoon, but before the Crescent arrives!


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