. A fresh pot was made soon afterwards, though, and it tasted much better.
Too bad you aren't able to utilize the upper bunk.Supper was delivered at about 6PM. The hubby ordered the butter chicken, which was the only dinner option we hadn't yet tried. The sauce was both sweet and spicy, and the rice tasted better than the cilantro rice which came with my salmon. I saw the coffee urn was still going when I threw out our supper trash; however, I found out the hard way that only the dregs were left.
Waiting for the beds to be made up now. Will ask for blankets, as we don't plan to use the top bunk.
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I'm curious as to which hotel you stayed in. I've stayed at the Embassy Suites and at the Sheraton, both at least 10 years ago so I don't know that what I have to say about them is accurate anymore. There is a Hilton about two blocks Northwest I've never tried; those two blocks are uphill and as I was on my own with luggage, didn't want to walk it.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn -- that may be the "Hilton" you were thinking of, as it's part of the Hilton family of hotel chains and participates in the Hilton Honors program. We walked the 2 blocks there and back from the station -- but it was a much easier walk at 10:30AM Tuesday than it had been mid-afternoon Monday. If a 2-block walk is out of the question, one of the hotels further away BUT directly adjacent to one of the "Molly the Trolley" stops would probably be a better option. And definitely let the SCA know that you would like a ride on the "shuttle" from the platform to the station -- that alone is a 1/4 mile / 400m hike! (And nothing but "lean against" high benches to rest at along the way.)
Glad you enjoyed your brief stay in Ft Worth and had a nice trip on the Eaglete.( a Sightseer Lounge and Traditional Dinning would make it alot better).Well, I finally had some Mexican food for a meal this week -- but it wasn't until after we got home, via an El Monterrey microwave entree!
Some final thoughts on this week's Texas Eagle trip:
-- There is a LOT one can do in Fort Worth, even just within the downtown area, and I would have loved for us to have had a couple more days to explore that city. Since the hubby and I are half the staff of our small law firm, however, it's very difficult to arrange that much time away from the office. For others who do have the time for a longer vacation, though, Fort Worth makes an excellent place to end a journey on the southbound Texas Eagle, if one doesn't wish to continue all the way to LA.
-- Our hotel (the Hampton Inn, just 2 blocks away from Fort Worth Central Station) was very comfortable, with thoughtful staff, an ideal room location near the elevator, and the best hotel breakfast we've ever had. However, if you aren't physically up to the walk from the station (especially if you weren't aware of the shuttle service for disabled & elderly passengers, to spare you that 1/4 mile walk from platform to station), a hotel immediately adjacent to one of "Molly the Trolley's" stops might be a better choice.
-- Consider carefully whether or not members of your party can manage a climb into the upper berth of a roomette or bedroom. The steps in a roomette may provide a more stable climb than the ladder in a bedroom, but eliminates the possibility of squeezing 2 people into the lower berth + jump seat, as we ended up doing. Having learned from this experience, the hubby and I will in future follow the advice of one of the Grounded Life Travel videos on YouTube, and book a pair of roomettes across from each other instead. (Also because we just didn't have enough room in the ensuite shower/toilet to do anything other than #1.)
--We quite enjoyed the Flexible Dining meals, whose menu had been recently changed (the old menu was still up on the Amtrak website this week). They were quite filling, and allowed us to sample some cuisine types we hadn't previously tried. Bear in mind, however, that neither of us had been in an Amtrak dining car (last year's Cafe Car on the regional trains doesn't count) in over 40 years, so we don't yet have a Traditional Dining experience to compare the Flex meals against. On the other hand, the big problem with Flexible Dining is that, with fewer choices, and the same choices to pick from for both lunch and supper, repeat meals can quickly become an issue, especially on round trips on the same route or trips on multiple routes with Flexible Dining. I have read elsewhere in these forums that on the CONO, the "flex meals" consist of "free" Cafe Car chow for sleeping car passengers. Adding "free" (with sleeper ticket purchase) Cafe Car chow to the regular Flexible Dining options would increase the available choices, especially for those on special diets or with food allergies. Traditional Dining, however (as we saw from a Sunset Limited menu left in a lower-level roomette) will doubtless be superior, at least because more options = fewer repeats.
--Getting a little exercise during one's trip can help stave off the boredom drowsies and sore, creaky joints from sitting in one spot too long. BUT the two main options are either climbing downstairs to the platform during a fresh air break, or walking the length of the train to & from meals. Either one must negotiate those incredibly skinny stairs multiple times, and quickly reboard so one doesn't get left behind, or one must stagger from seat back headrest to seat back headrest through the coach cars if heading to a meal on a moving train. There are risks attached to either option!
An overnight on the Eaglette each way to/from Fort Worth was a good "learning experience" for the hubby and me, and we will bear the lessons learned in mind when planning our next Amtrak vacation.
How does one go about reserving two roomettes and make sure they are on opposing sides. Having them directly across from each other would be best but not entirely necessary for me.
I have never done this, but I have read enough out here to suggest calling in to book your tickets, the Amtrak Guest Rewards 800-307-5000 people may be the best place to call to try this, and have the floor plans handy to help request the room numbers you desire: https://www.craigmashburn.com/amtrakcardiagrams.html
Thanks for linking the floor plans! I had guessed that the AGR number would be the best place to call, but having the floor plans at hand as a visual aid when making the call hadn't occurred to me.
Call and speak with an agent. A skilled agent can switch roomettes from the initial computer assignment without affecting the price.
As noted in over in the thread on the AGR board, it really looks like agents cannot touch points and cash reservations and may run serious risks to the integrity of the reservation if they try.
We did this year's Texas Eagle trip as 2 one-ways. We booked the tickets before "points + cash" was an option, and had hoped to use points for at least 1 person's 1-way fare, but didn't have enough points at the time for even that, and ended up putting the entire fare on my AGR credit card. We've earned a lot more AGR points since then, so there might be enough for the one-way fare with points for at least one of us by January (which is probably the earliest that we'd want to book tickets for an October trip).
Heads-at-opposite-ends (like the "Pushmi-pullu" from Doctor Dolittle) wouldn't have worked well in a regular bedroom, as the lower berth is only 78"/2 meters long, I think. So we were in an L shape instead at night. Southbound, the hubby had his head on the backrest of the jumpseat and his feet at the foot of the lower berth. Northbound, he decided that he'd sleep a little better lying flat, so he had his head at the foot of the lower berth and his feet on the jump seat. (Both directions, I slept scrunched up as much as I could, to give him a bit more room.)
What was the issue getting into the upper bed. Where is the ladder/stairs. The stairs in the scenic cruiser roomettes are on the end, not too bad getting in, a bit more planning getting out.
We had the ladder, but the hubby found it to be a bit unstable when the train was moving, and he didn't trust his ability to climb into the top bunk safely. (And he didn't want to risk my safety by having me attempt to climb into the top bunk.)
I had the Beef Paprikash on the Cardinal several weeks ago. Not too bad.
