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There is really as much room in the Family Bedroom for all the luggage you can carry--it just depends on how much seat space or floor space you want to take up with luggage. There is ample seat and floor space. That's pretty much all there is to the Family Bedroom, except for the previously...

The Family Bedroom is a great train accommodation! I've traveled in it alone, with my wife, and with my sister; although I prefer the amenities of a Bedroom. There is not really any designated storage space (other than a thin closet), but there is plenty of room to put luggage on a seat or the...

Were you just informed of this by Amtrak? The Business class car has been gone for quite a while, and your late notification would be another example of poor customer service by Amtrak.

Alaska is not a budget carrier, and the largest budget carrier is Southwest Airlines. They must be booked at their own website, not on sites like Orbitz. I worry about the quality of their pilots and maintenance.

I asked "Julie" when the cafe closed, and "she" connected me to a real agent, who, after considerable delay, said the cafe closes at 10 pm. But as @zephyr17 said, it's generally just up to the whims of the attendant.

I tried it, and after getting a "server is busy" message, the response was as quick as looking up the fares myself.

There is currently no checked baggage service from Boston on any train.

If you want to take Amtrak from Vancouver to San Luis Obispo, you will need to spend a night in either Seattle or Portland. The morning train from Vancouver to Seattle and Portland arrives in Seattle after the train to San Luis Obispo leaves. There is also an evening train from Vancouver to...

This has been so long in coming, and it will be a long time before it actually goes where people want to go. The best they can say for the extension to Ala Moana is "future segment"? I always regarded Ala Moana as the island's transit center.

I have only traveled long-distance coach once recently, and I boarded at the origin of the eastbound Empire Builder in Seattle. The coach attendant allowed us to choose our own seats, but with single passengers in the forward half and couples or groups in the rear half. We were advised to not...

There is a shower in the car, I think upstairs near your room. There will be a locomotive without a horn and a baggage car between your car and the locomotive with the horn. You'll probably be able to hear the horn, but it's really only an issue if your car is right behind the locomotive with...

Thanks for the trip report! I've traveled much of the Amtrak system, mostly in Bedrooms, but now find the cost out-of-reach, and am planning my next two-night trip in coach. I learned on a recent one-night excursion that I am able to sleep okay in a coach seat. Traveling in a private room on...

I'm glad you had a good ride! The poor Empire Builder has had a rough go at it lately...

I am enjoying the report and videos! I have a few more comments on transportation to and from the San Juan Islands. If one is traveling by air, there is a bus service connecting the Anacortes ferry terminal to Bellingham International and SeaTac airports. Bellair Airporter Shuttle has...

I live nearby on Orcas Island, and Mount Vernon is our nearest city. That's where Lowe's is located (Costco is right across the river in Burlington), and I regrettably spent a few days in the hospital there. There is a brew restaurant right near the station, but not much downtown anymore. I...

I like both trains. For me, the decision would be based on trip length, so the Sunset Limited would be my choice. Also, I would go eastbound to avoid that awful 5:35 am arrival in Los Angeles of the westbound.

I guess I can comment on my first wife (1984-2004). That was an unusual situation, because we could write our own free standby tickets on United Airlines, and more often than not go first class. But she loved train travel, as long as it was in a private room--only Bedrooms for overnight...

In our household, it's not just a competition for time, but also for vacation dollars. If we have over $10,000 to spend, it's likely we'll fly first-class to Hawaii and stay at a nice hotel. If we have more like $5,000 to blow, we'll get Bedrooms on the Coast Starlight to and from San...

The macerators were associated with spraying effluent on the tracks, which is no longer done. The vacuum system for transporting waste from the toilets to the holding tank does not involve any grinding process, so inappropriate toilet paper might indeed clog the system.

It is over $3,200 for a Bedroom from PDX to MSP in October when I priced a trip; Roomettes are over a thousand dollars.