Anyone gotten a Free Kid's Ticket? and need opinions

[AnnMarie]

Newbie here-I haaven't traveled on Amtrak for about 10 years, and then only went on short trips of 5 hours or less.......

I have to travel from Santa Barbara to Portland at the end of the month to a family member's wedding. Since my husband can't come I thought it might be fun to bring my 3 year old, a huge "Thomas the Tank Engine" fan, on the train. I thought it might be somewhat more affordable and maybe more enjoyable than a flight between the 2 cities. However, in some ways the train is not THAT much less expensive than a flight when you consider a round trip ticket for each of us....that is, until I chanced upon the concept that there are promotions where kids can travel for free (which would cut the costs in about half!)

I was trying to use a promotional code to book our tickets, and it didn't work. However, apparently there is some sort of a promotion going on right now where you can get a free Child's Ticket by buying a "Teletubbies" DVD (the agent told me about it when I called about the problems with the other code, which apparently JUST expired). Has anyone bought a ticket and gotten a free one using this Teletubbies promotional ticket? Should I even bother? I don't like the Teletubbies, and so far neither Walmart or Target has the DVD, which is making this task of tracking it down a little more difficult than I originally envisioned.......

Also, the small sleeper rooms are sold out so I am thinking about the two of us just sleeping in the coach seats. Has anyone tried this? (it's a 27 hour trip). Will this be do-able -or pure torture- in your opinion?

Thanks for your help!!

 

[RailFanLNK]

Ann Marie,

Do you know children ages 2-15 are 50% off. Also, I don't think it would be pure torture sleeping in coach and being in coach that long, but I would call Amtrak daily and see if a roomette has opened up. I'm still kinda new to all of this but that sounds like the Coast Starlate, if you so choose to take the Coast Starlight, it is known to be excessively late due to freight congestion on Union Pacific's rail lines, so make for sure you have plenty of time to get to your wedding. Personally, I will take a train over a plane now ANYTIME, I just don't think taking the CS and having it not planned out accordinly (timewise) would be a wise move. Make for sure you are getting there a day before the wedding even with delays added in to that. It also depends on how well your 3 year old travels as well. Remember about pricing, you are nearing the time you have to depart, prices may rise as a result of the train getting more and more riders, allthough, people can back out of sleeping accomodations so a roomette may open up.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

If your travel timing is flexible (obviously you can't arrive AFTER the wedding, but how about a couple of days early?) then check the dates around the intended travel date. The cost of rooms can vary significantly - it depends on how many are available at the time you seek to book it. You are really the best one to guess how well your child will behave during that kind of time frame - hard for us to even hazard a guess. The coach seats are pretty comfortable, but it is a long time. (and a long time without the availability of a shower, etc....). And one thing to consider in the cost is that your meals are included in the cost of any sleeper, so you need to factor that in when considering "actual" upgrade cost above coach. Meals on board aren't exactly prohibitive, but they're not cheap, either.

 

[annmarie]

Does it make sense to buy the tickets now, at a cheaper price, and then look for the promo code? Can I change it later? Can I change the date of travel as well, if I manage to get another day off so I can leave a day earlier?

 

[gswager]

Does it make sense to buy the tickets now, at a cheaper price, and then look for the promo code?

Yes, just like airlines. As you're getting closer to the departure date, the fares will rise.

Can I change it later?

Yes you can. Amtrak is a little more flexible than airline. If you have paper ticket on your hand, then it is subject to cancellation fee. If you decide to pick the tickets up at a staffed station like a day of departure or whenver you want, then it's most likely free to change the fare.

Can I change the date of travel as well, if I manage to get another day off so I can leave a day earlier?

Yes, you can. The departure date on the ticket must be match to that day. If you want to change the date, the fare will be much higher and must be re-issue the new ticket. On a rare occassion, the fare on a day before departure may be very low, depending on how many seats are available in the trian. Again, refer to about the paper ticket cancellation fee on your hand.

Other forum users will chime in.

 

[AnnMarie]

Thank You for the information!! I just bought my train ticket and will pick it up at the station the day I leave. I am looking forward to this train adventure! I will probably do a short report back on how it went with a 3 year old for anyone who is thinking of doing the same thing. We went up to Portland last summer (drove) and she was amazingly patient, although we did stop two nights along the trip. I think the train will be better in that we can walk around.

 

[JayPea]

Have a good trip, AnnMarie! It's nice to see you cultivate an interest in trains in your little one at such an early age. I took my first train trip (Spokane-Chicago) at the age of three (long before Amtrak) and have always greatly enjoyed train travel even though I haven't had too much of a chance, until lately, to travel much by train.