California Zephyr advice needed

[OTownDog]

I've used Amtrak to commute many times in the Northeast, and I'm thrilled to have received a generous Amtrak gift card as a gift recently. I have already booked airfare for a school reunion trip planned for September, but I'm seriously considering taking Amtrak to San Francisco, or back home to Orlando FL from SF. After spending more hours than I'm ashamed to admit on this Forum today, I am so ready to do this. Each and every post on this forum has been extremely enlightening and very interesting.

That being said I have a few questions:

1. If you could only take the CZ line from CHI to EMY westbound, or EMY to CHI eastbound, which would you choose and why? I am assuming that based on the schedule, there will be some "can't miss" sights that have to be missed because of the dark of night on either route. At the moment, westbound seems to be considerably less expensive, but if I can't see anything, I'll pony up for eastbound trip.

2. When reserving a sleeper, I have a rule of thumb I used when booking cruises... the lower and closer to the middle of the boat I sleep, the less motion I feel, and the shorter my "sea legs" period is after getting back on ground. Does the same principle hold true when sleeping in rail cars?

3. If I reserve a roomette and need to use the community toilet and shower facilities, how often are these facilities cleaned, and would you describle them as "sanitary","clean", "depends on the time" or "nasty central"? Also, in both community showers and private bedroom showers, how's the water pressure, and does water flow when/if the train is stopped for an extended period time?

4. I travelled in Viewliner roomette about 8 years ago, and the room had a small TV. Nothing in Amtrak's marketing materials describes this on any Superliner or Viewliner. Do they still have this?

5. I'd love to save money and maximize my AGR point earning at the same time. Any tips or tricks I should be aware of to accomplish this on travel from Orlando to San Francisco and/or back? Are AGR points awarded on USA Rail travel?

I want to thank you for all of the great information I have seen already, and thanks in advance to any help you can offer on my questions!

Jeff

Orlando, FL

 

[pennyk]

Hello Jeff,

I do not have the answers to all your questions, but I would like to welcome you. I live in Orlando also - pretty much downtown. I can hear the train horns when they cross Colonial Drive and when they cross Highland.

I have not been on the CZ, but I am planning to take it as one part of my cross country trip late summer. I have been told that it is more scenic going West because you will see the Rocky Mountains in day light.

There are no longer any tv's in the Viewliner roomettes.

I personally do not like the fact that the Viewliner sleepers are now at the back of the train, because I think it makes for a less smooth ride. However, I have never had motion sickness on a train, where I have on boats, cars, etc.

I am sure others will answer your questions.

Penny

 

[zephyr17]

1. If you could only take the CZ line from CHI to EMY westbound, or EMY to CHI eastbound, which would you choose and why? I am assuming that based on the schedule, there will be some "can't miss" sights that have to be missed because of the dark of night on either route. At the moment, westbound seems to be considerably less expensive, but if I can't see anything, I'll pony up for eastbound trip.

Westbound, CHI-EMY. You are guaranteed the wonderful climb up the Rockies in the daylight. Eastbound, if the train is running late, it may dark. It will be dark anyway, if it isn't summer.

2. When reserving a sleeper, I have a rule of thumb I used when booking cruises... the lower and closer to the middle of the boat I sleep, the less motion I feel, and the shorter my "sea legs" period is after getting back on ground. Does the same principle hold true when sleeping in rail cars?

Middle does matter to an degree. Car motion is greater over and beyond the trucks. The motion is not really greater upstairs versus downstairs. I prefer upstairs, mostly for the view, and downstairs is somewhat noisier due to track/truck noise. Some like downstairs, it isn't a big thing and personal preference more than anything. Also, FYI, on the CZ on most Superliner trains, the sleepers are forward under normal circumstances.

The dead center of the car is the stairwell, and the upstairs roomettes are numbered from the center out to the end of the car 1-10. 1 is always reserved for the attendent. 2 is across the hall. I like the 3/4 pair the best. The only rooms on the upstairs I don't like are 9/10 at the end. That is more because of the proximity to the end door and it banging open and shut, or train noise if it is locked open, than the ride quality. Again, personal preference.

3. If I reserve a roomette and need to use the community toilet and shower facilities, how often are these facilities cleaned, and would you describle them as "sanitary","clean", "depends on the time" or "nasty central"? Also, in both community showers and private bedroom showers, how's the water pressure, and does water flow when/if the train is stopped for an extended period time?

It is a 3 day ride. You will need to use the community toilets or explode, and the community shower for the sake of the rest of us

Clean is the best general description. The real horror stories are generally from coach where they have many more people using them, and attendent to passenger ratio much, much lower. This can vary on any given trip, but after tens of thousands of miles in Superliner sleepers, that is my general experience.

Water pressure is okay, and whether moving of stopped has nothing to do with it. There is limited supply of water on the car, and depending which refurb cycle the car has been through, it may have a press button that limits the amount of water per press. In any case, bear in mind the very limited amount of water, and keep your use short as possible. As for me, whether the plumbing enforces or not, I take "Navy" showers on Amtrak. Water up, turn off. Soap up, turn water back on and rinse.

4. I travelled in Viewliner roomette about 8 years ago, and the room had a small TV. Nothing in Amtrak's marketing materials describes this on any Superliner or Viewliner. Do they still have this

Superliners never had the little TVs, those were only on Viewliners, and I understand they've been removed/decomissioned. If you have to have a TV, use a portable DVD player or a laptop. Better yet, look out the window.

5. I'd love to save money and maximize my AGR point earning at the same time. Any tips or tricks I should be aware of to accomplish this on travel from Orlando to San Francisco and/or back? Are AGR points awarded on USA Rail travel?

Not a big AGR player. Leave that to other posters.

I want to thank you for all of the great information I have seen already, and thanks in advance to any help you can offer on my questions!
Jeff

Orlando, FL

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

The scenery is definately better westbound, due to the Rockies. If you go eastbound, and happen to be late, you could miss some of the best of the Rockies.

 

[sunchaser]

I've used Amtrak to commute many times in the Northeast, and I'm thrilled to have received a generous Amtrak gift card as a gift recently. I have already booked airfare for a school reunion trip planned for September, but I'm seriously considering taking Amtrak to San Francisco, or back home to Orlando FL from SF. After spending more hours than I'm ashamed to admit on this Forum today, I am so ready to do this. Each and every post on this forum has been extremely enlightening and very interesting.
That being said I have a few questions:

1. If you could only take the CZ line from CHI to EMY westbound, or EMY to CHI eastbound, which would you choose and why? I am assuming that based on the schedule, there will be some "can't miss" sights that have to be missed because of the dark of night on either route. At the moment, westbound seems to be considerably less expensive, but if I can't see anything, I'll pony up for eastbound trip.

2. When reserving a sleeper, I have a rule of thumb I used when booking cruises... the lower and closer to the middle of the boat I sleep, the less motion I feel, and the shorter my "sea legs" period is after getting back on ground. Does the same principle hold true when sleeping in rail cars?

3. If I reserve a roomette and need to use the community toilet and shower facilities, how often are these facilities cleaned, and would you describle them as "sanitary","clean", "depends on the time" or "nasty central"? Also, in both community showers and private bedroom showers, how's the water pressure, and does water flow when/if the train is stopped for an extended period time?

4. I travelled in Viewliner roomette about 8 years ago, and the room had a small TV. Nothing in Amtrak's marketing materials describes this on any Superliner or Viewliner. Do they still have this?

5. I'd love to save money and maximize my AGR point earning at the same time. Any tips or tricks I should be aware of to accomplish this on travel from Orlando to San Francisco and/or back? Are AGR points awarded on USA Rail travel?

I want to thank you for all of the great information I have seen already, and thanks in advance to any help you can offer on my questions!

Jeff

Orlando, FL

1. We have only taken the CZ as far as Glenwood Springs, Co east, but have gone to SAC west. My experience has been that east & west were the same as far as scenery in those areas. I have read that westbound is the way to go, starting in CHI.

2. The general consensus I have seen is that you are right about the middle of the car. However, most will favor either upper or lower. Each has it's own benefits. We've only been upstairs, & it was perfect for us.

3. The community shower was clean when I used it. Plenty of hot water & towels. Our first trip, the bathrooms IMHO, should have been cleaned more often. We had bedrooms on our first trip, but we didn't use the shower in the bedrooms. I tested the water pressure in it and it was fine. Our second trip on the CZ, the bathrooms were very clean, "sanitary clean".

4.No TVs. You'll have plenty to see during the day out of the window. You can even turn off the lights at night and look out, or read if you want.

5.Make sure you give your AGR # when you book. I don't know of any tips or tricks, but I'm sure others will chime in.

Welcome to the board! Have a great trip!

 

[RRrich]

I am looking forward to riding the CZ from CHI to EMY - I will be on the upper lever and I hope that the SAC (sleeping car attendant) is female as I think that they keep the toilets cleaner (but I am often wrong)

I try to give Amtrak as few of my dollars as possible - this tends to limit the number of AGR points that I get. Most of my AGR points are from my use of an AGR Mastercard for luxuries like food, medical insurance and gasoline. If you have good credit, you should be using a reward credit card and my choice is an AGR card

 

[ThayerATM]

I've used Amtrak to commute many times in the Northeast, and I'm thrilled to have received a generous Amtrak gift card as a gift recently. I have already booked airfare for a school reunion trip planned for September, but I'm seriously considering taking Amtrak to San Francisco, or back home to Orlando FL from SF. After spending more hours than I'm ashamed to admit on this Forum today, I am so ready to do this. Each and every post on this forum has been extremely enlightening and very interesting.
That being said I have a few questions:

1. If you could only take the CZ line from CHI to EMY westbound, or EMY to CHI eastbound, which would you choose and why? I am assuming that based on the schedule, there will be some "can't miss" sights that have to be missed because of the dark of night on either route. At the moment, westbound seems to be considerably less expensive, but if I can't see anything, I'll pony up for eastbound trip.

2. When reserving a sleeper, I have a rule of thumb I used when booking cruises... the lower and closer to the middle of the boat I sleep, the less motion I feel, and the shorter my "sea legs" period is after getting back on ground. Does the same principle hold true when sleeping in rail cars?

3. If I reserve a roomette and need to use the community toilet and shower facilities, how often are these facilities cleaned, and would you describle them as "sanitary","clean", "depends on the time" or "nasty central"? Also, in both community showers and private bedroom showers, how's the water pressure, and does water flow when/if the train is stopped for an extended period time?

4. I travelled in Viewliner roomette about 8 years ago, and the room had a small TV. Nothing in Amtrak's marketing materials describes this on any Superliner or Viewliner. Do they still have this?

5. I'd love to save money and maximize my AGR point earning at the same time. Any tips or tricks I should be aware of to accomplish this on travel from Orlando to San Francisco and/or back? Are AGR points awarded on USA Rail travel?

I want to thank you for all of the great information I have seen already, and thanks in advance to any help you can offer on my questions!

Jeff

Orlando, FL

1: We took the CZ eastbound last fall, and went through the rockies during the daylight. I don't know what happens westbound, but the trip was kewl. Amtrak kind of plans it that way, both ways.

2: I don't think it really matters. We've always used bedroom E on the high-rise sleepers, and that's in the middle of the car. I doubt that you'd be thrown around much at the end of the car. We spent some time in the baggage car on the LSL (the last car on the train) and it wasn't any rougher than the sleeper.

3: We've never had to use the "community" facilities on a train. We've always booked a bedroom. I've never tried to shower when the train is stopped for any extended period of time (we're outside smoking ) but the toilet in the bedroom works.

4: There's no TV is a roomette, or a bedroom, unless you bring your own. I'm not particularly interested in TV, so I don't even know if it would work if you brought your own. I just gaulk out the window. Even at night.

5: I'm just getting into AGR so I don't know how to maximize all that stuff. I've ignored it for three years, and finally got talked in to using AGR. I'll learn

 

[Cristobal]

Okay...

I haven't seen anyone else comment on this so maybe my trip was an isolated case.

I rode the CZ eastbound last July (my first ever LD train trip) and I had a nice enough experience to really hook me on the whole concept.

However...

I was notified weeks in advance that I'd be on one of the 'detoured' trains (due to track work) so I missed the great sights of the Rockies. No big deal I thought...

We were also told by our SCA during our ascent from SAC into the Sierra Nevadas that the toilets may not work at higher altitudes. No sh!t! (pun intended :blush: ). Starting somewhere between SAC and RNO the toilets would no longer flush. The SCA would have to come down every few hours and reset some valves or something and then announce over the PA "Flush your toilets. Flush your toilets!". It stayed this way until well beyond Denver. Not a great experience but I'm guessing far worse for the ladies than it was for me mostly (the sink still worked ).

Would I do it all again?

In a heartbeat.

As a matter of fact, I hope to do the whole trip again someday soon just to see what I missed the first time.

P.S. The shower was clean with decent water temp/pressure and plenty of fresh towels were available throughout my trip.

 

[Bob Dylan]

5. I'd love to save money and maximize my AGR point earning at the same time. Any tips or tricks I should be aware of to accomplish this on travel from Orlando to San Francisco and/or back? Are AGR points awarded on USA Rail travel?

Since others answered your questions I'll take on AGR: if you have an AGR MC from Chase use it as the other poster said for "necessities" such as good/gas/utility bills etc., in fact anything that youd use a card for! If you mean USA Rail Passes, yes you get 2X$1 spent so a $389 pass would give you 778 Rail Points (useable only for Select and Select Plus, ALL points count for free trips!) Sign up for every promotion AGR and Amtrak offers to get more/extra points, utilize short point runs (100 minimum even if the fare is $5) to build up points!

West is the best way to ride the CZ if you cant go both ways, middle of the train is smoother so roomette #2-#6 is probably best, if in a bedroom E is first choice for most folks, C is next best IMO, A is the least desirable since it is smaller and @ the end of the car! Most folks prefer upstairs rooms but downstairs does have it's fans, I'm not one of them! Dont hesitate to ask questions/share, this is the BEST FORUM going with great folks!

 

[Konrad]

1. Eastbound is definitely the best, descending the front range in the dark into Denver happens far too often westbound.

2. As I take bedrooms I can't comment on the ride downstairs but have never had any problems with motion (but then I've sailed around the world without getting seasick).

3. Communal toilets and shower are generally well maintained. The bedroom shower is difficult to use because most of the space is taken by the commode (would love Amtrak to install the folding commodes fitted on Australian trains). Be aware that the toilets will fail repeatedly on the Zephyr - something to do with altitude in the Rockies and Sierras.

4. TVs have been out of the Viewliners for years. Take a laptop and a supply of DVDs.

5. AGRs are not available to we foreigners so no advice there.

Enjoy the trip.

 

[Bob Dylan]

1. Eastbound is definitely the best, descending the front range in the dark into Denver happens far too often westbound.

I think you mean just the opposite do you not, the dark comes on the eastbound when it is late, the westbound arrives in the morning! :blink:

 

[AlanB]

Water pressure is okay, and whether moving of stopped has nothing to do with it. There is limited supply of water on the car, and depending which refurb cycle the car has been through, it may have a press button that limits the amount of water per press. In any case, bear in mind the very limited amount of water, and keep your use short as possible. As for me, whether the plumbing enforces or not, I take "Navy" showers on Amtrak. Water up, turn off. Soap up, turn water back on and rinse.

Actually the bit about Navy showers is good advice, not so much because there is limited water on board although that is indeed true. However, even more limited than the water supply itself, is the amount of hot water available. The hot water heater is on the small side and if several have taken a shower in a row, a long shower might well see you run out of hot water.

 

[AlanB]

We were also told by our SCA during our ascent from SAC into the Sierra Nevadas that the toilets may not work at higher altitudes. No sh!t! (pun intended :blush: ). Starting somewhere between SAC and RNO the toilets would no longer flush. The SCA would have to come down every few hours and reset some valves or something and then announce over the PA "Flush your toilets. Flush your toilets!". It stayed this way until well beyond Denver. Not a great experience but I'm guessing far worse for the ladies than it was for me mostly (the sink still worked ).

Actually what the attendant was doing was flipping the circuit breaker for the vacuum system.

What happens is that the high altitude causes a low vacuum condition in the car. Every time you flush a toilet on the train, a bit of water is thrown into the bowl and it's that plus the vacuum that evacuates the toilet. When the system senses a low vacuum condition, it trips the circuit breaker to protect the system thinking that something is wrong. When the attendant flips the breaker back on, depending on the altitude and just how much of a leak there is in the vacuum system, determines just how long the system works. Sometimes you get just 2 or 3 flushes, sometimes it might hold for 15 minutes or more, before tripping off again.

 

[zephyr17]

1. Eastbound is definitely the best, descending the front range in the dark into Denver happens far too often westbound.

I think you mean just the opposite do you not, the dark comes on the eastbound when it is late, the westbound arrives in the morning! :blink:

Yep. It is kind of hard to "descend" into Denver westbound, unless you are on a plane instead of a train. Westbound, you ascend into the Rockies after Denver, in the morning if on time, afternoon if you are late. Eastbound, you descend into Denver in the very late afternoon (in the summer), at night if you are late (or other than summer).

Although I will say the eastbound descent into Denver at night has its charms. You see the lights of the city for miles across the plains from the mountains, and it is like being on a very, very slowly descending plane (on a twisty flight path). But actually seeing the mountains is better...

Also, just to be clear, there is no toilet/commode in the common shower room on any Superliner. In the the Delux Bedroom, the toilet annex is a combination shower/toilet. As an aside, the Bedrooms in the the Superliner Is, as configured when first delivered in 1981, the push button to turn the shower was apparently frequently confused with the push button to flush the toilet. A number of people got an accidental shower because of that...and it has since been corrected.

 

[Jeremy]

I rode CZ eastbound a couple of years ago. You get to see the Sierra in daylight but generally miss the Rockies; if you travel in high summer and your train is on time, you'll see more of the Rockies eastbound than we saw. Our train ran late and the year was young so it got dark early and we saw only the foothills. Westbound is better for seeing the best parts of the Rockies.

We showered at one of the longer stops and found it to work out quite well. Both the shower and the toilets were clean.

We were in Roomette 2 or 3 and were in the second sleeper back from the front of the train. The motion was not bothersome at all (and my wife easily gets carsick). I was concerned, based on the comments here, that we might be bothered by noise from traffic to the upstairs toilet, attendant's room, etc., but there was no problem. Likewise, the diesel horn was not bothersome.

 

[rrdude]

That being said I have a few questions:...........
3. If I reserve a roomette and need to use the community toilet and shower facilities, how often are these facilities cleaned, and would you describle them as "sanitary","clean", "depends on the time" or "nasty central"? Also, in both community showers and private bedroom showers, how's the water pressure, and does water flow when/if the train is stopped for an extended period time?

I want to thank you for all of the great information I have seen already, and thanks in advance to any help you can offer on my questions!

Jeff

Orlando, FL

And just to be clear, the shower is not anything like you would have on a cruise ship or hotel. I'm right at 200LB, and if using the shower in your Bedroom, it is really small, utilitarian, but small. The public showers downstairs are a comfortable size, but still........The main thing is that you are getting a shower. Obviously makes you, and everyone else around you, <_< that much happier.

 

[Bootman4U]

Personally, I would vote for a westbound trip since that's the only direction I've ever taken this particular train in..both on AMTRAK as well as pre-AMTRAK. The last time I did it the train was running five hours late but we did get through Glenwood Canyon in daylight. Climbing up out of Denver can be pretty spectacular but not sure it is any more so than descending.

I think you'll appreciate having a shower AT ALL as has been mentioned..makes a BIG difference IMO..and it is nice to have your OWN although I've used the communal ones. Once I traveled westbound in one of the old Superliner cars and the shower in the "deluxe" bedroom didn't work well so I went below and used the larger one...was fairly clean but I have found that a lot of that "clean or not clean" condition depends on the OTHER passengers. I mean there are only so many minutes/hours in the day that the attendant can be in there cleaning and frankly, I wonder where some of these people live...feet on the seats, leaving disaster areas in the bathrooms, etc., acting as if there is/are no other passengers...you know what I mean.

My only other comment is that when we took the train through Iowa that had to be the ROUGHEST "roadbed" I have EVER experienced and the position of your sleeping accommodation probably wouldn't have modified it much but that's sometimes what you get in this country..all part of the fun. GO for it!

 

[OTownDog]

Thank you all for the terrific advice! As far as the showers go, I wasn't expecting a Hilton Spa bathroom experience, but I'm relieved to hear that the facilities are acceptable to most. I'm glad to see others like myself do the "water off when soaping up" method like I do. You can call me a tree hugger, but I believe that fresh water is a precious resource that ought never be wasted. This can be evidenced by my lawn which is brown between December and April during our Florida "dry season".

Getting back on track (pun intened), I have another Amtrak question. I've been playing online with the utilizing different stations to obtain a lower fare because I think I'll really only need the sleeper room overnight. The Amtrak website lists lunch and dinner hours, but does not show breakfast hours. If I reserve a sleeper from CHI - DEN, the train should arrive at 7:15AM. Will I receive receive breakfast in the dining car before I "move out" at DEN?

It seems like the cost savings may not be worth the hassle of moving from sleeper to coach twice on this trip, but it's fun to see what my options are.

Thanks again!

 

[zephyr17]

Thank you all for the terrific advice! As far as the showers go, I wasn't expecting a Hilton Spa bathroom experience, but I'm relieved to hear that the facilities are acceptable to most. I'm glad to see others like myself do the "water off when soaping up" method like I do. You can call me a tree hugger, but I believe that fresh water is a precious resource that ought never be wasted. This can be evidenced by my lawn which is brown between December and April during our Florida "dry season".
Getting back on track (pun intened), I have another Amtrak question. I've been playing online with the utilizing different stations to obtain a lower fare because I think I'll really only need the sleeper room overnight. The Amtrak website lists lunch and dinner hours, but does not show breakfast hours. If I reserve a sleeper from CHI - DEN, the train should arrive at 7:15AM. Will I receive receive breakfast in the dining car before I "move out" at DEN?

It seems like the cost savings may not be worth the hassle of moving from sleeper to coach twice on this trip, but it's fun to see what my options are.

Thanks again!

I don't think it is worth it, and Amtrak generally prices the rooms so as to discourage it (expensive at night, relatively cheaper during the day), so you may not be saving as much money as you think, especially if you factor in meals.

This is a special trip for you, and I think you will enjoy it more if you can just move into your roomette and settle in for the whole journey.

With that said, the diner should start serving breakfast at 6am, so you could get breakfast. With that said, sometimes on major stops they suspend meal service while they do other tasks (offloading garbage, sometimes bringing on supplies, gettinge ice, etc), and restart right before or just after departure. I am not sure about Denver in this regard.

BTW - Don't give me too much credit...I only take Navy showers on Amtrak...

 

[spot1181]

I found to take the quickest showers was to use liquid soap and one of those big puff balls.

 

[Konrad]

1. Eastbound is definitely the best, descending the front range in the dark into Denver happens far too often westbound.

I think you mean just the opposite do you not, the dark comes on the eastbound when it is late, the westbound arrives in the morning! :blink:

Oops :unsure: .

 

[domefoamer]

I took my shower during the seven-mile transit of the Moffat Tunnel. That way I didn't miss any of the view. And it was just such a bizarre place to be taking a shower, deep beneath a mountain!

 

[zephyr17]

I took my shower during the seven-mile transit of the Moffat Tunnel. That way I didn't miss any of the view. And it was just such a bizarre place to be taking a shower, deep beneath a mountain!

Excellent! :lol: BTW - love your user name.

 

[OTownDog]

Well I did it! Just booked the CHI - EMY trip on the Zephyr. I was booked into room 002 on car 531. Should I assume this is room "2" at the top of the stairs on the FOA room layout? I am so excited!

I'm still working out the details on getting to CHI. I may get there via PVD, RTE, or NWK so I can visit family "on my way" to California.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Well I did it! Just booked the CHI - EMY trip on the Zephyr. I was booked into room 002 on car 531. Should I assume this is room "2" at the top of the stairs on the FOA room layout? I am so excited!
I'm still working out the details on getting to CHI. I may get there via PVD, RTE, or NWK so I can visit family "on my way" to California.

Congrats, a great route! You are correct, Room #2 is across the hall from the SCA (#1), next to the stairs, coffee/juice etc. A good room IMO, hope you got low bucket prices, this is a popular train! (although I wonder why anyone would want to live in Rhode Island, my neighborhood is bigger! :lol: )