Care to help a girl out? (newbie questions)

[WanderToWonder]

Hello, My name is Christine. I am new to the forum. It is my first time to take an Amtrak train, first time traveling solo, and taking a long distance cross country trip. I have a few questions. They might be dumb questions but please bare with my stupidity ☺

A quick back story about myself; I have had 3 Major surgeries in the past 4 years and now that Im feeling better, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and do something that I have been wanting to do for awhile... Travel.

I will be coming from San Jose stopping at Chicago and staying there for about 2-3 days then from Chicago to New York and stay there for another 2-3 days as well. Going back, I was thinking of taking straight from New York to San Jose. (Not quite sure if I will take another stop somewhere going back)

Questions:

-Purchasing tickets. Do I purchase tickets individual? Such as San Jose-Chicago then Chicago-New York & etc.

-For long distance travel is it a must to get a sleeping room or would coach be okay? I am 5ft 2inch

-Are showers only allowed for people that have rooms?

Food/Drinks; What is allowed? Or is it allowed?

-Since Ill be traveling solo, what are the chances that I wont have someone sit next to me?

Im sure I have more questions but those will suffice for now, haha. I would appreciate any tips and suggestions. Thanks! -Christine

 

[zephyr17]

Purchase tickets to your endpoints with continuous travel. So if you are stopping off in Chicago book San Jose (SJC)-Chicago (CHI) and Chicago (CHI) - New York (NYP). Book another for your return, there is no price advantage to booking round trip and a slight disadvantage in that if something happens to your reservation (like they don't scan your ticket), your entire trip will be affected, not just one part of it. Note that you will have to get to Emeryville to get to Chicago, so there will be a connection there unless you elect to get to Emeryville on your own. You want to use your endpoints, though, as that way you will only get guaranteed connections.

While coach seats are large, have lots of leg room and recline a long way (more than domestic first class airline seats), I don't do coach overnight myself and haven't for years. I'd get a roomette. One note on the coach seats, there is NOT an armrest between the two seats. If the roomettes have gotten into one of the upper buckets, which I will not pay for, I will either not go, adjust my dates, or fly. Purely up to you.

Showers are only for people in sleeping car rooms.

Depends on the time of year. If you go coach, I would assume that you would have someone next to you for at least part of your journey. If you are traveling summer, spring break, thanksgiving or Christmas, I would assume that you would have seatmates for most of it. Most trains I am on I hear the announcement that you should keep the other seat clear of your belongings, that other passengers will be boarding down the line and the seats will be needed.

If you are planning to travel this summer, you are booking very late. Chances are that the sleepers will be largely either booked out or pushed into the higher fare buckets. Sleepeing car accomodations are very popular in the summer and sell out.

 

[Maglev]

Hi Christine! I hope you continue to post at Amtrak Unlimited, and give us a report of your trip.

When a leg of your journey includes more than one train, it is best to purchase both segments on one ticket to guarantee the connection. This gives Amtrak some responsibility to take care of you if a train is delayed. But when there is a break in your travel between trains, there are advantages to purchasing separate tickets.

Regarding the necessity of a room, I traveled cross-country by train as a teenager in coach and did just fine, but as a married adult I always book a sleeper now. There are showers in the sleepers only for use by sleeping car passengers. There are no showers in the coaches.

You never know if someone will be seated next to you or not. The seats in coach do not have armrests in between, which is good if you indeed have two seats to yourself because you can spread out, but it is awkward if there is a stranger sitting next to you who intrudes into your space. This is one of many reason I prefer to travel in a sleeper.

 

[JayPea]

Have fun!

1) If you plan to break up your trip at Chicago, you will need to purchase separate tickets for your San Jose-Chicago leg and your Chicago-New York leg. If you plan to travel from New York straight through to San Jose on the way back you can purchase that as a single ticket.

2). Strictly up to you. I wouldn't do it, but then I'm 6 feet tall. And 58 years old

3) Showers are for sleeper passengers only.

4) You can bring whatever food you would like. If you are in coach, out of consideration to those around you, I would refrain from bringing anything that might have a pungent odor. As for drinks, alcoholic beverages may be brought aboard and consumed in your room if you have one. Consuming alcohol in coach is prohibited though whether or not that is strictly enforced depends on who you talk to. I personally don't drink alcohol so I have no personal experience one way or another.

4). Probably, but that very well could vary. Ambiguous answer, I know

Again, have fun!!!

 

[cpotisch]

-Purchasing tickets. Do I purchase tickets individual? Such as San Jose-Chicago then Chicago-New York & etc.

You can book it all under one reservation with a Multi-City ticket.

-For long distance travel is it a must to get a sleeping room or would coach be okay? I am 5ft 2inch

It depends on your budget and what you can put up with for long periods. Sleepers are WAY better than coach (pretty much in every way, as you'd expect), so if you can afford it, go for it! If you can't, coach still has plenty of space

-Are showers only allowed for people that have rooms?

Sadly, yes.

Food/Drinks; What is allowed? Or is it allowed?

You can bring whatever you want, except for alcoholic beverages, which can not be consumed in coach. If you have a sleeper, you can bring anything. Meals in the dining car are generally pretty good in my opinion, but the prices can be kind of ridiculous (unless in you're in a sleeper, in which case meals in the diner are free).

-Since Ill be traveling solo, what are the chances that I wont have someone sit next to me?

It really depends. If the train isn't very full, you've got a decent chance. Peak season and you'll probably have a seat mate. Note: If you get a sleeper, you are alone in your room. You will not have to share it.
Hope this helps!

 

[sitzplatz17]

Everything said so far is pretty much what I would have said.

The only thing I would add is that you can always do a little bit of “mix and match” for coach and sleeper accommodations.

So if I was you I’d likely do the long trip from California to Chicago in sleeper. Then I would just do a coach seat from Chicago to NYC.

On the way back you could also do a similar combination.

 

[the_traveler]

If you are traveling thru and just connecting (like going to NYC from LA and just changing trains in Chicago), you should buy a thru ticket. But if you are going to stop in say Chicago for a day or 2, I would buy individual tickets.

It is up to each person, but for me (at 57) a day or single overnight I can do in coach, but more than 1 night I need a room.

Showers on board are only for those in sleepers.

Depending on the load, there is a chance to have an empty seat next to you. Personally, I think kit is a low chance.

 

[PVD]

Amsnag at biketrain.net is a wonderful planning tool developed and managed by a member here and it is a great way to compare trips over a date range as well as options for level of service.

 

[TinCan782]

Alcoholic beverages: While I travel in sleeper and can't speak with authority about coach, I believe the restriction in coach is YOUR OWN alcohol. I believe if you were to purchase such a beverage on the train in the cafe/lounge, you would be able to consume it in your coach seat.

Correct me if I'm incorrect.

 

[SarahZ]

Alcoholic beverages: While I travel in sleeper and can't speak with authority about coach, I believe the restriction in coach is YOUR OWN alcohol. I believe if you were to purchase such a beverage on the train in the cafe/lounge, you would be able to consume it in your coach seat.

Correct me if I'm incorrect.

This is correct. You can purchase alcohol from the cafe and bring it back to your seat.

 

[BCL]

Food/Drinks; What is allowed? Or is it allowed?

It's been mostly answered, but you can pretty much bring anything on board as long as it's not offensive to others. However, Amtrak isn't allowed to reheat anything. You also wouldn't be allowed to use anything to heat up food. I've heard of discussion of using immersion heaters or electric kettles, but I believe they're considered appliances. You can generally buy hot water at the cafe if there is one. I'll typically eat my own snacks such as chips and I've brought canned sodas.

You're free to bring your own sealed alcohol, but not consume it except for in rooms. I've literally carried a six pack with me that was purchased elsewhere, and I wasn't hassled as long as they remained sealed.

New York to San Jose would requires changing trains. I believe it would require at least 3 trains. It would be 2 if it's just New York to Emeryville. From Emeryville there's a bus to San Francisco and you might take Caltrain to San Jose. I tried booking and I couldn't get any less than 3 trains from NYP to EMY.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Capitol Corridor to Emeryville then CZ to Chicago is the best option.

There are three ways to travel Chicago-New York, the Lake Shore Limited (LSL), the Cardinal (longest route by time), and the Capitol Limited (CL).

After June 1, the LSL will only have cold prepackaged meals for the whole trip... and a transfer to an Empire Service train will be required at Albany, NY due to construction, arriving at 6:56pm. The Empire Service runs along the scenic Hudson River. The LSL operates daily, departing Chicago at 9:30pm.

The Cardinal has microwaved (some believe it's a convection oven) food, but it is heated, and is decently good, and probably better than the LSL food. The prices for both accommodations are about the same, but depends on the specific day. The Cardinal departs Chicago in Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 5:45pm. A transfer is required in DC to #90 Palmetto, which gets into NYC at 11:58pm...luckily, the city never sleeps! The Cardinal has the best scenery as it winds along the New River (among the 5 oldest rivers in the world) in West Virginia!

The Capitol Limited is a double decker train with a nice lounge with windows floor to ceiling, but also has the same cold prepackaged meals as the LSL. However, the journey is shorter, departing Chicago at 6:40pm and arriving DC at 1:05pm. Lunch service into DC is undetermined. A transfer in DC is required to the #178 Regional, arriving NYC at 7:23pm. Alternatively, you can transfer in Pittsburgh to the #42 Pennsylvanian, serving NYC at 4:50pm, although you will have to get off the CL at 5am in Pittsburgh if it's on time. The Horseshoe Curve is scenic, if a freight train isn't blocking your view.

 

[Palmetto]

While it might not suit you for this trip, there is a rail pass good for 8 segments in a 15-day period, plus 2 others for longer time periods. Info is on the Amtrak website in the "DEALS" link at the top of the home page.

 

[cpotisch]

If you are traveling thru and just connecting (like going to NYC from LA and just changing trains in Chicago), you should buy a thru ticket. But if you are going to stop in say Chicago for a day or 2, I would buy individual tickets.

Just to add to this, buying one connecting ticket can be hundreds of dollars cheaper than buying two separate ones. and on most days, a multi-city ticket will offer the same discount. So I would highly recommend checking to see if the price is any cheaper if booked one reservation, and if that's the case, do it that way.

 

[Johanna]

Congratulations on overcoming your health challenges and wanting to indulge your sense of adventure.

Everyone else has given you great advice, so I'll just point out that you've got quite an ambitious trip in mind. Six nights on the train (three on the way to NY and three on the way back) is a lot, even in the comfort of a sleeper. For some people, that's a plus, but others have their limit (for me, I love being on the train for the first day or two, and after that it starts to feel more and more tedious). Something to consider might be taking a shorter trip first, to get a sense of what Amtrak travel is like and to decide whether you want to do more. For example, you could go someplace like Southern California (which you can do in all-daytime travel), or Portland, Seattle, or Denver (each of which you can reach with one overnight in each direction). You could get a roomette in one direction and a coach seat in the other, and see for yourself whether the upgrade is worth the money to you.

 

[cpotisch]

Something to consider might be taking a shorter trip first, to get a sense of what Amtrak travel is like and to decide whether you want to do more. For example, you could go someplace like Southern California (which you can do in all-daytime travel), or Portland, Seattle, or Denver (each of which you can reach with one overnight in each direction). You could get a roomette in one direction and a coach seat in the other, and see for yourself whether the upgrade is worth the money to you.

I second this. Before I took my first overnight Amtrak trip (a roomette from NYP-DLB on the Star), I tried a roomette out on the LSL from Schenectady to NYC. Only then did we book an overnight trip (and just in case we only did it one-way that time anyway).

 

[the_traveler]

The Cardinal has microwaved (some believe it's a convection oven) food

Unless the LSA has brought along their own microwave and installed it, the food is reheated in a convection oven. It is NOT a belief, as NO Amtrak cars have a microwave installed!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The Cardinal has microwaved (some believe it's a convection oven) food

Unless the LSA has brought along their own microwave and installed it, the food is reheated in a convection oven. It is NOT a belief, as NO Amtrak cars have a microwave installed!

Hows does a convection oven avoid burning the packaging/surface of the cafe car's microwave meals?

 

[Karl1459]

Regarding the heating of food. Amtrak is not allowed to heat food brought on board by PASSENGERS. If Amtrak sells it, they can heat it.

Also, if you want to be creative, some people have successfully ordered "to go" food and have had it delivered at the station. Usually at a "service stop" where there is a planned stop for 10-15 minutes.

 

[BCL]

Hows does a convection oven avoid burning the packaging/surface of the cafe car's microwave meals?

Convection heat is indirect - using fans to blow hot air. There's little direct exposure to infrared, which is what might scorch any paper or melt plastic.

 

[cpotisch]

Regarding the heating of food. Amtrak is not allowed to heat food brought on board by PASSENGERS. If Amtrak sells it, they can heat it.

Also, if you want to be creative, some people have successfully ordered "to go" food and have had it delivered at the station. Usually at a "service stop" where there is a planned stop for 10-15 minutes.

I'll mention that you can get hot water from the cafe for free. I'd feel kind of hesitant ordering food to the train at a 15 minute stop, just because it doesn't make much for your food to arrive too late. At a half hour stop, I'd feel pretty comfortable ordering to the station.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Hows does a convection oven avoid burning the packaging/surface of the cafe car's microwave meals?

Convection heat is indirect - using fans to blow hot air. There's little direct exposure to infrared, which is what might scorch any paper or melt plastic.

The fast action convection ovens I'm familiar with will quickly melt plastic, burn paper, and scorch the surface of frozen food. Yet when I order a pizza from an Amtrak cafe car it's cooked on a a little plasticized paper shelf at microwave oven speed sans foil with no melting/burning/scorching. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, might actually be a duck.

 

[BCL]

Hows does a convection oven avoid burning the packaging/surface of the cafe car's microwave meals?

Convection heat is indirect - using fans to blow hot air. There's little direct exposure to infrared, which is what might scorch any paper or melt plastic.

The fast action convection ovens I'm familiar with will quickly melt plastic, burn paper, and scorch the surface of frozen food. Yet when I order a pizza from an Amtrak cafe car it's cooked on a a little plasticized paper shelf at microwave oven speed sans foil with no melting/burning/scorching. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, might actually be a duck.

But you need to wait a while, so I'm pretty sure they adjust the settings to avoid melting plastic and/or scorching labels.

 

[PaulM]

Amsnag at biketrain.net is a wonderful planning tool developed and managed by a member here and it is a great way to compare trips over a date range as well as options for level of service.

As an example over 7 days in early June, coach from San Jose to Emeryville and roomette from EMY to CHI for one person ranges from $504 to $955 AS OF RIGHT NOW.

I should note that the Capitol Corridor train that connects with the Zephyr only runs on week days. On weekends, on a bus connection is offered.

 

[Lonestar648]

If you haven't made your reservations yet, I would suggest doing so quickly since on trains like CZ, space sells out on almost every summer train. On the CZ, many times the Conductors are announcing that even though many people are getting off the same number are boarding so every seat will be occupied..