Cross Country Trip - Questions, Advice, Insight = Dilemma!

[bryher]

Hello all!
Next month (July 25th) My son and I will be embarking on our 3rd LD Amtrak trip together! we're so excited. However we recently made the trip a little more complicated so now getting nervous...

Trip runs like this:
PHI > WAS (northeast corridor)
WAS > CHI (Capital)
CHI > EMY (CZ)

I should mention we're doing this 100% using points. A few years ago I got the credit card and have been putting as much as I could on it. Crazy how this trip was probably 80k points not too long ago. Now costing over 125k.

Anyway since we'll be on the west coast my wife and I decided to turn it into a family trip. In the end we decided to do an Alaska Cruise out of Seatlle. My son and my's two favorite vacations! Train and Ship!

Unfortunately the timing makes concerns me. Originally I thought we'd take the Coast Starlight up to SEA. Not possible. Here's the problem:

Our CZ is scheduled to arrive in EMY at 4:10pm on July 28th.
Our Cruise leaves Seattle 24 hours later on the 29th.
Ideally we need to be there much earlier

So... my plan is to cut the trip short and get off in Sacramento. Then a short 2 hr flight up to SEA.

But with all of the delays (reading a couple on the CZ right now) who knows if that plan will work!? I mean I can't imagine if we're 17 hours late how we'd ever make it.

Worst case I figured I'd get off the train "somewhere" and just drive. But even that is risky.

Oh and of course way back I looked into switching to the Empire Builder but no bedrooms available. I cant leave PHI any earler than Sunday the 24th. And I have to be back by Monday Augh 8th. Tried so many other route alternatives and not finding anything.

Is this trip with the timing and high likelihood for delays even possible! (Shame b/c normally my son and I would LOVE a 17 hr delay)

 

[zephyr17]

Well, while 17 hour delays happen, they are not currently the norm on the CZ. Extreme delays can and have been routine and normal on certain trains, for example, the Empire Builder was routinely 8-14 hours late for a period of a couple of years a few years ago during the height of the Bakken oil boom, before BNSF increased capacity on the line. In the early 2000's the Coast Starlight spent several years suffering 8-12 hours delays at the hands of UP (so much so, I swore off that train. When you lose me on a a train, you have pretty much lost your last customer). I don't see a similar pattern at present for the CZ, but rather specific circumstances for specific trains.

With that said, any train is subject to extreme delay due to operating conditions, such as a freight derailment, a landslide, etc. It can happen on any trip. I have been 12-14 hours late into Chicago more times than I can count. I have "eaten the stew" (emergency rations the dining car breaks out when a train is extremely delayed, Dinty Moore over rice) many times. However, I have been subject to what I consider a normal delay (a few hours), on time, or close to on time many more times than I have been catastrophically delayed.

The CZ will not be subject to much additional delay between Sacramento and Emeryville, no matter how much delay it incurred before. The "Cal P" between Sacramento and Emeryville has pretty much become a passenger railroad with California paying above Amtrak access rates for Capitol Corridor service, UP has diverted most freight off of it. With that said, I think flying out of SMF is a good idea. It is a lot closer to the Amtrak station than SFO or OAK. While I don't think it is ever a good idea to arrive on the same day as a cruise, in this specific case I think you would be best served by staying overnight in Sacramento or the Bay Area and flying up to SEA in the early morning. The big variable here is going to be the CZ and that is what you need to build buffer for. If you booked a same day flight as CZ arrival and missed it due to extreme lateness, you might be at some pains and expense to get up to Seattle if you even could. Planes are pretty fully booked this summer. Build your buffer around the CZ.

 

[jebr]

Personally, I think this is too tight to comfortably do, especially with a 99%+ success rate (which, given you're connecting to a cruise, is what we'd probably want to aim for.) Over the past two months, 9 out of 50 westbound Zephyrs have been at least 5 hours late into SAC (or 18% of the time.) At that point you're late enough that it'd be tight or very tight to get to the late-night flights out of Sacramento, if they're not missed entirely. There's always the flights in the morning, but now you have very little buffer if a flight is delayed or cancelled, and all the airlines have had meltdowns of varying degrees over the past few months. This year the advice to arrive at least a day early to a cruise or other mission-critical event holds more true than ever, even with the airlines.

I would say your best bet would be to either schedule your California arrival to a day earlier, or cut the trip short and fly out from SLC. You'd miss the Sierra Nevada mountains, but you'd still get the gorgeous trip through the Colorado Rockies and a much larger buffer between train and flight. If you arrive into SLC late evening on the 27th, you could take basically any flight after noon on the 28th and (at least looking over the past two years performance) have a 99ish% chance of making that original flight. It'd also give enough buffer where if there's a cancellation there's time to find an alternate flight and make it on-time, even if a connection would be required.

This is not the year where I'd be taking gambles on making connections - on any mode of transportation! - and building in buffers will give you a much less stressful vacation anyways since you won't be nearly as worried about whether you'll make those tight connections or not.

 

[bryher]

Thanks to both of you for your insight! I'm right on the fence here. So good to know the delays aren't common on the CZ. And love the idea of scheduling a morning flight out.

At the same time I know flights are risky these days. And do I want to be worrying the whole time?

I'd really hate to cancel the train portion of the trip bc we've been saving up points for 3 years now. And this is my gift to my son for graduating 8th grade and doing amazing.

I'm leaving towards risking it. Getting off at Sacramento. Staying the night and taking a 6am flight the next morning. If the CZ us scheduled to arrive SAC at 210pm. Say it's 17 hours late that still arriving at 7am the next day.

Hmmm. So torn. THANKS so much for the insight here.

 

[TC_NYC]

Thanks to both of you for your insight! I'm right on the fence here. So good to know the delays aren't common on the CZ. And love the idea of scheduling a morning flight out.

At the same time I know flights are risky these days. And do I want to be worrying the whole time?

I'd really hate to cancel the train portion of the trip bc we've been saving up points for 3 years now. And this is my gift to my son for graduating 8th grade and doing amazing.

I'm leaving towards risking it. Getting off at Sacramento. Staying the night and taking a 6am flight the next morning. If the CZ us scheduled to arrive SAC at 210pm. Say it's 17 hours late that still arriving at 7am the next day.

Hmmm. So torn. THANKS so much for the insight here.

If you're thinking of rolling the dice, be sure to have trip insurance and be ready to pay for a last minute flight to the first Alaska port on your cruise. Also keep in mind you'll need time to get a covid test before boarding the cruise, so I would avoid booking the same day flight.

You do have lots of options flying from Sacramento to Seattle, you have 4 nonstop flights all departing after 7pm, including a Southwest flight at 10:35pm, I would feel pretty confident booking that flight given the 2pm scheduled arrival of the train.

 

[bryher]

Oh boy I didnt think about the covid test. We did a cruise a few months ago and its a pretty tight window and needs to be done live with a person. That could kill this whole trip. You need to be connected via a live person for like 15 mins. Wonder if I could get 15 mins of cell connection on the CZ route (wouldnt trust amtrak wifi).

On the flying options - you think a 10:35pm flight would be safe? I was thinking of booking the flight the next AM since the early morning flights are like $150 cheaper, we could use the savings on a hotel in SAC for the night, and give us more time to make the flight. But your point about same day flights is a good one. Also trip insurance.

wow. Will have to check on the cruise lines latest covid policy and the probability of getting a solid phone connection for at least 15 mins.

 

[bryher]

Trying to find an official copy of of CZ timetable (used to be easy on the amtrak website). Looking for extended stops where I might be able to use 20-30 mins for our covid test. Looks like Denver might be 30 min stop if the schedule I found is right?

Looking more and more like we'll postpone the train portion of our trip. Maybe save for winter. Always wanted to travel across the CZ route In the snow!

 

[Cal]

Looking more and more like we'll postpone the train portion of our trip. Maybe save for winter. Always wanted to travel across the CZ route In the snow!

This is probably the best call, and it avoids a lot of stress too. Hope the cruise goes well.

 

[user 14106]

This is probably the best call, and it avoids a lot of stress too. Hope the cruise goes well.

Because you can’t give yourself an additional cushion by leaving a day or two earlier might be your best bet.

 

[joelkfla]

Trying to find an official copy of of CZ timetable (used to be easy on the amtrak website). Looking for extended stops where I might be able to use 20-30 mins for our covid test. Looks like Denver might be 30 min stop if the schedule I found is right?

Looking more and more like we'll postpone the train portion of our trip. Maybe save for winter. Always wanted to travel across the CZ route In the snow!

1. Click on Schedules:
2. Enter starting and ending points, and date; click on Find Schedules
3. Click on the row for CZ
4. Click on the window-pane-like thing made of 9 squares next to the Departure Date:
5. Click on Print Selected Train (the word "Print" might be cut off if you're not in full screen):
6. The full schedule with Arrival & Departure Time for each station will be downloaded as a PDF file.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

1. Click on Schedules: View attachment 28648
2. Enter starting and ending points, and date; click on Find Schedules
3. Click on the row for CZ
4. Click on the window-pane-like thing made of 9 squares next to the Departure Date:View attachment 28646
5. Click on Print Selected Train (the word "Print" might be cut off if you're not in full screen):View attachment 28647
6. The full schedule with Arrival & Departure Time for each station will be downloaded as a PDF file.

I'll have to try that next time I'm looking up an Amtrak schedule! When I was trying to find a PDF of the schedules for the various Illinois Service trains last month (because hubby & I would have to use Lincoln Service from our hometown to connect to/from the CZ in Chicago next year), I ended up having to Google an archived PDF timetable from 2020.

 

[zephyr17]

I'll have to try that next time I'm looking up an Amtrak schedule! When I was trying to find a PDF of the schedules for the various Illinois Service trains last month (because hubby & I would have to use Lincoln Service from our hometown to connect to/from the CZ in Chicago next year), I ended up having to Google an archived PDF timetable from 2020.

RPA has PDF schedules and they're keeping them updated.

 

[zephyr17]

Darn, Canada's requirement for a COVID test within 48 hours of embarking on a cruise really throws a wrench into the works. I would not rely on the schedule for scheduling a COVID test, the train can easily be late enough to miss the appointment even if not running catastrophically late. Also, after leaving the logical "long dwell" candidates of Denver and Grand Junction, the train fairly quickly enters cell service dead zones. The train closely follows I 70 between Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction, so cell service should be good on that stretch, so Glenwood Springs might be an option.

I might also suggest Reno as a possibility. The train stays fairly close to I 80 between there and Truckee.

I think your instincts that there are just too many moving parts here for this to work comfortably are probably right. However, with that said, be aware that you can get an on the spot COVID test at YVR with quick results, although at a premium price. If you do go through with it (and take a morning flight, I doubt the testing place will be open for the arrival of a late evening flight), maybe that is the best option for pre-cruise COVID testing.

 

[Barb Stout]

I'd really hate to cancel the train portion of the trip bc we've been saving up points for 3 years now. And this is my gift to my son for graduating 8th grade and doing amazing.

I'm leaving towards risking it. Getting off at Sacramento. Staying the night and taking a 6am flight the next morning. If the CZ us scheduled to arrive SAC at 210pm. Say it's 17 hours late that still arriving at 7am the next day.

Hmmm. So torn. THANKS so much for the insight here.

Since the trip is a gift to your son for doing well in 8th grade, maybe ask him if he would rather forgo the train or the ship.

 

[niemi24s]

Darn, Canada's requirement for a COVID test within 48 hours of embarking on a cruise really throws a wrench into the works.

And if that requirement is like the one I encountered in February for a river cruise from New Orleans, it's the PCR Covid-19 test which must be performed by a certified laboratory. Each of those cost US$200 but the results and certificate were available within 30 minutes.

 

[zephyr17]

And if that requirement is like the one I encountered in February for a river cruise from New Orleans, it's the PCR Covid-19 test which must be performed by a certified laboratory. Each of those cost US$200 but the results and certificate were available within 30 minutes.

Nah, it isn't a cruise line requirement in this case, but a Canadian government requirement and supervised antigen tests are allowed.
https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise
Just looked up more info about YVR testing. Rapid antigen tests acceptable to Canada are available at both YVR and at the cruise terminal for $79 CAD.

For the OP, if he were to go through with the trip, the best thing to do would be to take the test at the cruise terminal and not worry about fooling around with a telehealth supervised test onboard the Zephyr.
https://covid-medical.ca/#covidtestpricing
Note that Canada dropped its pre-arrival testing requirement in early April, so he doesn't have to get it done before leaving for Canada.

 

[bryher]

ok hi all. I think we have it figured out. thanks for the Reno tip. So the cruise testing is with a company recommended by the cruise line. We did it in march so familiar with the process. You need a 15-20 minute window to perform the test live with a rep over video conference. so here's what we're gonna do...

- Shorten trip from EMY to RENO.
- CZ is supposed to arrive in RENO at 8:25am.
- Take flight from RENO to SEA on Thursday at 7:28pm. That should give us enough buffer for delays. Worst case we just hop in a rental car and drive to SEA. But figuring we should be fine.
- Take the Covid tests somewhere in RENO once we have a stable connection

We're actually hoping the CZ is like 5-8 hours late, giving us close to enough time on the train as with EMY!

 

[Cal]

Next month I'm taking the CONO down to NOL, spending a few days there, then the train back to LA. I have a flight booked to Chicago the day before the CONO leaves, however I'm getting more anxious with the flight hecticness that something may go wrong and want to look in other options for getting to Chicago. Already looked at Amtrak (probably coach), looking at Greyhound, and taking a flight a day earlier. Any other options/suggestions?

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

Next month I'm taking the CONO down to NOL, spending a few days there, then the train back to LA. I have a flight booked to Chicago the day before the CONO leaves, however I'm getting more anxious with the flight hecticness that something may go wrong and want to look in other options for getting to Chicago. Already looked at Amtrak (probably coach), looking at Greyhound, and taking a flight a day earlier. Any other options/suggestions?

Where do you need to get to Chicago from? If it's LA, the Southwest Chief would give you some different scenery going to Chicago than the Sunset Limited (or rather, Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited if you're going eastbound to Chicago). You'd probably still want to plan on an overnight in Chicago before heading south on the City of New Orleans, though, just in case the SWC's arrival in Chicago is delayed.
For someone just coming to Chicago from elsewhere in Illinois, a slightly more unusual alternative (at least for those in college towns) would be to take whatever shuttle bus service the college has for getting students home to Chicago. (Many Illinois colleges have a large proportion of their student body from Chicagoland, so such a bus service is very convenient for trips home during breaks.) The buses wouldn't be Greyhound, but they'd be decent and reasonably-priced. (My son would occasionally take such a bus to get from UIUC in Urbana to the ISU campus in Bloomington, where we'd pick him up for the drive to our hometown.)

 

[Cal]

uthwest Chief would give you some different scenery going to Chicago than the Sunset Limited (or rather, Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited if you're going eastbound to Chicago). You'd probably still want to plan on an overnight in Chicago before heading south on the City of New Orleans, though, just in case the SWC's arrival in Chicago is delayed.

Yes it’s from LA to Chicago. I’ve been on the Chief several times, it’s just a matter of if I want to take it in coach. I already have a hotel room for the night before so I’d definitely arrive the day before