First Time Rider - Need Info ASAP

[SailorSister96]

I'll be taking a trip to Great Lakes, IL for my brother's PIR (Navy graduation) on Wednesday the 5th. I have a few questions and if somebody could answer them as soon as possible that'd be absolutely wonderful and I'd be very grateful.

1) Do laptops in laptop bags count as one of your carry-on items? I know sometimes they don't count because it can easily just be placed on your lap if need be.

2) Does the wireless connection service have a password and what might it be, or is it different for each train?

3) How is it for sleeping on and over-night ride? We don't have a sleeping car so we'll be sleeping right in our seats. Do they dim the lights or shut them totally off, and is there staff available if there's an emergency during the nightly hours?

Anybody who could give me even a smidgen of insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

[the_traveler]

Laptops do not count towards the carry on limit, and there is no password for the wireless connection (if the train has one). There is none on an overnight LD train (except the CS PPC).

The lights are dimmed - actually turned off mostly actually - but some are left on for safety. On a LD train, there is a coach attendant. Plus you can contact the conductor if necessary.

 

[SailorSister96]

Laptops do not count towards the carry on limit, and there is no password for the wireless connection (if the train has one). There is none on an overnight LD train (except the CS PPC).

The lights are dimmed - actually turned off mostly actually - but some are left on for safety. On a LD train, there is a coach attendant. Plus you can contact the conductor if necessary.

Thank you very much!!

 

[ehbowen]

If you're going to Great Mistakes...er, uh, Great Lakes...you can reach it from downtown Chicago by METRA if you're so inclined; less hassle than fighting traffic. You just need to make it the three or four blocks up Canal Street to the Ogilvie Transportation Center (formerly North Western Station). Fare from downtown Chicago to Great Lakes is just $6.25.

(Been there, done that!)

 

[Ryan]

Depending on what train you're taking, there may not be any wifi. If there is, there's no password, you just have to click through a "Terms and Conditions" page.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Most trains do not have wifi....if you have a cell phone that can act as a hot spot , you may have coverage most of the time depending on location....some stations have wifi

 

[oregon pioneer]

You can usually tell if your train has wi-fi by clicking on the route page for your train at http://www.amtrak.com/train-routes. The general rule is that long-distance trains do not have wi-fi, and corridor trains do. The exceptions I've found personally are: the Coast Starlight, a long-distance train on the west coast, DOES have wi-fi (but loses signal in the mountains); and the Lincoln Service, which I took in December, was just in the process of adding wi-fi to all its trains (I got lucky in one direction, with wi-fi in the cafe car, but none in the other direction). If you "get lucky" like I did, you can tell there's wi-fi because they put decals on the windows of the car to let you know.

To connect to Amtrak wi-fi, in a lounge or on a train: use the wi-fi icon in your system tray to find and connect to the Amtrak wireless network. Then open your browser, click to accept the agreement that will display on the opening page, and you're on your way!

 

[amtkstn]

The only bad about Amtrak's wifi is limited bandwidth usage. No playing videos.

 

[trainaddict]

Please bare in mind that there is a possibility the train could be late or even cancelled. If either of those scenarios comes to pass you will have to make other plans or cancel your travel entirely. Which train are you taking? If you follow these blogs you will know that the most unpresentable amtrack train these days is the Empire which has experienced horrid delays, cancellations, and other regrettable actions. There is no guarantee there will be a problem, but I did have a problem on my last trip (to atlanta), if you do have a problem call and complain and demand your refund.

Let us know how it goes and enjoy the trip!

 

[jebr]

The only bad about Amtrak's wifi is limited bandwidth usage. No playing videos.

Or, ironically, downloading the full timetable from Amtrak's website. I was humoured when I experienced that. (The max size it would let you download is 10MB, and the timetable was 10.2MB or something like that.)

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[Guest lsa]

Only parlour car on coast starlight has wifi

 

[chakk]

Attended my son's graduation at Great Lakes in Feb 2007 -- he is now a CPO in Hawaii. I thought about taking the train there from California, but opted instead for a flight to Chicago O'Hare and a rental car for the final leg. But I did take the CZ on the return journey, stopping for a few days in Glenwood Springs, CO. A very enjoyable trip, with plenty of snow all along the way.