First Train Experience (Empire Builder)

[Chris S]

My wife, 10 month old daughter, and I are taking the Empire Builder from the Twin Cities out to Seattle then taking bus to Vancouver. On our return, we're taking Cascades train down to Portland and back. We have a roommette. Any first timer tips and/or traveling with infant tips appreciated but I had a few specific questions:

1. How does the bag check in work? How about stroller. We're bringing our BOB stroller that's fairly large but folds down well. Should we check it? We wouldn't need it until we got out there. How much extra room is there for luggage i the roommettes?

2. Is there a preferable side of train for westbound trip? Or are we assigned a specific room?

3. Any useful items to pack recommended?

4. how is the food? Should we bring extra snacks, etc/

One additional question. We originally were planning to leave from red wing (it's a bit closer than st paul) but heard it might be tougher since it's such a quick stop and there's no staff. Is that correct or would a smaller station actually be less hectic?

Thanks in advance. chris

 

[JayPea]

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the forum!

To answer a few of your questions:

The Empire Builder has luggage racks downstairs. You can put the stroller there. You can also put any extra luggage there as well. If you do board from Red Wing, in fact, you will need use them for all your luggage, as it doesn't have checked baggage. Speaking of Red Wing, Amtrak personnel will assist you in boarding there should you choose to. It will be no problem. As for the room, they are assigned, but there is no way to know which side of the train it will be on.

For useful items, here's a thread on this forum that will be most helpful: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/22488-things-to-take-with-you/page__view__getnewpost

As for the food, I personally don't find it bad at all for the most part. Some do, though. It's all about personal preference. In addition to the diner, there is snack service in the lower level of the lounge car. Many do bring their own snacks. Again, personal preference.

Best advice? Have fun!

 

[Bob Dylan]

If you havent received your Room # you can call Amtrak with your Rez Number and theyll tell you, also ask for a confirmation e-mail , it should show your itenerary with all the Car #s/Room #s etc. In most people opinion the Upper Level Rooms are Best (#2-#10 and all the Deluxe bedrooms A-E are also upstairs! There are four roomettes #11-#14 and the family Room and H Bedroom downstairs !) You wont know which way the Sleeper will be hooked up till you board so cant say which side your room will be on! You will want to be in the Sightseer Lounge as much as possible when the scenery is nice (ie water/trees/mountains/Glacier Park) and hopefully asleep when going through the Big No-Where, North Dakota and Eastern Montana! :giggle: <_< Nice trip, families that ride Trains together tend to stay together! :wub:

 

[Bierboy]

We've taken the EB twice in the past three years now, and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. First time was in the late spring and the second time was late winter so we had a myriad of scenery. I agree that the SSL (Sight Seer Lounge) is the best place to catch the view on either side of the train. However, my wife enjoys spending most of her time in the sleeper...to each his own. Try to grab a seat or two in the SSL plenty early before you get to Glacier westbound...the scenery is breathtaking...

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

1. How does the bag check in work? How about stroller. We're bringing our BOB stroller that's fairly large but folds down well. Should we check it? We wouldn't need it until we got out there. How much extra room is there for luggage i the roommettes?

2. Is there a preferable side of train for westbound trip? Or are we assigned a specific room?

3. Any useful items to pack recommended?

4. how is the food? Should we bring extra snacks, etc/

Some others have pitched in, but I'll just give what i know. This might be a repeat of somebody else.

1. The Roomettes have virtually no extra room at all, just enough for a bed. You will probably HAVE to check the stoller, because otherwise it would stick out of the roomette. There is no extra baggage space on Sleepers, only Coaches.

2. You are assigned a room. There is no way of knowing which side you will be on as Amtrak switches the cars all the times.

3. Maybe your own pillow, some eye patches would be useful in Coach but not so much in a Ssleeper.

4. The food on the EB is quite good and there is also a Wine and Cheese reception on the second day. Water and coffee is provided by Amtrak. You do not need to bring more then some extra water.

Go to Trainweb if you want some travelogues about the EB.

Have a nice trip. The EB is a great train to ride!

Edit: More info

 

[JayPea]

1. How does the bag check in work? How about stroller. We're bringing our BOB stroller that's fairly large but folds down well. Should we check it? We wouldn't need it until we got out there. How much extra room is there for luggage i the roommettes?

2. Is there a preferable side of train for westbound trip? Or are we assigned a specific room?

3. Any useful items to pack recommended?

4. how is the food? Should we bring extra snacks, etc/

Some others have pitched in, but I'll just give what i know. This might be a repeat of somebody else.

1. The Roomettes have virtually no extra room at all, just enough for a bed. You will probably HAVE to check the stoller, because otherwise it would stick out of the roomette. There is no extra baggage space on Sleepers, only Coaches.

2.

I don't know, I guess, what's considered "extra space" but there is most certainly a rack in the lower level of the sleepers for luggage as well as coaches. And I see strollers on those racks all the time. And if they board at Red Wing, they can't check it as there is no checked baggage.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I don't know, I guess, what's considered "extra space" but there is most certainly a rack in the lower level of the sleepers for luggage as well as coaches. And I see strollers on those racks all the time. And if they board at Red Wing, they can't check it as there is no checked baggage.

They could squeeze int he stroller, but they have two adult and a toddler in the roomette, so if they don't need it then why not check it? The stoller will just take up too much space. They can just check it at MSP.

 

[JayPea]

As I said, they can simply put the stroller in the downstairs luggage rack. No need to put it in the roomette. Of course they can choose to check it at MSP. However, they also mentioned the possibility of boarding at Red Wing which has no checked baggage.

 

[Ispolkom]

One additional question. We originally were planning to leave from red wing (it's a bit closer than st paul) but heard it might be tougher since it's such a quick stop and there's no staff. Is that correct or would a smaller station actually be less hectic?

I'd leave from St. Paul. You can park your car there for free. You would be able to check luggage, such as your stroller. It would be much less hectic, because the train stops there for 20-30 minutes, rather than the 2-3 minutes at Red Wing. Heck, there's even a separate waiting area for sleeper passengers in St. Paul.

 

[Old MM]

As everyone has said, the EB is a wonderful train. While the upper level Roomettes seem to be preferred, we loved being on the lower level and that may be a permanent preference. I'm still not sure whether we liked the 2 Roomettes we had over the BR on another part of our EB trip. Do pack snacks for your little one, although the adults will find the onboard food to be more than sufficient. When my kids were that little, there were just certain items they HAD to have, like Goldfish crackers, baby foods/juices, or whatever. This will make all the difference for your daughter. Also, bring more diapers than you think you will need and change often. On trains I used to pack grocery store plastic bags, to bag up the used diapers in, and then throw them out in the garbage bins onboard or on platforms. Meals in the dining car are superb. The adults will enjoy their meals and a toddler will enjoy experimenting with the kid menu offerings. Your stroller can be put in the luggage area on the lower level, there will not be space in the roomette. For future, I highly recommend getting either a BR for a family of 3, or 2 Roomettes. Either way you get a little extra storage space.

have a great trip!

 

[TraneMan]

Welcome aboard! I love the Empire Builder, and great crew on the train!

I have used Red Wing a few times, and again this summer. RDW, you have free parking in a ramp, and it's out of the weather.

Yes, time is short for loading vs the extra time in MSP. But the train is not going to run away from you as you load your items into the car.

The food is very filling, and I did bring some snacks last summer, but didn't even touch it since we were full from our meals.

 

[Pat Harper]

While not our first experience on Amtrak, it will be our first trip on the Empire Builder. We're taking the EB out of Chicago on Aug 31, arriving in Portland (PDX) on Sept 12. Our roomette will be #7 in car 2730, which is on the upper level.. I prefer it as it is closer to the coffeepot and it's easier to get to the dining car, since you enter the dining car on the upper level.

What do we need to watch for in the Glacier Park area?

 

[chris s]

Thanks everyone!

 

[TraneMan]

What do we need to watch for in the Glacier Park area?

Pat- On your way out, you may not see much of Glacier Park since the sun may have already set for the night. On your return trip(if you are doing it?), you will see it in the morning hours. You will see lot of on either side of the train.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I would like to vouch for the Upper Level rooms, the view is better and also has a better "gut feeling".

 

[Shortline]

I would like to vouch for the Upper Level rooms, the view is better and also has a better "gut feeling".

:blink: ok......

 

[Chris S]

So...I found out that we are assigned Roomette #14 on the way out West and Roomette #3 and #5 for our two trains on the way back. Should I look into trying to switch that first one to an upper level?

 

[jb64]

why not keep it and that way you can judge for yourself which is better, upper or lower. I personally wouldn't care as they both have pros and cons. Downstairs is quieter with better access to luggage rack, restrooms and showers. Upstairs is nice for a slightly better view and being on the same level as the diner and sightseer lounge. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

You could keep the lower roomette if you wanted to see the difference, but I just think Upper is better.

 

[Pat Harper]

So...I found out that we are assigned Roomette #14 on the way out West and Roomette #3 and #5 for our two trains on the way back. Should I look into trying to switch that first one to an upper level?

We were in #13 on one trip and had no problems with our accommodations except the first part of our trip. 13 and 14 are across from each other and the family room is between them at the end of the car. Hopefully there won't be any noisy children staying in the family bedroom like there was on our trip. Once they were in the bedroom though we didn't hear a thing.

There will be a lot of foot traffic from people going up and down to use toilets and the shower, since there is no shower on the upper level, and only one toilet. However, since you are at the end of the car, they won't be a bother to you.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Chris S]

Thanks for the advice above. I have a couple additional questions:

1. Would I be able to sleep in coach if we have a roommette? I'm able to sleep very easily just about anywhere and thought potentially that the extra room for my wife and daughter in the roomette might work well. Do they sell out the coach seats? Check your tickets, etc?

2. I'm assuming if you check your bag, you have no access to it. Would it be a better plan to keep a large suitcase down in the storage area on the bottom level so you'd have access to it if needed?

3. How much extra time should we allow to board in the Twin Cities? How does that process go in terms of tickets, boarding the train, parking, etc...? In addition, what is the parking situation around the station? (Charge? Safety? Covered?)

Thanks in advance.

 

[the_traveler]

1. If you have a sleeper, you do not have a seat in coach at all. And yes, they do sometimes sell out.
2. I personally would and do.
3. I'm not really sure.

 

[ehbowen]

One caution about the stroller: When we took our big family trip from Houston to California in '06, we checked most of our luggage but planned to carry the strollers and the kids' car seats on board in the luggage rack. However, when we boarded our car attendant refused to allow us to put these items in the luggage rack (even though there was plenty of room); he said he needed the space "down the line". The station agent wouldn't do a last minute baggage check and we couldn't find the conductor; we almost had to abandon the strollers and car seats on the platform until we finally made a deal with our car attendant: If we put the car seats in our rooms he would let us put the strollers in the luggage rack. (We had 5 adults and 6 children in 4 roomettes plus the family bedroom.) Just FYI.

 

[tubaia]

3. How much extra time should we allow to board in the Twin Cities? How does that process go in terms of tickets, boarding the train, parking, etc...? In addition, what is the parking situation around the station? (Charge? Safety? Covered?)

Thanks in advance.

If you get to the station an hour or 1.5 hours before boarding time, that should be good. That should give you time to check in and get settled, especially for your first visit to that station. You should also be able to get assistance getting to and boarding the train if needed.

MSP is a fairly small station (compared to the Union Stations, etc.) so you don't have to worry much about needing time to walk from the parking lot or through the station. Once you park, you are there.

As far as the parking lot itself, it is just that, a parking lot, kind of like at a grocery store or strip mall. It is not covered, nor is it a parking garage. However, it also is not very large, so walking across it doesn't take much time, not should you have to worry much about remembering where you parked. It is not a secured lot, but due to its remote location, I have never had any trouble there, nor have I heard of anybody else having trouble. Just make sure to take the usual precautions, such as locking the doors, not leaving anything valuable, clean the GPS suction cup circles off the windshield, etc. Another nice thing is that parking is free (big advantage over many of the big stations).

Of course, a lot of this advice will likely change quite a bit come this fall or winter when everything gets moved to SPUD.

 

[rider]

We're taking the EB out of Chicago on Aug 31 , arriving in Portland (PDX) on Sept 12.

Sounds like the EB is taking the loooonnnnnngggggg way around!