How is it?

[Guest]

I have never been on a train ride before. This is my 1st time. I am going with my friend. From Boston to NEw York. I was just wondering how is it. Are the seats comfortable and I was also wondering what a quiet car is?

And in this website they show all these pictrues and one of them shows like a dining room kind of thing. With tables and everything. What class do you have to be in in order to be able to sit. There.

 

[dark_raider]

Thats me. I made this post I just wasnt registered. Some one please reply!

 

[AlanB]

Dark Raider,

You need to give people time to respond to your questions. We don't hang out here all day waiting for people to ask questions, just so we can answer them. :lol:

Now, that said, you'll find that the seats are typcially more comfortable than those you'd find in an airplane.

The quiet car is a car on certain trains where you cannot use your cell phone, in fact it must be turned off. You also cannot use laptops or other things that make noise, and conversation should be kept to a minimum and only then at very soft levels. The idea is that some people want to take a nap in this car.

As for dining cars, you won't see any on your trip between Boston and New York. They only run on trains that are going long distances and typically run overnight. However, to answer the question, anyone on the train can use the dining car if there is one. It is not restricted to class. People in First Class however do get to take their meals in the car for free, while those in coach must pay for the meal.

On your trip, you'll only see a cafe car. This car typically does have tables to eat at, but they don't come with table cloths, silverware, flowers and things like that. There are also no waiters in the cafe car, you buy your own food at the counter and carry it to the table yourself.

Ps. I've deleted the other topic that you created about the dining car, since you had already asked the same question here.

 

[dark_raider]

ok thanx.

 

[Sam Damon]

IMO, one of the more important things to remember about Amtrak -- especially now, given its problems with freight train "interference" -- is that you will Get There Eventually. Do not worry about how long it will take you to Get There. Just relax. You will Get There Eventually.

On the part of the Amtrak system you'll be riding, Amtrak owns most of the trackage. Once you get outside what Amtrak calls the "Northeast Corridor", it's another story. You can get a pretty good feel for how a particular train is running on a given week by checking the main page at Amtrak.com, and entering the train number and station in the "Train Status" boxes. Amtrak keeps the arrival and departure times for a couple days. You may find this useful.

 

[dark_raider]

Well I'm actually not that nervous even though this is my 1st time riding this train. Cuz I love traveling and I just consider it something new. I cant wait.

Also how early would u have to arrive at the train station? is it like 1st come 1st serve thing.??

 

[AmtrakFan]

At least 30 Minutes but I recomennd at Major Terminals like New York, Chicago, Seattle etc. 1 Hour at the least.

 

[AlanB]

At least 30 Minutes but I recomennd at Major Terminals like New York, Chicago, Seattle etc. 1 Hour at the least.

Especially if you plan to pick up your tickets at the ticket window. If you get them mailed or use the QuikTrak machines, then you might not need a full hour.

 

[Trogdor]

Since you will be traveling from Boston to New York, a corridor with frequent service, you wouldn't need to arrive an hour early. If you arrived *that* early, it's possible that the train before yours would just be pulling out. There isn't a check-in process on the Northeast Corridor, so as long as you have your tickets, you can hop on board anytime between when they first call for boarding (probably around 20-30 minutes before departure) and the scheduled departure time.

Boston has QuikTrak machines available, so if you make your reservation via the internet or by phone, you can pick your ticket up at the machine (have your reservation code handy, though if you swipe the same credit card you used to pay for the tickets, you won't even need that), and walk on board. If you wait in line for tickets at the ticket window, allow some extra time. If you already have your tickets before you arrive at the station (you can pick them up from the station whenever you want, if it's convenient for you ahead of time), you don't need to do anything else but walk on the train.

Seats are not assigned, so "first-come first-served" is the rule. Just find a couple of seats so you and your friend can sit next to each other, and wait for the conductor to collect your tickets.