Newbie from Australia planning train trip

[drcool]

Hi all, I am a newbie from Australia trying to plan our holiday travel for later this year. Most of what people are saying on here is a different language to me!! We would like to do some train travel if possible but have little clue as to the best way to go about it, so I'm looking for any help I can get from the experts please. We will be in San Antonio and will be flying home to Australia out of San Diego. We have considered catching a train to San Diego but believe it would be mostly desert scenery. I have also considered flying up to Seattle and catching the coast train(s) down to San Diego. Does that sound like a doable proposition also?
I think we would rather see the mountains and along the coast rather than desert. Do we need to take two trains, firstly the Coast Starlight and then get off at San Luis Obispo and catch that train all the way down to San Diego? Are there train travel agents that take care of all your bookings and arrangements with train travel? I'd hate to stuff it up and miss our flight. Thanks again.

 

[caravanman]

Hi, welcome to the forum.
The first thing to know if you are catching a flight is that Amtrak trains are often late, and sometimes many hours late...
You can book trains your self on the Amtrak.com website, there may be travel agents you can use, but the website is pretty easy to use.
I guess a lot depends on your free time...
The Coast Starlight from Seattle gets into Los Angeles in the evenings, so catching another onward train to San Diego might mean it's dark and you miss a lot of scenery.
What time is your flight, do you intend to fly out the same day you arrive into San Diego, or the following day?
The California Zephyr has stunning scenery going west from Denver, maybe you might have time to fly to Denver and make your way west on the Zephyr?
I am a little rusty on todays connections, I am sure other folk will chime in with their ideas and suggestions. Good luck!

 

[tgstubbs1]

It's over six hours on the plane to Seattle and you will see some scenery out the window if the weather is clear.

The "CZ" goes from SEA to LAX, but you could get off before reaching LA and then continue on the regional Surfliner if that suits your schedule. Make sure you note the day of travel as well as the time because commuter trains change schedules on weekends.

https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/globalassets/pdfs/schedules/pacific-surfliner-train-schedule.pdf/

https://www.amtrak.com/pacific-surfliner-train

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Be aware. Do NOT use Amtrak Vacations to book your trip. They are a travel agent, but we have heard bad things about them. You're best off dealing directly with Amtrak (in case there are any issues).

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

You do need to transfer from the Coast Starlight to a Pacific Surfliner train to go to San Diego. The default option is to transfer at Los Angeles Union Station (9:11pm -> 10:10pm) and get to San Diego at 1:04am. If this is too late night an arrival for you, you could get off the Coast Starlight anywhere between San Luis Obispo and LA, stay the night, and get on the Surfliner the next day. You'd have to book two separate tickets, or click "add trip" on the home page to do this.

Santa Barbara is a nice choice for an overnight stop. Hotels are within walking distance, or a short shuttle/rideshare ride away, and it's right on the coast. If you overnight near LA Union Station, you get a bunch of places to stay and eat at, but it's the downtown of a big city, a different feeling from a small coastal town. There's not much to see at the other stops in between. San Luis Obispo is a pretty nice place too, but it's harder to make it work since Surfliner departures are sparse (6am, 4pm only).

Here's the Pacific Surfliner schedule. https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/gl...fliner-timetable_11-18-24_del-mar-phase-5.pdf

 

[turtlypo]

Welcome! You found a great community that loves answering questions.

https://railpassengers.org/resources/amtrak-timetables/
The Rail Passengers Association maintains good PDF timetables of every Amtrak route. Amtrak has their own versions that show the same information using a lot more pages.

I haven't been on the Coast Starlight in a long time, but it should be one of the more scenic routes Amtrak has to offer. You should be able to catch great views around San Luis Obispo in the afternoon! Transferring to the Pacific Surfliner at Los Angeles rather than SLO might be more common (plus only the Coast Starlight has sleepers if you're using that).

If you book on the Amtrak site specifying Seattle to San Diego, the connections are guaranteed. If for whatever reason the Coast Starlight is delayed past the Surfliner, Amtrak will put you on the next train, or maybe a hotel, or reimbursement.

 

[Maglev]

I think you'd be lucky to find a travel agent with as much collective experience as this forum.

To best appreciate Amtrak, I suggest getting a "Bedroom" accommodation on overnight trains. As an indication of how popular these rooms are, they are sold out on the date @turtlypo uses as an example above; they are available January 21 for $970.

The most scenic train in the USA is generally agreed to be the California Zephyr, which runs between Chicago and Emeryville (which is right across the bay from San Francisco). There are two overnights, but the best scenery is the second day after Denver, so you could board there if you want to save time and money. The Coast Starlight to Los Angeles (with a connection to San Diego) runs through Emeryville.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

To best appreciate Amtrak, I suggest getting a "Bedroom" accommodation on overnight trains.

Bedrooms are roomier than Roomettes, and include a (tiny) combined toilet/shower area. The only problem might be if whoever is sleeping in the top bunk (if 2 people are sharing the Bedroom) has difficulty climbing the ladder into the top bunk, because the ladder is not permanently mounted in the position it needs to be at night, and it can be a bit wiggly on a moving train. This may not be much of an issue for a younger, fit adult, but for a couple in their 60s like my hubby and me, it made the top bunk in a bedroom (on the Texas Eagle) unusable for us last fall. The steps up to the top bunk of a Roomette are fixed in place, so if one is able to climb steps at all, it might be easier to get into the top bunk of a roomette. (The Roomette bunks will be narrower, though.)

 

[Qapla]

Another consideration between a roomette and a bedroom is the bed orientation. In the roomette you are parallel to the direction of travel while the bedroom bed is perpendicular to the direction of travel. It doesn't seem like a big thing but, to some who have commented on it, it does seem to matter if your bed rocks around while you are laying in it.

 

[zephyr17]

Note that if two are traveling, two roomettes are usually cheaper than a bedroom and both people get lowers and no one has to use an upper bunk.

If you call you can often arrange for the two roomettes to be directly across the hall from each other.

 

[drcool]

Hi, welcome to the forum.
The first thing to know if you are catching a flight is that Amtrak trains are often late, and sometimes many hours late...
You can book trains your self on the Amtrak.com website, there may be travel agents you can use, but the website is pretty easy to use.
I guess a lot depends on your free time...
The Coast Starlight from Seattle gets into Los Angeles in the evenings, so catching another onward train to San Diego might mean it's dark and you miss a lot of scenery.
What time is your flight, do you intend to fly out the same day you arrive into San Diego, or the following day?
The California Zephyr has stunning scenery going west from Denver, maybe you might have time to fly to Denver and make your way west on the Zephyr?
I am a little rusty on todays connections, I am sure other folk will chime in with their ideas and suggestions. Good luck!

Thank you for your advice caravanman. I think we have resolved our plan with everyone's help. We are going to fly to San Francisco, stay overnight there then train it to Santa Barbara the next day and stay overnight there and then train it to San Diego and stay there for two nights before flying out. Very happy with that. Cheers

It's over six hours on the plane to Seattle and you will see some scenery out the window if the weather is clear.

The "CZ" goes from SEA to LAX, but you could get off before reaching LA and then continue on the regional Surfliner if that suits your schedule. Make sure you note the day of travel as well as the time because commuter trains change schedules on weekends.

https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/globalassets/pdfs/schedules/pacific-surfliner-train-schedule.pdf/

https://www.amtrak.com/pacific-surfliner-train

Thank you for your help

Be aware. Do NOT use Amtrak Vacations to book your trip. They are a travel agent, but we have heard bad things about them. You're best off dealing directly with Amtrak (in case there are any issues).

Noted and thanks

You do need to transfer from the Coast Starlight to a Pacific Surfliner train to go to San Diego. The default option is to transfer at Los Angeles Union Station (9:11pm -> 10:10pm) and get to San Diego at 1:04am. If this is too late night an arrival for you, you could get off the Coast Starlight anywhere between San Luis Obispo and LA, stay the night, and get on the Surfliner the next day. You'd have to book two separate tickets, or click "add trip" on the home page to do this.

Santa Barbara is a nice choice for an overnight stop. Hotels are within walking distance, or a short shuttle/rideshare ride away, and it's right on the coast. If you overnight near LA Union Station, you get a bunch of places to stay and eat at, but it's the downtown of a big city, a different feeling from a small coastal town. There's not much to see at the other stops in between. San Luis Obispo is a pretty nice place too, but it's harder to make it work since Surfliner departures are sparse (6am, 4pm only).

Here's the Pacific Surfliner schedule. https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/gl...fliner-timetable_11-18-24_del-mar-phase-5.pdf

Thank you for your help ParanoidAndroid. I think we have resolved our plan with everyone's help. We are going to fly to San Francisco, stay overnight there then train it to Santa Barbara the next day and stay overnight there and then train it to San Diego and stay there for two nights before flying out. Very happy with that. Cheers

Welcome! You found a great community that loves answering questions.

https://railpassengers.org/resources/amtrak-timetables/
The Rail Passengers Association maintains good PDF timetables of every Amtrak route. Amtrak has their own versions that show the same information using a lot more pages.

I haven't been on the Coast Starlight in a long time, but it should be one of the more scenic routes Amtrak has to offer. You should be able to catch great views around San Luis Obispo in the afternoon! Transferring to the Pacific Surfliner at Los Angeles rather than SLO might be more common (plus only the Coast Starlight has sleepers if you're using that).

If you book on the Amtrak site specifying Seattle to San Diego, the connections are guaranteed. If for whatever reason the Coast Starlight is delayed past the Surfliner, Amtrak will put you on the next train, or maybe a hotel, or reimbursement.



View attachment 38878

Thank you so much for your help turtlypo. I think we have resolved our plan with everyone's help. We are going to fly to San Francisco, stay overnight there then train it to Santa Barbara the next day and stay overnight there and then train it to San Diego and stay there for two nights before flying out. Very happy with that. Cheers

I think you'd be lucky to find a travel agent with as much collective experience as this forum.

To best appreciate Amtrak, I suggest getting a "Bedroom" accommodation on overnight trains. As an indication of how popular these rooms are, they are sold out on the date @turtlypo uses as an example above; they are available January 21 for $970.

The most scenic train in the USA is generally agreed to be the California Zephyr, which runs between Chicago and Emeryville (which is right across the bay from San Francisco). There are two overnights, but the best scenery is the second day after Denver, so you could board there if you want to save time and money. The Coast Starlight to Los Angeles (with a connection to San Diego) runs through Emeryville.

Agreed and thank you Maglev. I think we have resolved our plan with everyone's help. We are going to fly to San Francisco, stay overnight there then train it to Santa Barbara the next day and stay overnight there and then train it to San Diego and stay there for two nights before flying out. Very happy with that. Cheers

My only question that I now have after your comment is should we catch the train in San Francisco from Emeryville or Jack London Square Station? It appears that Jack London Station is a stop after Emeryville.

 

[zephyr17]

Thank you for your advice caravanman. I think we have resolved our plan with everyone's help. We are going to fly to San Francisco, stay overnight there then train it to Santa Barbara the next day and stay overnight there and then train it to San Diego and stay there for two nights before flying out. Very happy with that. Cheers


Thank you for your help


Noted and thanks


Thank you for your help ParanoidAndroid. I think we have resolved our plan with everyone's help. We are going to fly to San Francisco, stay overnight there then train it to Santa Barbara the next day and stay overnight there and then train it to San Diego and stay there for two nights before flying out. Very happy with that. Cheers


Thank you so much for your help turtlypo. I think we have resolved our plan with everyone's help. We are going to fly to San Francisco, stay overnight there then train it to Santa Barbara the next day and stay overnight there and then train it to San Diego and stay there for two nights before flying out. Very happy with that. Cheers


Agreed and thank you Maglev. I think we have resolved our plan with everyone's help. We are going to fly to San Francisco, stay overnight there then train it to Santa Barbara the next day and stay overnight there and then train it to San Diego and stay there for two nights before flying out. Very happy with that. Cheers

My only question that I now have after your comment is should we catch the train in San Francisco from Emeryville or Jack London Square Station? It appears that Jack London Station is a stop after Emeryville.

If you are staying in San Francisco itself, you should buy ticket from San Francisco (SFC) to Santa Barbara (SBA). That will include the Amtrak Thruway connecting bus from San Francisco to Emeryville to catch the Starlight.

There is no connecting service provided by Amtrak from San Francisco to Oakland-Jack London Square (OKJ). You would have to get there on your own via taxi, Uber/Lyft, BART, AC Transit, whatever.

In general, when booking with Amtrak, it is best to just put in your origin and destination and let Amtrak present choices and connections to accomplish that and not try to part it out. Or do it with an Amtrak agent. With that said, there are some cases where that doesn't work, but those are the exceptions and I won't go into it here.

So you request two segments, San Francisco (SFC) - Santa Barbara (SBA) and Santa Barbara (SBA) - San Diego (SAN).

Finally, note for your planning purposes that Surfliners no longer offer checked baggage service, so you will be unable to check bags to San Diego (SAN).

 

[Cal]

My only question that I now have after your comment is should we catch the train in San Francisco from Emeryville or Jack London Square Station? It appears that Jack London Station is a stop after Emeryville.

I don't think it matters at all to be honest, especially if you're just there to catch the train. Jack London Square is pretty cool, and there are some restaurants. The train also runs down the middle of the street prior to coming into the station, which is cool to see. But the actual station and boarding-experience is not that different. Jack London has a nicer station, and that's about the only real benefit there is over Emeryville. At Emeryville you do get on slightly earlier, if that's something you'd like.

 

[Cal]

Finally, note for your planning purposes that Surfliners no longer offer checked baggage service, so you will be unable to check bags to San Diego (SAN).

Amtrak is very generous with baggage, however.

This is what you can bring for free, which I believe matches Amtrak's policy in most cases:

• Two personal items: For example, large purses, briefcases, computer backpacks. These bags can measure up to 14” x 11” x 7” each, and weigh up to 25 pounds each.
• Two carry-on bags: These bags can measure up to 28" x 22" x 11" each, and weigh up to 50 pounds each.

However I doubt anyone would stop you for bringing more if you had to (although that would be a lot of luggage!)

On the Coast Starlight and Surfliner there are very large luggage racks downstairs (And some upstairs on the Surfliner too), and above coach seats there are also pretty big overhead racks.

 

[drcool]

If you are staying in San Francisco itself, you should buy ticket from San Francisco (SFC) to Santa Barbara (SBA). That will include the Amtrak Thruway connecting bus from San Francisco to Emeryville to catch the Starlight.

There is no connecting service provided by Amtrak from San Francisco to Oakland-Jack London Square (OKJ). You would have to get there on your own via taxi, Uber/Lyft, BART, AC Transit, whatever.

In general, when booking with Amtrak, it is best to just put in your origin and destination and let Amtrak present choices and connections to accomplish that and not try to part it out. Or do it with an Amtrak agent. With that said, there are some cases where that doesn't work, but those are the exceptions and I won't go into it here.

So you request two segments, San Francisco (SFC) - Santa Barbara (SBA) and Santa Barbara (SBA) - San Diego (SAN).

Finally, note for your planning purposes that Surfliners no longer offer checked baggage service, so you will be unable to check bags to San Diego (SAN).

Thank you @zephyr17 I was planning on staying in a hotel near the OKJ station so do understand that I would need to get a taxi/uber from the airport. With regard to the checked baggage on the Surfliner does that mean we just carry it on board with us? I have already booked a multi trip ticket from OKJ where we check our bags in I believe. I would have thought they would have gone all the way thru to San Diego with a multi trip ticket but I'll check with Amtrak. Thanks again.