Newbie to LD train trip, going on SWC

[booinla]

Hello, I am new to the forum, I've been lurking here for a couple of weeks and enjoying all the valuable insight and information here. I'll be taking my first overnight train ride in mid-May and am so excited that I can hardly stand it!

I'm taking the Chief from Los Angeles to Kansas City to visit family. Specifically, my niece is graduating. I'll return via the SWC after spending most of a week in Missouri. I have a roomette for the eastbound trip but only a coach ticket for westbound (rooms have gone to a prohibitively high price already for my return dates and I just can't swing it.) So I guess I'll be experiencing the full spectrum of LD travel, and if it turns out I dislike sleeping in coach I'll never do it again LOL I think it won't be that bad, and anyway it's only two nights.

Some friends think it's cool and some friends think I've gone crazy. "Why the train? You can fly in a fraction of the time." I probably won't have to convince anyone on this board how ineffective that argument is I really hate flying, hate it more every year, it's about one part anxiety and eight parts homicidal irritation when I have to do it. When we had to start taking off our shoes was my tipping point - I stopped flying anywhere for fun or vacation and now all my summer vacations are road trips. These days I ride a motorcycle all over this beautiful country of ours every chance I get, and appreciate and soak in all the wonderful sights you'll never see from 25,000 ft.

The train? Is a new road trip, a new adventure, a new experience. I think I am going to enjoy it TREMENDOUSLY.

 

[greatcats]

I have ridden this train several times cross country and have always enjoyed it, both coach and sleeper, although I prefer the latter. You seem to have a positive attitude. I have two favorite sections of the trip: eastbound, after leaving Trinidad, CO, looking out the back of the rear coach back at the mountains as the train heads into the plains at high speed on the single track through a sparsely settled rural area. Westbound, I like waking up early in the morning as dawn comes up over Kansas. The food is fair to pretty good and be prepared for some rough track across Kansas. I hope you will be blessed with Sharon as your sleeping car attendant. Let us know about your trip, please. Enjoy. Feel free to private message me with more questions.

 

[sunchaser]

Keep checking for roomettes all the way up to your departure. You may be able to get a lower priced one if someone cancels.

Also, after you board, check with the Conductor about an onboard upgrade to a roomette. That's not always possible, but it's worth asking. Have a great trip!

 

[RRrich]

Welcome to our Forum!

Maiden voyage on the SWC? Wow, what a wonderful way to start - I'm sure you will have a GREAT time. By the way, many of us buy our tickets just as soon as we decide we will make the trip - mostly ticket priced just go up so buying as far in advance as possible gets us the best price.

ENJOY

 

[Guest]

When we had to start taking off our shoes was my tipping point - I stopped flying anywhere for fun or vacation and now all my summer vacations are road trips.

I am actually surprised that it took them as long as it did to check shoes. I used to work in a government building that required passing through a metal detector and x-raying my bag to enter. I occasionally wore steel toed shoes and all they did was wave the wand over me. I thought over and over how stupid it was and that someone could easily hide a bomb in their shoes. Lo and behold it actually happened.

At least the terrorists are so stupid that they are still trying to blow up planes and not other easier targets.

 

[dedhd]

The first time I took my wife on a train trip (I had been riding for years prior to marraige), we were planning to go to N.O. for the french quarter festival. This coincided with the kids (5th and 9th grades) spring vacation so they too came along. I wanted all to experience LD train riding as I feared that it wouldn't be long before it was gone. I booked the Crescent for the trip down and we flew home. I got so much flak from wife and kids about how long it was going to take and why didn't we just fly. It was also more expensive as we had two roomettes booked. I held my ground and we boarded a NE regional to take us to Penn for the Crescent. It was a beautiful day and as we approached New London, I remember telling them, "this is where the navy has a sub base, but in all my years coming down here for work I have yet to see one". Well wouldn't you know it, there riding on the surface of the Thames...a sub! Cool. Anyway as we approached New Orleans the kids had to be pried out of the sleeper they enjoyed it so much. And my wife...well she absolutely loves train travel and we have since done many ld journeys, a few cross countries, and always looking to do more. Some trips have had some serious down sides but after a while even the bad becomes part of a memorable pleasant experience. Enjoy!

 

[Gingee]

I remember the first train trip we took from Chicago to NYC. We did coach. We were so surprised to see so many people on a train. Thought it was a thing of the past. We had our two daughters with us so we didn't want the expense of a sleeper. It was only one night on the train so that wasn't too bad. We have had a sleeper going to Texas, Seattle and have one booked to LA. Enjoy

 

[JbnWaverly]

boo- Like you, for the same reasons, I took my very first LD trip a few weeks ago. My route was Cal Zephyr, Cap Limited, Pennsylvanian and Acela. I found it to be a great experience and will do it again when funds allow and fares return from the stratosphere. I would use rail more, but I have just an east=west travel option with Denver as starting point and right now any sleeper option is going to add $300-$800 each way to fare. Not exactly competitive with driving or flying, even taking into consideration sleeping and eating on train. With no real reason to travel to CHI or California, I'm looking at spending a ton of bucks to get to family in Texas or northeast. All train staff were found to be friendly and helpful. The roomette was a little cramped in slepp configuration, but still was a fantastic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting/dining with other passengers and never had to remove my shoes before boarding!