NYP-DLB and back on the Silver Meteor - live report

[cpotisch]

I don’t think you understand. LD trains arrive at NYP from Sunnyside a solid 30-40 minutes before departure, WELL BEFORE they announce the track ANYWHERE. Dad and I went down to the track and boarded at about 2:40 PM (and the train had clearly already been there for a fair bit, even then). They announced the track in the ClubAcela at about 2:58 PM. So we boarded the train give or take 20 minutes before the other sleeper passengers, and if we were ready earlier, probably could have even done so several minutes before that.

Boarding from the lower level allows you to get on the train basically as soon as it arrives from the yard. They announce the tracks and officially start boarding, much later.

Correct. as mused in this prior thread.    How long before departure was the first boarding announcement made (i.e. and when it appeared on the board), if you can tell? It should have been, roughly 10 minutes prior to departure, if they're still doing it the same way as when I was commuting.

I am, somewhat, amazed they allowed you to board so soon after arrival from Sunnyside. I would have thought it a security concern to allow anyone to board while the train crew (conductors, etc.) are not "on station" at the train.... or were they?   I know NJT trains are closed up until the crew is ready to open them for general boarding (which could be 5-10 minutes prior to the initial boarding announcement and track post).

 Anyway, glad you had a good trip. Were you in a roomette or bedroom?

From what I’ve seen, the Meteor generally starts officially boarding about 15 minutes before departure. When we got down there at about 2:40, all or almost all of the crew was there, All the SCAs were standing in front of their respective cars, the conductor, was just sort of walking up and down the platform looking over the things, and the lounge attendant and diner staff were chilling in their cars. My thinking is that they our SCA was perfectly happy with having two less people to deal with during the main boarding rush.

And we are in Roomette #2, car 9710 (the closest one to the diner!). We always go Roomette when we’re taking a Viewliner, because you still get plenty of space in both bunks, and a sink and toilet. In fact, in some ways I actually prefer this to a Bedroom, because you get to sleep parallel to the window and direction of travel.  

 

[cpotisch]

Anyhow, we have a 1:00 PM lunch reservation, so we’ll be heading over there in a few. Breakfast today was very decent. At first, the waiter informed me that pancakes were sold out, which was very sad, but a few minutes later he came back and said that they had them again (somehow). I don’t understand how that happened, especially since they now had enough to serve both me and one of our table mates who had also wanted pancakes, but I certainly don’t object to it.

\



They were pretty good, BTW.  

 

[cpotisch]

And here is a glimpse of our brief post-breakfast Looney Tunes session, paired with a couple stroopwafels, heated up on top of our coffee cups. ^_^

 

[railiner]

That looks like the typical Amtrak screw in liquid soap which would be a lilac? scented soap that I actually like. Those are in most if not all bathrooms, also.

I like their liquid soap too...IIRC, it was "Flite Lux", made by Celeste Chemical's...they also provide airlines.   I was discussing this on another thread, with Triley, I believe, and he said this was discontinued in favor of a 'foam' type soap...

 

[railiner]

Duplicate post, redacted

 

[cpotisch]

Just got back from lunch, where we had a VERY enjoyable conversation with an older couple from NJ who are heading down to Deerfield Beach. They were really friendly, had a lot of experience riding trains, and were clearly very knowledgeable about the current happenings at Amtrak. They shared my sentiments about the idiocy of making all these cuts when Amtrak just got a record amount of funding from the government this year, and how the contemporary dining on the Cap and Lake Shore are ridiculous for people with dietary restrictions.

As to the food and service, both were actually pretty good this time. I got the Black Bean and Corn Veggie Burgerwith Monterey Jack, and my dad got the Prince Edward Island Mussels. Both were very tasty, which was a pleasant surprise after my subpar experiences this morning and last night.

 

[cpotisch]

We left Kissimmee maybe 20 minutes ago. We passed the northbound Meteor at lunch, but unfortunately the 140 or so mile per hour difference between prohibited any particularly good photos. Here’s the best I got:

/monthly_2018_12/94D9FB73-3529-4C60-B955-4E6C0BD63DE5.thumb.jpeg.8efa1ff1085e88706be5d5f97db144cc.jpeg

 

[cpotisch]

We’re coming into Winter Haven now. I got a shot of the last couple cars going around a turn just now:



And I got pictures of two SunRail trains earlier. One of them was a typical consist (an MP32PH-Q pulling three Bombardier Bi-Levels), while the other train was actually two combined, with a locomotive (MP32PH-Q), three coaches, another loco, and another three coaches. And as far as I can tell, both sections were carrying passengers, so I’m wondering how they dealt with tickets and such with that locomotive in the middle.  :huh:  

The back of the first train (which had the typical single locomotive and three cars):



And here’s the combined one (the locomotive in the second pic was in the middle of the train):

 

[cpotisch]

West Palm Beach is next. We should be at Delray and off the train in about 25 minutes, which will be sad.

But since we’ll have 11 full days in Florida and then the train home, I guess I can’t really complain.

And here are some pictures I forgot to post earlier...

Leaving Palatka Station:/monthly_2018_12/BDA36DBB-35A2-4609-A479-82C130C9D461.thumb.jpeg.a683b032631aa96f82189522e2bfe496.jpeg/monthly_2018_12/45EAAA66-9B8A-4FB1-AFE2-3AFB00B967BA.thumb.jpeg.85799b2eb4f30e54de76879f54df36e4.jpeg

At a very wet (and therefore much less pretty than usual) Winter Park:/monthly_2018_12/599AF8FC-81A2-4091-B2B8-F5C93D3D146F.thumb.jpeg.fa74ab600b0140e1b48baed10c17367e.jpeg

And overcoming my primal instincts by actually sharing the last doughnut...  /monthly_2018_12/BFA94DBD-30AB-4E21-A5E3-F336D9B3A5EC.thumb.jpeg.ec66c32ef40bd077e521815422864a57.jpeg

 

[Sauve850]

Thanks for the pictures. Enjoy your stay here in SE Florida. Weather will be nicer starting Saturday but cooler (for us).

 

[caravanman]

Nice photos at NYP. I have enjoyed the Krispy Kreme offerings at Penn station myself.

The "vegetarian pasta" dish seems a bit light on pasta?

Thanks for posting.

Ed

 

[cpotisch]

And here are some shots of ViewDiner II 68003 Augusta...

The kitchen:

The passage next to said kitchen:

The route posters in said passage:

And the actual dining area:/monthly_2018_12/62C6F88D-4F74-4764-B943-059600B96DEA.thumb.jpeg.54cb6aa5f59960ad9cb51157d11a8798.jpeg

 

[cpotisch]

Nice photos at NYP. I have enjoyed the Krispy Kreme offerings at Penn station myself.

The "vegetarian pasta" dish seems a bit light on pasta?

Thanks for posting.

Ed

It was VERY light on pasta. And not particularly tasty either. :unsure:  

 

[cpotisch]

Anyhow, we arrived in DLB at about 6:30. Now I’m home at my grandparents’ place, and about to order dinner. Overall a pretty nice ride, though the food and service in the dining car did leave a bit to be desired.

I have three more train rides planned for this trip. On 1/1 my mom and I take the Meteor home, as I already mentioned. And on 12/28, 1@jis[/USER] and I will be taking Tri-Rail from West Palm to Miami, and then Brightline back! This will be my first time taking Brightline, and only my second time (after the Gathering) meeting another AUer in person, so that should be fun.

So I will probably continue to update this report a few times every day, but the actual train travel will only be on the 28th, 1st, and 2nd.

 

[Sauve850]

Quite a difference from Tri-Rail to Brightline. Enjoy.

 

[cpotisch]

Quite a difference from Tri-Rail to Brightline. Enjoy.

Yeah, I’ve been on Tri-Rail many times and that’s what I figured from everything I’ve seen and heard about Brightline. 

 

[cpotisch]

Forgot I took these pics after getting off the train. Came out surprisingly well.

 

[cpotisch]

Off to Waffle House!

 

[cpotisch]

Just got back from Waffle House, where I had quite a nice meal with my dad and grandpa. Now it will be off to the pool (and hot tub). It is a little chilly and windy out though, so I guess I’ll have to see how long I actually want to be out there. Hopefully things will warm up soon.

 

[cpotisch]

Getting ready to head out to “Shinju Japanese Buffet”. Time to get my eel on!

 

[AutoTrDvr]

Getting ready to head out to “Shinju Japanese Buffet”. Time to get my eel on!

Where is this place? I  may have to go check it out, if I'm down that way....

 

[cpotisch]

Where is this place? I may have to go check it out, if I'm down that way....

It’s 7875 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL. Phone is 561-488-4040.

From last night...

There’s some pan fried shrimp shumai on the right, a bunch of eel rolls in the center, a couple eel-and-avocado rolls at the back, and a few Saba (cured mackerel) rolls at the back left and front right./monthly_2018_12/DE9F4045-9402-498A-B4CB-110839533F5B.thumb.jpeg.654e9ae5a8f2a137039d2a2741ba3691.jpeg

Less than half of the very un-Japanese dessert bar. Here we have pecan pie, cannolis, cheesecake, mango mousse cake, and just peaking out on the left, Creme Brule. There was also plenty of ice cream, rice pudding, jello, and fruit./monthly_2018_12/1825EA22-2548-46F5-A501-B20425CE9162.thumb.jpeg.d9813fa60b9e8dd3e3da3e4694363ae1.jpeg

A close up of one of the cannolis:/monthly_2018_12/E1CBFEEC-8716-4B85-964C-21640D4DE860.thumb.jpeg.68c106c9dc937183998ee712469dd7c1.jpeg

It was all great, BTW.

 

[JRR]

It’s 7875 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL. Phone is 561-488-4040.
From last night...
There’s some pan fried shrimp shumai on the right, a bunch of eel rolls in the center, a couple eel-and-avocado rolls at the back, and a few Saba (cured mackerel) rolls at the back left and front right./monthly_2018_12/DE9F4045-9402-498A-B4CB-110839533F5B.thumb.jpeg.654e9ae5a8f2a137039d2a2741ba3691.jpeg
Less than half of the very un-Japanese dessert bar. Here we have pecan pie, cannolis, cheesecake, mango mousse cake, and just peaking out on the left, Creme Brule. There was also plenty of ice cream, rice pudding, jello, and fruit./monthly_2018_12/1825EA22-2548-46F5-A501-B20425CE9162.thumb.jpeg.d9813fa60b9e8dd3e3da3e4694363ae1.jpeg
 
A close up of one of the cannolis:/monthly_2018_12/E1CBFEEC-8716-4B85-964C-21640D4DE860.thumb.jpeg.68c106c9dc937183998ee712469dd7c1.jpeg
It was all great, BTW.

Just up the road from us. I’ve seen it many times but never stopped there. We’ll have to try it.

 

[AutoTrDvr]

It’s 7875 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL. Phone is 561-488-4040.

From last night...

There’s some pan fried shrimp shumai on the right, a bunch of eel rolls in the center, a couple eel-and-avocado rolls at the back, and a few Saba (cured mackerel) rolls at the back left and front right./monthly_2018_12/DE9F4045-9402-498A-B4CB-110839533F5B.thumb.jpeg.654e9ae5a8f2a137039d2a2741ba3691.jpeg

Less than half of the very un-Japanese dessert bar. Here we have pecan pie, cannolis, cheesecake, mango mousse cake, and just peaking out on the left, Creme Brule. There was also plenty of ice cream, rice pudding, jello, and fruit./monthly_2018_12/1825EA22-2548-46F5-A501-B20425CE9162.thumb.jpeg.d9813fa60b9e8dd3e3da3e4694363ae1.jpeg

A close up of one of the cannolis:/monthly_2018_12/E1CBFEEC-8716-4B85-964C-21640D4DE860.thumb.jpeg.68c106c9dc937183998ee712469dd7c1.jpeg

It was all great, BTW.

I dunno man.... I'm too much of a "Godfather" fan... I've developed a sudden fear of cannoli.....

 

[cpotisch]

Did some swimming and “chilling” in the hot tub. Now I’m back in the apartment resting up after my big day.

Life is good.

/monthly_2018_12/415876C6-90CD-4FA4-9A27-01632829CA8A.thumb.jpeg.6a2d574362f45d4f612340404afd4071.jpeg