Sunset Limited

[Guest_socalsteve]

I've been lurking for a few months, and have really enjoyed the discussions here. I've got a couple questions about the Sunset Limited.

My wife and I took our kids on the Coast Starlight to Seattle last summer and loved it, so we're taking them to Florida on the SL this summer. We really enjoyed the Pacific Parlour Car on the Starlight and I was wondering what the lounge is like on the SL. The only thing I saw on the Starlight was the Sightseer, which looked kind of like a rolling airport waiting room (at least compared to the Parlour car!). Also, does anyone have an idea of how late the Sunset Limited is getting into Orlando these days? From what I've read here, it can be pretty late. Thanks for your help, and if you've got any more suggestons about our trip, I'd appreciate it!

 

[Viewliner]

I don't know if its changed, but I heard the Sunset Limited was actually doing better. As for the lounge, the windows are the same, with seats that rotate on the upper level, and booth seating in the lower, where food is also available.

Enjoy Your Trip, and feel free to ask more questions.

Follow this link and scroll down to see some lounge interior pics on my site.

http://www.trainweb.org/amtrakonline/super...neriphotos.html

 

[Amfleet]

The only thing I saw on the Starlight was the Sightseer, which looked kind of like a rolling airport waiting room...

That is a funny way of putting it, but is a little nicer. The seats are very comfortable and swivel (as Viewliner said) to a desired position. The lower level has a snack bar and a tables. There are TV monitors scattered about on the upper and lower levels where cartoons are played in the afternoon and movies in the evening (mostly G or PG rated movies, but a PG-13 film could be shown late in the evening). Time wise the Sunset should be doing better (when I say that I mean arriving less than 2 hours late). Enjoy the trip!

 

[sutton8596]

Hi,

Enjoy your trip! My only complaint about the lower level of the viewer car is that there are only something like six tables, so if the train is crowded, you never get a seat down there. The nice thing about upstairs is the view, of course, and being able to chat to people. Very nice. Take a good novel too, as two worlds are better than one. That said, I hardly got any of my book read on my trip last summer.

Have fun!

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

Your experience on the Coast Starlight is not the typical Amtrak one. It's a rather special train. The Sunset limited is your typical train. I've taken the Sunset Limited several times this winter, and its on-time performance has been greatly improved. Arrivals into Florida seem to be only an hour or two late these days.

 

[Amfleet]

My only complaint about the lower level of the viewer car is that there are only something like six tables, so if the train is crowded, you never get a seat down there.

That's only in a Superliner I Lounge, the Superliner II is worse with only 2 good tables and then there is 2 odd shaped tables for wheel chair passengers on the other side of the vestibule.

 

[sutton8596]

Amfleet,

You're right! Don't know how I messed that up. I do miss the old dome/lounge cars

It would be wonderful if in the future Amtrak ran those as well as the current lounge cars. I wonder if any of the old ones are left??

I would think that ridership would go up if each long distance train had a 'pacific parlour car'.

Scott

 

[Amfleet]

There is one Full Dome that still operates once and a while on a Surfliner if no Surfliner trainset is avalible. The other domes were sold off to private and tourist railroads. VIA Rail Canada still runs 2-3 domes per train though!

 

[AlanB]

Not so fast, there is also still a dome in North Carolina that runs during the summer months on the Piedmont. Although it did not run this past summer for some reason, possibly money.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Pretty much as others have said, the Pacific Parlour car is definately one-of-a-kind. all the other sightseer lounges are the norm. But I do enjoy them a lot, also, I enjoy them much more than I enjoy the single level lounges back east. Much roomier, different varities of seats, truly geared for sighseeing. They are a pleasure as well. You were just lucky you happend to get such up front exposure to Pacific Parlor car.

 

[Amfleet]

Not so fast, there is also still a dome in North Carolina that runs during the summer months on the Piedmont. Although it did not run this past summer for some reason, possibly money.

Yes, but it is owned by the state of North Carolina. There are also very nicely referbished Heritage Coaches that run on that train as well, again owned by NC.

 

[socalsteve]

Your experience on the Coast Starlight is not the typical Amtrak one. It's a rather special train. The Sunset limited is your typical train. I've taken the Sunset Limited several times this winter, and its on-time performance has been greatly improved. Arrivals into Florida seem to be only an hour or two late these days.

I'm glad to hear the SL is more on time . . . I figure since it's scheduled in around 8:30 that if we get in by 10 p.m. that'll be OK. We will have two kids with us, so pulling in at 3 a.m. wouldn't be that much fun.

I explained to my wife that the SL probably wouldn't be quite as nice as the Starlight, and that we'd probably be spending more time in our compartment (we spent almost NO time there on the Starlight, opting instead for the Parlour Car) but she's still ready to go. I will be bring a few books for the long trip through the desert though! The kids will have books and Game Boys. I will miss the afternoon wine tasting however.

BTW, has anyone used the Coach USA bus connection from Orlando to the area hotels? That's what I'm figuring on doing.

Thanks again for all your responses.

 

[Viewliner]

No, I haven't but if you'd prefer, you can arrange with Hertz to have a car for you to rent at the Station.

 

[Amfleet]

There are Coach USA vans that go to and from Orlando area hotels. I had posted about this a while back and I will try to go and dig it up.

 

[Amfleet]

This topic should have what you are looking for.

 

[AlanB]

BTW, has anyone used the Coach USA bus connection from Orlando to the area hotels? That's what I'm figuring on doing.

I used it two years ago Steve and found it quite convienent.

They had a few vans sitting right there when the train pulled in. Amtrak will sell you a ticket that you give to the driver. It looks like a typical Amtrak ticket. The driver placed our luggage in the back and off we went. They will take you to just about any hotel in the area, including all hotels in Disney World.

You then call them the day before your return to schedule your pickup. The driver will give you a card with the phone number to call. You tell them what train you're on and they'll work out what time to pick you up.

 

[socalsteve]

Thanks for the Coach USA help! We've already got our train tickets (via the website) so I'll just call a couple weeks before we go and add on the bus tickets--it looks like that's the way to go. If they give me a hassle, we can always take a cab

 

[AlanB]

Thanks for the Coach USA help! We've already got our train tickets (via the website) so I'll just call a couple weeks before we go and add on the bus tickets--it looks like that's the way to go. If they give me a hassle, we can always take a cab

Just remember you've got to call Amtrak to book it. I don't think that you can book the connection with Coach directly, although I could be wrong about that.

Also if you wait until a week or two before leaving to call Amtrak, then don't let them mail you the tickets. Pick them up at the station. Unless you've got three weeks or more before departure, I wouldn't trust the mail with this.

 

[pismobum]

The remaining Amtrak owned dome runs on the Reno Ski/Fun Trains and Pacific Northwest special service trains. The last of the "low level" cars has been pulled from LA. There are no more low-level Surfliner trains.

 

[Amfleet]

There was a single-level Surfliner set running over the summer to fill in for a bi-level set that got damaged in a grade crossing accident.

 

[tp49]

Pismobum beat me to it, I was going to mention that Amtrak's dome car lately runs on the Reno Fun Train as I see it either in the Oakland Coach Yard or out on the road. It's in Phase IV.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Don't completely discount the desert for scenery. It is a cultivated taste, for most, but it does have a beauty of its own...might check some references on geological structures, etc before you go....the desert is no Pacific Coast(and it is no Rocky Mountains) but it has its own uniqueness.........so maybe you will not find it too boring.