We've just completed our most recent ld roomettte AGR trip. We have ridden the SL and the CS before, but never on to Vancouver, BC. The SL is still boring and the CS is still great (the scenery and the service). The LAX metro lounge is wonderful. Two volunteers from the Klamath Falls Museum rode with us to Eugene. They gave a really interesting talk. The restored SEA station is beautiful. The bus ride from SEA to VAC is awful, especially at midnight. Now I know why I never used the Thruway bus. Vancouver was beautiful. We went to Stanley Park, the Aquarium and the Museum of Anthropology. They were all very impressive. We had only two full days, so we didn't get to see anything else. We stayed at a very nice Howard Johnson hotel downtown. I would like to go back sometime, but not on Amtrak Thruway bus. The station at VAC does not open until 5:00 a.m., so don't get there early. We endured another bus ride back to SEA.
We had the most wonderful SCA (Roger) on our return trip on the CS. We've made several Amtrak trips and never had an SCA so attentive. Not only did he bring ice and tea around, he passed out an information sheet listing his services, meal times, a train map, and fresh air stop times.
The forest/mountains through Oregon were just beautiful with the fresh snow.
Another disappointment on this trip was we had to get off the CS at Oakland and ride coach to Bakersfield then a BUS to LAX all because Amtrak was afraid we wouldn't make our SL connection (we had 1 hour). I think they're getting really tight with their guaranteed connections. When I booked our trip, I was told this rerouting was because of track work. I later learned the track work was only on certain days (not ours). Some other passengers on the CS stayed on to LAX and arrived early.
It was mostly a good trip. The food in the dining car and the new friends were great. Now I'm ready to plan our next one. Just NO BUS!
We had the most wonderful SCA (Roger) on our return trip on the CS. We've made several Amtrak trips and never had an SCA so attentive. Not only did he bring ice and tea around, he passed out an information sheet listing his services, meal times, a train map, and fresh air stop times.
The forest/mountains through Oregon were just beautiful with the fresh snow.
Another disappointment on this trip was we had to get off the CS at Oakland and ride coach to Bakersfield then a BUS to LAX all because Amtrak was afraid we wouldn't make our SL connection (we had 1 hour). I think they're getting really tight with their guaranteed connections. When I booked our trip, I was told this rerouting was because of track work. I later learned the track work was only on certain days (not ours). Some other passengers on the CS stayed on to LAX and arrived early.
It was mostly a good trip. The food in the dining car and the new friends were great. Now I'm ready to plan our next one. Just NO BUS!