two zone award?

[maryanne]

My aim is to do all the eastbound to Chicago trips on rewards, have done the EB twice, and want to try the CZ next. If I book from Seattle to Chicago via Emeryville (CS then CZ), is that still just a two-zone trip, or do you think they'll ding me for a one-zone then a two-zone? I'd be booking a bedroom.

 

[sechs]

It doesn't matter how you get there as long as it is a "legal" trip. It only matters where your endpoints are.

If you go to the Amtrak website and it spits out the routing, then you're good.

 

[AlanB]

Maryanne,

You won't be able to do it through Emeryville as a two zone award, as that's not a transfer point between the two trains. However you should be able to do a two zone award if you transfer between the two trains at Sacramento, which is the official transfer point between the two trains.

 

[the_traveler]

Just go to amtrak.com and put in "From SEA' and "To CHI". The valid routes for a 2 zone award will be shown - and you can chose ANY of those shown. So if SEA-SAC (Sacramento)-CHI is displayed - you're good to go! If not, you can't choose it!

HINT: If not - try PDX (Portland, OR)-CHI. That gives the choice. Then either buy a ticket for SEA-PDX or use a 1,000 point award (but I think those are only good on the Cascades.)!

 

[maryanne]

Thanks for the tips. Since I've convinced my husband to go along this time, I think I'll just do the EB again anyway. I want to make his first train trip the best possible (so his first won't be his last), and I figure for scenery, service and food, EB's my best bet.

 

[jackal]

Thanks for the tips. Since I've convinced my husband to go along this time, I think I'll just do the EB again anyway. I want to make his first train trip the best possible (so his first won't be his last), and I figure for scenery, service and food, EB's my best bet.

For service and food, the EB may very well be a good choice. But for scenery, the CZ *far* outweighs (OK, well, maybe not *far*, but by a good measure) anything the EB can throw at you.

Plus, the service and food on the Coast Starlight match up pretty well against the EB, especially if you book a sleeper for that portion and take advantage of the Pacific Parlour Car's unique dining experience.

Of course, you reduce the risk of any problems by picking a direct train (EB) over a connecting train (CS+CZ), and you're probably guaranteed a bit more of a consistent experience on that route.