Hi! Because of the incredibly long delays on the Coast Starlight, and because they are not anticipated to end for weeks, I have decided to change our tickets (at the last minute) which had us going to San Luis Obispo by taking a San Francisco shuttle bus to Jack London Square and catching the Coast Starlight to San Luis Obispo. Instead, we will not use the Coast Starlight--but there are several options about what to take, and I don't know which to choose. I need to do this very very soon, so your timely responses are much appreciated:
Option 1: catch a morning shuttle to Jack London Square and then a bus all the way to San Luis Obispo. Advantage: fewest transfers, which are often problem points. Disadvantage: The bus takes over 6 hours and gets us in around 4PM to SLO. This is a long time for us on a bus!!! Also, when I try to find this way of going on line, it doesn't show up, which makes me think Amtrak doesn't recommend it or something?
Option 2: catch an even earlier morning shuttle to Emeryville, with 10 minutes before a San Joaquin train leaves for Hanford, then take that trand and from Hanford take just a 3 hour (or so) bus trip to SLO. This gets us in around 3PM to SLO and would be my choice (because we get to do a little something in SLO and can devote most of the next day to seeing Hearst Castle and Morro Bay). However, I need to know: (a) is the San Joaquin an OK train, and OK to take with luggage (I see there is no business class); (b) the time between the little shuttle from San Francisco to Emeryville and the San Joaquin departure is only 10 minutes--is there a chance we would MISS the train if there is traffic delaying the bus etc??? Amtrak says it's a guaranteed connection but are there ever problems of this kind; and (c) is Hanford an OK place to make a connection?
Option 3: leave later in the day from San Francisco, taking a bus shuttle around 1PM to Emeryville, then catch a Capitols train to San Jose, then a bus from San Jose to SLO, but then we don't get into SLO until about 7 at night. The advantages of this are (a) we can sleep late and have breakfast comfortably and (b) the actual on-board travel of bus and train is the shortest. Disadvantage are, since we will have had plenty time in SF, we would rather see something more of SLO and get their earlier. However, if this is a better train or the connections are generally smoother, perhaps we had better go with this option. Oh, wait, there is one more advantage of this: San Jose I have heard of, and we get to sing Do You Know the Way to San Jose all the while, and say we now know the way, etc etc.
So, which should we do? What I'm looking for, if I'm to start with icky old buses, is a trip in which we know around when we'm getting where we're going and should not expect any missed connections or major delays. Because I'm traveling with a friend, I simply don't have the option of doing what I'd normally do (hanging out at a train station and not worrying when I get there).
Thanks so much for the advice!!!
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Ms. S - I would suggest Option 2. The San Joaquins are fine -- they use the relatively new "California cars," and the tracks are pretty fast. They offer checked luggage both at EMY and HNF, but there are also places on board to put your luggage, I believe. If the shuttle is a "guaranteed connection," then go for it -- if for some reason you were to miss the early train, there are 3 more daily San Joaquins from EMY to HNF. I believe the San Joaquins also have a much better on-time performance record than the CS does!
Posted by DeeCT (Member # 3241) on :
Sojourner-
Have taken the San Joaquins train and it is nice. As Mr Rich says nice pretty new cars. Luggage can be stored in racks on the lower level. Transfer to the shuttle bus in my case was right across the platform. (I was going from Emeryville to Los Angeles.) Check and see but I think these are guaranteed connections (bus waits for train) but am not sure. They run several times a day which makes for other options. That shuttle bus to Emeryville makes several early morning trips - could you take one a little earlier? I know I took one very early (still dark out) and ended up killing time at the station. Option 2 has my vote.
Posted by rY. (Member # 3528) on :
Also, if there's any way your routing can have you traveling NORTH on the Starlight, it tends to run relatively on-time on its way from Los Angeles thru San Luis Obispo and San Jose to the Bay Area...
The odd "unforeseen incident" notwithstanding, the San Joaquin trains achieve remarkable timekeeping!
Posted by rY. (Member # 3528) on :
quote:Originally posted by rY.: Also, if there's any way your routing can have you traveling NORTH on the Starlight, it tends to run relatively on-time on its way from Los Angeles thru San Luis Obispo and San Jose to the Bay Area...
The odd "unforeseen incident" notwithstanding, the San Joaquin trains achieve remarkable timekeeping!
ALSO: The bus connections for the San Joaquins ARE a guaranteed connection. They will wait for the train to arrive before departing (but if the train is-- gasp --early, they still have to wait for the official departure time before leaving). Trains receiving passengers from the San Joaquin Thruway Busses also tend to 'hold', should the bus be delayed due to traffic (however, there *tends* to be enough padding in the bus schedule to account for most freeway snarlups).
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Thank you all for your help. I will take your advice!
I'm off soon . . . a very complicated trip . . . will report back . . .
Have a good summer, all, and happy trains to you, as Roy Rogers & Dale Evans almost said. . .
Posted by Tanner929 (Member # 3720) on :
I say the best surest way is the direct way, i think option 1 is only 1 hour later but you dont have to worry about hopping two seperate transit systems. LD busses are not bad the seats r comfortable its not like your riding the downtown local. I wouldnt trust the multiple transfers and also u seem to be traveling away from your destination a real no no. Six Hours but i'm sure there are many stops to stretch the leg.