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Hi everyone, this deffinetly seems like the place to ask some questions on a summer Amtrak trip... This summer I want to take a trip from Santa Fe to Chicago on amtrak. From what I hear from friends is that you have to take a bus from Santa Fe to Lamy then the southwest chief. I see the Amtrak website does confirm that as well. my questions:
1. Is this bus service reliable? I dont travel greyhound, nor have I ever traveled an intercity bus so I have no clue what to excpect. 2. Every person I have asked about amtrak says that the train is always late...is this true or not? I dont really mind as long as we do not arrive extremely late in the night. 3. i notice the sleeping cars are quite a bit of money, is it really worth the upgrade? i never travel first class on airlines, but being on a train for so long in coach seems a bit uncomfortable. 4. I do plan on purchasing food on the train, (that may be one reason to get the room) ...is the food good, and does anyone have any tips for the diner car? thanks for the help, i have never been on an overnight rail journey before, so I look forward to this vacation.
Posts: 3 | Registered: May 2006
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First, my apologies for parsing another's material (I try to avoid the practice when posting), but I think such would be expedient in this instance:
1. Is this bus service reliable? I dont travel greyhound, nor have I ever traveled an intercity bus so I have no clue what to excpect.
The bus #7303 is listed as a guaranteed connection, to ride it, you will have an Amtrak issued ticket. Connecting at Lamy, quite simply, is a non-concern.
2. Every person I have asked about amtrak says that the train is always late...is this true or not? I dont really mind as long as we do not arrive extremely late in the night.
Regretably, the timekeeping of the Long Distance fleet leaves much to be desired, but the BNSF Railway seems to do a better job at it than others. When #4 passes my home some 18 miles short of its Chicago destination, I would invariably characterize that passing as "more or less on time'.
3. I notice the sleeping cars are quite a bit of money, is it really worth the upgrade? i never travel first class on airlines, but being on a train for so long in coach seems a bit uncomfortable.
It is absolutely positively worth it to travel Sleeper. For what it be worth, I would no more take an LD Amtrak trip in Coach than I would pay (upgrade? of course) to ride airline First Class. I realize with air travel "First Class, Coach, what's the diff?' Forget that one when contemplating overnight rail travel. If you are a solo traveler, a Roomette will be just fine, but, if a party of two adults, then I would suggest a Bedroom. Simply because the Roomette has two beds does not make it a two adult accomodation.
4. I do plan on purchasing food on the train, (that may be one reason to get the room) ...is the food good, and does anyone have any tips for the diner car?
Amtrak Dining service is undergoing a 'radical makeover' which will result in the service of pre-prepared food in place of the traditional cooked-on-board fare. Initial reports had the "simplified dining service' as vile, however, there have been later reports suggesting that "the act is starting to come together". While the loss of traditional dining service is a loss to us well traveled "die-hards", such is meaningless to a "newbie' who expects only to be fed. The meals will continue to be built into the Sleeper accomodation charge, however alcoholic beverages and a 'accepted, but not expected" gratuity are 'extra'.
So enjoy, my 100K of Amtrak travel (250K lifetime, difference being pre-Amtrak and overseas) can best be described in a one-liner as "more positives than negatives".
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by ryan2678: 3. i notice the sleeping cars are quite a bit of money, is it really worth the upgrade? i never travel first class on airlines, but being on a train for so long in coach seems a bit uncomfortable.
My first thought was "Absolutely!" but after thinking about it a few minutes I must say "Maybe".
Checking on fares for a R/T ticket SFA - CHI departingJuly 2 and returning July 9 I am seeing $190 out and $156 back in coach for a total of $346. The same trip in a roomette is going to be $1244 R/T. That's a whopping $898 difference.
Now, to me it would be worth it. I'm middle aged and have a bad back as well as an aversion to sleeping in an upright position even for one night.
However, at age 24, when I first started travelling by train long distances, I did travel coach. I still remember it wasn't comfortable, but youth and financial considerations made it happen.
Posts: 149 | From: Joliet, IL USA | Registered: Aug 2004
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I agree and would definetly do the upgrade to a sleeping car. I only traveled in coach once overnight and wouldn't do it again. Then again, I am a light sleeper and spending 8 hours trying to sleep a couple of feet away from a complete stranger didn't sit well with me. I mean sometimes you might not get anyone next to you, then again you might the passenger from hell next to you all night. It's a crap shoot not worth taking.
And well, if it's $800 extra I guess that is something to consider... however, that's pretty close to what you would be paying for meals and hotels if you were doing this as a road trip.
4 nights at $100/night in a hotel = $400 4 days on the train (12 meals) probably would cost you like $300 on the road... so you're talking $700 anyway.
Posts: 100 | From: Milwaukee, WI | Registered: Feb 2006
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1. When I took it, the bus from Santa Fe to Lamy was a private shuttle minibus, completely reliable if you make sure to confirm your pickup by phone when they tell you. If you are at a downtown hotel, they will probably pick you up there; if you are coming from a private home, you probably will have to go downtown to get picked up (for instance, at La Fonda Hotel) but you can check. If the train is late, they will know something about that too. Just make sure to call the number you are supposed to call for your minibus pickup, at the time they tell you to call.
When I took the shuttle, the driver gave a bit of narrative to the tourists as we passed points of interest on the way to Lamy. However, that depends on who the driver is. I gave him a tip (he also hauled my luggage a bit).
2. The SW Chief has a substantially better on-time record than most other Amtrak long-distance trains (the two others I believe to be pretty good are the Empire Builder and the Crescent). Also, if the SW Chief is late getting into Albuquerque, it can pick up some time there. So by the time it gets to Lamy it is usually not THAT late--i.e., usually not more than an hour. (When I took it, it was only 20 minutes late) But--you never know! Anyway, my advice is, just go with the flow--whenever you minibus driver wants to pick you up, that is when you should get picked up; I imagine he will know if the tain is super late or something too.
Lamy station is cute, there will be other passengers to chat with, and the fellow who works there is very nice; so if you do have to hang around a bit, it shouldn't be too unpleasant an experience.
3. If you had purchased it far in advance when the price was lower, then perhaps; but it's so high now, I don't think it's worth it. You won't have to stay in coach the whole time; the western trains have a nice observation car (at least, I hope they still do!), and the views from that are better than they would be from your sleeper. And it's just one night; if you don't sleep that well, oh, well. My advice is, be sure to wear comfortable clothes, bring a pillow (they will give you another but it's good to have two)--I take a smaller child-size pillow, it's easy to scrunch into my carryon bag. I also bring one of those cheap black eye masks (or if you have a jacket, you can put it over your head, because even though they dim the lights at night there are safety lights and I like it dark to sleep. Some people also bring earplugs. You also might want to take some Tylenol for the night. I also bring a book to read after it gets dark. For the day, I like to bring music and look out the window; at night I often listen to some soothing instrumental music (especially if there is some baby crying!) as I read. One thing you might do if you go coach is tell Amtrak you would upgrade if it were a lower price. If at the last minute something becomes available, you might get it. And you can tell the conductor when you board the train too, just in case. The SW Chief isn't as busy as some of the other trains, though in summer I suspect it will be.
4. Here I cannot tell you, because Amtrak is in the process of downgrading the food to cut costs. If you do go coach, my advice would be to bring your own food for your first meal (which would be dinner the first night in your case)--yogurt or cheese sandwiches or, if it's really hot, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which won't spoil, and some fruit and lots of water. Granola bars always make a good snack; and bananas keep well. Then the next day you might go in to breakfast or lunch or both. Eating in the diner does help break up the trip, and it's a good place to meet people (but so is the observation car; they may now be combining the two anyway? I'm not sure)
You can check the posts here as more and more people report on the new food over the next few months, so you can figure out what to order if you do order food from Amtrak. My guess is, dessert might still be good. . . and soup, it's hard to screw that up too much!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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My suggestion regarding the roomette space is to get on the Amtrak website and plug in a variety of departure dates if you have some flexibility.
I made a trip on the 'California Zephyr' two weeks ago where I had the flexibility of departing on any of four days. Turns out that the roomette, for whatever reason, was $140.00 cheaper with a Tuesday departure as opposed to Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason or consistency to this (like I would not go so far as to make a blanket statement and say "Tuesday departures are cheaper"...) but if you have the flexibility to experiment with several departure dates, you might find one noticeably cheaper. Also, remember that your meals are included with the room and by boarding the train in Lamy that would be three meals between New Mexico and Chicago.......maybe four if the train is two or three hours late.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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You might (and note the emphasis on "might") be able to camp out overnight on the floor of the lounge car. Some crews allow it. Some don't. Just in case you luck out, bring a small pillow (inflatables are good) and something to cover yourself with in case you get cold. It's not the most comfortable way to sleep, but you'll at least be horizontal. Just make sure you're in the car before the movie ends in the evening, or you could arrive to find the "choicest" floor space already staked out by other passengers.
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