We will be taking AMTRAK from Florida to Baltimore this weekend, unfortunately for a family funeral. My wife didn't want to fly or drive, so my wife, myself, and my wife's daughter, are going by train (no complaints here!), however, we will have to travel in the dreaded COACH!!!! (sleeper space sold out!). We will leave WPK on Thursday on #98, switch to #184 in WAS on Friday and go to the BWI station, which is near my wife's cousin's home and the funeral location. We'll then come back Sunday PM and get home Monday.
I won't be doing a detailed trip report on this, but I will post a couple comments on this board next week.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Sorry for the loss in your family.
Any thought to taking Auto-Train? Perhaps you can get an upgrade on 97/98.
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
Condolences, RRRICH. I am a veteran of two coach R/T's on the Silver Service, Ocala-NYP back when it was possible without a bus segment and Palatka-NYP more recently. Spent as little time as possible in my seat and as much time as possible hanging out with other passengers and the crew in the lounge car. Make the best of it.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Rich, I wholly respect that funerals occur "when they occur' and that within some faiths (Roman Catholicism being one of such), the burial is expected to be completed within a very short period after the death (within mine, Episcopal, the memorial service is scheduled when the family can reasonably gather).
I checked on Mr. Palmland's suggestion and being Memorial Day weekend, there's "no room at the Inn' on Auto Train - either class of service. Even if "last time I checked" you have a perfectly roadworthy auto, I can understand your reluctance to hit the road over a Holiday weekend - when everyone else has the same idea (you don't catch me away from the barn on a Holiday weekend).
But the thought of Amtrak Coach, especially for Rich and Jan accustomed to Sleeper and having had many pleasant journeys in such, would simply leave me cold. OK, nobody around here really enjoys flying, but at times it is a necessary evil and in a few hours it is "over and done'. Southwest is in the KMCO-KBWI market (aren't there some real cheapies out of KSFB as well?) which does keep the "legacies' from having too much a feast.
But if you and/or family simply has a blanket "no fly' prohibition as some others around here apparently do, then please accept my apologies for even suggesting an alternative to what I would expect to be the "masochist express'.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Will you also be in coach on the return? I'm hoping that you 'get a break' and are able to snag a room for part of the trip.
Be well.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Thanks for the posts, everyone -- yes we will be in coach on the way back. One night each way shouldn't be that bad, and my wife has taken overnight coach trips recently. And there is also the factor of cost -- for 3 of us, at this time, we do not wish to spend that amount of money, but if sleeper were available, we probably would use it -- I know your take on this is different than ours, Mr. N............ Since Jan's daughter is traveling with us, she would need her own roomette, plus we would need a bedroom for the 2 of us, even though we could all reasonably fit in a regular bedroom or a family bedroom, but the availability of such on the Silver Service just isn't there this weekend, and I don't believe my wife's 31-year old daughter would feel comfortable sharing a room with us.
We are ending our journey at the BWI station, however, and will be staying at the Westin at BWI -- that seems to be the closest location to where we need to go. We will rent a car at BWI.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Be conscious of the fact that when #98 arrives in Washington that your 'next train out' to BWI on a Friday morning might be a MARC commuter train.
You could possibly save a little time getting to BWI on MARC before your connecting Amtrak train even begins boarding.
Posted by RR4me (Member # 6052) on :
Rich, my condolences. As to the coach trip, all I can suggest is that you fortify yourself beforehand by reading Geno Daley's travelogues - the man is legend in my mind for the coach trips he's taken! Then be prepared for a long snooze in the hotels.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
OK, you guys have twisted my arm (although it didn't need very much twisting!) -- I upgraded our return trip on Sunday to 2 roomettes (one for Mrs. RR Rich and myself, and one for my stepdaughter -- I'm surprised they had rooms available!!) I know what many of you think about 2 adults sharing a roomette, but we did it last year and were fine with it!! She is my wife, after all!!
To Notelvis -- yes I considered MARC from WAS to BWI, but AMTRAK #194 is not that much more expensive for a 30-mile trip! We enjoy hanging around Washington Union Station -- we'll get some breakfast before we head up to BWI -- the funeral wake is not until the afternoon, and it will be close to where we will be staying.
P.S. I tried to book one bedroom and one roomette on line, but the AMTRAK system wouldn't let me do it, and it also wouldn't let me reserve a single bedroom for 3 people.
To RR4Me -- 30 years ago, when I first began riding AMTRAK, I rode coach on many many long-distance trips, so riding coach this time will have no surprises for either me or my wife!
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Fair enough.
When I have a layover in DC, I am often torn between seeing a museum, taking metro out to the University of Maryland, or just whiling the time away browsing and dining at Union Station.