posted
Okay, so I've been on one Amtrak trip in the past ten years--two years ago I went up to Michigan for a steam "Engineer for an Hour" session and took along my father and a niece and nephew via the Texas Eagle (no pix, but I have a trip report if anyone wants to see it). Well, now I'm going full boat. This coming May my entire extended family and I are going to Disneyland via the Sunset Limited.
We have four roomettes plus the family bedroom booked both ways. Current plan is to arrive LA Sunday the 21st, stay three nights in Hollywood, spend four more nights in Anaheim across the street from Disneyland, and catch the eastbound Sunset on Sunday the 28th.
What I'm mainly looking for is some advice and encouragement from you seasoned veterans (especially west coasters) and perhaps a bit of commiseration over the advent of "Diner Lite" (Hey, this isn't what I expected when I bought ten first-class tickets!) We've already got a pretty full schedule of events planned for the trip, but I'm still looking out for creative and fun ways to spend time--anyone know a good itinerary for a half-day driving tour of Hollywood? I'll check back later--look forward to hearing from you!
Room Service Member # 2405
posted
I'm jealous. I am. I'm really jealous. How fantastic to have your family control an entire CAR. That's cool! Seeing a taping of your favroite TV show is fun and free. The American Idol finals are in May. San Diego's fun for a day on the Surfliner. Sounds like you've got lots planned to do already. Did I mention I'm jealous?
ehbowen Member # 4317
posted
I hadn't really thought much about TV tapings, one because I don't watch TV and second because my one experience trying it back in the '70s was a bust; our "tickets" merely entitled us to stand in this line which stretched halfway to Phoenix for an hour and a half and then to be told, "They're full; try again another time."
Our group includes six kids from toddler to age 13, so I'm trying to include activities which will be kid-friendly. If by some miracle the Sunset arrives close to on-time I'm thinking about Griffith Park and the LA Live Steamers on Sunday afternoon. Monday morning I'm thinking about that driving tour of Hollywood for some of the gang--that might be a good time for a TV taping if there are any shows which tape during the daytime. (Anyone got a list?) Monday afternoon I'm planning at the Santa Monica pier and perhaps a driving excursion up into the Angeles mountains and the desert, with the objective of getting everyone together for dinner on the Santa Monica pier at sunset.
Tuesday we're pretty much booked; the boys are going deep-sea fishing in the morning, the girls are going horseback riding in the hills in the afternoon, and the grandparents are taking the ferry to Catalina island all day. The next four days, of course, are Disney Till You Drop.
So I guess what I'm looking for now is a guide to TV show (maybe even game show?) tapings during the day and that info on doing a driving tour of Hollywood. All suggestions welcome!
mikesmith Member # 447
posted
Eric, which roomettes do you have? If it is 11, 12, 13, & 14, you will own the downstairs of your sleeper. All of those are beside the family room in the lower level.
notelvis Member # 3071
posted
quote:Originally posted by mikesmith: Eric, which roomettes do you have? If it is 11, 12, 13, & 14, you will own the downstairs of your sleeper. All of those are beside the family room in the lower level.
I'm reminded of a student I once taught at a high school in extreme southeastern Tennessee.
He said "There's 50 houses up that holler and I'm related to somebody in every one of 'em!"
He added that it would be impossible for a stranger to get into that holler unnoticed, that all of the relatives owned guns, and that if anybody came in there to 'mess with' one of them that you were messing with all of them. We're talking a place where gun control means you can hit what you're aiming at.
But I digress........as Mike points out, if your roommettes are 11, 12, 13, and 14 that means you've got half of the downstairs all to yourself......and anybody not related who ventures down your hallway......well.....hope they know what they're getting into!!!!
ehbowen Member # 4317
posted
Alas, no such luck; the other 7 of us will be in the dorm car in roomettes 19, 20, 21, and 22--unless we can arrange a swap.
That was, in fact, my original intent; had we been able to book 11-14 and the family room it would have been like having our own private car. However, the way the Amtrak reservation system is set up, apparently if you ask for a specific room or set of rooms they charge you the maximum sleeper surcharge--which would have run the price way up out of our ballpark. If you want to get a discount on the accomodations charge, you have to take "luck of the draw." Since I had to split our party up into three reservations in order to book on line, we originally ended up with three in the dorm, one upstairs in the standard sleeper, and the family room downstairs. After Katrina and the Sunset stopped running a full sleeper east of San Antonio, they rebooked us all into six roomettes in the dorm. But when I heard that they were putting a standard sleeper back into the New Orleans consist, I called and asked to see if I could get the family bedroom back for those who were originally booked in it--and I got lucky. At least the rest of us will all be close together in the dorm.
I'm not complaining--about the accommodations; "Diner Lite" is another matter--we ended up with first class space for eleven (including the baby) for about the same price we would have paid for nonrefundable advance purchase airfare. Now here's to hoping that the Sunset runs tolerably close to on-time westbound! (Eastbound, with a scheduled 5:45 am arrival--I don't care if we're a few hours late!)
posted