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Planning a trip to Denver Dec or Jan, does any one have information on this trip. and what to expect.Make this trip about two times a year have always gone by air, though a train trip would be fun.son lives in the boulder area.will take the cardinal from Charleston to Chicago. the zephyr from Chicago to Denver.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Welcome to the Forum Roy -
You don't tell us if you plan to travel in coach or sleeper......suggestions and tips that we can offer will differ accordingly.
I'll lead off by suggesting that you consider sleeper. It's more expensive, yes, but remember that your meals are included and you'd be having probably six meals en route if you go by rail both ways.
When checking fares on the Amtrak website, play around with a couple of different departure dates as the fare may be significantly cheaper on one as compared to another.....at least the sleeping car (accomodation) fare might be. The earlier you book, the less expensive the fare usually.
Final thought.....the connection from #6 eastbound to the Cardinal at Chicago is not particularly reliable. The California Zephyr is sometimes hours late. If you're in sleeper eastbound Amtrak will generally do a better job by you in terms of making alternate arrangements should you miss the connection in Chicago.
In fact, if you can spare an extra 24 hours, it might be wise eastbound to spend a night in Chicago and not plan to make the trip to Charleston until the following day. This would be a wise precaution as the Cardinal only operates three days a week.
Roy_Summers Member # 15362
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Will be using sleepers both direction thanks for the recommendations.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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January would be the month to get the best prices all year on a sleeper. Just avoid holidays when there is more travel demand.
train lady Member # 3920
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We have taken that trip for over 15 years and it is one of my favorites. Living in the D C area we take the CApital to Chicago but have tken the Cardinal east bound a number of times. In a roomette I suggest #4 if it is available and in a bedroom C. Check your bags through and take only what you need on the train with you. It does take some time in Denver to retrieve it but it is worth not having to drag it around in Chicago. Denver eastbound can be somewhat chancy as it is seldom on time. So call julie to find out how it is running.A word of caution.. don't wait too long before going down as some times we found they make up the time. Depending on your likes the trip between Chicago and Denver is tame. Corn fields mostly but if you down load the route guide from Atrak.com you will discover a nimber of things to see as you zip along.Also I have often found theyrun out of bottled water quickly so I always carry several small ones in mm carry on, we eat at the first settings because the food has not been depleted The best dessert usually go fast.you don,t say if you are a train travelor but if not the people here can give you all kinds of tips.The scenery along the Cardianl route is quite nice though I don't wax poetic as some do on this forum.
RR4me Member # 6052
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I've never been east of Chicago on a train, so no help from me there. I concur (check out the movie "Catch Me If You Can", when he's a doctor) with Train Lady on the Amtrak route guide - I enjoy the route from CHI to Denver, even if the "best" scenery is west of Denver. It's a toss up if the train will be less crowded or more, but as they stock it in Chicago, you shouldn't have to worry about them running out or food choices or desert, which can happen later in the full trip. Returning, this might happen. I take a good book and a Sudoku puzzle book, and don't worry about the schedule.
train lady Member # 3920
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RR4me strange as it sounds there have been times when the more popular choices are gone by the late seating.
RR4me Member # 6052
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Yes, you are right train lady. Personally, I'd call that really poor planning on Amtrak's part, adn without trying to speak for others, I bet Smitty195 would agree. Roy, I'd just add a comment that you should enjoy the experience and not expect perfection. As chrisg says, "every trip is an adventure".
train lady Member # 3920
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my own thought is if you want everything perfect..stay home.
amtrak92 Member # 14343
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If you want to see how your trains are performing on a map here is a link.http://72.148.42.113:8080/Amtrak/status/StatusMaps/AmtrakStatusMaps.html Like everyone else, I recommend get the early seating, as they can run out very fast of the stuff that you want. So I hope you enjoy your trip.
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