21 replies to this topic

[TimM]

I'm now planning to take the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle and the Coastal Starlight from Seattle to Los Angeles. Both rides 1 night of sleep on coach. I've read a lot about sleeping on coach class, but as I'm quite tall (2 meters -6.6?) I was wondering if you have any other specific recommendations for these routes. Sleeping on the ground? And how busy will it be in May: packed?

[Shanghai]

I would strongly suggest you get a Roomette if possible.
I believe your EB trip from CHI to SEA will be a 2 night trip.
Have a good trip.

[TimM]

Sorry- you are correct indeed. It's 2 night travel. Prices of the roomette are crazily high. Being a student, I'd need to cut costs somewhere. I heard taking a blanket is recommendable.

Roomette: Add $571.00 per room .

Edited by TimM, 23 March 2012 - 05:59 AM.

[jb64]

blanket, pillow, eye mast, ear plugs are essential, especially for that long a trip. The seats at the front of the car have more leg room which might help someone as tall as you are, but the tradeoff is that there is a lot of noise during the night with the doors opening.

Either way, those are my two favorite trains. I hope you have a great trip.

[TimM]

Any thoughts which stores I could buy these cheaply? I'm staying mainly in cities (e.g. NYC, Washington (DC), Chicago etc). I know Walmart has these, but won't probably easily reachable without a car.

[jb64]

You could probably pick these items up at a Walgreens or something like that in NYC or Chicago. Look for eye mask in beauty/spa section and ear plugs in the ear care section. Blanket in household section.

Edited by jb64, 23 March 2012 - 06:07 AM.

[TimM]

Great! :-) Thanks. Any other thoughts on whether mid-May is a busy period on these trains? I see there is both a lower-level and a upper-level possible. Lower-level = more quiet?

[Everydaymatters]

I've taken coach twice round trip from Chicago to Seattle. Had a great time on both trips. There's a comraderie in coach that you don't find in the sleepers. Each time I brought a light weight blanket and a neck pillow. They give you a small pillow on the train, but it's not a lot of help.

The first night is always the worst for me. I can manage only a few hours of sleep. By the second night I'm so tired that I could sleep on a picket fence.

My first trip to Seattle was in May and the train was not crowded, but that was around the middle of the month. It would be more crowded closer to Memorial Day. The second trip was in September, also not crowded.

You might try magellans for any travel-related things.

[Railroad Bill]

Sorry- you are correct indeed. It's 2 night travel. Prices of the roomette are crazily high. Being a student, I'd need to cut costs somewhere. I heard taking a blanket is recommendable.

Roomette: Add $571.00 per room .

Did see a roomette available on the Empire Builder for $433 CHI to SEA. (per Amsnag)
I am also 6'6" and although the seats in coach are comfortable, I have had a rough time sleeping in coach.
Of course now that I am 60 its a bit more difficult that when I was your age

[JayPea]

It's been my experience on the EB that May is not a particularly busy month.

[TimM]

There's a comraderie in coach that you don't find in the sleepers.

What kind of camaraderie? Just curious!

@JayPea: good news. I'm going around the 14th of May, so Glacier is still partly closed (and covered in snow?). What is not busy: only a few seats? 50%? Sleeping on two seats is def. easier.

[Ziv]

I'm now planning to take the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle and the Coastal Starlight from Seattle to Los Angeles. Both rides 1 night of sleep on coach. I've read a lot about sleeping on coach class, but as I'm quite tall (2 meters -6.6?) I was wondering if you have any other specific recommendations for these routes. Sleeping on the ground? And how busy will it be in May: packed?

Tim, that is a great time to be crossing the Hi Line of Montana!Take a camera! I did the same trip in reverse last September and I am 6'4" so I was in a similar situation. When I had both seats to myself it was pretty chill, I had a neck pillow and the amtrak pillow and I nodded right off. I had a neighbor/seat mate in California so I went to the SSL and slept on one of the couches with my feet on the seat next to it. The conductor was cool with it, he rousted someone who slept blocking foot traffic but left the three of us who were sleeping without blocking the aisle. In my experience, sleeping overnight on Amtrak is pretty comfortable, but the second night I feel kind of grungy, even after a splash using the sink in the toilet area. I really wish the coach passengers had access to a shower. There are cheap motels/hotels halfway between CHI and SEA but if you are on a budget that isn't optimal.
Ziv

[TimM]

Thanks Ziv. I still need to buy a new camera with good zoom. Hope there is also lots of snow still in Glacier. Have you ever tried Melatonin? I found it very helpful in overnight planes, yet never tried it in a train setting. Another stop wouldn't be possible in my schedule and (indeed) would add up the costs.

[jebr]

Any thoughts which stores I could buy these cheaply? I'm staying mainly in cities (e.g. NYC, Washington (DC), Chicago etc). I know Walmart has these, but won't probably easily reachable without a car.

There's a Walmart Neighborhood Market just a couple blocks northwest of Chicago Union Station. Not sure what all they have (didn't look closely, but they do have a more limited selection), but it's worth checking out.
http://www.walmart.c...000000036338220

[jb64]

Walgreens is just across the river from CUS toward the Willis Tower.

[Texan Eagle]

Hey Tim, a couple of words (of wisdom?) from a fellow college student who has done two overnight trips in coach in the past one year-

Lower level has very few seats and they will be occupied mostly with older senior folks who have difficulty climbing stairs. It is a matter of personal preference, if you like being in company of senior citizens, take a lower level seat. If you want a more varied crowd around you, take upper level seat. This is not to say that upper level does not have seniors, there will be many of them up there too, just more variety in terms of crowd profile and number of seats to choose from.

I have slept a night on Texas Eagle and a night on Southwest Chief in coach, and I did not even have a neck pillow. I just had a light blanket and used the AmPillow provided. Walk around across the coaches and grab a pair of empty seats, then you can try variety of different positions to sleep until you find a comfortable one. If no pair of seats are available, you can try sleeping in SSL, provided you don't feel awkward sleeping on the floor etc.

Being a fellow college student, I know the kind of tight budget we usually travel on, and I found the Dining Car meals pretty expensive, but just for the experience have one or two meals in the Dining Car, preferably breakfast. The cafe menu is also quite overpriced, I'd recommend carrying some snacks, water, soda etc along when you board from Chicago and Seattle.

Finally, as others have suggested, carry a camera along! If you are planning on buying a new one, check out at Walmart, these days you can get a good point-and-shoot camera of good brand (Canon, Nikon) for under $100. Have fun!

[jmbgeg]

I would strongly suggest you get a Roomette if possible.
I believe your EB trip from CHI to SEA will be a 2 night trip.
Have a good trip.

6'6" in a roomette bed?

[Everydaymatters]

There's a comraderie in coach that you don't find in the sleepers.

What kind of camaraderie? Just curious!

I have traveled in both coach and sleepers.

In sleepers, unless you already know some of the passengers, people tend to stay to themselves.

In coach there is usually more talking to eachother, helping eachother out, offering suggestions, etc. Some of them have actually become good friends. Coach, obviously, isn't as comfortable and I suppose fellow sufferers just have more in common.

Not all trips are the same, but if you like to meet new people, odds are you will.

[RRUserious]

Or you can find camaraderie with either ticket in the lounge car. Some people seem to hole up in the coach, but I like to roam the train.

[OlympianHiawatha]

I am always amazed how much more friendly and interactive folks are in Coach or even Sleeper on a train versus a plane. Even on a short run, train folks quickly engage in conversation and form a local community. Plane folks, even on long haul international tend to stay to themselves or keep any interactions with fellow pax to a minimum.