Southwest Chief from Chicago to Flagstaff

We are moving to Phoenix area. I was thinking about my daughter and I taking the Chief instead of driving. However, never having ridden an Amtrak I am nervous. Is Amtrak safe for myself and my 7 year old. I can't afford a roomette as its over $1000 at this point. So I would be doing 2 coach seats. We would probably bring most of our food on board with us. We'd get a snack or two in the snack car. I just want to make sure it's a safe way to travel for a single mom and child. I really don't like flying and have always wanted to do a cross country train ride.(granted a roomette would be better, but at an $800 price difference for coach vs roomette it is out of the question)

Train travel is safe. I have traveled alone with no concerns. Lots of people travel with kids.

When are you traveling?

You could compare days at http://biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.php

As you can see below, traveling on Sunday, 6/8 offers a great deal. $144/person plus $307 for the rooomette/meals

Date# Con-
nection Train Coach Roomette Family Rm Bedroom BC/FC*Wed 06/04/14 Details 3 Southwest Chief $144.00 $653.00 $1234.00 SO NA Thu 06/05/14 Details 3 Southwest Chief $144.00 $768.00 $1234.00 $841.00 NA Fri 06/06/14 Details 3 Southwest Chief $251.00 $653.00 $1234.00 $1051.00 NA Sat 06/07/14 Details 3 Southwest Chief $144.00 $768.00 SO $841.00 NA Sun 06/08/14 Details 3 Southwest Chief $144.00 $307.00 SO $1051.00 NA

Great idea! You're kiddo (and you!) Will love this trip! Its totally safe and real memory book stuff! Please read the trip reports on AU and the various threads about traveling with children!

As Betty mentioned, also use amsnag.net to check for days with lower roomette prices! If your travel dated ate flexible you can save as much as several hundred dollars for the same room/trip!(remember the room price covers Both of you and all Diner Meals,you each pay the lowest Coach price (Bucket) as your Rail Fare!

Please ask any questions you have, lots of experienced, friendly people here @ AU Who love to help!

Train travel is extremely safe. Most of the people around you are solid citizens, even some Amish. Even if there are a few bad apples about, they are about as likely to do something to you on the train as a mugger is likely to mug you in Times Square at noon.

What an adventure this will provide for you and your daughter! It's totally safe, like the others have said, sometimes there are some bad apples, but generally the people are so kind and willing to help out [for example, I am very short and can't reach the overhead luggage rack....someone ALWAYS comes to my rescue to help!] no matter what. You'd be giving your young daughter a memorable experience that will likely stay with her forever!! It's a wonderful way to watch America pass before your eyes. Good luck to you, and a hearty 'Go for it' from this single Amtrak rider!

I traveled from Chicago to Albuquerque, by myself, several times while dating my boyfriend. I never felt like I was in any danger. There are always a lot of adults with children, couples, and Amish families traveling along that route. You'll get to meet a variety of people, and your daughter will have a great time.

It will be a memorable trip along an historic route on the old Santa Fe through Raton and Glorietta pass. Download the Route Guide from Amtrak.com.

I assume you will be traveling this summer vacation so your daughter will be traveling with many children about her age. And will make new friends, as my daughter did several years ago. Safety should not be a concern but if you feel uncomfortable about something or someone, be sure to talk to the Coach Attendant or Conductor.

Like others have mentioned, check out the roomette prices, as they do include all meals for both you and the daughter. Plus a flat bed to sleep on. Plus a shower available. The amsnag website can give you pricing options for various days of travel. The coach seats, however, are very comfortable with much much more leg room than flying.

Enjoy your trip.

Also, are you sure you aren't making the same mistake I did years ago? When I saw the roomette prices, I thought they were per person. They're actually per room.

So, if a roomette is $260, that's all you pay (plus the lowest rail fare for you and your daughter). It's not $260 x 2. Even during the busy season, I can get a roomette for both of us for around $650.

There is also a bug on Amtrak's website that sometimes hikes the rate when you add a second person. Without going into the long explanation about price buckets and so on, I would suggest calling Amtrak just to make sure you're paying the correct rate for two people in a roomette.

This is greatcats here in Flagstaff. Ditto the above replies about the safety and desirability of the train. It is a great experience, without question. Usually that train is on or close to schedule and you would arrive Flagstaff late in the evening. It is possible to get a bus to Phoenix late at night, but if it was me I would stay overnight in Flagstaff and travel to Phoenix the next day. Please feel free to direct more questions to me.

A great suggestion to use Amsnag. If you are at all flexible with your dates, consider going a day before or after. Just as an example, on the 15th it may be $1,000 but on the 16th it may be $700 and on the 14th it may be $600. Also consider that the fare for 2 in a room is the same (for the accommodation) as for 1. (There is a glitch with the website that it gives the wrong fare for 2. Request a fare for 1 person first to find the accommodation charge, it is the same for 1 or 2! Then call to reserve.)

Sleeper fares also include all 3 meals per day IN THE DINING CAR ONLY for both of you!

Echo the above comments about checking fares, if you have any flexibility in travel dates. I would not hestitate to take Amtrak on any LD train with just me and my daughter. She's 11. I'm willing to pay the roomette upcharge but also think we'd have been OK in the coach seats. Especially since you are a party of two, no worries about having to catch your Zs next to a stranger. With careful planning and packing, I think you'll have a great time. Flagstaff is a busy stop, you'd be quite safe, and I'm guessing... with the departure times for the shuttles, a place to stay for the night would have to be researched and reserved, which I have no experience with in that area... but which should be easily obtainable information. Go for it! In the summer, there will likely be lots of families.

Every day after our trip on the Chief I miss those desert vistas....

Yes, as a local resident it is fair to say that Flagstaff station area is quite safe. Do not walk from there to Greyhound at night, however. I do suggest staying overnight and taking Arizona Shuttle from the RR station.

Yes, the train is safe. I have taken six of my grandchildren on train trips and have had great times. In fact, the first time I took a grandchild was on the Southwest Chief from Chicago to LA and it was my first Amtrak trip. I set guidelines before the trip so that each one knew what to expect; they had to stay with me, could not run loose in the aisle, etc. People are generally friendly in coach and watch out for each other.

Thanks everyone for the replies! She is very excited for the train trip! We are leaving Chicago June 5th, so that we arrive in flagstaff Friday night. My husband already made the move so he'll meet us at the train station there. I'm thinking we may spend the night in flagstaff so we can drive back to Phoenix during the daylight and see the beauty of the mountains.

Juliann - Good. I am pleased that you have made your arrangements. Yes, I would spend the night in our fair city, Flagstaff. It is at least a two hour drive to Phoenix, which you would enjoy much more by daylight. The principal route is Interstate 17, which is fairly scenic. May I suggest for your purposes that you stay at the Drury Inn, which is just a few blocks from the station in Flagstaff. After you get moved in, please explore the beauty of Arizona off the beaten path and feel free to contact me for advice. ( I am a volunteer ranger at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument northeast of Flagstaff, one of the little jewels of our National Parks system. )

Juliann95 said:

Thanks everyone for the replies! She is very excited for the train trip! We are leaving Chicago June 5th, so that we arrive in flagstaff Friday night. My husband already made the move so he'll meet us at the train station there. I'm thinking we may spend the night in flagstaff so we can drive back to Phoenix during the daylight and see the beauty of the mountains.

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And keep checking the roomette price. If you can't afford it now, it might go down. And if and when you do the roomette, your coach tickets automatically change to the lowest sales price if you are not already getting that.

You will not regret your decision!

Also check with conductors and TAs (train attendants) working the car, if you haven't found a reasonable sleeper before departure day. If you get a "nice" crew, they will tell you what - if any - accommodations are still available, and they are SUPPOSED to do onboard sales at the "D" fare, which is the cheapest it ever gets (the idea being that some money coming in is better for Amtrak than running down the rails with empty rooms). If they aren't helpful out of Chicago (and it's probably best to wait until after dinner time, like after Fort Madison), ask the conductors that will get on in Kansas City (although, frankly, the Chicago conductors tend to be friendlier than the Kansas City conductors). I should know, having worked this train for many years both in Onboard Services and as a Conductor...

crew said:

Also check with conductors and TAs (train attendants) working the car, if you haven't found a reasonable sleeper before departure day. If you get a "nice" crew, they will tell you what - if any - accommodations are still available, and they are SUPPOSED to do onboard sales at the "D" fare, which is the cheapest it ever gets (the idea being that some money coming in is better for Amtrak than running down the rails with empty rooms). If they aren't helpful out of Chicago (and it's probably best to wait until after dinner time, like after Fort Madison), ask the conductors that will get on in Kansas City (although, frankly, the Chicago conductors tend to be friendlier than the Kansas City conductors). I should know, having worked this train for many years both in Onboard Services and as a Conductor...

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No more cheap onboard upgrades, that policy has changed. If you do an onboard upgrade, it will be at the current bucket. There is no price advantage to even trying any more. You can just call Amtrak or use Amtrak.com and get the same deal, then the conductor's iPhone/ticket scanner will be updated with it.

Aloha

I forget exactly but when my granddaughter was about that age I took her from LA to Vancouver, BC and back for a Fest (Similar to AU Gatherings) when she was about that age. Since we had a Roomette, What I did was put her in charge of having the room changed from night and day configuration and make all meal reservations. It made her feel important, and be a part of the group. Smartest move I ever did. We were only on the train 30 hours each way, but the trip was a week ? long.

Although I do not have any children I have ridden Amtrak's Southwest Chief many times as a child myself. Back then we were allowed to have free run of the train with little more than a warning to never get off. Hard to even imagine that sort of handsfree parenting now but back then it seemed fairly common. Nothing weird or creepy ever happened to me or any of the kids I was playing with. While the adults slept the children of the rails ruled the night. Endless games and chatter and oneupmanship ensued until even the most energetic among us finally succumbed to exhaustion. Lots of fond memories were formed on that route. The seed planted way back then still brings me back to the rails today.

Devil's Advocate said:

Although I do not have any children I have ridden Amtrak's Southwest Chief many times as a child myself. Back then we were allowed to have free run of the train with little more than a warning to never get off. Hard to even imagine that sort of handsfree parenting now but back then it seemed fairly common. Nothing weird or creepy ever happened to me or any of the kids I was playing with. While the adults slept the children of the rails ruled the night. Endless games and chatter and oneupmanship ensued until even the most energetic among us finally succumbed to exhaustion. Lots of fond memories were formed on that route. The seed planted way back then still brings me back to the rails today.

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I had a childhood like this too.

I have this image of all the kids gathered in the Lounge car, with sleeping bags, playing games and talking late into the night, like a gigantic slumber party.

Devil's Advocate said:

Although I do not have any children I have ridden Amtrak's Southwest Chief many times as a child myself. Back then we were allowed to have free run of the train with little more than a warning to never get off. Hard to even imagine that sort of handsfree parenting now but back then it seemed fairly common. Nothing weird or creepy ever happened to me or any of the kids I was playing with. While the adults slept the children of the rails ruled the night. Endless games and chatter and oneupmanship ensued until even the most energetic among us finally succumbed to exhaustion. Lots of fond memories were formed on that route. The seed planted way back then still brings me back to the rails today.

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I have similar memories of the EB back in the pre-Amtrak days when the Great Northern operated it. I only rode this train on one round trip from Spokane to Chicago and back, but have vivid memories, even though it was almost 50 years ago, when my sister and I spent vast amounts of time unsupervised in the Vista Dome. Best of both worlds: my sister and I got to play around without Mom's watchful eye on us and my mom got to nap or otherwise enjoy the peace and quiet without us around.

It's different now? I grew up in that environment too. I'm not THAT old. (Am I? Look what you've done! Oy gevaldt!)