Gaming on a train? Tables in the observation lounge? & More

I am just in love with Amtrak and I haven't even been on my first trip yet. And this one is going to be a long one. Between the customer service I received when I called in, and them having multiple vegan menu options, I'm just hooked already.

I booked a roomette on the Silver Meteor, Capitol Limited, and Empire Builder, traveling from Orlando to Seattle. I depart on Saturday! And I'm completely beside myself with anticipation.

My husband and I are avid board gamers (mainly European strategy games), and plan to bring a couple of them with us. We are bringing one that has a relatively big footprint and were wondering if that's the kind of thing we would be able to play in the observation lounge or snack lounge? In some floor plan diagrams online, the observation lounge has tables, and in some they don't.

And do the trains move so much that the property of inertia would send the pieces flying? The game is relatively forgiving if pieces get nudged a little, but it wouldn't last if the train is anything like the Shinkansen in Japan!

Is it hard to shower on the train for roomette travelers? I NEED a shower every day. I am insane and probably a little OCD. Is there often a hard time showering? Lots of people waiting to shower?

I will speak to the Silver Meteor, since it is the train on which I most often travel.

You may or may not be able to get a table in the cafe/lounge. It may depend on whether the train is crowded. Passengers who purchase food at the cafe use the tables to eat, the conductors use the tables for their paperwork, others use the tables for card games, etc. I have never seen two people taking up a table with a large board game, however, I am not saying it is not impossible. Quite often, when the lounge is crowded, the tables are "shared."

With regard to showering on the Silver Meteor, I do not think it is difficult. There is usually not a wait, however, the sleeping car attendants often use the shower room for storage. If that is the case, you should alert your attendant that you wish to use the shower and when.

I hope you enjoy your trip. In July, I traveled from Orlando to Seattle, taking the same trains. I had a great trip.

The roomettes have fold out tables, they are imprinted for chess/checkers, but they are not large. The lounge on the Meteor is the cafe car, the other 2 are likely to be SSL cars, which are tables at one end, lounge seating at the other, snack bar and tables downstairs. Sometimes, particularly on the Cap, you may see a CCC car which is snack tables at one end, dining car at the other. I'm sure other posters will fill in the details since I'm not sure of the time of year span that the substitution occurs.

The last 2 trains you mentioned use Superliners, and in the Sightseer Lounge there are 8 tables. The first train uses Amfleet equipment and also has tables in the lounge car. The ride is mostly smooth, but it's possible that there may be some rough spots at times. I don't know how forgiving your pieces are, but I do see people playing cards, playing games or on their computers all the time!

It's not hard to shower. Yes, it is different on a moving train - just make sure you have a good foothold. (There are also handholds in the shower, and some have seats. The shower head is a handheld one.) What many people do is shower at one of the longer stops - when the train is not moving!

The longest "line" that I've had was 1 person! Most times it's -0-. And I usually shower in the mornings. If the shower is occupied, you need not just stand and wait. Go back to your room and come back later. Most likely it will be empty.

Just bring shampoo if needed. They supply towels, and most times "hotel-sized" wrapped soap. Remember that the water in the car is limited. There is no time limit, but everyone else uses water from the same tank. So no hour long showers please!

LongTrip said:

My husband and I are avid board gamers (mainly European strategy games), and plan to bring a couple of them with us. We are bringing one that has a relatively big footprint and were wondering if that's the kind of thing we would be able to play in the observation lounge or snack lounge? In some floor plan diagrams online, the observation lounge has tables, and in some they don't.

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There are a couple different layouts for the Sightseer Lounge cars, and there is no way to really know which one you'll have until the train pulls up. Chances are that the EB SSL will have upper-level tables, but it's not a guarantee. Some layouts have tables on the upper level, some don't; however all layouts have tables on the lower level. But the lower level is primarily for eating food from the cafe, some attendants will chase you out if your not consuming their food. If the tables down there are empty it probably wouldn't be a problem.

Out of curiosity, what games are you planning on bringing?

peter

Showers: nice discussion here this week on the topic http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/69161-showers-on-amtrak-sleepers-what-are-they-like/

Ditto what others have said above about the layout of the lounges. As for game pieces bouncing around, well you never can tell. So you might want to set a "house rule" for your game about what to do in that event.

I'd also suggest being open and inviting to others who might want to sit at your table and possibly play the game as well. Much like the dining car seating, I think of the tables in the lounge as a community space and if there is an open seat it is available for the taking.

If you REALLY want to get into games and trains, you might check out http://trainjam.com/

Thanks so much for all the responses! This is great! We are bringing a few two player games that have very small footprints to play in our roomette, but the one that we want to bring and set up in the lounge is Ticket to Ride. We would absolutely invite anyone curious enough to try! That's kind of what we're thinking. It's a simple game to learn, but still strategic enough to be fun, and hey-it's train related! And if pieces bounce, it's usually easy enough to tell what route they were supposed to be on.

And thanks so much for the advice on the showers. I see that there is only one per car and got a bit scared! I will read up on the other topic snvboy posted.

Traveling from Orlando to Seattle as your very first trip? That's a huge serving to put on your plate before taking your first bite. It's kind of like reading about someone planning their very first flight and choosing Japan or Australia as their first destination. Hope everything goes smoothly.

I hope all goes smooth. I was going to suggest before someone else got here before me. But inviting others to play might be a good day to make new friends and might make the games more fun. I play risk with the same people every time and it's progressively less fun because I've learned their usual strategies. So new players should improve the game. Have a great trip.

You may rethink wanting to spend most of your time playing games. It is quite possible you may want to just look out the window and enjoy the scenery. I brought several books and DVDs on my first 3 day trip. I never did that again. I was always looking at something "new." Even now, after many long train trips, I spend most of my time looking at scenery. I still enjoy the scenery between Orlando and Washington, however, it is much better out west. If I get bored, I listen to audiobooks on my phone (with earphones).

Leaves should be in full color in many locations during your trip and, if you live in Orlando, you may want to enjoy scenes that we do not see here.

PerRock said:

There are a couple different layouts for the Sightseer Lounge cars, and there is no way to really know which one you'll have until the train pulls up. Chances are that the EB SSL will have upper-level tables, but it's not a guarantee. Some layouts have tables on the upper level, some don't; however all layouts have tables on the lower level. But the lower level is primarily for eating food from the cafe, some attendants will chase you out if your not consuming their food. If the tables down there are empty it probably wouldn't be a problem.

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I can't say there are none, but it's been a long time since I've seen a superliner sightseer lounge without tables; and that includes the Capitol Limited, Cal Zephyr, SW Chief, Empire Builder, and City of NO.

Devil's Advocate said:

Traveling from Orlando to Seattle as your very first trip? That's a huge serving to put on your plate before taking your first bite. It's kind of like reading about someone planning their very first flight and choosing Japan or Australia as their first destination. Hope everything goes smoothly.

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Not my very first flight, but my very first adult vacation was to Japan. Didn't even travel three hours away from home for vacation before that. It was amazing. I guess I'm a deep-end-diver. I hope it goes smoothly, but I'm being real. There will probably be lots of things that don't live up to my expectations, but maybe it will be great.

pennyk said:

You may rethink wanting to spend most of your time playing games. It is quite possible you may want to just look out the window and enjoy the scenery. I brought several books and DVDs on my first 3 day trip. I never did that again. I was always looking at something "new." Even now, after many long train trips, I spend most of my time looking at scenery. I still enjoy the scenery between Orlando and Washington, however, it is much better out west. If I get bored, I listen to audiobooks on my phone (with earphones).

Leaves should be in full color in many locations during your trip and, if you live in Orlando, you may want to enjoy scenes that we do not see here.

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I am a native Floridian, and I have only seen fall foliage once. And it wasn't even THAT fall. So, I am definitely looking forward to it. I figure the games are more for after dinner, once the sun sets, and we are winding down before bed. You're entirely right, though, that we may just spend the whole time talking and staring out the windows. I'm ready for that, too.

LongTrip said:

I am a native Floridian, and I have only seen fall foliage once.

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I, too, am a native Floridian. Fall Foliage is amazing. I will be in the northeast the last weekend in October and hope to see a lot of color.

We saw some spectacular fall foliage around Denver and even more so around Pike's Peak, Manitou Springs.

Have a great trip. I used to bring a book on long distances. Not anymore. I used to bring dvds for viewing a movie (with headphones) at night. None of that either. Nighttime out the window can be as interesting as daytime. The towns, the highways with traffic, the stars, storms in the distance, etc.

And in a completely darkened roomette especially with a full moon you should be able to see at night fairly well.

Most of the Midwest is at 50-75% color right now, with some of the northern areas (like Minnesota) at their peak. You're in for a gorgeous trip.

I've always thought it would be fun to play cards or a board game at night, but I always travel solo. I usually read a book between towns. Once we hit civilization, I set my book down and look out, and then I go back to reading when it's pitch black again.

LongTrip said:

Thanks so much for all the responses! This is great! We are bringing a few two player games that have very small footprints to play in our roomette, but the one that we want to bring and set up in the lounge is Ticket to Ride. We would absolutely invite anyone curious enough to try! That's kind of what we're thinking. It's a simple game to learn, but still strategic enough to be fun, and hey-it's train related! And if pieces bounce, it's usually easy enough to tell what route they were supposed to be on.

And thanks so much for the advice on the showers. I see that there is only one per car and got a bit scared! I will read up on the other topic snvboy posted.

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I'd be hesitant to play Ticket to Ride unless I had custom train cars, as those little plastic cars can get bumped around pretty easily... I would think that the swaying of the train and bumps over witches would give me cause for concern. Here is Anne Wheaton (Wil Wheaton's wife) showing why:



peter

PerRock said:

LongTrip said:

Thanks so much for all the responses! This is great! We are bringing a few two player games that have very small footprints to play in our roomette, but the one that we want to bring and set up in the lounge is Ticket to Ride. We would absolutely invite anyone curious enough to try! That's kind of what we're thinking. It's a simple game to learn, but still strategic enough to be fun, and hey-it's train related! And if pieces bounce, it's usually easy enough to tell what route they were supposed to be on.

And thanks so much for the advice on the showers. I see that there is only one per car and got a bit scared! I will read up on the other topic snvboy posted.

Click to expand...

I'd be hesitant to play Ticket to Ride unless I had custom train cars, as those little plastic cars can get bumped around pretty easily... I would think that the swaying of the train and bumps over witches would give me cause for concern. Here is Anne Wheaton (Wil Wheaton's wife) showing why:

peter

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Man! And Wheaton has one of those fancy schmancy solid wood gaming tables! I haven't had much problems with my Ticket to Ride pieces and I have a cat that... well... is ALWAYS on the game table... She won Twilight Struggle the other night. But I can imagine getting jostled on a train could be a frustration!

Here's a photo that gives a good idea of the size of the tables.

pennyk said:

LongTrip said:

I am a native Floridian, and I have only seen fall foliage once.

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I, too, am a native Floridian. Fall Foliage is amazing. I will be in the northeast the last weekend in October and hope to see a lot of color.

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Penny, I am afraid that most of the colors will be well past their peak. I hope I'm wrong, though!

Palmetto said:

pennyk said:

LongTrip said:

I am a native Floridian, and I have only seen fall foliage once.

Click to expand...

I, too, am a native Floridian. Fall Foliage is amazing. I will be in the northeast the last weekend in October and hope to see a lot of color.

Click to expand...

Penny, I am afraid that most of the colors will be well past their peak. I hope I'm wrong, though!

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This PA forecast looks promising. Here in northern DE the colors are just starting.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20032140.pdf

The noticeable change this week however, is our central portion of district which the Lehigh Valley encompasses. The oaks on the hillsides are still green but many of the trees in the lower elevations have begun to start changing colors.

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I've been two nights on trains 98 and 29 and just boarded 7 today. Loving it! Though, first two trains arrived early, robbing me of riding time. I have two nights on this train and am very confused about the split in Spokane, but looking forward to figuring it all out. So far gaming in the lounges has gone well, though the first train was a single-level train with no sightseeing lounge, just the café. It still worked well.

Taking it easy and staring out the window for hours while slowly piddling through game turns has proven to be very, very relaxing!

We've not pulled out Ticket to Ride though. Train is way too shaky for those pieces indeed!

As for fall foliage, I'm in Milwaukee and just starting to see gorgeous reds and oranges, so perhaps a bit farther north will be past the prime. Oh well. Nature is still beautiful!

The split in Spokane is easy: all you have to do is sleep through it! The train at Spokane is serviced and split, and the Seattle portion will leave about 45 minutes after its arrival in Spokane--many times shorter than that if its arrival into Spokane is late. Be aware the lounge car is part of the split: it goes to Portland and the diner to Spokane. I live an hour south of Spokane and the leaves are turning here too. I can imagine it should be gorgeous in the Cascades this time of year.

Just be sure you're in the correct portion of the train prior to Spokane. Everything ahead of the Lounge car goes to Seattle. The Lounge car back goes to Portland.