Amtrak Vacations Webnar Forum Disappointment

I registered for the May 24th Webnar Forum. I had 3 separate e-mails providing me with the links to join. At 7:00 P. M. EST. I tried to log on. This was the time for which I registered. With a new Windows 10 operating system on my computer, I was not able to access this site on any of the 3 links that I was sent.

Nothing that appeared on the screen, "download again", etc. worked. I am NOT going to "work" for periods of time that ought to be easily available to access on a modern computer.

There will be no more attempts on my part to access any Amtrak Vacations webnars!

Perhaps you should contact Yankee Leisure Group, Inc. They are the actual operator of "Amtrak Vacations". They certainly would want to know about technical issues and want to rectify the situation.

KnightRail said:

Perhaps you should contact Yankee Leisure Group, Inc. They are the actual operator of "Amtrak Vacations". They certainly would want to know about technical issues and want to rectify the situation.

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I am not sure whom the woman works for, but I did contact "Amtrak Vacations" about what happened and received a very pleasant and appreciated reply. Apparently, the program that they use for the webnars has issues at times. She apologized and asked that I consider trying again by accessing that program through their archives.

You'll probably get better information here and save money. If you have questions just ask.

Steve4031 said:

You'll probably get better information here and save money. If you have questions just ask.

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No disagreement with your statement from me. I registered for the webnar session just to see what it was like after receiving lots of e-mails to do so for a variety of such sessions.

Do the people that conduct that webinar actually ride trains like the membership here or are they just presenting information already put out by Amtrak? Must agree that there is a bunch of experience here to draw from and its updated daily..

Amtrak Vacations provides all-inclusive rail tours that include train segments, hotels, bus transfers, tours, some meals and the like. They will also arrange Amtrak or air travel to and from the end points of the tours. The webinar likely pitches features of the tours other then just the train. These kind of tours can be attractive to those who don't feel comfortable with independent planning, or just want to avoid the hassle and get an entire vacation at once. There also could be people who, by circumstance, travel alone. The security and social advantages of being with a group for most of the trip can make travel more pleasant for folks in that situation.

For example, Amtrak Vacations has a National Parks tour that includes:

• Start Denver - Overnight Denver
• Bus tour to Rocky Mountain National Park
• Overnight Denver
• California Zephyr to Grand Junction
• Overnight Grand Junction
• Bus tour to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks
• Overnight Grand Junction
• California Zephyr to Salt Lake City
• Overnight Salt Lake City
• Bus West Yellowstone
• Overnight West Yellowstone
• Bus tour Yellowstone National Park
• Overnight West Yellowstone
• Bus to Salt Lake City
• Overnight Salt Lake City
• End tour

To duplicate that would take some effort. These comprehensive tours are not for everyone, but there is a market for them.

PRR 60 said:

Amtrak Vacations provides all-inclusive rail tours that include train segments, hotels, bus transfers, tours, some meals and the like. They will also arrange Amtrak or air travel to and from the end points of the tours. The webinar likely pitches features of the tours other then just the train. These kind of tours can be attractive to those who don't feel comfortable with independent planning, or just want to avoid the hassle and get an entire vacation at once. There also could be people who, by circumstance, travel alone. The security and social advantages of being with a group for most of the trip can make travel more pleasant for folks in that situation.

For example, Amtrak Vacations has a National Parks tour that includes:

• Start Denver - Overnight Denver
• Bus tour to Rocky Mountain National Park
• Overnight Denver
• California Zephyr to Grand Junction
• Overnight Grand Junction
• Bus tour to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks
• Overnight Grand Junction
• California Zephyr to Salt Lake City
• Overnight Salt Lake City
• Bus West Yellowstone
• Overnight West Yellowstone
• Bus tour Yellowstone National Park
• Overnight West Yellowstone
• Bus to Salt Lake City
• Overnight Salt Lake City
• End tour

To duplicate that would take some effort. These comprehensive tours are not for everyone, but there is a market for them.

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Ooh, that one looks interesting......

There's a lot of benefit to packaged tours, if they are setup properly. I would utilize Amtrak Vacations for some opportunities (like the above national parks tour), and I recommend that everyone who has not been to NYC previously to utilize a tour package if possible, since it takes a lot of hassle out of going to a very large and unfamiliar city (and reduces the opportunities for unforeseen circumstances).

The problem with a lot of tours is that they are little more than human cattle rides to a particular endpoint. I happen to travel in the corridor that a lot of the Asian tour companies from California transit in. I recall checking into a particular hotel in the peak summer travel season rather late one night, and in the process of getting that one last item out of my car prior to going to bed, encountered dozens of bleary-eyed tourists departing their rooms with luggage in tow in what most would consider the 'middle of the night' (circa 4 AM). It struck me that they were most likely on their way to a national park and that part of the tour selling point was probably something to the effect of "On Day 4, wake up to the splendor of Grand Teton National Park!" or similar. Well, in order to do that, you have to leave the previous nighttime destination in the wee hours of the morning to get a jump on traffic so that you can bed everyone down prior to nightfall that night, allowing for a minimal amount of stops. The tour company might be named something like "Travel Joy", but it's not my idea of a pleasure (or pleasant) trip.

Then, as mentioned in other threads, there are those companies who organize tours which utilize Amtrak and promote a completely unrealistic expectation of passenger rail travel in the US. The overselling and underdelivering tends to make for a less-than-pleasurable experience for everyone involved. One has to choose the tour wisely for maximum benefit and travel goals.