Denver to Salt Lake City using zephyr

[sdan]

Hello All,

Great forum. I've been a reader for a while.

We plan to fly from Houston to Denver and take CZ to Salt lake city. We then head to Yellowstone via car during 1st week of July. Got most of the information except a couple involving logisitcs.

1) While booking for car rental I realise that Hertz does not allow car drop off at the Denver amtrak station after pick up at the arpt. Not sure what to do as the train arrives around 8 am. Any other location where I can drop off the car in downtown before catching the train?

2) We got the amtrak tickets ( seating only ) today and I see that while they mention "reserved coach", no seat # are assigned. So, is it a "first come first serve basis"? I am travelling with my wife and 5 yr daughter and like for all of us to sit next to each other.

3) I read that CZ arrives mostly late at Salt lake city station. Will there be cabs available if we get there say 3 am?

Thanks again. Looking forward to your advice.

Sdan

 

[warbonnet]

Hertz, Budget, and Avis all have locations downtown Denver. I will fly into Denver, pick up the rented car at the airport, use it for a couple of days while I'm conducting business in town, then drop it off downtown Denver. It's actually not a long walk from the rental car lots downtown to Union Station. I've done it. Usually the rental car company will be happy to drive you to your local hotel if you are staying the night downtown before catching the 8:00 AM departure. The Oxford Hotel is a 2 minute walk from the station. Very nice but can be a little pricy. The city of Denver has done a great job cleaning up downtown Denver. Chased the bums out. It's safe to walk at night with great bars and resturaunts...not to mention Coors field if the Rockies are in town.

Wb

 

[Guest]

Hello All,Great forum. I've been a reader for a while.

2) We got the amtrak tickets ( seating only ) today and I see that while they mention "reserved coach", no seat # are assigned. So, is it a "first come first serve basis"? I am travelling with my wife and 5 yr daughter and like for all of us to sit next to each other.

Someone will set me straight if I'm off base, but 'reserved coach' means that there is a spot for you (and any ticket holders) on that particular car. However, a particular seat has not been assigned to you. So yes, it is first-come, first-serve regarding where you sit.

 

[AmtrakCrescent20]

2) We got the amtrak tickets ( seating only ) today and I see that while they mention "reserved coach", no seat # are assigned. So, is it a "first come first serve basis"? I am travelling with my wife and 5 yr daughter and like for all of us to sit next to each other.

Just to expand on this, yes, it is first come first serve. There are however two different methods of "assigning" or not assigning seats: (not sure about which one the California Zephyr uses)

1) Somtimes, especially on high volume routes, the car attendant will assign you a seat number upon boarding. You may or may not be able to request a window/aisle seat. If this is the case, you should be assigned 2 aisle seats and one window seat, right next to each other (unless the car attendant has problems/doesn't care, which is unlikely, though).

2) On some trains, such as the Crescent, it's a free-for-all for seats. (Side note: On almost all Amtrak trains, including the California Zephyr, passengers are sorted into cars by destination. This is so that the attendant can make sure all passengers get off at their correct stops, and so that passengers aren't disturbed in the middle of the night.) So, back to the seats: on these trains, you will board, and you may find individuals occupying every pair of seats in your destination's car. If the car attendant happens to be rude, they may not be willing to accomodate your rightful wish to sit together. Sometimes indiciduals will be willing to switch, but it's a gamble. Oftentimes, the conductors and/or car attendant will try to seat you together asap, but this could take 1-2 stops. I don't know the loading patterns on the CZ, so I can't say if your coach will be full or not upon leaving Denver. I will say that most parties usualkly end up sitting together for the majority of their journey.

 

[Glenn W]

1) Since you will be boarding the train in Denver, the car attendant should help you find seats. It may be hard to tell how many could be from Chicago & points East but in the diner for breakfast.

2) If the CZ still carries the separate diner & lounge cars, you may take nearly any empty seat on the train. Most of the day can be spent in the Lounge, especially between Denver & Colorado Springs. Return to your seat as it gets dark near Utah.

3) You can expect the train to be late in Salt Lake City. AFAIK it is a 12+ hour trip, even when the D&RGW was in charge. However, your Salt Lake hotel s/b glad to pick you up. The nearby Temple Square gets many visitors and is worht some time before you head on to Yellowstone.