Reno to Washington, DC

[Mark Gregory]

As suggested somewhere earlier, I changed my flight to Saturday morning. If there are timing issues I'lll have a bit of a cushion.

I called and switched to Roomette #9.

I booked a hotel for two nights on Hotwire. It's the Westin in the White House area. The online rate was $180 per night but $88 on Hotwire.

I bought a ticket for 6:00am on the Northeast Regional from Union Station to BWI. I'm not sure if that was my best option but, if not, I'm only out $12.

I'm set up for a Capitol tour and The FBI Experience.

I am so excited about finally taking a long distance train trip that I can't stand the wait.

Once again, I want to say I really appreciate the advice and input from everyone.

 

[the_traveler]

Although you would not be denied boarding, although a voucher sold on eBay or elsewhere may be legit, how do you know if voucher #12345 has been sold to numerous people or has already been used?

You may not even get a chance to use it to even purchase a ticket!

That all you receive - an e-voucher number. No physical item to transfer.

I personally would not buy one.

 

[cpotisch]

Although you would not be denied boarding, although a voucher sold on eBay or elsewhere may be legit, how do you know if voucher #12345 has been sold to numerous people or has already been used?

You may not even get a chance to use it to even purchase a ticket!

That all you receive - an e-voucher number. No physical item to transfer.

I personally would not buy one.

Agreed. There's way too much risk involved in buying an intangible "thing" that can only be used once. Additionally, how could someone possibly make money selling a lot of Amtrak vouchers at significant discounts? Unless Amtrak themselves were somehow giving this guy even more deeply discounted vouchers, by definition he'd effectively lose money on every sale. So put simply, just no.

 

[Bob Dylan]

As suggested somewhere earlier, I changed my flight to Saturday morning. If there are timing issues I'lll have a bit of a cushion.

I called and switched to Roomette #9.

I booked a hotel for two nights on Hotwire. It's the Westin in the White House area. The online rate was $180 per night but $88 on Hotwire.

I bought a ticket for 6:00am on the Northeast Regional from Union Station to BWI. I'm not sure if that was my best option but, if not, I'm only out $12.

I'm set up for a Capitol tour and The FBI Experience.

I am so excited about finally taking a long distance train trip that I can't stand the wait.

Once again, I want to say I really appreciate the advice and input from everyone.

"You done well!" as they say in the South.
Look forward to your trip report, have a Ball!

 

[Mark Gregory]

One more question if you don't mind.

I'm thinking about upgrading to a sleeper for the Chicago-Washington, DC leg of the trip. The Family Bedroom pops up ahead of the Roomette for about $80 less. Is it weird for one person to book that bedroom?

Mark

 

[jebr]

It's a bit odd, but if it's cheaper, I say go for it. Note that it is on the lower level, so that's part of the downfall of choosing that room.

 

[Maglev]

One more question if you don't mind.

I'm thinking about upgrading to a sleeper for the Chicago-Washington, DC leg of the trip. The Family Bedroom pops up ahead of the Roomette for about $80 less. Is it weird for one person to book that bedroom?

Mark

I have paid extra for a Family Bedroom over a Roomette for just myself! It has a bed that is a full foot wider than the lower berth of a Roomette, and windows on both sides of the train (although they are small windows). And I actually prefer the downstairs rooms because of their proximity to the luggage rack, three toilets and shower.

 

[Bob Dylan]

That's a good deal, go for it!

 

[cpotisch]

One more question if you don't mind.

I'm thinking about upgrading to a sleeper for the Chicago-Washington, DC leg of the trip. The Family Bedroom pops up ahead of the Roomette for about $80 less. Is it weird for one person to book that bedroom?

Mark

Go for it. The Family Bedroom rocks. There's a ton of space, two full length beds (and the lower one is a foot wider than that of a roomette), two seats that don't need to be folded down at night, easy access to the bathrooms and showers, windows on both sides, etc. If you can afford it, there's no question in mind that that's the right move.

 

[Mark Gregory]

Thank again for the advice.

I'm glad I asked and then waited on a couple of answers. The price dropped $222 this morning. I booked the family bedroom. It turned out the roomette was only $13 more but I figured I might as well try something different.

Mark

 

[Mark Gregory]

Okay,

I made the trip. It was certainly an experience. I'll sumarize here. If you want to read the entire blow by blow you can check it out at https://markg194.wordpress.com/2018/09/15/the-great-train-trip/

An earlier poster suggested just going to Denver and I kind of wish I had followed that advice. I hit a wall during the middle of the second full day and was ready to get off the train. I think it was less about the actual train journey and more about spending 4 nights camping prior to getting on the train and I was ready for a real bed.

I met a lot of interesting people on that train and appreciated the relaxed atmosphere and slow pace of the day. I thought the food was ok for what it was. It wasn't gourmet by any means but most was at least served hot. At the risk of being blasphemous, I preferred the boxed meal I received for dinner on the Capitol Limited. It was the antipasto plate and I thought it was very fresh.

I was very glad that I had a sleeping accommodation. I prefer to shower daily and probably wouldn't have slept at all in coach. It was nice to have a private space to sit when I felt the need. I did enjoy my time in the lounge car with other travelers. The family bedroom on the CL was a nice experience. It was very quiet and peaceful on the lower level. I wasn't sensitive enough to really notice the difference in movement between the upper and lower level.

I didn't really love that we were nearly three hours late into Chicago and then 2 hours late into DC but I guess that's all part of the experience. I really like the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. By the time we arrived I really only had about 15 minutes to enjoy it but would have been comfortable there if our layover had been the scheduled four hours.

Here are my most basic conclusions.

1. You meet some great people on the train.
2. Everyone seems to be in a good mood.
3. The food is decent.
4. The equipment is OLD and run down.
5. Three nights is too many nights for me.
6. I liked the relaxed atmosphere for awhile.
7. I overestimated how many articles of clothing I’d need for the train portion of my trip.
8. I'd probably take another train trip but no longer than one night. I'd like to do the one that goes up the Pacific Coast.
9. I know this is quite abbreviated and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Mark

 

[IndyLions]

4. The equipment is OLD and run down.

I couldn’t agree more. The Superliners (& nearly all Amtrak equipment in general) are really in bad shape. I think we railfans tend to overlook that since we’re so glad there is a train at all. While the previous presidents did a good job keeping the trains running - they did not make any significant progress on the equipment front.

 

[cpotisch]

4. The equipment is OLD and run down.

I couldn’t agree more. The Superliners (& nearly all Amtrak equipment in general) are really in bad shape. I think we railfans tend to overlook that since we’re so glad there is a train at all. While the previous presidents did a good job keeping the trains running - they did not make any significant progress on the equipment front.

IMO, the Viewliners and refurbished Superliners are in decent shape. Sure they feel a bit dated, but from a comfort and aesthetic standpoint, I don't really have any issues with them. The non-refurbished Superliners are a whole other story, though...