R
Robert
Guest
Hello, everybody...my family and I will be taking our first trip on Amtrak soon, and I have a couple of questions about our connection and baggage. I was thankful to find this forum and appreciate any information or advice you experts can provide.
We are taking the Southwest Chief from Kansas City to LA (2 roomettes) and then transferring to the Pacific Surfliner (business class) for the short trip to Anaheim. The connection time in LA is 1 hour and 40 minutes. I have read that the long haul trains end up running behind schedule fairly frequently, and I wonder what are options are if the SWC is behind schedule and we miss the next train. Is it a matter of waiting around for the next train that is going that way and has enough open seats? Does Amtrak make other transportation options available (bus, etc)?
Concerning luggage, I am trying to decide whether it is wiser to check our suitcases (each of us will likely have one medium to large-size suitcase) or carry them on. I have read the carry-on size and weight restrictions, and we can easily stay within those parameters. I read (on the Amtrak site, I believe) that it is best to have a 2 hour connection time for checked bags to make the switch between trains, and we are short of that. It could be even tighter if the SWC is running late. On the other hand, it seems that there would not be enough space in the roomettes for suitcases, and it looks like in-car luggage storage is fairly limited. For the itinerary that we are on, what would you recommend? Check or carry-on the luggage? What happens if you get to your sleeper car and there is not adequate space for your larger carry-on luggage?
I'm really looking forward to the trip, and my kids are really eager to get to experience train travel. I'm just trying to do as much due diligence beforehand to give us the best chance of all going smoothly. Thanks for any help you can give me.
We are taking the Southwest Chief from Kansas City to LA (2 roomettes) and then transferring to the Pacific Surfliner (business class) for the short trip to Anaheim. The connection time in LA is 1 hour and 40 minutes. I have read that the long haul trains end up running behind schedule fairly frequently, and I wonder what are options are if the SWC is behind schedule and we miss the next train. Is it a matter of waiting around for the next train that is going that way and has enough open seats? Does Amtrak make other transportation options available (bus, etc)?
Concerning luggage, I am trying to decide whether it is wiser to check our suitcases (each of us will likely have one medium to large-size suitcase) or carry them on. I have read the carry-on size and weight restrictions, and we can easily stay within those parameters. I read (on the Amtrak site, I believe) that it is best to have a 2 hour connection time for checked bags to make the switch between trains, and we are short of that. It could be even tighter if the SWC is running late. On the other hand, it seems that there would not be enough space in the roomettes for suitcases, and it looks like in-car luggage storage is fairly limited. For the itinerary that we are on, what would you recommend? Check or carry-on the luggage? What happens if you get to your sleeper car and there is not adequate space for your larger carry-on luggage?
I'm really looking forward to the trip, and my kids are really eager to get to experience train travel. I'm just trying to do as much due diligence beforehand to give us the best chance of all going smoothly. Thanks for any help you can give me.