Builder Seattle to Chicago

[smurfmom]

Hello all. I'm brand new to this!! I am taking the Amtrak from Seattle to Chicago in December. Has anyone ridden this route? Which side would I like to be on in my little roomette? Any suggestions that will make my first cross country train trip more fun then I think it is going to be?

 

[MrFSS]

Hello all. I'm brand new to this!! I am taking the Amtrak from Seattle to Chicago in December. Has anyone ridden this route? Which side would I like to be on in my little roomette? Any suggestions that will make my first cross country train trip more fun then I think it is going to be?

Welcome to the forum. I moved this to the main discussion area where more folks will see it and answer.

Many have ridden this route and will give you some opinions.

As to which side to get a roomette, you can't tell which side any roomette will be on until you board the train as the sleeper cars can be oriented in either direction.

 

[the_traveler]

The best advice is to spend some time in the SightSeer Lounge (SSL). There will be no SSL on this route from Seattle to Spokane - when it combines with the section coming from Portland. But from Spokane to Chicago, you will have the SSL attached.

Also, on the 2nd day, there is a FREE wine and cheese tasting party, held in the Dining Car, for Sleeping car passengers only.

 

[jb64]

the Empire Builder is a great train. Relax and enjoy the scenery. As the Traveler said, be sure to spend some time in the sightseer lounge to enjoy the beautiful scenery and meet some of the other passengers. I don't believe one side is necessarily better than the other, so do not worry about which side your roomette will be.

 

[sttsxm]

welcome aboard!

I love the EB....and i agree to head to the lounge for a while!

lots of fun....and as a sleeper passenger, you can get access to the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago union station...if you want to relax a bit, or store your bags, have a soft drink....use the restroom, etc.y

you should see some snow...and lots of wild life...there will also be several longer stops....you can get off the train (but don't go TOO far away..) and stretch your legs near the train, get some air, etc....

enjoy!

 

[4-4-2]

I rode the EB roundtrip 2 years ago. When I made my reservation, I requested a roomette on the RIGHT side of the train going WEST (aka the engineers side, the north side of the train) and I requested the LEFT side coming back (with the same views as my first part). I chose this side after exhaustive research. I wanted to see more mountainous views and views of Puget Sound. I DID get what I requested. Yes there is a chance that you may not get the roomette you ask for BUT its worth asking for.

Other than mealtime I spent most of my time in my roomette. Why? I have many reasons some are: comfort; its quieter than the "public spaces"; you can eat snacks and drink beer with no "vultures" circling and looking at your food; when its dark you can close the curtain to the roomette and turn out the lights and after the eye adjusts its amazing what you can see; the roomette across from me was vacant so I was able to move from side to side if I chose to do so (I asked attendant before doing so and then followed up with a nice tip); no people to block your photos; when tired all I had to was to close the door and nap- little effort needed; Sightseer Lounge can get filled quickly, leaving little room to move and with ruined photos. I also chose to sit along the window at mealtime, amazing what you are able to see from that vantage point. I could go on but you get the idea. Take sometime to check out the train. I did ride the rear through the entire length of the Cascade Tunnel. Take time to get to know your neighbors they might let you sit in their roomette if its on the opposite side. Ask your car attendant for any suggestions for specific sights and where you should be to see it. Due to the amount of the tip I gave my car attendant, I was given extra consideration and treated accordingly.

Do your research BEFORE you leave for your trip. Don't burden yourself with this ON the train, it makes it less enjoyable. When you get on the train, sit back and enjoy the ride and the scenery. Don't worry if the train is late- this just gives you more time to enjoy the scenery and your surroundings. I hope this has helped.

 

[AlanB]

I rode the EB roundtrip 2 years ago. When I made my reservation, I requested a roomette on the RIGHT side of the train going WEST (aka the engineers side, the north side of the train) and I requested the LEFT side coming back (with the same views as my first part). I chose this side after exhaustive research. I wanted to see more mountainous views and views of Puget Sound. I DID get what I requested. Yes there is a chance that you may not get the roomette you ask for BUT its worth asking for.

You got lucky!

There simply is no way for an agent to guarantee that your room will indeed be on the north side. I just came off the Starlight a few days back, one sleeper was running with the bedrooms forward while the other was running with the bedrooms to the rear. That means that in one car, all the odd numbered rooms faced west and in the other car all the odd numbered rooms faced east.

These cars can be orientated in either direction and there is no way to know which direction your car will end up facing. It's usually a decision made only hours before the train departs and depends on switching work and cars being added/removed from the consist.

And agent guaranteeing a room to face in a particular direction on a Superliner is pulling your leg. Right now on the Viewliner fleet it is possible to predict things, but that too will soon change as the new dining cars come on line.

 

[lthanlon]

I've ridden the Empire Builder a couple of times and always enjoyed the little towns, vast spaces and classic stations as much as the scenic grandeur. Once the train stopped in Shelby, Montana, long enough for me to grab this photo of its tidy little depot.

I also like this view going through Malta, Montana.

It's a wonderful and relaxing trip, regardless of what side your roomette's on.

 

[Scrooge]

We have recently done the EB both ways and suffered no serious delays, we were early into Seattle by 36 minutes and back into Chicago about 40 minutes late all in all, in my opinion after such a long trip not bad. We had a roomette with an odd number to Seattle and an even number for the return so we were lucky in respect of scenery. We found the meals were good and a reasonable choice all included in the fare. As somebody has already stated reservations do not know how the train will be configured. There was one minor irritant and that is that constant whistle blowing at every crossing can be heard clearly in the sleepers as the train is made up of 2 engines, baggage car then the sleepers followed by the dining car then the coach class carriages. The sleeping car attendants we had were there on call all the time. Coffee, water and juice always available free of charge.

All in all we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

 

[TraneMan]

I enjoyed our EB trip last August, and this is my 2nd time on the EB going between Minnesota, and Whitefish Montana. All view is good.

The staff I've had of the 5 times on the EB has been great! Just kick back and relax!