Hi,
Although I live in the UK, I have made several trips, and have many thousands of Amtrak miles behind me..
I would say that the extremes do get played up on this board.. normal service is not cause for comment.
Having said that, The idea that you will board your train, have your meals, and arrive bang on time at your destination is fairly optimistic.
Most of us expect that there will be incidents on any trip, be they airport delays, traffic holdups, or whatever. With Amtrak, the chances of late running are
quite high, the chances that you will feel let down by at least one member of Amtrak's staff are quite high, the chances that your dinning car experience will
not always be 100% as you hoped are quite high, from my own experience.
On the other hand, you will often be seeing scenery that is spectacular.. many trains access views that are not seen from the highway. It is a great
adventure to board a long distance train. It is real travel, not such a pre-packed automated event as much of air travel has become.
At the end of the day, you have a good idea of your own comfort zones. The admitted potential "unknowns" of an Amtrak long distance train trip might throw
too long a shadow for you. For myself, the adventure, the scenery, and sense of excitement as the train pulls out, far outweigh the negatives on Amtrak.
Step outside your comfort zone, and have a big adventure!
Ed