S
smuncky
Guest
Been reading a lot of info online and here especially on different routes and the experiences on them.
I've been thinking for a while to do a cross country trip from NYC to SF/LAX.
I managed to put together a route but have a few questions about it.
NYP-CHI on the Cardinal
- Was originally thinking of doing the whole route in a roomette, but the prices have gone up, so I'm thinking of doing coach from NYP to CHARLOTTESVILLE or HUNTINGTON and then switch to a roomette. Makes the overall price a bit cheaper. I read that it's a fairly common thing to do (switch classes) and that there shouldn't be any issue.
- Unfortunately, also read that the Cardinal doesn't have a full kitchen, so the menu is so-so. This was also one of the reasons which made me lean towards doing a half coach half roomette trip as the food wouldn't be as nice as on the SWC or the Zephyr. For the dining car, can a coach passenger sit around the cafe part for an extended time? Or do they try to shuffle you out as soon as you finish whatever you bought? Since there isn't a lounge car, I was just wondering about how to change up my scenery a bit without having to sit in the same seat for a long time.
- As a general question, any issues w/ leaving luggage unattended ie going to the cafe or something like that?
CHI-DEN
- Going to grab the Zephyr from CHI after the small 4 hour layover. I'm thinking that since I'll be taking a roomette during the overnight portion on the Cardinal, when I arrive I'll be able to use the Metropolitan Lounge and its facilities (mainly the shower). This is allowed, correct?
- Going to be heading to DEN in coach and probably plopping myself down in the lounge car. Is there a better side to sit on for this leg of the journey? Any interesting sights to catch?
DEN-SLC
- After spending 24 in DEN, going to get on and head to SLC. Same as above, since this will be a full daytime journey, I'm thinking I'll mostly be in the lounge car. Which side is best for the views of the mountains and overall landscapes?
SLC-EMY (and onto SF)
- Final leg, same questions as above. I'll probably do a dinner on board on one of these 3 legs, just to get that full experience of an Amtrak long distance journey. Any recommendations?
For a specific question, I looked up the on-time performance for the Cardinal for the past 3 months and it seems like it's fairly consistent in being a bit late (but not too bad), with a few days where it was late by 4+ hours. The layover time between the Cardinal and Zephyr is 4 hours. If a 4+ hour delay happens, my whole trip would be affected down the line since I'm only doing a 24 hour stop in each place. Any idea as to what Amtrak might offer as compensation?
I also thought about maybe doing a different route, like the SWC, to maximize layover time in CHI and hope that the Cardinal doesn't arrive too late. Any thoughts to that approach? Any places to get off and sightsee for a day? Or just stick w/ being on the train for the entire journey?
Any thoughts/experiences/tips would be appreciated!
I've been thinking for a while to do a cross country trip from NYC to SF/LAX.
I managed to put together a route but have a few questions about it.
NYP-CHI on the Cardinal
- Was originally thinking of doing the whole route in a roomette, but the prices have gone up, so I'm thinking of doing coach from NYP to CHARLOTTESVILLE or HUNTINGTON and then switch to a roomette. Makes the overall price a bit cheaper. I read that it's a fairly common thing to do (switch classes) and that there shouldn't be any issue.
- Unfortunately, also read that the Cardinal doesn't have a full kitchen, so the menu is so-so. This was also one of the reasons which made me lean towards doing a half coach half roomette trip as the food wouldn't be as nice as on the SWC or the Zephyr. For the dining car, can a coach passenger sit around the cafe part for an extended time? Or do they try to shuffle you out as soon as you finish whatever you bought? Since there isn't a lounge car, I was just wondering about how to change up my scenery a bit without having to sit in the same seat for a long time.
- As a general question, any issues w/ leaving luggage unattended ie going to the cafe or something like that?
CHI-DEN
- Going to grab the Zephyr from CHI after the small 4 hour layover. I'm thinking that since I'll be taking a roomette during the overnight portion on the Cardinal, when I arrive I'll be able to use the Metropolitan Lounge and its facilities (mainly the shower). This is allowed, correct?
- Going to be heading to DEN in coach and probably plopping myself down in the lounge car. Is there a better side to sit on for this leg of the journey? Any interesting sights to catch?
DEN-SLC
- After spending 24 in DEN, going to get on and head to SLC. Same as above, since this will be a full daytime journey, I'm thinking I'll mostly be in the lounge car. Which side is best for the views of the mountains and overall landscapes?
SLC-EMY (and onto SF)
- Final leg, same questions as above. I'll probably do a dinner on board on one of these 3 legs, just to get that full experience of an Amtrak long distance journey. Any recommendations?
For a specific question, I looked up the on-time performance for the Cardinal for the past 3 months and it seems like it's fairly consistent in being a bit late (but not too bad), with a few days where it was late by 4+ hours. The layover time between the Cardinal and Zephyr is 4 hours. If a 4+ hour delay happens, my whole trip would be affected down the line since I'm only doing a 24 hour stop in each place. Any idea as to what Amtrak might offer as compensation?
I also thought about maybe doing a different route, like the SWC, to maximize layover time in CHI and hope that the Cardinal doesn't arrive too late. Any thoughts to that approach? Any places to get off and sightsee for a day? Or just stick w/ being on the train for the entire journey?
Any thoughts/experiences/tips would be appreciated!