Elderly on Amtrak

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Val59

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Apr 11, 2014
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My parents are going to take the Southwest Chief from Chicago to California next month. They are really excited about this and insist on making the trip, but we are a little worried because they are in the 80s, my step father is almost 90! Both are in relatively good health and still clear minded but they aren't going to be able to walk to the dining car when the track is rough, and they're going to need help with their luggage, they won't be able to carry it off and on the train without help. Also, they're a little hard of hearing and may need the car attendant to make sure they hear any announcements that pertain to them, such as their upcoming stops and calls to the dining car, etc.

I've done this trip about four times and the car attendants were extremely friendly and helpful, but I wasn't such a needy passenger. When we booked my parents tickets, we told them they would need help with their luggage. Should I feel confident that they're going to get the help they need on this trip? Will the car attendant bring meals to their room if they feel the ride is too rough to walk to the dining car? I'm happy that they get to do this trip, which they've dreamed of for a long time, but I can't help but be a little worried. Has anyone here had any experience with this kind of situation? Any tips? Thanks!
 
The answer to all your questions are yes! People of all ages travel Amtrak every day. As long as you make them aware of any needs - by having it put in the reservation - all effort will be made to accommodate the request.
 
Your folks will be fine. They're excited, they'll be happy and friendly, their SCA will be pleased to help them instead of some grump in another room.

My dad had out-dated ideas about tipping (quarters!) so my tip is to make up envelopes of small bills, each labeled something like "breakfast tip," "breakfast bonus for superb service," etc.
 
I once rode the SWC next to an elderly woman who was clearly a regular rider (she knew most of the crew by name and they all new her as Rose). She was quite a bit older than your parents (103!) and she mostly made it to the dining car without assistance. However she did ask for a meal in her room and got it without trouble. The Chief is generally a smooth ride, and it's hard to fall on the walk from room to diner, because of the narrowness of the corridor (I know, I walk with a cane mostly because of my tendency to fall).

They'll be fine. Amtrak is well versed in handling its standard customer in the form of old folk.
 
You did not mention if you had booked the H Room on the Chief. It is downstairs, has easy access to restrooms, showers, etc and can be booked for same price as roomettes if you qualify.

Certainly make sure they get a Red Cap in Chicago to carry their luggage and give them a ride to the train. If they are detraining in Los Angeles, similar service is available
 
I don't recommend the H room for anybody who can walk and doesn't have a bariatric handicap. It has limited views out, and if you are elderly and want to enjoy more than your room, it's best to go up the stairs when you entrain and down them when you detrain and otherwise stay on the upper level.
 
The only section of the route of rough track is the ride though western Kansas. In the last few years the train has been slowed down in this part from Newton to Raton.
 
Green Maned Lion said:
I don't recommend the H room for anybody who can walk and doesn't have a bariatric handicap. It has limited views out, and if you are elderly and want to enjoy more than your room, it's best to go up the stairs when you entrain and down them when you detrain and otherwise stay on the upper level.
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I'd second this--those narrow stairs can be daunting when the train is moving. If your room is upstairs you need climb/down them only once, and that when the train is stopped at a station.. If your room is downstairs, you'll need to climb up every time you want to go to another car (dining, observation, cafe...)

Train travel is an excellent way for older folks with mobility problems to see a lot, without having to walk a lot.

My elderly dad and I have made several long-distance Amtrak trips in recent years, which he's enjoyed very much. He wallks with a cane, due to balance problems--but finds it easier to just park the cane while he's on the train, since there's always something to grab onto within easy reach as you're moving along the train.

Do let your folks know about the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago--if they've got a sleeper reservation, they wait for the train there in comfort. At the desk when they check in, they should say they'll want a redcap to take them and their baggage to their car on the train.

If you have other questions, please ask! Many people on this forum have experience with Amtrak travel by elders.
 
It is good that your parent's want to travel at their age, and train travel is an excellent

choice. I have taken my father-in-law from New York to Florida for ocean cruises

on several occasions on the train. We get a bedroom and he takes his meals in the

room. With the bathroom, lower bunk and large window, he has always been happy

traveling on the Silvers. Our last trip was when he was 95 years of age.

I hope your parent's trip is most enjoyable.
 
I think they'll be fine on the train. Just in case, make sure they talk to their attendant and explain tha they're hard of hearing and need help with their luggage. Make sure they get a RedCap at the Chicago station, and tell them to ask for a RedCap at the LA station.

You didn't say whether they're going one way or round trip. I have had the most trouble getting help going from the curb to the waiting room in Los Angeles. Can they carry their own luggage around the station? That will help a lot in getting *to* the RedCaps.
 
Thanks so much for all the responses! I absolutely LOVE riding the train and am so glad they're going to be able to have that experience. There was just the little cloud of worry hanging there because of their ages but I feel much better after reading all of your responses.

I accumulated a lot of Rewards points for my trips on the SWC, so I was able to apply them to their trip and get them the bedroom sleeper that has the bathroom in it. I think they'll be very comfortable in that room since there's lots of space to spread out and the bathroom right there. I just hope the speaker works! I had a broken speaker once.

I had thought about putting them in the downstairs room but it seems to me that it's basically a roomette setup with space for a wheelchair and a bathroom. One of them would have to sleep on the upper bunk. Neither of them needs a wheelchair and in the upstairs bedroom, they might be able to both fit on the bottom bed so my stepdad won't have to climb up to the bunk. He's a spry old guy (still does his own yard work!) so he could if he had to, but I hope the lower bed is wide enough. And like some of you mentioned, they only need to use the steps twice; when they get on and get off. Mom walks up and down steps in her house several times a day, so this will be fine. Better that they're up where they can walk to the dining car.

Thanks again for your responses! I feel much better now! Any additional tips will be welcome.
 
The lower bunk in a Superliner bedroom is approximately the same size as a twin mattress.

Twin mattress: 39" x 75"

Lower bunk: 40" x 75"
 
Neroden, they'll be getting off in San Bernardino, which is closer to my house than LA and we'll be right out on the platform waiting for them, so thankfully no LA station to worry about. And yes, it will be round trip. I did tell them about the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago and even sent them a little map of Union Station so they can leave and get some lunch at the food court. It's a three hour lay-over there because they'll be taking the Blue Water to Chicago. My sister will help them board the train in East Lansing, MI. I booked them business class seats on the Blue Water, hoping they'll get a little better service that way. I meant to ask you all about business class, too. I hope it's a little better than regular coach. If they tell the Blue Water car attendant in business class that they need a redcap when they get off in Chicago, will that work?
 
Thanks, Sarah Z for the info on the bottom bunk. If it's the size of a twin bed, they'll fit just fine. They're both pretty slim. Good to know! :)
 
The Blue Water is one of my trains. :) I board in Kalamazoo.

Business Class is quite nice. The seats are bigger and have leg rests, so it feels like a recliner. They'll get a free, non-alcoholic drink in the snack car, which is basically the other half of the business class car. It's not very far to walk at all, just a few steps. There is a hand rail in the snack car so they can keep steady while waiting (if there's a line).

They can ask the conductor about a redcap when their tickets are scanned. There are usually redcaps waiting, as well. Sometimes it can take a little while, so the conductors just have everyone relax in their seats until the redcaps arrive.
 
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Oops, I guess I didn't put my name on those last few posts.....Guest_Guest is me, Val59. (I'm a newbie here! :blush: )
 
I think you said that you used reward points to get them a bedroom on the SWC. That means it is a 2 zone award from Chicago. It is also a 2 zone award from East Lansing. This 2 zone award includes both trains for both of them - and also includes BC on the Blue Water for both of them! :)

I hope that you booked the award right from/to East Lansing! Also, they can use the Metropolitan Lounge both ways! :)
 
There is an individual volume control in each room. Make sure they ask the train attendant to turn it all the way up so the speaker in the room is on and your parents should have no problem hearing announcements.
 
brentrain17 said:
There is an individual volume control in each room. Make sure they ask the train attendant to turn it all the way up so the speaker in the room is on and your parents should have no problem hearing announcements.
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Unless they get a refurbished Superliner. We didn't have a volume control or PA channel dial on our last trip.

1508262_10101328820001164_1736843704_n.jpg

The control under the reading light is "on/off".

Then, from top to bottom, you have the "Hold to Call" attendant button, and then "Room", "Off", and "Night" light buttons.

The other side has a power outlet, reading light, and the air/heat control.
 
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Traveler, I'm fanatic about getting every point possible for every mile any of my family rides on Amtrak. Every one of them are members and we can swap and share points. Those points can really add up, especially since we always travel long distance and always get a room. Also, this month and next are double days, so they'll be getting double points for this trip! :) :) :)
 
Val59 said:
Traveler, I'm fanatic about getting every point possible for every mile any of my family rides on Amtrak. Every one of them are members and we can swap and share points. Those points can really add up, especially since we always travel long distance and always get a room. Also, this month and next are double days, so they'll be getting double points for this trip! :) :) :)
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I thought you said you booked the trip with points. If so, they will not earn points on the trip.
 
Well, my parents have finished their trip and I thought I'd follow up with some comments on their experience.

Overall, they had a very good time and enjoyed their trip. They had no trouble walking on the train as I feared. They said the aisles were so narrow that it would have been hard to fall and there were plenty of things to hold onto. They didn't need to ask for a meal in their room even once. They loved meeting people in the dining car and enjoyed the food and of course the scenery. The twin-sized lower bed in their bedroom sleeper was plenty big enough for both of them and they said they were perfectly comfortable. They are not large people, though, so it may not work as well for larger folks.

The speakers were broken in their bedroom on both legs of the trip. My parents had to rely on their car attendant to tell them everything they needed to know. This worked out ok, but it would be nice if Amtrak would repair the speakers on their trains. Half the rooms I've been in had broken speakers as well so this is not just an occasional problem.

A couple of suggestions:

Print out an enlarged copy of the train schedule for elderly. The schedules on the train have very small and confusing print.

If elderly passengers need to have a ride on the cart to and from their train to the station, they need to have on their reservations that they need a "cart". Just saying that they need a "redcap" isn't enough. My parents didn't have "cart" on the first leg of their trip, only "redcap". They thought they had found a cart on their first train switch in Chicago, but the cart driver loaded their bags on the cart then told them there was only room for one person! My poor 89-year-old stepfather had to walk. Actually, he almost had to run to keep up with the cart because he didn't know where it was going! It really was a stress on him. That was the worst part of the trip and I talked to Amtrak about it. They did apologize and said someone should have known a person that age (almost 90!!) would need a cart. So if you want a cart, make sure it is known from the start and "cart" is on the reservation. We had "cart" added to their reservation and the rest of the trip went well. They ended up getting a lot of help from the Amtrak staff.

Overall, they had a great time and are having a lot of fun showing their pictures and telling everyone about their adventure.

Thanks again for all the tips and info from this thread.
 
Glad they liked the trip and most everything went well.

Re tiny print on the schedule: I sometimes print the schedule from amtrak.com so I can print only the parts I want, leave space to take notes on the same page, and enlarge it enough to read without my glasses. Sometimes I use the route guide as the source instead and add scheduled times to it.
 
Amtrak offers an ideal way for senior citizens to travel. One only has to look toward the Autotrain and the high percentage of seniors that use it. Senior "snowbirds" probably make up the bulk of the passengers on that route. Train travel offers FAR more room than air travel and I would say that its more comfortable for the elderly. On the Superliners I would say that the bedrooms on the second level are the ideal choice for seniors, except for those that must have handicapped facilities.
 
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