Taking my first trip: A bunch of questions

[cpotisch]

I think you didn’t quite realize just how much better a Roomette is than Coach. Especially considering the fact that you apparently really don’t want to sit next to someone, and a Roomette is completely your own room with complete and utter privacy.  

Haha you keep making me seem like some anti-social person. I'm not. I just didn't think the trains would be that full for such long trips, that's all. So it was an expectation vs. reality thing. I've never really traveled like this before.

I do not “keep making you seem like” anything. You brought up the subject of someone possibly sitting next to you a bunch of times in a bunch of posts, so I simply concluded that you seem to at least prefer the space to yourself. That’s all.

 

[jebr]

I'd also vote roomette in the Star vs. coach on the Meteor. Either way you're having to buy your own food, and when I travel in coach I'll often bring my own food on board anyways so I won't have to pay the fairly high prices for diner service. Plus, with a sleeper it's easier to kick back and relax, and if you're of age you can bring on your own alcohol. There's something wonderful about grabbing a local beer or two at a store near the train station and then enjoying it while watching the scenery go by in your private roomette.

 

[trnzone]

I'd also vote roomette in the Star vs. coach on the Meteor. Either way you're having to buy your own food, and when I travel in coach I'll often bring my own food on board anyways so I won't have to pay the fairly high prices for diner service. Plus, with a sleeper it's easier to kick back and relax, and if you're of age you can bring on your own alcohol. There's something wonderful about grabbing a local beer or two at a store near the train station and then enjoying it while watching the scenery go by in your private roomette.

Um ... I did not know you could do that with alcohol. Is that legit allowed? How much time (approx) do you get at the stops?

 

[PVD]

Personal alcohol may be consumed in your own room. You can't bring it to the diner or lounge. 

 

[trnzone]

Personal alcohol may be consumed in your own room. You can't bring it to the diner or lounge. 

Nice. I assume some of the stops have convenience stores and the like?

 

[PVD]

Stops are on the timetable and most of them are pretty quick. There are service and crew change stops that are longer, you will see them as arrive/depart, if the train is running late, they can be shortened, follow crew instructions fully when stepping off at any stop where it is permitted. I'm not sure what the timetable looks like in terms of which stations are the longer ones and don't really remember station services and times except for WAS (power swap). The best recommendation is to bring along what you expect to use in terms of snacks and drinks. Enough to enjoy - not get in trouble.......

 

[trnzone]

Stops are on the timetable and most of them are pretty quick. There are service and crew change stops that are longer, you will see them as arrive/depart, if the train is running late, they can be shortened, follow crew instructions fully when stepping off at any stop where it is permitted. I'm not sure what the timetable looks like in terms of which stations are the longer ones and don't really remember station services and times except for WAS (power swap). The best recommendation is to bring along what you expect to use in terms of snacks and drinks. Enough to enjoy - not get in trouble.......

Gotcha. The idea of getting off to pick up some local brews was interesting. 

 

[PVD]

While crawl is a word often associated with train travel, pub crawl is not exactly the same thing!

 

[ehbowen]

Exactly. Unless the train is running early (it won't leave early), do not leave the station. When it's time to leave, they will not wait for you. Buy your food and preferred libations before you board in Fort Lauderdale.

 

[cpotisch]

I'd also vote roomette in the Star vs. coach on the Meteor. Either way you're having to buy your own food, and when I travel in coach I'll often bring my own food on board anyways so I won't have to pay the fairly high prices for diner service. Plus, with a sleeper it's easier to kick back and relax, and if you're of age you can bring on your own alcohol. There's something wonderful about grabbing a local beer or two at a store near the train station and then enjoying it while watching the scenery go by in your private roomette.

 Um ... I did not know you could do that with alcohol. Is that legit allowed? How much time (approx) do you get at the stops?

Only sleeper passengers, and only in their own accomodations. You can get (mediocre and relatively expensive) booze in the diner or cafe car and drink it in those respective cars, but if it’s your own stock, you can only consume it in your room.

Unfortunately, the train will only be in the vast majority of stations for a couple minutes, and you won’t be allowed to get off altogether. However there are occasional fresh air stops (typically where they’re refueling or swapping out the crew), at which the train may be in the station for as long as a half an hour or 45 minutes. But even at those, I highly recommend you stay on the platform right by the train. It will leave without you if you are not back on in time, and it’s always possible for someone to think they know the scheduled departure time, but actually are off by 10 minutes and get stranded. Point is, don’t run the risk, buy your booze in advance, and enjoy the ride.

 

[trnzone]

Only sleeper passengers, and only in their own accomodations. You can get (mediocre and relatively expensive) booze in the diner or cafe car and drink it in those respective cars, but if it’s your own stock, you can only consume it in your room.

Unfortunately, the train will only be in the vast majority of stations for a couple minutes, and you won’t be allowed to get off altogether. However there are occasional fresh air stops (typically where they’re refueling or swapping out the crew), at which the train may be in the station for as long as a half an hour or 45 minutes. But even at those, I highly recommend you stay on the platform right by the train. It will leave without you if you are not back on in time, and it’s always possible for someone to think they know the scheduled departure time, but actually are off by 10 minutes and get stranded. Point is, don’t run the risk, buy your booze in advance, and enjoy the ride.

Got it. Sounds like a collapsible cooler is in order.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Unfortunately, the train will only be in the vast majority of stations for a couple minutes, and you won’t be allowed to get off altogether. However there are occasional fresh air stops (typically where they’re refueling or swapping out the crew), at which the train may be in the station for as long as a half an hour or 45 minutes. But even at those, I highly recommend you stay on the platform right by the train. It will leave without you if you are not back on in time, and it’s always possible for someone to think they know the scheduled departure time, but actually are off by 10 minutes and get stranded. Point is, don’t run the risk, buy your booze in advance, and enjoy the ride.

If you have a twenty or thirty minute stop and you're an alert person with good situational awareness then it's no big deal to leave the platform.  I would recommend being back on the platform at least five minutes before scheduled departure because every once in a blue moon they'll close up and move the train forward a few minutes early for some reason.  The train will technically be in the station area but with the doors closed and moved beyond the boarding platform.  That being said, sometimes a long stop becomes a short stop if the train is running late and if you screw up even a tiny bit Amtrak will not hold the train and it could be a day or more before the next trains shows up.

 

[trnzone]

Hey all. You were so helpful. Looks like I am going to book a roomette.

I did still want to be as thrifty as I can considering the price. Is there any way to find out what the lowest bucket available is for a particular trip so I can try and make sure I get that?

I looked at WPB to NYP for a 20-day period on amsnag. $416 is the cheapest in that range and there are three other prices: 477, 575 and 672. Are there more than four buckets? 

 

[Ryan]

You're practically on expert mode already if you've done that legwork.

There is a 5th bucket out there, but it's going to be higher.

 

[cpotisch]

Hey all. You were so helpful. Looks like I am going to book a roomette.

I did still want to be as thrifty as I can considering the price. Is there any way to find out what the lowest bucket available is for a particular trip so I can try and make sure I get that?

I looked at WPB to NYP for a 20-day period on amsnag. $416 is the cheapest in that range and there are three other prices: 477, 575 and 672. Are there more than four buckets? 

As Ryan said, there are five buckets total. Fundamentally, there is only one way to completely determine what the low bucket is: try to find all five different buckets, and once you do, conclude from there. That is definitely a pain, but I can tell you that in this case, the $416 you saw is indeed the lowest bucket.

 

[Ryan]

If you want to delve further, dig up some of the charts that 1@niemi24s[/USER] has put together. 

He only tracks end-to-end fares, but WPB—NYP is essentially (if not exactly) the same. 

 

[pennyk]

As Ryan said, there are five buckets total. Fundamentally, there is only one way to completely determine what the low bucket is: try to find all five different buckets, and once you do, conclude from there. That is definitely a pain, but I can tell you that in this case, the $416 you saw is indeed the lowest bucket.

I just booked a trip from Orlando to NYP and the fare was $411 (before senior discount) and I was pretty pleased.  I am not sure if there is a lower bucket, but if there is, there probably are not many rooms at that bucket.

 

[cpotisch]

If you want to delve further, dig up some of the charts that 1@niemi24s[/USER] has put together. 

He only tracks end-to-end fares, but WPB—NYP is essentially (if not exactly) the same. 

For a Roomette, NYP-MIA is literally $4 more expensive than NYP-WPB. So yeah, they're essentially the same.

 

[trnzone]

I'd quote-reply individually, but you all basically said the same thing. Thanks! Looks like that price is actually the date I wanted to go, too, so I'm going to book tomorrow and hope it lasts. (It's also on the shorter trip WITH meals. Only $30 more than the 4-hour longer trip without meals.)

 

[cpotisch]

I'd quote-reply individually, but you all basically said the same thing. Thanks! Looks like that price is actually the date I wanted to go, too, so I'm going to book tomorrow and hope it lasts.

Yay, sounds like you hit the jackpot! And BTW, nice job figuring out buckets and using Amsnag and such.

(It's also on the shorter trip WITH meals. Only $30 more than the 4-hour longer trip without meals.)

You know that that's the Silver Meteor and Silver Star, respectively, right?

 

[trnzone]

Yay, sounds like you hit the jackpot! And BTW, nice job figuring out buckets and using Amsnag and such.

You know that that's the Silver Meteor and Silver Star, respectively, right?

Meteor is shorter w/ meals, Star is longer w/o ... right?

For $30 difference doesn't it makes sense to save 4 hours and eat?

 

[cpotisch]

Meteor is shorter w/ meals, Star is longer w/o ... right?

Yep, correct.

For $30 difference doesn't it makes sense to save 4 hours and eat?

100%, without a doubt, yes.

I mean, I personally would consider the extra four hours on the Star as a benefit, but since meals are way more important to me than the extra time on the train, it’s still DEFINITELY worth the extra $30.

 

[trnzone]

Yep, correct.

100%, without a doubt, yes.

I mean, I personally would consider the extra four hours on the Star as a benefit, but since meals are way more important to me than the extra time on the train, it’s still DEFINITELY worth the extra $30.

Well, this is my first go of it. I may feel that way in the future, but right now I'm thinking about getting there as quick as possible. Also, Meteor is an AM departure vs. PM, which is nice, though I guess I'll pass by the best part of the trip at night.

 

[Ryan]

Eh, there really is no "best" part, it's all pretty boring, scenery-wise.

 

[trnzone]

Eh, there really is no "best" part, it's all pretty boring, scenery-wise.

Oh, that's disappointing. But I guess that's true, not really going out West or anything.

Is it mostly all flat terrain or are there long parts over water or anything?