frugalist
Lead Service Attendant
I am now officially starting to get excited about our upcoming summer vacation. We will be traveling cross-country on Amtrak, then taking a cruise to Alaska, then traveling back home on Amtrak. I've been reading this board extensively for 18 months and have tried to assimilate much of the accumulated knowledge of this great community. I've also taken a few trips on Amtrak, so I now have some personal experience. What I'm looking for now are those little tidbits, those secret gems, that make the difference in the train-riding adventure.
I know about the Club Acela/Metropolitan Lounge in Washington, New York, Chicago and Portland.
I know tipping is a sensitive and personal subject. The cruise line puts your daily tips right on your onboard account. The default tip is $11 per person ($22 per couple) per day. About $3.50 per person ($7 per couple) is designated for your room steward. The remaining $7.50 per person ($15 per couple) is for the food & beverage staff. Following those guidelines, we expect to budget $22 per day for tips as follows: $7 per night for the SCA. Dining car staff tips of $3 for breakfast, $5 for lunch and $7 for dinner. Those are default amounts to be adjusted up or down based on quality of service.
So, what are the insider tips we need to know to make this trip the trip of our lifetimes? Here's our itinerary:
#98 Silver Meteor - Sebring to New York (4hr 30min layover)
#49 Lake Shore Limited - New York to Chicago (4hr 15 min layover)
#5 California Zephyr - Chicago to Emeryville (6hr layover)
#14 Coast Starlight - Emeryville to Seattle
overnight in Seattle
#510 Amtrak Cascades - Seattle to Vancouver, BC
cruise to Alaska, returning to Vancouver
#513 Amtrak Cascades - Vancouver, BC to Portland, OR (1hr 50min layover)
#28 Empire Builder - Portland, OR to Chicago (2hr 15min layover)
#30 Capitol Limited - Chicago to Washington (6hr 20min layover)
#97 Silver Meteor - Washington to Sebring
Thanks to all for your help, not just in this thread, but over the past 18 months.
I know about the Club Acela/Metropolitan Lounge in Washington, New York, Chicago and Portland.
I know tipping is a sensitive and personal subject. The cruise line puts your daily tips right on your onboard account. The default tip is $11 per person ($22 per couple) per day. About $3.50 per person ($7 per couple) is designated for your room steward. The remaining $7.50 per person ($15 per couple) is for the food & beverage staff. Following those guidelines, we expect to budget $22 per day for tips as follows: $7 per night for the SCA. Dining car staff tips of $3 for breakfast, $5 for lunch and $7 for dinner. Those are default amounts to be adjusted up or down based on quality of service.
So, what are the insider tips we need to know to make this trip the trip of our lifetimes? Here's our itinerary:
#98 Silver Meteor - Sebring to New York (4hr 30min layover)
#49 Lake Shore Limited - New York to Chicago (4hr 15 min layover)
#5 California Zephyr - Chicago to Emeryville (6hr layover)
#14 Coast Starlight - Emeryville to Seattle
overnight in Seattle
#510 Amtrak Cascades - Seattle to Vancouver, BC
cruise to Alaska, returning to Vancouver
#513 Amtrak Cascades - Vancouver, BC to Portland, OR (1hr 50min layover)
#28 Empire Builder - Portland, OR to Chicago (2hr 15min layover)
#30 Capitol Limited - Chicago to Washington (6hr 20min layover)
#97 Silver Meteor - Washington to Sebring
Thanks to all for your help, not just in this thread, but over the past 18 months.