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Looking for some advice and feedback on our Zephyr itinerary. Keep in mind - we plan to travel this December (when it gets dark very early) - using some AGR points, and some unused vouchers. Looking at the 2nd week of December, here is our question...
Our original plan was to board in Ashland, VA (near our home) and take NE Regional to Washington, then the Capital Limited to Chicago, and the Zephyr to Emeryville. Then fly home from SFO. I was going to purchase a low bucket fare on the Cap Limited to reach Toledo in a Roomette (just $249 total for two) and use AGR from Toledo to Emeryville (2 zone/20,000 points) for a roomette. And we would have a nice transcontinental train trip.
However, after some thought - knowing it will be December, and the sun sets at around 4:45 PM in DC, I thought that we would much prefer the Cardinal with a morning departure from DC (actually - Alexandria, VA). But the Cardinal will cost quite a bit more to get to Cincinnati - which is where we could use our two zone award to Emeryville. So I pondered all this and came up with a new plan. We would use a two zone award from Ashland - and take the Cardinal to Chicago and the Zephyr to Denver. Then simply purchase two coach fares from DEN to Grand Junction. We would just spend that day in the Sightseer Lounge anyway, and hop off at Grand Junction at dusk. After a night in a hotel in Grand Junction, we would just head back to Virginia, coach to DEN and then a two zone (20,000) award to get home.
By making this change, we will miss that last day on the Zephyr (mostly from around Reno to Emeryville), since the section before Reno is mostly at night. Any thoughts on cutting out Donner Pass and the Sierra Nevada Mountains area. I was looking forward to that part of the trip. But not wild about flying back and all that. And I don't have the time right now, to go both ways (coast to coast) on the train. And I do like the idea of returning on the train from Grand Junction - with more daylight time on the train (especially in Iowa) and taking the Cap Limited Eastbound into DC - which is all daylight after Connellsville, PA when traveling East.
Sorry for all the info, just may help you to better understand our thoughts. I guess we are leaning to the round trip to Grand Junction and back, verses a one way trip across the US - going westbound on the Cap Limited (in December) and then on the Zephyr. Just hate to miss that last day on the Zephyr.
Thanks,
Mike
Our original plan was to board in Ashland, VA (near our home) and take NE Regional to Washington, then the Capital Limited to Chicago, and the Zephyr to Emeryville. Then fly home from SFO. I was going to purchase a low bucket fare on the Cap Limited to reach Toledo in a Roomette (just $249 total for two) and use AGR from Toledo to Emeryville (2 zone/20,000 points) for a roomette. And we would have a nice transcontinental train trip.
However, after some thought - knowing it will be December, and the sun sets at around 4:45 PM in DC, I thought that we would much prefer the Cardinal with a morning departure from DC (actually - Alexandria, VA). But the Cardinal will cost quite a bit more to get to Cincinnati - which is where we could use our two zone award to Emeryville. So I pondered all this and came up with a new plan. We would use a two zone award from Ashland - and take the Cardinal to Chicago and the Zephyr to Denver. Then simply purchase two coach fares from DEN to Grand Junction. We would just spend that day in the Sightseer Lounge anyway, and hop off at Grand Junction at dusk. After a night in a hotel in Grand Junction, we would just head back to Virginia, coach to DEN and then a two zone (20,000) award to get home.
By making this change, we will miss that last day on the Zephyr (mostly from around Reno to Emeryville), since the section before Reno is mostly at night. Any thoughts on cutting out Donner Pass and the Sierra Nevada Mountains area. I was looking forward to that part of the trip. But not wild about flying back and all that. And I don't have the time right now, to go both ways (coast to coast) on the train. And I do like the idea of returning on the train from Grand Junction - with more daylight time on the train (especially in Iowa) and taking the Cap Limited Eastbound into DC - which is all daylight after Connellsville, PA when traveling East.
Sorry for all the info, just may help you to better understand our thoughts. I guess we are leaning to the round trip to Grand Junction and back, verses a one way trip across the US - going westbound on the Cap Limited (in December) and then on the Zephyr. Just hate to miss that last day on the Zephyr.
Thanks,
Mike