We are travelling ATL to WAS via the Crescent. After a short stay we are headed onto NYP on the Acela Express. We return on the Crescent NYP to ATL. Has anyone experienced weather delays or cancellations on the Crescent? Is it common for the Crescent in the Northeast? My guess is that it is rare for this train, but am looking for additional thoughts.

We are travelling with Viewliner Roomette accomodations. Can anyone share their experiences travelling in a roomette on the Crescent? Also, my wife (her first train trip) will be 20 weeks pregnant, so are there any concerns I might need to know about?

I also have questions about food on this long of a route. Generally, how does this work? Do they just make a call, "dinner now available for next two hours"? Are there soft drinks, etc readily available at all times or just selected times? What about checking baggage? I would prefer to keep it in our room, but would like your thoughts. Any safety concerns on an overnight train? I assume the room doors do lock.

In general, I'd be glad to read any comments for those that have travelled this route.

We are very excited about our trip and I think we'll have a great time.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!!

[This message has been edited by RamblinBuzz (edited 01-19-2005).]

We bought two roomettes since that was less expensive than the deluxe would have been. Very comfortable. There is a lot more room in the upper than on the Superliners. And you have the windows up there that you don't get on the Superliner. And the toilet/sink in your room. One of you will probably want to leave the room, though.

Have a great trip!

Breakfast typically opens at 6:30AM and continues through 9AM. Announcements are usually not made until around 8AM, so that late sleepers are not disturbed, but you can go any time after 6:30AM. Lunch usually runs from 11:30AM to 1:00PM or so. An announcement is made, but if you do not hear one, simply go to the dining car.

For dinner, an attendant usually walks in advance through the sleeping cars and gives you a choice of seating times, such as 5PM, 6:30Pm or 8PM. A less-crowded train may offer two times, such 5:30PM or 7PM. Then you go at that time. You will likely share a table with someone else, which is one of the better parts, I think, because you get to meet other folks.

The roomette is very small, so there is very little room (only about two feet) to stand once the beds are down. One person usually leaves the room while the other uses the toilet. There is a sink. There is a shower down the hall--a good idea is to bring a little travel kit with any toiletries you need. (Soap and towels are provided.)

As for baggage, though there is an overhead storage bin in your roomette, it is not huge. I find it much easier to check baggage, as I have no desire to lug it around Penn Station. In Atlanta you simply check it at the counter and you are done. Same at New York.

Also, be sure to use the Club Acela while you are in Penn Station. You are entitled to this as a sleeper passenger. You can get refreshments, make calls, read, watch TV and use the phone. It is a quiet respite from the hectic environs of NYP.

On Superliner consists there is generally ice available from a chest in the coffee/juice area of the sleeper. IF someone with more recent Viewliner sleeper experience confirms that ice is availbale in viewliner sleepers as well, you may want to bring your own soft drink(s). My wife and I have been known to carry a 2-liter diet soda on-board with us when we're in the sleeper.

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Originally posted by RamblinBuzz:
Any safety concerns on an overnight train? I assume the room doors do lock.

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You can lock the door only when you're inside the room. When you leave to go to the dining car or cafe car, simply pull the door curtain completely across (so no one passing your room will see it's unoccupied) and slide the door closed. I always leave my door open just a crack, since I was once locked out of a Superliner room due to a malfunctioning door latch.

Thefts on trains are rare (and thefts in sleeping cars even rarer). But it's a good idea to stash your camera, cell phone, and any other expensive items out of sight before leaving the room. And both of you should always take your wallets with you.

You should also wrap a bit of duct tape around a pencil and bring it with you. It's good for silencing any "loose fixture" squeaks that might crop up in your room when the train is in motion. I also use it for fastening the curtains in place, to prevent light from the corridor (and outside the train) from leaking in around the curtain edges at night.

Dilly's idea of wrapping some duct tape around a pencil is a great idea. I believe someone else mentioned a product called gaffer's tape. The car attendant had his own supply which he applied liberally to hold a fan vent on that kept falling in my room.

Frank in SBA where I am hearing train horns again. Must be repair trains heading up the coast to Gaviota.

I'll try to post a trip recap late February and let everyone know how it went.

Enjoy reading the many posts on this website.

Thanks again!!

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Originally posted by City of Miami:
Is dinner available to sleeper passengers (me! 4/3) boarding in Atlanta northbound #20??
Thanks.

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