Thanks to all who helped me plan the trip with two granddaughters from San Diego to Seattle and return this summer. We had a great time, food was excellent, our family bedroom was plenty large and scenery was unbelievable. However, there were some problems. Because of the darned Santa Fe, we arrived in Seattle much later than expected & arrived back in L.A.(to catch the Surfliner to San Diego) at midnight instead of 9 pm. The parents drove up from San Diego so we wouldn't have to take the bus. The staff onboard was friendly & helpful except our room steward but we didn't allow him to interfere with our great train experience. I wrote Amtrak afterward and complained about the schedules and darned if they didn't send me a $750. credit!! Well, glutton for punishment, I'm now taking the other 2 grandkids on the same trip, same time, next summer. Questions: 1) Even though the fares are lower now than when I booked earlier this year, do you think they will go down after Christmas? 2) Are they still having problems re. Santa Fe or has that cleared up? 3) anything else new that I should know about? Thanks!
Posted by RRCHINA (Member # 1514) on :
Are you thinking of Union Pacific instead of Santa Fe ( who no longer exists )although their successor BNSF is perhaps involved between Portland and Seattle??
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Fares after New Years may be lower, as that is the beginning of a slowdown in the travel season. It also helps to book early. Generally speaking, fares tend to go up as trains fill up.
More than likely your delays were caused by UP, not BNSF. The latter is generally good at keeping Amtrak on time, while UP is notorious for delays. UP owns and controls things from LA to Portland, while BNSF takes you from Portland to Seattle.
I'm glad you're making the effort to try again. As you discovered, Amtrak isn't perfect, but it can still be fun anyway.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Generally the longer you wait to buy your tickets the higher the price. The reason is that they have so many rooms at each price and when the lowest are gone they go to the next level. Also remember that there are only 5 bedrooms per car so they tend to go very quickly. I never seen the price go down.Possibly others have.
Posted by GrandmaLinda (Member # 3666) on :
Sorry, perhaps my error was in accusing Santa Fe. The delays were due to repairs of the track and usage by what I thought was Santa Fe. It's whoever owns the tracks, not Amtrak. It wasn't Amtrak's fault that we suffered such delays but it sure was nice of them to credit me $750. I must be suffering from too much egg nog to think the fares would go down. I think I better book now. Thanks!
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
I'm also glad that you're going to give it another shot. Maybe you'll consider giving the 'Southwest Chief', where timekeeping is generally better, a try.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Next time you go, you might consider what I am doing--take the Coast Starlight only as far south as San Luis Obispo, spend two nights there (I hope to visit San Simeon on the full day), and take the Pacific Surfliner the rest of the way south (I think am making another stopover in Santa Barbara on my sojourn, if I can afford the hotels there!). The southbound CS is due into SLO around 3:30 in the afternoon, so even if it's notoriously late, you should make it to a hotel there at a reasonable hour.
You could take David (Not Elvis)'s advice and take the SW Chief but then do a loop in which you return on the California Zephyr before coming back down on the Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner as I've described. The loop can take you as far as Chicago (where you would have to overnight--but I loved doing that this summer on my way east) or further east, or you could do that bus thing from Raton to Denver (with which I'm not familiar). The Zephyr from Denver to Sacramento is simply magnificent, and the SW Chief in Arizona and New Mexico (I have only been as far west as Flagstaff thus far) were pretty great too, esp the Red Rocks between Gallup and Albuquerque, Apache Valley past Lamy, and the cool Raton Pass into Colorado.
Posted by GrandmaLinda (Member # 3666) on :
Well, I just booked our trip for next June, same trip and schedule as I did with the other 2 grandchildren this June. For a family bedroom, L.A. to Tacoma and return was $1338.30 and I haven't even applied my gift certificate from Amtrak of $750. yet. I was surprised to be told that if the fare goes down after Jan. 1st, Amtrak will refund the difference. How nice! Smart marketing ploy. I was disappointed to hear the schedules have not changed. We are due to arrive in Tacoma at 7 pm but the last few days show it arriving 2 hrs. 50 mins., 4-1/2 hrs. and 3 hrs. late. We are supposed to arrive back in L.A. at 9 pm but the last few days show it arriving 4 hrs. late and today it arrived at 1:15 am. I wonder if another complaint will get me another gift certificate?????
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
There is another option for the SWC-CZ loop sojourner suggests. If you did not want to overnight in Chicago you could do your turnaround at Galesburg -a convenient transfer point between the SWC and CZ with ample time for a late train. It is a modern depot in a good area with a nice midwestern town to explore.
Also, the turnaround using the Raton-Denver bus could be done on the cheap with Guest Reward points because it is all in the same zone as California. Lots of scenery for the money there. It would require an overnight in Denver without much time to do anything but sleep.
Posted by City of Miami (Member # 2922) on :
quote:Originally posted by TwinStarRocket:
Also, the turnaround using the Raton-Denver bus could be done on the cheap with Guest Reward points because it is all in the same zone as California. Lots of scenery for the money there. It would require an overnight in Denver without much time to do anything but sleep.
Posted by City of Miami (Member # 2922) on :
How would that work, TSR? Do you mean you could do the whole thing on 15K GR points?
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
"Do you mean you could do the whole thing on 15K GR points?"
No, only that you would be able to do a "One Zone" trip originating in CA and still take 3 of Amtrak's most scenic routes(SWC/CZ/CS). It would probably be 15K each way in a Roomette. But if you went any further east, 2 zones would be 20K each way. ABQ-DEN is still within the western zone.
I just tried some trips on the website to see what routes came up. LAX-Grand Junction, CO routed me via Galesburg Illinois only, no CZ option! Strange. EME-DEN gave me 2 options besides the CZ, both through ABQ.
I am no expert on Guest Rewards, but I doubt if you can go LAX-Emeryville via Denver as a one-way.
Posted by mikesmith (Member # 447) on :
I could burn 15000 points with the Albuquerque to LAX to Sacramento to Denver and back to Albuquerque. The circle route.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
I was disappointed to hear the schedules have not changed. We are due to arrive in Tacoma at 7 pm but the last few days show it arriving 2 hrs. 50 mins., 4-1/2 hrs. and 3 hrs. late. We are supposed to arrive back in L.A. at 9 pm but the last few days show it arriving 4 hrs. late and today it arrived at 1:15 am. I wonder if another complaint will get me another gift certificate?????