So glad to find an Amtrak forum,

[abbynormal]

I shouldn't be surprised after watching some videos on Youtube lastnight, that there would be a forum around the www. This is so great as I had myself very confused just trying to find the nearest Amtrak Station to my, remote area on the NW coast of California (almost to the Oregon border).

Can't wait to meet some peeps, and research all the info I can as I hope to be taking a trip to the Southwest in or/around October.

Abby

PS I better get my profile filled in now

 

[TinCan782]

Perhaps Klamath Falls and the Coast Starlight.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Welcome aboard!

Lots of our members live in rural and remote areas away from Amtrak Stations,and some even live in other Countries, so must travel great distances to ride Amtrak!

 

[abbynormal]

Perhaps Klamath Falls and the Coast Starlight.

Hi John! Thank you for saying hello! Yes, Klamath Falls is not a bad drive for me from CC (crescent city) and I am checking out our RCT (Redwood Coast Transit) or there may be another that takes a person directly to Eugene or Klamath, not sure yet. I am not opposed to riding a bus to an Amtrak Station. I want to leave my auto at home so maybe down to our local RCT, then that will get me further South to either Greyhound, and/or Amtrak. Lots' to research for sure

 

[abbynormal]

Welcome aboard!

Lots of our members live in rural and remote areas away from Amtrak Stations,and some even live in other Countries, so must travel great distances to ride Amtrak!

Hi Bob

Yes, I will have to do that, but it's all ok with me. My gal-friend in Texas and I have been "just" talking about this for ages, but I'm going to take action, and I know she will too Love the forum, and thank you for the welcome, and info

 

[Bob Dylan]

You're welcome!

I have several friends that live in rural Northern Cali, Oregon and Washington State who must travel to get to Amtrak Stations including using buses or driving.

You didn't indicate where you wanted to travel too but the suggestion about the Coast Starlight is a good one.

Two Routes you might want to ride for the Scenery are the California Zephyr from Sacramento to Denver and the Empire Builder to Glacier Park out of Portland or Seattle!

Riding the,Cascades to Vancouver,BC is also wonderful!

 

[abbynormal]

You're welcome!

I have several friends that live in rural Northern Cali, Oregon and Washington State who must travel to get to Amtrak Stations including using buses or driving.

You didn't indicate where you wanted to travel too but the suggestion about the Coast Starlight is a good one.

Two Routes you might want to ride for the Scenery are the California Zephyr from Sacramento to Denver and the Empire Builder to Glacier Park out of Portland or Seattle!

Riding the,Cascades to Vancouver,BC is also wonderful!

I've just talked to our local RCT, but they turned me onto the Southwest Shuttle that would take me clear to Klamath Falls for 5 bucks more is all. If I go the RCT, I have to board a Greyhound and go down the coast to an Amtrak. I am liking the sound of the K-Falls route so far But I'm still open to suggestions. I have some time to work it all out I can also get a sleeper room within my budget!! I'm so excited. I am a senior that doesn't do much in this small area, and I do love to travel but do not enjoy driving as I did when I was younger 64 now, but working at staying active by walking a lot.

On the videos I'm seeing, you can move about quite a bit. I should probably start another thread to ask about other things but would like to keep everything here in one thread I may start at least one, more thread. I have to go back and look at the topics. I can always link this thread so people will know I'm new etc.

Thanks much, this is really wonderful to be planning something I can actually afford, and I have flown some, but talk about boring, yetch!!

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Welcome !

You have a lot of planning to do, but trip planning is always fun!

By the way, our annual Gathering (last weekend of September) is in Portland, Oregon, this year, so you might want to consider that. You'd meet a bunch of us in person--we pretty much just ride trains and eat in between riding trains.

We rotate locations, so next year will be east coast, then middle of the country, then west coast again but not for three years, so that's why I'm suggesting it for this year if you're interested.

 

[abbynormal]

Boy am I new to this, and just realized the Amtrak website does NOT give you Round-trip fares even if you click on RT. Ok, so more money, not sure I'll be able to afford it. I'll keep researching though

 

[abbynormal]

Welcome !

You have a lot of planning to do, but trip planning is always fun!

By the way, our annual Gathering (last weekend of September) is in Portland, Oregon, this year, so you might want to consider that. You'd meet a bunch of us in person--we pretty much just ride trains and eat in between riding trains.

We rotate locations, so next year will be east coast, then middle of the country, then west coast again but not for three years, so that's why I'm suggesting it for this year if you're interested.

Thanks you for the info. Getting a little disheartened as you can see in my next post below, but I'm not giving up. Maybe just have to take shorter trips, lol

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

A lot of people are on a budget at the Gatherings, and we ride a lot of commuter rail, not just Amtrak. Also, you can pick and choose what you want to do--you don't have to do everything. So it's just a thought if you want some rail travel but not too far away from home and not overly expensive.

 

[the_traveler]

Welcome aboard! :hi:

You beat me to it. I was going to suggest the Gathering also.

Yes, there are some organized activities but you do not have to join some, or any, of them. The Gathering is basically just getting together with friends, old & new, and putting a face to the screen name that we all see! That's how most of us met & became friends.

As said, the Gathering rotates around the country each year between the east, Midwest and west. This year it's in Portland, last year in Denver, the year before in Washington, etc... Next year will be in the east. Generally it is in Sept or Oct.

Please consider joining us in Portland! There is no cost to register. The only expenses are the transportation to & from, the hotels of your choice (many of us share room to lower the expenses), any activities you partake in and we have a group dinner where we get together.

Hope to see you in Portland!

 

[abbynormal]

A lot of people are on a budget at the Gatherings, and we ride a lot of commuter rail, not just Amtrak. Also, you can pick and choose what you want to do--you don't have to do everything. So it's just a thought if you want some rail travel but not too far away from home and not overly expensive.

Ok, I'll keep it in mind. I'm going to try and figure a way first though, to meet my friend Ina in either NM or AZ in October I don't think it's going to happen, but I still need to try some other options before I give up

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Boy am I new to this, and just realized the Amtrak website does NOT give you Round-trip fares even if you click on RT. Ok, so more money, not sure I'll be able to afford it. I'll keep researching though

Welcome.To do round trip you have to choose your outbound train and add it to the cart then choose your return train and add it to the cart. Then you will see the total cost.

Since there a variables to what you can choose for each direction, it would be hard for the website to show the total cost. Somebody might want to choose a bedroom for the outbound train and a roomettes for the trip back. Plus if you're going to be on multiple trains in one direction you can choose a room on the overnight train and a coach seat on the day train (to save $$).

Under the premium column use the left or right arrow next to the word Change to switch from roomettes to bedroom to coach.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Boy am I new to this, and just realized the Amtrak website does NOT give you Round-trip fares even if you click on RT. Ok, so more money, not sure I'll be able to afford it. I'll keep researching though

Several years ago the average sleeper costs were substantially cheaper and the loyalty program could be an amazing value if you purchased points at the right time. Whereas these days I can often fly domestic first class or intercontinental premium economy for less money than booking an Amtrak bedroom. It's crazy to think that a domestic passenger rail trip can cost as much or even more than flying to Europe or Asia. Many of the people who are attending this years Amtrak gathering are actually flying there instead of taking the train. So don't feel too bad if it doesn't work out right away. Getting a good value out of Amtrak travel isn't as easy as it used to be. Your best bet is to be extremely flexible with dates and seasons and familiarizing yourself with AmSnag...

To do round trip you have to choose your outbound train and add it to the cart then choose your return train and add it to the cart. Then you will see the total cost.

Since there a variables to what you can choose for each direction, it would be hard for the website to show the total cost.

How hard would it be to program the website to default to showing round trip totals in the same class and then let the user make one-off changes afterward? Interlined connections for airlines are orders of magnitude more complicated than Amtrak and yet they seem to handle this sort of thing with relative ease. Even maverick booking sites like Southwest.com default to round trips with charges for both directions shown on the first flight selection page. That makes it easy to see what sort of total costs you're dealing with right from the start.

 

[abbynormal]

Thanks everyone,

I just got excited when I selected RT and thought it was 1/2 of what it actually costs. You are right about the airfares, I checked those, close to the same for the trip I'm looking for. I asked the cust. support gal what was up with not showing RT and she said something about their system getting an upgrade and it doesn't show it now.

Oh well, I took a long walk, my fave "free" thing to do. I better be quiet or they'll start charging us to walk on the streets (if they aren't already in some places). I know, I have a sour attitude today. It's my own fault for not earning more money while I was able to work a real, 40-hour week job. Could have done a lot better but I really didn't think I'd ever be 64 years old, :giggle:

 

[the_traveler]

You mean 64 years YOUNG!

 

[abbynormal]

You bet, sometimes I forget I heard a good one on Golden Girls, from Sophia the other day. Yep, I still love those gals, LOL! She said that "some people look at their glass half empty, and some look at it half full. But I just drink whatever's in it"

I'm giving my brain a break on the travel thing right now, playin a hidden object game. That's one thing I LOVED about the Train travel was the wifi, and electrical outlets on every chair! I'm gonna go, it will just take some rearranging the dates maybe, and do a shorter trip I won't give up, that's for sure. I'd rather spend the extra on the train than fly, even if flying is a bit cheaper. I want to see the country-side, that's the big draw for me, and being able to move around more too

 

[TinCan782]

Perhaps Klamath Falls and the Coast Starlight.

Hi John! Thank you for saying hello! Yes, Klamath Falls is not a bad drive for me from CC (crescent city) and I am checking out our RCT (Redwood Coast Transit) or there may be another that takes a person directly to Eugene or Klamath, not sure yet. I am not opposed to riding a bus to an Amtrak Station. I want to leave my auto at home so maybe down to our local RCT, then that will get me further South to either Greyhound, and/or Amtrak. Lots' to research for sure

Abby. Welcome! I mentioned Klamath Falls as arrival times for the Coast Starlight are usually decent. Dunsmuir, Redding, and Chico are in the wee hours of the morning (and possibly farther from Crescent City). Eugene times are pretty decent as well.

Enjoy!

 

[abbynormal]

Perhaps Klamath Falls and the Coast Starlight.

Hi John! Thank you for saying hello! Yes, Klamath Falls is not a bad drive for me from CC (crescent city) and I am checking out our RCT (Redwood Coast Transit) or there may be another that takes a person directly to Eugene or Klamath, not sure yet. I am not opposed to riding a bus to an Amtrak Station. I want to leave my auto at home so maybe down to our local RCT, then that will get me further South to either Greyhound, and/or Amtrak. Lots' to research for sure

Abby. Welcome! I mentioned Klamath Falls as arrival times for the Coast Starlight are usually decent. Dunsmuir, Redding, and Chico are in the wee hours of the morning (and possibly farther from Crescent City). Eugene times are pretty decent as well.

Enjoy!

Klamath Falls is going to be the best/easiest for me to get to I think John. We have a shuttle office right in my teenie town, and it runs over to K-falls. There is a 4 hour layover I think in Medford?? I can handle those things because I can either head for the mall down there, or just sit and read, or take a walk, depending on the time of day.

I will look into a possible shuttle/bus to Eugene, and I suppose maybe Dunsmuir. Just in case it is a shorter trip etc.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Boy am I new to this, and just realized the Amtrak website does NOT give you Round-trip fares even if you click on RT. Ok, so more money, not sure I'll be able to afford it. I'll keep researching though

Several years ago the average sleeper costs were substantially cheaper and the loyalty program could be an amazing value if you purchased points at the right time. Whereas these days I can often fly domestic first class or intercontinental premium economy for less money than booking an Amtrak bedroom. It's crazy to think that a domestic passenger rail trip can cost as much or even more than flying to Europe or Asia. Many of the people who are attending this years Amtrak gathering are actually flying there instead of taking the train. So don't feel too bad if it doesn't work out right away. Getting a good value out of Amtrak travel isn't as easy as it used to be. Your best bet is to be extremely flexible with dates and seasons and familiarizing yourself with AmSnag...

To do round trip you have to choose your outbound train and add it to the cart then choose your return train and add it to the cart. Then you will see the total cost.

Since there a variables to what you can choose for each direction, it would be hard for the website to show the total cost.

How hard would it be to program the website to default to showing round trip totals in the same class and then let the user make one-off changes afterward? Interlined connections for airlines are orders of magnitude more complicated than Amtrak and yet they seem to handle this sort of thing with relative ease. Even maverick booking sites like Southwest.com default to round trips with charges for both directions shown on the first flight selection page. That makes it easy to see what sort of total costs you're dealing with right from the start.

Speaking of airlines - I've been meaning to ask this. I'm looking a taking a trip to the west coast and want to make at least one connection, maybe two. When booking online, can I choose different classes on the 2-3 planes? If so, at what point do they show the upcharge?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Be aware, not all trains have Wifi - especially the western long distance trains. Here's the current list.

https://www.amtrak.com/journey-with-wi-fi-train-station

 

[the_traveler]

I do not think you can chose different classes on each direction. (Like economy on the 1st segment, First Class on the 2nd segment and Business Class on the 3rd segment, without pricing point to point.) it's either all or none. But some airlines allow you when redeeming a frequent flyer award to go coach one way and First Class the other.

But being that I do not fly all that much, I could be wrong.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Speaking of airlines - I've been meaning to ask this. I'm looking a taking a trip to the west coast and want to make at least one connection, maybe two. When booking online, can I choose different classes on the 2-3 planes? If so, at what point do they show the upcharge?

There are a few ways to accomplish what you're describing.

1. Book individual (unlinked) tickets each with their own class as desired.

2. Book a coach ticket and then upgrade one or more segments with a surcharge.

3. Book a coach ticket and then upgrade one or more segments with loyalty points.

4. Select a premium cabin during the initial search and then look for mixed class results.

5. Pay extra for a manual agent-created booking at an airport counter or by phone.

#1 has no extra surcharge. You simply pay whatever each ticket costs for each segment.

#2 and #3 can usually be done anytime between booking and check-in on the airline website.

#4 is best accomplished on an aggregate booking website rather than an individual airline website.

#5 is becoming more difficult over time as new agents are no longer taught special booking functions.

The specific options and methods vary by airline.

I do not think you can chose different classes on each direction. (Like economy on the 1st segment, First Class on the 2nd segment and Business Class on the 3rd segment, without pricing point to point.) it's either all or none. But some airlines allow you when redeeming a frequent flyer award to go coach one way and First Class the other.

Not only can it be done but sometimes it's impossible to avoid. For instance, buying an international first class ticket that connects to a domestic first or business-only regional flight or coach-only puddle jumper.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Speaking of airlines - I've been meaning to ask this. I'm looking a taking a trip to the west coast and want to make at least one connection, maybe two. When booking online, can I choose different classes on the 2-3 planes? If so, at what point do they show the upcharge?

There are a few ways to accomplish what you're describing.
1. Book individual (unlinked) tickets each with their own class as desired.

2. Book a coach ticket and then upgrade one or more segments with a surcharge.

3. Book a coach ticket and then upgrade one or more segments with loyalty points.

4. Select a premium cabin during the initial search and then look for mixed class results.

5. Pay extra for a manual agent-created booking at an airport counter or by phone.

#1 has no extra surcharge. You simply pay whatever each ticket costs for each segment.

#2 and #3 can usually be done anytime between booking and check-in on the airline website.

#4 is best accomplished on an aggregate booking website rather than an individual airline website.

#5 is becoming more difficult over time as new agents are no longer taught special booking functions.

The specific options and methods vary by airline.

I do not think you can chose different classes on each direction. (Like economy on the 1st segment, First Class on the 2nd segment and Business Class on the 3rd segment, without pricing point to point.) it's either all or none. But some airlines allow you when redeeming a frequent flyer award to go coach one way and First Class the other.

Not only can it be done but sometimes it's impossible to avoid. For instance, buying an international first class ticket that connects to a domestic first or business-only regional flight or coach-only puddle jumper.

Thanks for the info. Since booking Individually costs more, of course, I'll probably skip that way.

I'll consider the other ways though I probably won't splurge for 1st class just because I can afford it for a change.

I'm still waiting till closer to my travel date to book.