Next month, I'm taking two joyrides in part (I thought) to try out the 50% promotion.
The first trip is a 2-day Baltimore- Pittsburgh circle trip, the other is a Baltimore - Boston -Albany - New York --Baltimore circle to ride the LSL across Massachussetts.
All fares were from the app, coach fares are with the senior discount:
BAL -- PHL -- PGH
Saver Fare : $71
Value Fare: 75.60
Flexible: $159
Business: $135
PGH -- WAS -- BAL
Saver: $33
Value: $49.50
Flexible: $105.00
Roomette: $151.50 (PGH-WAS only)
BAL -- BOS
Acela
Saver: $50 (!)
Value: $116.10
Flexible: $336
First Class: $251
BOS - ALB
Saver: $13
Value: $27.90
Flexible: $59.00
Business Class: 52.90
Roomette: $140
ALB - BAL (Empire Service and Crescent)
Saver: $49
Value: $89.10
Flexible: $188.00
Business $129 (Business class from ALB - NYP only)
Roomette (NYP - BAL only) ~$250
The Saver fares are non-refundable, and look so low, because I suspect that the 50th Anniversary 50% off promotion is being applied. Note that the promotion doesn't apply to the Pennsylvanian, which is why the saver fare for the return trip from Pittsburgh via the Cap is much lower than the outbound trip via the Pennsylvanian. The Value fares also seemed pretty good, and given that I'm a bit risk-averse about non-refundable tickets, I mostly got value fare tickets, except for the Lakeshore Limited BOS - ALB run, where I took Business class. I was tempted by that $50 BAL-BOS Acela Saver fare, but they can't be combined with any other deals, and I'm thinking I might use one of my upgrade coupons and go First Class, and $116 BAL - BOS Acela fare is still a good deal.
I did note a couple of weird things about these fare categories. The business class tickets were cheaper than the Flexible tickets, and Acela First class was cheaper than the Acela BC flexible ticket -- by a lot. Also, the difference between the Value ticket and the Flexible ticket is a lot more tha n the 25% penalty charge one takes for cancellations or changes. In other words, why would anyone in their right mind want to buy a Flexible coach ticket? I suspect there may be buckets within each of these ticket categories, so it may be that closer to train time, the difference between flexible and value fares may be less, or maybe the only thing available is Flexible.
I'll let you all know how the trips turn out. Any suggestions for bring-your-own train lunches are appreciated. I've only got a 40 minute layover in Philly for the Pittsburgh trip, and I'll be relying on cafe car food for everything except if I upgrade my Acela ride. Suggestions for good places to pick up lunches for later eating in Boston and Albany are also appreciated.
The first trip is a 2-day Baltimore- Pittsburgh circle trip, the other is a Baltimore - Boston -Albany - New York --Baltimore circle to ride the LSL across Massachussetts.
All fares were from the app, coach fares are with the senior discount:
BAL -- PHL -- PGH
Saver Fare : $71
Value Fare: 75.60
Flexible: $159
Business: $135
PGH -- WAS -- BAL
Saver: $33
Value: $49.50
Flexible: $105.00
Roomette: $151.50 (PGH-WAS only)
BAL -- BOS
Acela
Saver: $50 (!)
Value: $116.10
Flexible: $336
First Class: $251
BOS - ALB
Saver: $13
Value: $27.90
Flexible: $59.00
Business Class: 52.90
Roomette: $140
ALB - BAL (Empire Service and Crescent)
Saver: $49
Value: $89.10
Flexible: $188.00
Business $129 (Business class from ALB - NYP only)
Roomette (NYP - BAL only) ~$250
The Saver fares are non-refundable, and look so low, because I suspect that the 50th Anniversary 50% off promotion is being applied. Note that the promotion doesn't apply to the Pennsylvanian, which is why the saver fare for the return trip from Pittsburgh via the Cap is much lower than the outbound trip via the Pennsylvanian. The Value fares also seemed pretty good, and given that I'm a bit risk-averse about non-refundable tickets, I mostly got value fare tickets, except for the Lakeshore Limited BOS - ALB run, where I took Business class. I was tempted by that $50 BAL-BOS Acela Saver fare, but they can't be combined with any other deals, and I'm thinking I might use one of my upgrade coupons and go First Class, and $116 BAL - BOS Acela fare is still a good deal.
I did note a couple of weird things about these fare categories. The business class tickets were cheaper than the Flexible tickets, and Acela First class was cheaper than the Acela BC flexible ticket -- by a lot. Also, the difference between the Value ticket and the Flexible ticket is a lot more tha n the 25% penalty charge one takes for cancellations or changes. In other words, why would anyone in their right mind want to buy a Flexible coach ticket? I suspect there may be buckets within each of these ticket categories, so it may be that closer to train time, the difference between flexible and value fares may be less, or maybe the only thing available is Flexible.
I'll let you all know how the trips turn out. Any suggestions for bring-your-own train lunches are appreciated. I've only got a 40 minute layover in Philly for the Pittsburgh trip, and I'll be relying on cafe car food for everything except if I upgrade my Acela ride. Suggestions for good places to pick up lunches for later eating in Boston and Albany are also appreciated.