advice/speculation/suggestions about long NOL-CHI-WAS-Georgia trip in November

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

tricia

Conductor
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
1,430
Location
Spring Creek, NC
With some trepidation (looking at Amtrak's many dysfunctions these days), I'm booking a long, multileg trip on eastern trains in mid-November, ending the weekend before Thanksgiving. (After the election, I figure we'll want either to celebrate or drown our sorrows. Where better than New Orleans?)

Here's the plan:
  • Long drive to Mississippi, to catch CONO southbound from Greenwood to NOL.
  • Three nights in NOL. Lots of good food, walking, and gawking. :)
  • NOL to CHI on CONO. My husband will hop off in Greenwood, MS, and drive home.
  • Day in Chicago, then CHI to WAS on either Cap Ltd or Cardinal (prefer CL's earlier arrival, but right now for ??? reason, roomettes on the CL are at high bucket, $150 more than the Cardinal)
  • Night in Alexandria, VA, day in Washington museums, then WAS to Toccoa, GA, on the Crescent
All travel in roomettes except the initial short trip in coach from Greenwood, MS, to NOL. All booked with points and a voucher.

If Amtrak cancels any legs from NOL on, or downgrades me from sleeper to coach, I'll cancel the rest of the trip, hop off the CONO in Greenwood and drive home with my husband.

Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions? Speculations about changes in Amtrak service that might happen on these routes between now and November are especially welcome.
 
With some trepidation (looking at Amtrak's many dysfunctions these days), I'm booking a long, multileg trip on eastern trains in mid-November, ending the weekend before Thanksgiving. (After the election, I figure we'll want either to celebrate or drown our sorrows. Where better than New Orleans?)

Here's the plan:
  • Long drive to Mississippi, to catch CONO southbound from Greenwood to NOL.
  • Three nights in NOL. Lots of good food, walking, and gawking. :)
  • NOL to CHI on CONO. My husband will hop off in Greenwood, MS, and drive home.
  • Day in Chicago, then CHI to WAS on either Cap Ltd or Cardinal (prefer CL's earlier arrival, but right now for ??? reason, roomettes on the CL are at high bucket, $150 more than the Cardinal)
  • Night in Alexandria, VA, day in Washington museums, then WAS to Toccoa, GA, on the Crescent
All travel in roomettes except the initial short trip in coach from Greenwood, MS, to NOL. All booked with points and a voucher.

If Amtrak cancels any legs from NOL on, or downgrades me from sleeper to coach, I'll cancel the rest of the trip, hop off the CONO in Greenwood and drive home with my husband.

Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions? Speculations about changes in Amtrak service that might happen on these routes between now and November are especially welcome.
Nice trip, but the answers are "Blowin' in the Wind" as some singer said.

It's great to have Plan B Ready, ( hop off with Hubby and go home) in case something happens, but with so many Trains involved I'm sure you know you'll need to be flexible and ready to go to Plan C, Plan D etc etc.
 
H
Nice trip, but the answers are "Blowin' in the Wind" as some singer said.

It's great to have Plan B Ready, ( hop off with Hubby and go home) in case something happens, but with so many Trains involved I'm sure you know you'll need to be flexible and ready to go to Plan C, Plan D etc etc.
Here's hoping I don't run out of letters of the alphabet. :rolleyes: Long gaps between trains will improve the odds of making all the connections, I hope.

I'm also hoping they don't suddenly downgrade me from sleeper to coach for either of the two legs beyond Chicago ... after I'm past Greenwood, MS, on the CONO.

Sticking to just eastern US trains for this trip is also sort of a Plan B. I've been itching to travel in Colorado and California, but don't want to risk being stranded by airline and/or Amtrak so far from home. My husband doesn't like to travel farther than he can hypothetically hike home (a few hundred miles, tops). I used to roll my eyes at that, but now find myself leaning in that direction.
 
Back
Top