Recent content by bbappel

I'm not sure there were truly baked potatoes. Microwaved potatoes aren't really the same as baked. They don't have that fluffy goodness.

Will the Government shutdown on March 1st affect the AutoTrain? Has anyone had experience with this? Anything can happen, I just like to plan ahead if needed.

Another shutdown is threatening. Is the answer still the same? We are traveling North from Lorton on the AutoTrain.

Setting cost aside, the biggest advantage to the AT is the same as the advantage for me in commuting from N of NYC to NYC - If I fell asleep on the train ride home, the worst thing, I'd end up in Poughkeepsie. If I fell asleep on a drive home, worst case I'd never wake up again.

I think "overenthusiasm" is in the mind of the beholder. For some, just being on this chat site is overenthusiastic. <big grin>

Maybe overworked instead of lazy. Dinner time is a busy time for them.

Are seats reserved for this, or could my husband and I end up each seated next to a stranger? We are hoping for seats together. We board in Seattle (my son's home area) and travel to Portland to visit good friends. Help is appreciated. We did book Business Class because I did this once over 20...

In a minor defense of the OP, your statement: "Doesn't really sound like you ever rode the Cascades pre-COVID, and so are unfamiliar with the procedures on it. Deboarding at or before Bellingham or refusal of boarding was normal for those without proper documents to cross the border," presumes...

I feel as if they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. People who get stuck in a train for hours and hours without food and the toilets get full might prefer cancellations. My biggest concern with cancellations is that I feel they have a responsibility to see that people can get to...

I've searched to no avail. We are booked on the AutoTrain Southbound for the first time in January. We wonder what is the earliest we are allowed to board the train. We plan to check our auto in at the earlier time. Are we allowed to board early? Until then, is there a waiting room? With the new...

What if planes did that - in the briefing announcement, they could show a parachute and make a similar statement. Ha ha.

I'm glad there is a mask mandate. We are taking the Auto train because we don't want to stay in hotels or eat in restaurants right now and we still want to go to Florida. So with a bedroom, we can avoid people, and those we do encounter should be wearing masks. Our vaccinations help keep us out...

I've read about tipping the attendants in the room and in the dining car. What I haven't noticed (and I could have missed it;)) is information on whether we tip the person who takes our car to load and the person who brings us our car at our destination. We are former cruise passengers, so...

I checked the NY Times, and there is no report as such. I live in the NY Metro area and there have been homeless people as far back as the 80s; there have been drug users for ages. It doesn't make Penn Station any more unsafe than any place else in NYC.