Recent content by ceblack

Bottom Line Up Front: Is there any way to get a trip EMY -> LAX (CS), LAX ->CHI (SWC), CHI -> WAS (Cardinal) as one 3-zone AGR redemption? Background: I will be taking the wife and kids to a family reunion back east next summer. We will be going from the San Francisco Bay area to Washington...

Okay, I'm probably just dense... but I want to make sure I'm getting the bottom line here: If I'm on a trip bought with AGR points and a missed connection results in downgrade from sleeper to coach for part of the trip, I should seek restitution from Amtrak Customer Service (travel voucher)...

Can anyone compare the bedroom suites on a Viewliner and Superliner? The Amtrak website has a picture of Viewliner bedrooms ensuite which appears to create a very big, open space. The partition between the rooms seems to disappear almost completely, with perhaps a 3-inch "intrusion" into the...

I'm assuming you are coach the whole trip... Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, then Silver Meteor from Philadelphia to Florence, SC. I'm from the left (or right, depending on your perspective) coast, and when travelling with children I've always been in sleeper, so my ability to...

Pointless Question of the Day: How many AGR zones is a trip on the Southwest Chief from Albuquerque, NM to Trinidad, CO? a. One. b. Two. c. None... you're riding the zone boundary the whole way!! d. It depends on how many times you switch between sides of the train. ("I'm sorry, I...

Wow... so would a Slidell to Seattle trip now be FOUR zones? How much do they charge for that? The AGR site says that rewards are determined by the number of zones you travel across. a KCY-CBS trip travels across two zones (Western Region, Central Region). I don't think they should be...

I think the truly ideal solution would be to have Phoenix passengers board the Silver Horizon (ex-CZ dome lounge car that serves as Maricopa's station) for the portion of their journey between Phoenix and Maricopa! Okay, so that's not realistic on any level... but it sure would be sweet! Or...

Agree this is likely a westbound Zephyr to northbound Starlight connection. The northbound Starlight hits all the stops the eastbound Zephyr does from its origin in Emeryville to Sacramento, so there's little reason to make that transfer unless you wanted to spend the day and evening in...

Wait a second... I thought this was April Fool's Day, not Groundhog Day!

Welcome aboard AMTRAK's "Analogy Express"! Nothing is finer than breakfast in the Diner! Today's menu: AmMeal #1 -- 2 Eggs, Orange Juice . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00 AmMeal #2 -- 2 Eggs, 2 Pancakes, Orange Juice . . . . $4.00 You want 2 Eggs and Orange Juice. Do you: a. Order AmMeal...

Sorry to chime in once more... but I'd like to present another hypothetical situation: What if I paid cash for the tickets? If I pay $2975 for my family of four for two roomettes from Kansas City to Los Angeles (via Southwest Chief) to Portland (via Coast Starlight) to Wolf Point (via Empire...

An additional example, more Amtrak-related: I want to travel from Boston to Baltimore on Acela. The price of a ticket from Boston to Baltimore is the same as the price of a ticket from Boston to Washington DC. However, I can get extra AGR points for purchasing a ticket from Boston to...

If I'm having a birthday party for my child and need 18 party hats, and the local store sells 6-packs for $4 each and 24-packs for $10 each, am I wrongfully denying them revenue by buying the 24-pack and discarding the six unused hats? In my opinion, no. I may not be giving them the maximum...

Is the trip for 1 adult & 2 kids, or 2 adults and 2 kids? That would determine whether single-level trains (which don't have family bedrooms) are a possiblity. If you are heading west, I don't think you can top a Kansas City to Minneapolis/St. Paul (KCY to MSP) routing via LA and Portland...

The family bedroom actually has two of the little fold-out tables (one on each side of the room), but there is really only room for one person to eat at each table. The rear-facing seat is so close to the table (when the table "wings" are folded out) that I think even your six-year old would be...