mikewrite
Train Attendant
So, our big first Amtrak trip. For the most part it went well: the 5 train westbound departed CHI on time and arrived at SLC about an hour and a half late, while the 6 train eastbound arrived at SLC about 40 minutes late and at CHI about an hour and a half late. We had anticipated possibly much longer delays.
Station and, for the most part, OBS were very good. Checked baggage went smoothly.
Our westbound SCA, Katherine (sp?) was excellent. She's a soon-to-retire 39-year veteran who kept us well informed and comfortable; we never felt neglected. The eastbound gentleman was competent but did not leave us feeling cared for, and when we onboarded at SLC at 4:10 a.m. the door to our car was closed and locked, so we had to go to the next sleeper up and board that, then cross over to our car.
The cafe car guys were great, and the conductors were fun with plenty of commentary about local scenery. Ken, the cafe attendant on the eastbound leg, opened the window next to his station while the train was stopped in the Rockies somewhere and did bird calls out the window trying to lure bald eagles.
Where service fell down was in the dining cars, in each case because of specific individuals. On the westbound leg a dining attendant snapped at me for attempting to take photos inside the car, and we learned later that she had been even more rude to another diner who also tried to take photos. On the eastbound leg, a senior dining attendant took a mysterious disliking to my travel partner, who is a quintessential sweet grandma type and former teacher, someone unfailingly kind who everybody loves. This attendant was very noticeably cold toward her, while laughing and chatting with every other of his tables in the car. When he put down her can of soda on the table during a rough patch of track and prepared to open it one-handed, she reached out to steady the can for him, upon which he snapped "I've got it." She also told me that at a lunch she ate in the dining car without me, this attendant joked around with a woman randomly seated with my partner, but when my partner asked him an innocuous question about what he was planning to do at the end of his trip he just stared unsmiling at her and walked away without replying. This trip cost well in excess of $4,000 and we don't need odd attitudes and inexplicable grudges, thanks.
The scenery of course is amazing. And all the food we tried onboard was very good; they were only out of one item one time, an appetizer. I enjoyed the chicken, flank steak and rigatoni entrees for dinners.
However, where the trip really fell down for us was in how incredibly rough the ride is! At least on the CZ, forget romantic visions of the rhythm of the rails. The cars lurch and bang and jolt. The night runs through Nebraska and the Utah desert when the train goes close to 80 mph were the worst. I actually found it alarming at times, feeling as if the train might jump the track as it slammed irregularly along. Sleeping under those conditions was very difficult in the tiny top bunk of the bedroom; the roomier bottom bunk was not much better. A (nicer) dining car attendant explained to us that the rails are maintained to freight specs, not for passenger comfort, and the roughness is felt much more on the much lighter and faster Amtrak cars than on the freights.
So, all in all, while we're glad we did it, we won't do such an Amtrak trip again, and I would suggest that seniors like us seriously consider both the very cramped accommodations even in the "roomier" bedrooms and the very rough ride.
Station and, for the most part, OBS were very good. Checked baggage went smoothly.
Our westbound SCA, Katherine (sp?) was excellent. She's a soon-to-retire 39-year veteran who kept us well informed and comfortable; we never felt neglected. The eastbound gentleman was competent but did not leave us feeling cared for, and when we onboarded at SLC at 4:10 a.m. the door to our car was closed and locked, so we had to go to the next sleeper up and board that, then cross over to our car.
The cafe car guys were great, and the conductors were fun with plenty of commentary about local scenery. Ken, the cafe attendant on the eastbound leg, opened the window next to his station while the train was stopped in the Rockies somewhere and did bird calls out the window trying to lure bald eagles.
Where service fell down was in the dining cars, in each case because of specific individuals. On the westbound leg a dining attendant snapped at me for attempting to take photos inside the car, and we learned later that she had been even more rude to another diner who also tried to take photos. On the eastbound leg, a senior dining attendant took a mysterious disliking to my travel partner, who is a quintessential sweet grandma type and former teacher, someone unfailingly kind who everybody loves. This attendant was very noticeably cold toward her, while laughing and chatting with every other of his tables in the car. When he put down her can of soda on the table during a rough patch of track and prepared to open it one-handed, she reached out to steady the can for him, upon which he snapped "I've got it." She also told me that at a lunch she ate in the dining car without me, this attendant joked around with a woman randomly seated with my partner, but when my partner asked him an innocuous question about what he was planning to do at the end of his trip he just stared unsmiling at her and walked away without replying. This trip cost well in excess of $4,000 and we don't need odd attitudes and inexplicable grudges, thanks.
The scenery of course is amazing. And all the food we tried onboard was very good; they were only out of one item one time, an appetizer. I enjoyed the chicken, flank steak and rigatoni entrees for dinners.
However, where the trip really fell down for us was in how incredibly rough the ride is! At least on the CZ, forget romantic visions of the rhythm of the rails. The cars lurch and bang and jolt. The night runs through Nebraska and the Utah desert when the train goes close to 80 mph were the worst. I actually found it alarming at times, feeling as if the train might jump the track as it slammed irregularly along. Sleeping under those conditions was very difficult in the tiny top bunk of the bedroom; the roomier bottom bunk was not much better. A (nicer) dining car attendant explained to us that the rails are maintained to freight specs, not for passenger comfort, and the roughness is felt much more on the much lighter and faster Amtrak cars than on the freights.
So, all in all, while we're glad we did it, we won't do such an Amtrak trip again, and I would suggest that seniors like us seriously consider both the very cramped accommodations even in the "roomier" bedrooms and the very rough ride.
).
