Advise a circle trip for me!

[ScottR]

Add to your criteria... travel very light so you can move around easy... this is so very important! If you can fit everything into a backpack your happiness and sense of freedom will be all you want it to be.

Although I am very critical of the dilapidated condition and design of the superliners, the coach seating can be comfortable if [and only if] the train is not crowded and you can get the pair of seats for yourself... and only if you get an attendant who isn't constantly barking and threatening about the masks.

I did do a short segment on the infamous TE between Bloomington and CHI... and although the darn thing was running two hours late... it was not a bad ride. I was smart enough to use the loo at the station and not to risk the filthy ones on the train... so it all worked out well.

That and some of your own food you pick up along the way can make for a happy trip... do seek out grocery stores at your destinations... for fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, good loaf of bread etc.

Be resourceful and flexible... fun can be had on an Amtrak trip!

Yes I learned to travel light. if it is a few days backpack only. any longer small roller bag. I once spent a month in Asia with just that bag. Lots of washing and pressing though!

 

[ScottR]

Don't forget that the cruise prices are per person. I have gone on a cruise as a single many times and you pay double. $4500 may not be bad. I am paying about that for 4 nights (2 each way) in a bedroom on the CZ next April.

Yes the cruises are single occupancy and in my case in the summer So not off season. About 1.5x thankfully some cruises have dropped the 2x rule

 

[BarbW]

What am I, chopped liver? Advise a circle trip for me!

Sorry, missed your entries when I was reading through.
The Cardinal is a beautiful ride through the New River Gorge. I have taken it many times between DC and Charleston, WV, and once from Chicago to DC. I like it much better than the Capitol Limited. I think it is one of the bucket list Amtrak experiences. I have never had a bad experience with the staff, but it has been 2 years since I took my last Cardinal trip.
I also recommend taking the Portland leg of the Empire Builder (Baby Builder) for the views up the Columbia River Gorge. Get a seat in the SSL as soon as you can if leaving out of Portland.
I know you didn't ask for advice about this part, but I wouldn't take this trip in the winter. Being based in CA, I don't know if you are prepared for what the northern half of the country out east looks like in winter. First, when there is daylight, everything is pretty much varying shades of gray - leafless trees, brown grass and dirty snow. Kids who were raised in CA come out here in the winter and think there's been a huge forest fire. You might get lucky and have a bright sunny day as a backdrop, but those will be few. Also, the days are short, so there will be a lot more of just dark out the windows except for the cities, which can be beautiful at night. The latest I would do this is early November, when you might still have some nice fall foliage out here. If you do, the Cardinal should definitely be on the list of trains. (Tough to get a roomette during that time, though.) Just MHO.

 

[Cal]

The latest I would do this is early November, when you might still have some nice fall foliage out here. If you do, the Cardinal should definitely be on the list of trains. (Tough to get a roomette during that time, though.) Just MHO.

When I took the Cardinal in (late) July, we were an hour late and almost missed New River Gorge. It was too dark to see anything before we were out.

 

[Seaboard92]

Exactly as @caravanman #14 above, we have travelled QM2 from Southampton to NYC, absolutely magnificent ship.

There is a travelogue in the process of being written by @Seaboard92 re a Train journey(s) across Russia, it will be very up to date.

Enjoy your travels

I love and thank you for your confidence. That is true it will be very up to date and as usual it will encompass just about everything. You know I'm a detail freak.

As far as the Cardinal that I affectionally call the "Angry Bird" there is a way to make sure you see the good scenery. Take the train eastbound because you are almost guaranteed to see the New River Gorge in daylight, and you should get parts of the Ohio River Valley in daylight too. Plus you get everything else the westbound gets in daylight up to at least Charlottesville. I've taken this train several hundred times and I can tell you eastbound is the best.

 

[VentureForth]

British Airways from NYC to London.
Eurostar to Paris
Express to Russia to Moscow.
Trans-Siberian to Vladivostok.
Aeroflot to Incheon
Air Canada to Vancouver
Cascades to Seattle
Empire Builder to Chicago
Cardinal to NYC

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

British Airways from NYC to London.
Eurostar to Paris
Express to Russia to Moscow.
Trans-Siberian to Vladivostok.
Aeroflot to Incheon
Air Canada to Vancouver
Cascades to Seattle
Empire Builder to Chicago
Cardinal to NYC

Interesting, I wondered if you could go from VVO to Fairbanks then Alaska RR train to Anchorage then by ship to Seattle, but it looks like all the flights from VVO go through Seattle so that kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[Seaboard92]

Are we trying to design an around the world itinerary. If we are here are some good notes for the current climate.

Certain cities in Russia are requiring a QR Code currently. The QR Code has to do with your vaccination schedule. Without a Valid QR code you can not use the metro, taxis, eat in restaurants, or go to museums. I'm waiting to hear if that has anything to do with the planes and inter city trains. Unfortunately you have to have Sputnik V or one of the other approved Russian vaccines in order to get a QR Code. Russia and the Western Nations (Especially the United States) are in their tit for tat childish games method of diplomacy and neither are willing to recognize each others vaccines. So if you want to do anything in Russia you must get a Russian vaccine and you will not receive a QR Code until it has reached full effect. As in if you get Sputnik V you get the QR Code a week after the second shot. Or a week after the one shot variant. I'm working on finding if there is any other way to get a QR Code as a tourist as I'm not sure we are even allowed to get their vaccine without Russian citizenship. I'll post back when I find out more.

The next thing there are no cross border trains running right now in Russia with the exception of the tourist train into the Georgian Breakaway Republic of Abkhazia, trains into Belarus, and the trains into Kallingrad (No Passengers allowed on or off at Lithuanian Stations). I'll let people know when those trains start resuming but I doubt the EU will allow them back till the Russians get Covid under control and with three percent vaccinated I doubt that will be anytime in the near future.

Russia is currently in a nation wide lockdown at least thru the 7th of November. Everything except transportation, pharmacies, and supermarkets is currently closed. This is to keep Covid from spreading now will it actually work, I strongly doubt it. Props to them for trying to get it under control if the USA would do this we might actually get a handle on our situation.

As far as places to stop on the Trans Siberian.

~Novosibirsk: Russia's third largest city. I had so much fun in this city and I can highly recommend it. Make sure you go see a show at the NOVAT the largest theater in Russia. I went to Don Quijote and it was amazing, and the set was beautiful. There is also a rail museum, a planetarium, and an eclectic variety of architecture from wooden houses, to European style buildings, to soviet and post soviet high rises.

~Irkutsk: Home of Lake Baikal. Make sure you book the steam train tour early because it will sell out. I can aide in this if needed because I speak the language. I can also recommend a good local guide. Irkutsk has a lovely downtown as well.

 

[happycamper]

Just FYI I talked to the crew on the Empire Builder when we went and I said how beautiful it would be in winter and they said it is not... They said all you see is white and white and white. It has been so cold they had to use crowbars to get the doors open to let passengers off... Just saying in winter it might not be the best route. The plains of Montana and would be just white and flat.....

 

[niemi24s]

Ah yes. North Dakota and Montana in Winter. Squillions of acres of snirt!

Loved each of the three winters spent underground just West of Bowbells.

YMMV, as usual.

 

[Cal]

Just FYI I talked to the crew on the Empire Builder when we went and I said how beautiful it would be in winter and they said it is not... They said all you see is white and white and white. It has been so cold they had to use crowbars to get the doors open to let passengers off... Just saying in winter it might not be the best route. The plains of Montana and would be just white and flat.....

I'll share my experience with this

Just over a year ago (literally maybe a year and 5 days) I took the EB from PDX to CHI. On the second morning I woke up and saw snow. Being a southern Californian, I was thrilled. Glacier National Park was beautiful and I spent the whole time in the SSL taking it all in. It's an incredible feeling, just relaxing in the warm car watching a winter-wonderland go by and spotting wildlife. After we got out of Glacier, it was, a lot more boring. However I still was in the SSL for much of the day, just sitting there is relaxing and the snow made it feel cozy, in a way. Again, I don't see much snow usually so I enjoyed the snowy landscape. However I wouldn't mind seeing it without the blanket of white. It was fun hopping off in Shelby, throwing some snowballs, and getting back on 2 minutes later to avoid freezing (IRCC it was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit)

 

[user 6862]

I'll share my experience with this

Just over a year ago (literally maybe a year and 5 days) I took the EB from PDX to CHI. On the second morning I woke up and saw snow. Being a southern Californian, I was thrilled. Glacier National Park was beautiful and I spent the whole time in the SSL taking it all in. It's an incredible feeling, just relaxing in the warm car watching a winter-wonderland go by and spotting wildlife. After we got out of Glacier, it was, a lot more boring. However I still was in the SSL for much of the day, just sitting there is relaxing and the snow made it feel cozy, in a way. Again, I don't see much snow usually so I enjoyed the snowy landscape. However I wouldn't mind seeing it without the blanket of white. It was fun hopping off in Shelby, throwing some snowballs, and getting back on 2 minutes later to avoid freezing (IRCC it was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit)

Thanks for your description, it summed up travelling through almost endless snow beautifully.

As you write if you are a visitor and don't have to live there year round you approach this differently. For us the same applies to deserts, plains, prairie, and now big cities too, we find real interest and beauty in all of these, but we don't live in those types of enviroments.

As niemi24s writes above, YMMV

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

15 degrees F in October? Even us Mainers would consider that cold!

 

[happycamper]

I'll share my experience with this

Just over a year ago (literally maybe a year and 5 days) I took the EB from PDX to CHI. On the second morning I woke up and saw snow. Being a southern Californian, I was thrilled. Glacier National Park was beautiful and I spent the whole time in the SSL taking it all in. It's an incredible feeling, just relaxing in the warm car watching a winter-wonderland go by and spotting wildlife. After we got out of Glacier, it was, a lot more boring. However I still was in the SSL for much of the day, just sitting there is relaxing and the snow made it feel cozy, in a way. Again, I don't see much snow usually so I enjoyed the snowy landscape. However I wouldn't mind seeing it without the blanket of white. It was fun hopping off in Shelby, throwing some snowballs, and getting back on 2 minutes later to avoid freezing (IRCC it was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit)

Very well written and what I was thinking as we dont have snow here but every 10-15 years. And then might not last an hour. We felt like kids when there was snow on the Coastal starlight going up the mountain. I enjoyed the EB without the snow as we went in May and the snow was melting in Glacier and causing waterfalls. I guess it would be cool to do all the routes in different seasons. I hope we will be able to go and do alot more soon.

 

[Cal]

Thanks for your description, it summed up travelling through almost endless snow beautifully.

As you write if you are a visitor and don't have to live there year round you approach this differently. For us the same applies to deserts, plains, prairie, and now big cities too, we find real interest and beauty in all of these, but we don't live in those types of enviroments.

As niemi24s writes above, YMMV

Very well written and what I was thinking as we dont have snow here but every 10-15 years. And then might not last an hour. We felt like kids when there was snow on the Coastal starlight going up the mountain. I enjoyed the EB without the snow as we went in May and the snow was melting in Glacier and causing waterfalls. I guess it would be cool to do all the routes in different seasons. I hope we will be able to go and do alot more soon.

Thank you for your compliments.

15 degrees F in October? Even us Mainers would consider that cold!

And it might as well have been below 0 for me!

 

[Willbridge]

I've enjoyed winter travel on the Empire Builder, the Pioneer, the Super Continental, and the (real) Canadian. Not to mention northern Germany. However, I'd recommend that for a second or third trip after a spring, summer or fall trip. Or just riding the mountain end of the trip (Seattle > Cut Bank > Portland, for example).

I do miss the steam heat clouds but the HEP is much more reliable.

Amtrak Empire Builder in Minneapolis.



VIA Rail Super Continental in Rockies.



The British Berliner in Braunschweig.

 

[Barb Stout]

Ah yes. North Dakota and Montana in Winter. Squillions of acres of snirt!

Loved each of the three winters spent underground just West of Bowbells.

YMMV, as usual.

Underground?

 

[Maglev]

Here's two winter views from the Empire Builder, in January, 2017, with snow and January, 2019, without:

 

[Willbridge]

Underground?

In Berlin Brigade we knew that the people keeping us safe were in the USAF drinking coffee out of Styrofoam cups in missile silos.

 

[niemi24s]

DW called it my home away from home for 4 years...

...and it was about 40 miles North of the Amtrak Station in Stanley, ND (this is an Amtrak forum, after all).

 

[Barb Stout]

In Berlin Brigade we knew that the people keeping us safe were in the USAF drinking coffee out of Styrofoam cups in missile silos.

Yes, there used to be jokes when I was a kid growing up in Nodak about ICBMs for those few who did not yet have indoor plumbing. My uncle was one of them.

 

[niemi24s]

ICBMs in mine too, but unfortunately it's about 250 miles from the closest Amtrak Station.

 

[ScottR]

DW called it my home away from home for 4 years...
View attachment 25232
...and it was about 40 miles North of the Amtrak Station in Stanley, ND (this is an Amtrak forum, after all).

I knew when you said underground you were a missleeer ….Autospell wants to make you a millionair so hope you are! Anyway thanks for keeping us safe

 

[ScottR]

you all have given me a lot of advice. Thanks for the help.

I knew when you said underground you were a missleeer ….Autospell wants to make you a millionair so hope you are! Anyway thanks for keeping us safe