Amtrak Vacations Packages worth the $$ ?

[Robin]

I am planning a trip on the Empire Builder to Portland with a stop over in Glacier National Park next year. I am looking at the Amtrak Vacation packages offered by the Amtrak travel agency. Looks like if I book it myself I can save half the cost of the what the agency charges for the package. Any feedback on if it's worth the $$ to book one of the packages or just book the tours myself? Thanks.

 

[Bob Dylan]

This one is easy, Book it yourself!

 

[the_traveler]

The advantage of booking with them is that they book all the hotels, tours, etc... But if you feel comfortable doing the bookings yourself and you can save money doing so, I'd say go for it!

 

[norfolkwesternhenry]

The package is probably customized to the averages, but you can do what you want if you book your own.

 

[Everydaymatters]

Years ago I took a couple of trips through the Amtrak vacations. They were really good and at that time, they were what I needed. Now I save a bundle by taking care of everything myself. Back then, I didn't know how to go about it, plus I was always working and didn't have the time to research everything.

The first trip was to Disneyland in California (from Chicago) and the Amtrak tickets, hotel, Disney tickets, Universal Studios tickets, Los Angeles sight seeing and Knotts Berry Farm were all included. We did have to take a taxi to and from the Fullerton Amtrak station, but that was all we had to do.

The 2nd trip was to San Antonio. Again, all Amtrak tickets, hotels, sightseeing, tours, etc., were taken care of. Again, we had to get the taxis.

The bottom line is that if you can do all this yourself you will save a lot. If you feel more comfortable going with a travel agency, you might be able to get to see places you would not have thought of.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

To me a large part of the fun of travel is planning the travel and now with the Internet that has become much easier (though I miss studying timetables and hotel brochures). It can get frustrating at times trying to get everything to sync up, but by doing the planning and booking myself, I get what I want with no unneeded extras.

 

[Guest]

Great insight everyone. I think based on your responses, I'll save myself some $$ and book the trip myself without using Amtrak Vacations. I can't see spending double the money for something that I can easily do from the Internet. Thanks again.

 

[me_little_me]

I look at the cancellation cost. What if I had to cancel at the last minute? Since I don't buy trip insurance (fighting with insurance companies over their small print is a pain), I find I can save even more if I have to cancel.

Most hotels allow one to cancel the previous day with no penalty

Amtrak has a good cancellation policy.

Most local tours used by the Tour Arrangers are not cancellable without penalty but, they almost always can be booked at the last minute as a few extra people are usually pure profit once the minimum number to break even has been met.

For non-cancellable local tours, insurance for those only will be a lot less than the larger cost when insuring the Amtrak and hotel portion of the trip.

It is often possible to make changes to save money such as Amtrak prices going down and rebooking at the lower rate and special hotel deals that pop up either at the same place or at another nearby one. Tour Arrangers do not refund money when a discount special is offered by Amtrak or hotels after booking.