Booking Questions for an Upcoming Trip

[strickerj]

Hi everyone!

I've been on here a while but haven't posted much. We enjoyed our trip in 2018 (California Zephyr to DEN, week and a half road trip, then Empire Builder back from WFH) and are now interested in returning from a Route 66 trip by rail in May of next year, departing from either SAN or LAX. My preferred route would be driving down the coast from LA to San Diego, then taking the 6:05 train the next morning back to LAX, connecting to the 14 Coast Starlight to EMY, then the California Zephyr leaving the following morning all the way to CHI. Here are my questions:

1) Is there a way to book a multi-segment ticket with points? The option "Use points" disappears when you click the Multi City search form. Is there even an advantage to this rather than separate one-ways (i.e., are connections protected)? I'm seeing conflicting info on this. I'm OK with being on the hook for accommodations in the event of a delay but just don't want their delay to cost me my connecting ticket.

2) Is there a way to combine points and cash? I won't have enough points for the full itinerary. (If not, I'll just book separate tickets for each segment.)

3) Is there a way to filter out bus connections? From SAN-EMY, I'm only seeing the bus to Bakersfield, then the San Joaquin, rather than the quicker route through LA. If I book these separately, how often is SAN-LAX delayed? (Connection is 1 hour 10 min, unless I take the 4:05 departure.)

Another option I see when searching LAX-CHI directly (besides the Southwest Chief) is the Coast Starlight all the way to PDX, connecting to the Empire Builder. Connection is only an hour and a bit, which seems risky on a LD arrival, but if it's protected, then that's an option.

4) Finally, would I earn points on the full amount I booked on my account, or is it like the airline programs where each ticketed passenger earns his own points? (I'm planning on traveling with my wife in a Roomette and her parents in a second Roomette, so it'd be nice to get credit for both.)

Thanks in advance!

 

[zephyr17]

1. Not online. An AGR agent will be able and happy to do multi-city. I've done serveral.

2. Not on one reservation. Since you are doing multi-city, you can break it at a layover point and make a cash reservation on that segment. An AGR agent will be happy to do that, too. I've done so.

3. I don't know of a way to filter bus connections. I don't completely understand your question. The bus connections on the San Joaquin are quicker than the Starlight and all connections are at LAX. However, for some reason the 5:55 am 763 departure, which connects to the Starlight from San Diego isn't showing. My guess is Amtrak removed the guarantee for some reason. In any case, that connection is 1:19 (8:51 to 10:10). You may be able to force it through multi-city, an AGR agent would be able to tell you if the guarantee applies.

4. That connection at PDX is pretty robust. The Starlight has a big pad into Portland. They'll usually hold the Builder for up to 30 minutes for the Starlight. If later than that they will bus bridge from like Eugene for connecting passengers. Worst case scenario is they take you off at K Falls and bus you to Pasco. It is guaranteed.

5. You get AGR points for your portion of the ticket, not all passengers on the reservation. They'll get AGR points if they have an AGR account. However, if you are in a sleeper and are the primary ticket holder, you will get AGR points for your rail fare and the accommodation charge. Other passengers will only get points for their rail fare. Not sure how it works for two roomettes. Ask AGR, it looks like you are going to have to call them anyway.

Finally, since I am picky about room location, for a big trip I always call for my reservations whether on points or cash. I won't use the website for those until a room selection option becomes available, if it ever does.

 

[strickerj]

Thanks for the detailed response! I actually hadn't thought of calling... Most of my travel lately has been on Delta, where you'll end up on hold all day, so calling has always been a last resort.

Now I'm torn... Do I go with the California Zephyr for its scenic stretches through Donner Pass and the Colorado Rockies, or Coast Starlight / Empire Builder for Oregon and the Columbia River valley? (I've already taken the EB through Marias Pass in Montana so that wouldn't be new.)

I'll let y'all know what I find out from the agent, but it probably won't be until next week since we'll discuss timing with the family over the weekend.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Zephyr17's reply was very good, and thorough. I'd only have a couple of things to add:

• To avoid being on hold forever, just start saying "Agent" as soon as their automated agent, "Julie", answers the phone. Pretty quickly, she'll stop the canned rap and ask "I think you said you wanted an agent, is that right?" A simple "yes" will get you into the queue for a live person.
• The agent can link the paid and points segments of your trip.

When I've had a complicated trip, I've called and said "I want to go from City A to City B, and here are the train/segments I would like. Then I explain I'll pay for at least one segment with cash, and the others with points, and they take it from there. If they don't mention they are linking your segments, you should ask.

Ha, ha, only you can answer whether you want to take the CZ or the EB. Since you've done part of the EB already, I'd vote for the CZ.

 

[strickerj]

Thanks for the tip!

I'm leaning toward CZ since we rode it from Chicago to Denver on our previous trip, so we got out before the scenic part.

 

[zephyr17]

Second for the CZ. There is a lot more scenery on the CZ. After leaving Cut Bank on the Builder, it is basically hammered sh*t eastern Montana (aka West Dakota). On the Zephyr, you get the Sierra all afternoon Day 1, all day scenery on day 2, the Book Cliffs, Ruby Canyon on the UT/CO border, Colorado Western Slope canyons and finally the descent down the Front Range into Denver.

I ride the Builder fairly regularly as it the most direct transportation east for me and the Everett station is only 20 minutes away. It isn't my favorite train for scenery. Yes, the Montana Rockies are great, but they are over by mid-morning.

PS. I tried a phantom reservation on the Surfliner/Starlight connection to EMY using 763 and 14 leaving at 5:55 am using Multi-City. It allowed it and I got all the way up to payment. I don't know whether that LA connection is guaranteed, but it is bookable. I tried a connection that I know would be problematic on Multi-City, connecting from the Builder (arriving Chicago at 3:55 pm) to the Blue Water (departing Chicago at 4:00 pm). It wouldn't do it, it got an error right after I selected the trains and pressed "continue".

 

[caravanman]

The CZ has fantastic scenery all the way from EMY to DEN, highly recommended!

 

[strickerj]

Good to know it blocks impossible connections, so the LA connection should be possible. I'll find out when I call if it's guaranteed. (As an aside, I used to ride the Blue Water a couple times a year when I lived in East Lansing. I'm near Jackson now so I'll be connecting to the last Wolverine of the day.)

So I guess I'm not missing much on EB since I've already been on it through the Montana Rockies. I wasn't sure if the Columbia River valley was worth it. Northern California should be nice but it's in the dark on the Coast Starlight.

 

[zephyr17]

The Columbia River Gorge is beautiful and I prefer it to the trip over the Cascades on the Seattle section, though I am generally stuck with that unless I want to spend the day getting down to Portland. I went out of my way specifically to ride it in August 2019. But I'd still take the CZ.

 

[Cal]

My home train is the SWC so I would tell you to go for that, but since you haven't been on the CZ west of Denver, you should definitely go for it.

 

[BCL]

I don't believe that you can filter bus connections per se, but you can force nonstandard combinations. However, you're going to need to put in the exact cities/stations to get that. I've tried that and can get almost any combination I want.

 

[strickerj]

I considered Southwest Chief too - that would actually get us back a day earlier. But this is the end of a Route 66 trip, and the SWC covers much of the same route we'd have already just driven.

 

[happycamper]

1. Not online. An AGR agent will be able and happy to do multi-city. I've done serveral.

2. Not on one reservation. Since you are doing multi-city, you can break it at a layover point and make a cash reservation on that segment. An AGR agent will be happy to do that, too. I've done so.

3. I don't know of a way to filter bus connections. I don't completely understand your question. The bus connections on the San Joaquin are quicker than the Starlight and all connections are at LAX. However, for some reason the 5:55 am 763 departure, which connects to the Starlight from San Diego isn't showing. My guess is Amtrak removed the guarantee for some reason. In any case, that connection is 1:19 (8:51 to 10:10). You may be able to force it through multi-city, an AGR agent would be able to tell you if the guarantee applies.

4. That connection at PDX is pretty robust. The Starlight has a big pad into Portland. They'll usually hold the Builder for up to 30 minutes for the Starlight. If later than that they will bus bridge from like Eugene for connecting passengers. Worst case scenario is they take you off at K Falls and bus you to Pasco. It is guaranteed.

5. You get AGR points for your portion of the ticket, not all passengers on the reservation. They'll get AGR points if they have an AGR account. However, if you are in a sleeper and are the primary ticket holder, you will get AGR points for your rail fare and the accommodation charge. Other passengers will only get points for their rail fare. Not sure how it works for two roomettes. Ask AGR, it looks like you are going to have to call them anyway.

Finally, since I am picky about room location, for a big trip I always call for my reservations whether on points or cash. I won't use the website for those until a room selection option becomes available, if it ever does.

Haven't had a room before - only coach but going to do a room next time. Where is the best location or what should I look for? Thank you!

 

[happycamper]

I considered Southwest Chief too - that would actually get us back a day earlier. But this is the end of a Route 66 trip, and the SWC covers much of the same route we'd have already just driven.

The SW Chief does Raton pass and I believe there isn't roads around it?? It might be a great compliment to your trip as some of it will be where roads dont go... Someone correct me if Im wrong as I haven't done the route yet but plan too.

 

[strickerj]

The SW Chief does Raton pass and I believe there isn't roads around it?? It might be a great compliment to your trip as some of it will be where roads dont go... Someone correct me if Im wrong as I haven't done the route yet but plan too.

True, the SWC diverges from the old placement of Route 66 (the routing we took) near Santa Fe (specifically just before Las Vegas, NM) and heads northeast into Colorado, while 66 goes back down to Santa Rosa and parallels I-40. So, I haven't been through Raton, but I just can't pass up the CZ first. I believe I-25 does parallel the Amtrak over Raton pass until diverging again at Trinidad, CO.

I'm hoping if the Amtrak LD trains stick around long enough, I'll at some point make a loop from Chicago to LA on the SWC (or down to New Orleans and across on the Sunset Limited), up the Coast Starlight to Portland or Seattle, and the EB back.

 

[zephyr17]

The SW Chief does Raton pass and I believe there isn't roads around it?? It might be a great compliment to your trip as some of it will be where roads dont go... Someone correct me if Im wrong as I haven't done the route yet but plan too.

It pretty much parallels I 25, sometimes closely, sometimes not so closely, but the views are quite different.

It wanders further away around Glorietta Pass.

 

[Cal]

It wanders further away around Glorietta Pass.

Which I find better than Raton Pass!

 

[zephyr17]

Which I find better than Raton Pass!

Me, too.

 

[happycamper]

True, the SWC diverges from the old placement of Route 66 (the routing we took) near Santa Fe (specifically just before Las Vegas, NM) and heads northeast into Colorado, while 66 goes back down to Santa Rosa and parallels I-40. So, I haven't been through Raton, but I just can't pass up the CZ first. I believe I-25 does parallel the Amtrak over Raton pass until diverging again at Trinidad, CO.

I'm hoping if the Amtrak LD trains stick around long enough, I'll at some point make a loop from Chicago to LA on the SWC (or down to New Orleans and across on the Sunset Limited), up the Coast Starlight to Portland or Seattle, and the EB back.

Im wanting to get the long distance routes done too. Hope they stay around a long time and give me time. So far I have done the CZ from Chicago to Glenwood and the ride from Denver to Glenwood was breathtaking! I love rocks I have found more than forest as I was much more impressed with that route than the EB through Glacier. The Sunset Limited I think is so cool if you like Native American history and it has some beautiful scenery to me through the west - W TX through Tuscan. The Coastal Starlight was awesome pass Emeryville north but we had to reroute for track repair in Emeryville and take the inside route on the other train. Hope to get the lower coastal route in.

 

[Cal]

Im wanting to get the long distance routes done too. Hope they stay around a long time and give me time. So far I have done the CZ from Chicago to Glenwood and the ride from Denver to Glenwood was breathtaking! I love rocks I have found more than forest as I was much more impressed with that route than the EB through Glacier. The Sunset Limited I think is so cool if you like Native American history and it has some beautiful scenery to me through the west - W TX through Tuscan. The Coastal Starlight was awesome pass Emeryville north but we had to reroute for track repair in Emeryville and take the inside route on the other train. Hope to get the lower coastal route in.

Hmm, personally I love anything. But desert and ocean don't do it for me (although the CS skirting the coast is nice). I prefer mountains of any kind.

 

[strickerj]

Thanks again for the help; as it turned out, we've just decided to fly there and back (to PHX, back from SAN) and save the long-distance train for later - we still definitely want to catch the scenic portions of the CZ and EB, perhaps in a few years. I'm thinking of stopping for a few days at Reno (Lake Tahoe and Donner Pass), Redding (redwoods and Crater Lake), and maybe Portland.