Cardinal Sleepers and meals

[saxman]

As I pretty much find any excuse to make an Amtrak trip, I've just planned my next journey. It will be from Fort Worth to Chicago, then to Maysville, KY to visit a friend. Then I'll head back to Chicago and go back to school in Grand Forks, ND.

I have a roomette booked for the Texas Eagle, but coach for the other three legs. I'd really like to take a roomette in a Viewliner, but can really only afford it one direction on the Cardinal. (Actually, I probably shouldn't upgrade at all cause I'm tight on money) But I can't decide which direction will give me the most bang for my buck. I'm trying to consider meals served and daylight hours onboard.

Also, anyone ever been to Maysville? CHI to MAY sleeper price is a whopping $156, and thats the lowest tier, for only about 12 hours and no diner. CHI to GFK is only $79 for the roomette, and thats on the new refurbished EB for a 15 hour trip? Whats up with these prices?

I'll be leaving FTW on Jan. 2nd and MAY on Jan. 9th.

Thanks for the help!

 

[cassrr]

Eastbound Cardinal from CHI to MAY in January is all night travel, no daylight and no meals. Westbound, you'll see daylight from Indianapolis to CHI and breakfast to boot. Maysville is a small town of 9000 located on the Ohio River. Home to the late Rosemary Clooney!

 

[Midland Valley]

I guess if it were me, I would take the sleeper from Chicago to Maysville. You will get better Metro Lounge service and a better nights sleep. The train leaves early in the morning for Chicago. Maysville is a beautiful old river town with a neat suspension bridge. It has a nice little station that is unmanned but open around train time. I have always taken sleeper there or to South Portsmouth and coach back to Chicago.

 

[AlanB]

You will get better Metro Lounge service and a better nights sleep.

Actually, if Metropolitan Lounge Access were the deciding factor, then he should book the sleeper on the Cardinal from Maysville to Chicago.

Here's why:

He's arriving into Chicago on the Texas Eagle in a sleeper and therfore entitled to use the Met Lounge while waiting to connect to the Cardinal, even if he's riding in coach.

Going the other way, he'd once again be arriving into Chicago in a sleeper on the Card and again entitled to use the lounge while waiting for the Empire Builder to leave, where again he's booked into coach.

As for which way to get the sleeper on the Cardinal, assuming that Met lounge access is not a priority, it's really a toss up. You would get dinner on the way out to MAY, breakfast if you ride the sleeper into Chicago.

Scenery won't really matter all that much, but if you want to see anything, then the correct answer is book the sleeper to Chicago. The trip to MAY will almost all be in the dark at this time of the year.

 

[Midland Valley]

That makes sense; but can you board the train from the Metro lounge if you arrive first class but are leaving coach, or can you only stay in there untill boarding time?

 

[battalion51]

I think they walk you down to the train at the same time as the First Class passengers. Usually the Special Needs Coach Passengers get boarded at the same time IIRC.

 

[AlanB]

That makes sense; but can you board the train from the Metro lounge if you arrive first class but are leaving coach, or can you only stay in there untill boarding time?

If it's a train that boards from the lounge, then yes, as a coach pax you can still board thru the lounge door.

However if it's a train that does not board thru the lounge, for example Hiawatha service, then no you cannot board through the lounge door. They will make an announcement in the lounge to tell you to go out to the normal waiting area, just prior to boarding time.

B51 is also correct, they'll board special needs pax at the same time regardless of where they are waiting, lounge or normal waiting area.

 

[Midland Valley]

So I presume you can place luggage in the storage area in the Met Lounge also if you are continuing on in coach? For instance, Two of the boys and I will be coming into Chi from Was on the CL in March. We take the SWC home. Can we make use of the ML to keep our luggage in while we do something like the Sears Tower and hang out till train time?

 

[AlanB]

So I presume you can place luggage in the storage area in the Met Lounge also if you are continuing on in coach? For instance, Two of the boys and I will be coming into Chi from Was on the CL in March. We take the SWC home. Can we make use of the ML to keep our luggage in while we do something like the Sears Tower and hang out till train time?

If you are arriving in a sleeper on the Cap, then yes. If you are arriving in coach on the Cap, then no.

 

[Midland Valley]

Well that sounds like a good deal to me! Thanks for the info. We are sleeper both ways on the CL but I find it hard to pay the Price for a room of the SWC just to get off at 4:00 AM.

 

[racer1735]

Having rode both trains this past week (except in the reverse direction....Crawfordsville, IN to Fort Worth) my input is that the meals alone should dictate what he does. The diner on the Texas Eagle is excellent. Very good meals, hugh serving portions (that's where Amtrak could probably save some $$...by cutting back on the amount of food on each plate!). The dining car experience made the trip even more enjoyable. On the Cardinal, only a snack car is available. Breakfast will be a microwaved cinnamon roll and coffee. Nothing to get too excited about and I can only imagine what lunch or dinner would consist of. My advise would be to suck it up, save the coin and travel coach on the Cardinal...especially if you will be de-training in the middle of the night.

 

[racer1735]

Having rode both trains this past week (except in the reverse direction....Crawfordsville, IN to Fort Worth) my input is that the meals alone should dictate what he does. The diner on the Texas Eagle is excellent. Very good meals, hugh serving portions (that's where Amtrak could probably save some $$...by cutting back on the amount of food on each plate!). The dining car experience made the trip even more enjoyable. On the Cardinal, only a snack car is available. Breakfast will be a microwaved cinnamon roll and coffee. Nothing to get too excited about and I can only imagine what lunch or dinner would consist of. My advise would be to suck it up, save the coin and travel coach on the Cardinal...especially if you will be de-training in the middle of the night.

Also, the Met Lounge in Chicago is a worthwhile venture if for no other reason then it gives you a place to store your bags during the layover (my concern would be whether the Eastbound Eagle would make your connection...it's been running very slow the past month).

 

[rile42]

For what it is worth, I've arrived at CUS from a coach seat on the LSL with a sleeper ticket on the Empire Builder. On the return, I arrived on the EB from a sleeper and was leaving on the LSL in coach. Both times, I was allowed in the Metropolitan Lounge and was escorted to the train.