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WoodenMike

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$17.80 from Seattle to L.A.!!!!!

If you travel by train, you have to check the Rail Sale prices on the Amtrak site!!!

I just booked my girlfriend and I to Seattle and got a great deal!!!

May God be with David Gunn and Amtrak!!!
 
It seem to be sold out after Dec. 18. There are only 8 tickets for this price on each train. Why exactly 8? Why not 5 or not 15?

Most airlines do have similar ticket sales, but they do notify the people who subscribe by e-mail about on-going sale. I am not sure, it is healthy to have a price spread on the same accomodation on the same train of 200 or so Dollars. Nobody else does it in the world. I'd rather see a reasonable fixed price for a 2nd class coach, upgradeable to a 2nd class sleeper for about $20. Unfortunately only in my dreams (at least here).

My wifey went from Munich (Germany) to Budapest (Hungary) this year. The distance is 500 miles. She paid $80 for O.W. coach and $23 for the sleeper (3-bed cabin). We badly want to do the same between San Jose and Klamath Falls or San Jose and Las Vegas, NV. When, when? Can we do it in our life?

George :angry:
 
I'd be inclined to do the Starlight to Seattle combined with the $3.50 Seattle/Vancouver trip but alas I will be back east during the time of the latter.
 
gyuri_ft said:
Most airlines do have similar ticket sales, but they do notify the people who subscribe by e-mail about on-going sale. I am not sure, it is healthy to have a price spread on the same accomodation on the same train of 200 or so Dollars. Nobody else does it in the world. I'd rather see a reasonable fixed price for a 2nd class coach, upgradeable to a 2nd class sleeper for about $20. Unfortunately only in my dreams (at least here).
Click to expand...
I would agree that it would be nice if Amtrak sent "rail sale e-mails" as the airlines do with their weekly specials. I do not see as much of a problem with the disparity in pricing for the same accommodations on the train as similar to the plane. Whenever I fly I almost always get a great deal (the only way I'll get on a plane) and only one time has the price I paid for a ticket in relation to another person on the same flight come up in conversation. This was with a business traveler who was grousing at paying $1000 to sit crammed in coach. What I paid for my ticket is nobody's business but mine and unless one is willing to disclose this information no one will know.
 
As for the room...I'm hoping the train is not fully booked, so we can purchase a room on board for a portion of our trip.

[ second line removed for content , thank you for understanding ]

:rolleyes:
 
These rail sale fares might look nice for some of us, but they are not a good sign of Amtrak's health. If Amtrak was able to fill the trains they would not have to offer seats at such low fares. As for the sleepers, I doubt that they will ever be discounted due to the high demand for them with such low supply. Hopefully this will change after David Gunn begins getting equipment repaired and sleepers can be offered at a decent affordable price. I didn't say cheap, but at least reasonable. I checked on a sleeper from MTZ - Seattle, WA and it was $1800 round trip (two people)! Hopefully this can change soon...
 
(rant on the evils of censorship removed by author as not to offend people in favor of Free Politically Correct Speech over Freedom of Speech)

$1800.00 round trip???

I came up with $664.52 leaving Dec. 3 and returning Dec. 10. (I had to guesstimate)

Are you sure you clicked on "Standard Bedroom" and checked for the lowest fares?
 
Does anyone understand how the discounts (if any) work on Standard Bedrooms? Does the price fall the closer to departure date you make your reservation?
 
I think someone posted that it's 20% if you book an open room on board.

I have priced rooms for my up and coming ( ;) ) trip, and will post the results when I return.

I think the Standard Bedroom price was $174 between Sacramento and Seattle. I will check once on board and see what we can get it for leaving Sacramento at (scheduled) 11:59 PM.

When I was pricing it, the bedroom's cost was the same $174 to Eugene and Portland...

I, like many others, am somewhat confused. If anyone has, or gets the correct information from a conductor or Amtrak agent before I return, please post it!

Happy Railroading!
 
Wooden Mike,

Well, it was actually $1786 according the 800-USA-RAIL. This was quoted to me last June. I didn't have a computer at the time so I wasn't able to check a price for myself on the website. $600 sounds reasonable - I could have lived with that. Instead I ended up cancelling my trip.

:angry:
 
WoodenMike,

Yep - I just checked on the Standard Superliner bedroom round trip from Martinez to Seattle for Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 and it came back with $794. That is still much cheaper than the price I was quoted over the phone. I wonder if it was different for the summer season, or if for some reason the agent thought I wanted two standard bedrooms round trip instead of two passengers in one room . . .

<_<
 
Ya need to check the 35% discount box. That's how I came up with $664.52.

If you left on the 15th, and used the rail sale fares, it would be only $32.40 one way!!!

Add the room onboard, just before mealtime. (snicker)

Practice negotiating the site and try a few different options.

The more you know, THE MORE YOU CAN SAVE!!!
 
Amtrak does indeed charge more during the summer and other peek times. I suspect however JC that you did get quoted either two rooms or a deluxe room.

You should also be aware that once the bedrooms reach 50% sold out, the prices jump up. So always try to book as early as possible. You can also watch for sales, like the 35% off that WoodenMike mentioned. Just in case you didn't know about that sale, you can read about it here. Sales like this do pop up from time to time.

Additionally if you join NARP, you can always save 10% off the railfare, but not the bedroom. Also if you have AAA, Amtrak also gives you 10% off the railfare. Just type in you Chapter number in the group discount box and choose Adult AAA passenger from the drop down list of fare types.

Finally some trains, but not all, are cheaper on certain days of the week. For example all Silver Service trains are always cheaper if you depart on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
 
Mike,

By the way the onboard upgrade discount is supposed to be 20% off the normal rate for the room. However, conductors do make mistakes sometimes. Plus some may actually charge you even less if the sleeper is very empty. At one time I think it used to be the conductors discretion with the regular price being used only as a guideline, but now I think that they are supposed to follow 20% rule. However, again you may find a few that don't.

Good luck! :)
 
tp49 said:
I would agree that it would be nice if Amtrak sent "rail sale e-mails" as the airlines do with their weekly specials.
Click to expand...
Actually, I have over the past few years received a few emails telling me about railsales. Although I don't think that I've seen one for at least the last six months. I think that since they run so many railsales throughout most of the year, they don't want to hit people with too many emails.
 
For some reason the current 35% off promotion doesn't jump out at me like all the other ones usually do. I forgot all about it. Maybe I'll take this trip on the train eventually afterall. Thanks!
 
Yup, we booked Rail Sale from Grand Junction to Sacramento, and from Sacramento to the Rail Sale's end in Portland.

Then, the 35% really helped us save from Portland to Seattle!

Saving MONEY...

It's all good!!!
 
Some of the ridiculous-sounding Rail Sales are actually 70%, even 80 or 90% off the regular rate. At that price, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the 50% off child fares, or the 10% off AAA or NARP rates.

Over this past summer, my son and I each rode the entire route of the Pere Marquette (Grand Rapids MI to Chicago IL) for $4 and change a piece on a Rail Sale deal.

It is definitely worthwhile if the Rail Sale is offered for only a piece of a route to take the Rail Sale for that segment and then book at the best rate for the balance. There is nothing wrong with splitting a ticket up if it is financially advantageous to you. As an example, lately the Pennsylvanian and Three Rivers are coming up dirt cheap from Pittsburgh to Chicago. If you were going from the east coast to Chicago, you could book this, and then find another rate for the portion of your trip between the east coast and Pittsburgh. On a trip to Cleveland last summer, I also split my ticket on the Lake Shore Limited: New York to Buffalo, and Buffalo to Cleveland.
 
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