N
Nickolas Jackson
Guest
Hello!
I am planning a cross-country trip with my family next year from Harpers Ferry WV to Portland OR (Empire Builder) Then renting a car from Portland to Emeryville CA. Then taking the train from Emeryville back to Harpers Ferry.
I have a bunch of questions, and I have reached out to Amtrak by phone twice, but I must have caught people at the end of a bad day or something because it wasn’t particularly fruitful. If anyone has any advice on any of the subjects I would greatly appreciate it.
1. My plan is to book 4 Coach seats from Harpers Ferry to Chicago (15hrs) and then move into a Family Bedroom for the rest of the way to Portland. On the trip back I plan on doing the same thing in reverse. Family Bedroom from CA to Chicago, and then Coach seats back to WV. Is this a bad idea? Will I still get the sleeper features (meals, extra luggage, etc.) for the Coach seats even if I still book it under the “premium” section. I want to bring a cooler with me, which I understand is okay in a sleeper but I’m a little fuzzy with the Coach seats. If they were normal Coach seats I don’t think this is possible, but I would be booking them as part of a “premium” trip.
2. My plan is to sign up for the Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card, and charge the trip out within 90 days of receiving it. (Around $2400) Then applying the bonus 20,000 points, plus any points accrued from the trip itself to the return trip. Plus I believe I will also receive a Companion Coupon and Upgrade Bonus as well. How will I be able to use this when booking my return trip? I believe I will have access to the 20,000 points within 30 days of the initial purchase, but I’m not sure about the other extras. Also how will this affect my two children’s tickets (ages 12 and 8 at the time of the trip). I would like to book the return trip as soon as possible after booking the outgoing trip to ease my mind. I would prefer not to have to wait until I complete the first trip before I can utilize those bonuses (which was what was suggested by Amtrak Customer Service) because the period between the two is only 10-12 days.
3. Is there any discernible difference between 2 Roomettes and 1 Family Bedroom. I have two children and a wife so the Family Bedroom seems like the better option, but I have read in other places that 2 Roomettes will feel roomier. Is this true?
4. Will there be multiple opportunities to get off the train and stretch the legs, even if it is for only 10mins? My kids are excited about visiting a total of 14 new states on our trip, and it would be nice if they could actually put their feet down in each one.
5. Is there anything that I probably haven’t thought of yet? This is my first time traveling by train and I’m sure there are a ton of things I haven’t taken into consideration yet. The train trip is supposed to be one of the real highlights of the whole trip for me and my family and I want to make sure we have the best time possible.
Sorry for the long post, and if most of this information is located somewhere else on this board. I’m just looking for any assistance or guidance at all.
Thank you!
-Nick
I am planning a cross-country trip with my family next year from Harpers Ferry WV to Portland OR (Empire Builder) Then renting a car from Portland to Emeryville CA. Then taking the train from Emeryville back to Harpers Ferry.
I have a bunch of questions, and I have reached out to Amtrak by phone twice, but I must have caught people at the end of a bad day or something because it wasn’t particularly fruitful. If anyone has any advice on any of the subjects I would greatly appreciate it.
1. My plan is to book 4 Coach seats from Harpers Ferry to Chicago (15hrs) and then move into a Family Bedroom for the rest of the way to Portland. On the trip back I plan on doing the same thing in reverse. Family Bedroom from CA to Chicago, and then Coach seats back to WV. Is this a bad idea? Will I still get the sleeper features (meals, extra luggage, etc.) for the Coach seats even if I still book it under the “premium” section. I want to bring a cooler with me, which I understand is okay in a sleeper but I’m a little fuzzy with the Coach seats. If they were normal Coach seats I don’t think this is possible, but I would be booking them as part of a “premium” trip.
2. My plan is to sign up for the Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card, and charge the trip out within 90 days of receiving it. (Around $2400) Then applying the bonus 20,000 points, plus any points accrued from the trip itself to the return trip. Plus I believe I will also receive a Companion Coupon and Upgrade Bonus as well. How will I be able to use this when booking my return trip? I believe I will have access to the 20,000 points within 30 days of the initial purchase, but I’m not sure about the other extras. Also how will this affect my two children’s tickets (ages 12 and 8 at the time of the trip). I would like to book the return trip as soon as possible after booking the outgoing trip to ease my mind. I would prefer not to have to wait until I complete the first trip before I can utilize those bonuses (which was what was suggested by Amtrak Customer Service) because the period between the two is only 10-12 days.
3. Is there any discernible difference between 2 Roomettes and 1 Family Bedroom. I have two children and a wife so the Family Bedroom seems like the better option, but I have read in other places that 2 Roomettes will feel roomier. Is this true?
4. Will there be multiple opportunities to get off the train and stretch the legs, even if it is for only 10mins? My kids are excited about visiting a total of 14 new states on our trip, and it would be nice if they could actually put their feet down in each one.
5. Is there anything that I probably haven’t thought of yet? This is my first time traveling by train and I’m sure there are a ton of things I haven’t taken into consideration yet. The train trip is supposed to be one of the real highlights of the whole trip for me and my family and I want to make sure we have the best time possible.
Sorry for the long post, and if most of this information is located somewhere else on this board. I’m just looking for any assistance or guidance at all.
Thank you!
-Nick