Eleven Months Out

[ThayerATM]

I know that we can't book a trip before 11 months out. But how does Amtrak define "11 months out?"

I'm planning a trip next year, and we'll be spending a couple of days in each of three cities (FMD, LAX, SEA) along the way, as well as the usual two layovers in CHI. This involves a six leg journey. I'm planning on making the reservations in increments.

In order to get the train accomodations that I'd prefer, I'd like to book on the first day available for Amtrak reservations. Amtrak tells me that the earliest date is the same date of the month, but 11 months out. I've heard some of the members say that there's a time of day involved. Is that true?

For instance --- if our first train would depart on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, would I make THAT reservation on

September 15, 2010 after 11:00 PM. Could I make THAT reservations earlier in the day on September 15th? I know that I can't book the whole trip all at one time 'till 11 months out from the departure time of the last train.

I know I'm getting awfully picky, but I'd like to book before the travel agents tie up some of the reservations. I booked 10 months out for a trip we took last year, and I DID have to get on a waiting list to get a regular bedroom on the Empire Builder. We were able to book the family bedroom originally, but we didn't need the extra berths, and we did want our own "head." We got "upgraded" to a regular bedroom upstairs, four weeks before departure --- at a savings of over $500.

If it makes any difference, the legs are ROC to CHI, CHI to FMD, FMD to LAX, LAX to SEA, SEA to CHI, and CHI to ROC.

And NO, I won't have any of the six legs ticketed 'till we arrive at the first station. Paid for, certainly. Ticketed, no. :lol:

 

[Rail Freak]

I know that we can't book a trip before 11 months out. But how does Amtrak define "11 months out?"I'm planning a trip next year, and we'll be spending a couple of days in each of three cities (FMD, LAX, SEA) along the way, as well as the usual two layovers in CHI. This involves a six leg journey. I'm planning on making the reservations in increments.

In order to get the train accomodations that I'd prefer, I'd like to book on the first day available for Amtrak reservations. Amtrak tells me that the earliest date is the same date of the month, but 11 months out. I've heard some of the members say that there's a time of day involved. Is that true?

For instance --- if our first train would depart on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, would I make THAT reservation on

September 15, 2010 after 11:00 PM. Could I make THAT reservations earlier in the day on September 15th? I know that I can't book the whole trip all at one time 'till 11 months out from the departure time of the last train.

I know I'm getting awfully picky, but I'd like to book before the travel agents tie up some of the reservations. I booked 10 months out for a trip we took last year, and I DID have to get on a waiting list to get a regular bedroom on the Empire Builder. We were able to book the family bedroom originally, but we didn't need the extra berths, and we did want our own "head." We got "upgraded" to a regular bedroom upstairs, four weeks before departure --- at a savings of over $500.

If it makes any difference, the legs are ROC to CHI, CHI to FMD, FMD to LAX, LAX to SEA, SEA to CHI, and CHI to ROC.

And NO, I won't have any of the six legs ticketed 'till we arrive at the first station. Paid for, certainly. Ticketed, no. :lol:

I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket! I'm interested the the replies you get on this question!!!

RF

 

[ThayerATM]

I know that we can't book a trip before 11 months out. But how does Amtrak define "11 months out?"I'm planning a trip next year, and we'll be spending a couple of days in each of three cities (FMD, LAX, SEA) along the way, as well as the usual two layovers in CHI. This involves a six leg journey. I'm planning on making the reservations in increments.

In order to get the train accomodations that I'd prefer, I'd like to book on the first day available for Amtrak reservations. Amtrak tells me that the earliest date is the same date of the month, but 11 months out. I've heard some of the members say that there's a time of day involved. Is that true?

For instance --- if our first train would depart on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, would I make THAT reservation on

September 15, 2010 after 11:00 PM. Could I make THAT reservations earlier in the day on September 15th? I know that I can't book the whole trip all at one time 'till 11 months out from the departure time of the last train.

I know I'm getting awfully picky, but I'd like to book before the travel agents tie up some of the reservations. I booked 10 months out for a trip we took last year, and I DID have to get on a waiting list to get a regular bedroom on the Empire Builder. We were able to book the family bedroom originally, but we didn't need the extra berths, and we did want our own "head." We got "upgraded" to a regular bedroom upstairs, four weeks before departure --- at a savings of over $500.

If it makes any difference, the legs are ROC to CHI, CHI to FMD, FMD to LAX, LAX to SEA, SEA to CHI, and CHI to ROC.

And NO, I won't have any of the six legs ticketed 'till we arrive at the first station. Paid for, certainly. Ticketed, no. :lol:

I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket! I'm interested the the replies you get on this question!!!

RF

If what you're saying is true (I have no reason not to believe you) maybe I should change the SUBJECT line of this thread to

"MYTH BUSTERS." :lol: I'll try the same thing a couple of times with the whole trip. How will I be able to determine if I'm getting low bucket or not? <_<

 

[Rail Freak]

I know that we can't book a trip before 11 months out. But how does Amtrak define "11 months out?"I'm planning a trip next year, and we'll be spending a couple of days in each of three cities (FMD, LAX, SEA) along the way, as well as the usual two layovers in CHI. This involves a six leg journey. I'm planning on making the reservations in increments.

In order to get the train accomodations that I'd prefer, I'd like to book on the first day available for Amtrak reservations. Amtrak tells me that the earliest date is the same date of the month, but 11 months out. I've heard some of the members say that there's a time of day involved. Is that true?

For instance --- if our first train would depart on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, would I make THAT reservation on

September 15, 2010 after 11:00 PM. Could I make THAT reservations earlier in the day on September 15th? I know that I can't book the whole trip all at one time 'till 11 months out from the departure time of the last train.

I know I'm getting awfully picky, but I'd like to book before the travel agents tie up some of the reservations. I booked 10 months out for a trip we took last year, and I DID have to get on a waiting list to get a regular bedroom on the Empire Builder. We were able to book the family bedroom originally, but we didn't need the extra berths, and we did want our own "head." We got "upgraded" to a regular bedroom upstairs, four weeks before departure --- at a savings of over $500.

If it makes any difference, the legs are ROC to CHI, CHI to FMD, FMD to LAX, LAX to SEA, SEA to CHI, and CHI to ROC.

And NO, I won't have any of the six legs ticketed 'till we arrive at the first station. Paid for, certainly. Ticketed, no. :lol:

I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket! I'm interested the the replies you get on this question!!!

RF

If what you're saying is true (I have no reason not to believe you) maybe I should change the SUBJECT line of this thread to

"MYTH BUSTERS." :lol: I'll try the same thing a couple of times with the whole trip. How will I be able to determine if I'm getting low bucket or not? <_<

Try the same reservation for 4 or 5 different dates (even months).

You should get different prices.

ex. I did CZ from CHI to EMY for one day every month this year for a roomette. I came up with $267, $362,$457 & $647!

RF

 

[pennyk]

Last fall, I booked a multi-segment trip (for August 2010) starting exactly 11 months out. I tried my first reservation at one minute after midnight on the first day possible. I was not able to make the reservation at that time because the agent informed me that the reservations were not in the computer yet and she told me to try back at 3am, which I did. The reservations were not in the system at that time either, but I was able to make reservations for the first 2 segments around 5:30 am (ORL-WAS; WAS-CHI). I waited another 2 days and was able to make the next segment's reservation at 12:01am (apparently the reservations were in the computer then). I had problems one evening because the computer system was down for repair until 6am, but after being on hold for 20 minutes, I was able to make a reservation. I think was able to get the lowest bucket available for each segment plus I received a couple of segments with AGR points. However, I do not think the lowest bucket bedrooms were ever available for the CZ from CHI to DEN. I have heard that at peak travel times (which August I am sure is), the lowest prices are a bit more than at non-peak times of the year.

Bottom line - I lost a lot of sleep during those almost 2 weeks while making my reservations, but I am pleased that I got the trains and accomodations that I desired, and at pretty good prices. When I do this again, I will do it in the same manner. I think I got lucky because on several days prior to the days I planned to travel, the bedrooms were sold out by 6am (11 months out) - likely by travel agents.

I hope this helps.

 

[ThayerATM]

I know that we can't book a trip before 11 months out. But how does Amtrak define "11 months out?"I'm planning a trip next year, and we'll be spending a couple of days in each of three cities (FMD, LAX, SEA) along the way, as well as the usual two layovers in CHI. This involves a six leg journey. I'm planning on making the reservations in increments.

In order to get the train accomodations that I'd prefer, I'd like to book on the first day available for Amtrak reservations. Amtrak tells me that the earliest date is the same date of the month, but 11 months out. I've heard some of the members say that there's a time of day involved. Is that true?

For instance --- if our first train would depart on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, would I make THAT reservation on

September 15, 2010 after 11:00 PM. Could I make THAT reservations earlier in the day on September 15th? I know that I can't book the whole trip all at one time 'till 11 months out from the departure time of the last train.

I know I'm getting awfully picky, but I'd like to book before the travel agents tie up some of the reservations. I booked 10 months out for a trip we took last year, and I DID have to get on a waiting list to get a regular bedroom on the Empire Builder. We were able to book the family bedroom originally, but we didn't need the extra berths, and we did want our own "head." We got "upgraded" to a regular bedroom upstairs, four weeks before departure --- at a savings of over $500.

If it makes any difference, the legs are ROC to CHI, CHI to FMD, FMD to LAX, LAX to SEA, SEA to CHI, and CHI to ROC.

And NO, I won't have any of the six legs ticketed 'till we arrive at the first station. Paid for, certainly. Ticketed, no. :lol:

I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket! I'm interested the the replies you get on this question!!!

RF

If what you're saying is true (I have no reason not to believe you) maybe I should change the SUBJECT line of this thread to

"MYTH BUSTERS." :lol: I'll try the same thing a couple of times with the whole trip. How will I be able to determine if I'm getting low bucket or not? <_<

Try the same reservation for 4 or 5 different dates (even months).

You should get different prices.

ex. I did CZ from CHI to EMY for one day every month this year for a roomette. I came up with $267, $362,$457 & $647!

RF

Whew...That's quite a spread. In your first reply you said: "I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket!" Were you saying that the first price you got was NOT $267, but higher? :unsure:

 

[rrdude]

I know that we can't book a trip before 11 months out. But how does Amtrak define "11 months out?"I'm planning a trip next year, and we'll be spending a couple of days in each of three cities (FMD, LAX, SEA) along the way, as well as the usual two layovers in CHI. This involves a six leg journey. I'm planning on making the reservations in increments.

In order to get the train accomodations that I'd prefer, I'd like to book on the first day available for Amtrak reservations. Amtrak tells me that the earliest date is the same date of the month, but 11 months out. I've heard some of the members say that there's a time of day involved. Is that true?

For instance --- if our first train would depart on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, would I make THAT reservation on

September 15, 2010 after 11:00 PM. Could I make THAT reservations earlier in the day on September 15th? I know that I can't book the whole trip all at one time 'till 11 months out from the departure time of the last train.

I know I'm getting awfully picky, but I'd like to book before the travel agents tie up some of the reservations. I booked 10 months out for a trip we took last year, and I DID have to get on a waiting list to get a regular bedroom on the Empire Builder. We were able to book the family bedroom originally, but we didn't need the extra berths, and we did want our own "head." We got "upgraded" to a regular bedroom upstairs, four weeks before departure --- at a savings of over $500.

If it makes any difference, the legs are ROC to CHI, CHI to FMD, FMD to LAX, LAX to SEA, SEA to CHI, and CHI to ROC.

And NO, I won't have any of the six legs ticketed 'till we arrive at the first station. Paid for, certainly. Ticketed, no. :lol:

I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket! I'm interested the the replies you get on this question!!!

RF

If what you're saying is true (I have no reason not to believe you) maybe I should change the SUBJECT line of this thread to

"MYTH BUSTERS." :lol: I'll try the same thing a couple of times with the whole trip. How will I be able to determine if I'm getting low bucket or not? <_<

Try the same reservation for 4 or 5 different dates (even months).

You should get different prices.

ex. I did CZ from CHI to EMY for one day every month this year for a roomette. I came up with $267, $362,$457 & $647!

RF

Whew...That's quite a spread. In your first reply you said: "I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket!" Were you saying that the first price you got was NOT $267, but higher? :unsure:

I got the same thing the other night when I checked exactly 11 mos out on the SWC, a VERY HIGH rate, I'm guessing that Amtrak and/or Travel Agents "lock in" these dates, and then as the tix don't sell, they, at some RANDOM time, return to inventory, at low bucket rates. Just a guess. Same thing seems to happen on Cardinal, and CZ. However, the CL is almost always shown at low bucket, at least according to my limited "tests".

 

[Rail Freak]

I know that we can't book a trip before 11 months out. But how does Amtrak define "11 months out?"I'm planning a trip next year, and we'll be spending a couple of days in each of three cities (FMD, LAX, SEA) along the way, as well as the usual two layovers in CHI. This involves a six leg journey. I'm planning on making the reservations in increments.

In order to get the train accomodations that I'd prefer, I'd like to book on the first day available for Amtrak reservations. Amtrak tells me that the earliest date is the same date of the month, but 11 months out. I've heard some of the members say that there's a time of day involved. Is that true?

For instance --- if our first train would depart on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, would I make THAT reservation on

September 15, 2010 after 11:00 PM. Could I make THAT reservations earlier in the day on September 15th? I know that I can't book the whole trip all at one time 'till 11 months out from the departure time of the last train.

I know I'm getting awfully picky, but I'd like to book before the travel agents tie up some of the reservations. I booked 10 months out for a trip we took last year, and I DID have to get on a waiting list to get a regular bedroom on the Empire Builder. We were able to book the family bedroom originally, but we didn't need the extra berths, and we did want our own "head." We got "upgraded" to a regular bedroom upstairs, four weeks before departure --- at a savings of over $500.

If it makes any difference, the legs are ROC to CHI, CHI to FMD, FMD to LAX, LAX to SEA, SEA to CHI, and CHI to ROC.

And NO, I won't have any of the six legs ticketed 'till we arrive at the first station. Paid for, certainly. Ticketed, no. :lol:

I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket! I'm interested the the replies you get on this question!!!

RF

If what you're saying is true (I have no reason not to believe you) maybe I should change the SUBJECT line of this thread to

"MYTH BUSTERS." :lol: I'll try the same thing a couple of times with the whole trip. How will I be able to determine if I'm getting low bucket or not? <_<

Try the same reservation for 4 or 5 different dates (even months).

You should get different prices.

ex. I did CZ from CHI to EMY for one day every month this year for a roomette. I came up with $267, $362,$457 & $647!

RF

Whew...That's quite a spread. In your first reply you said: "I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket!" Were you saying that the first price you got was NOT $267, but higher? :unsure:

march-362

april-267

may-457

june-647

july-457

aug-362

sept-647

next jan- 552

RF (these are roomette prices not including $148 rail fare)

 

[dlagrua]

At times we have tried to book very early and still encounted high fares when desiring a bedroom. I theorize that the bucket system may be based upon demand and time of year (peak season vs. off season) and availability. We may also need to factor in the amount of lodging on a particular route. For instance thw LSL only has six bedrooms on the entire train whereas other routes like the AutoTrain can have 20 or 30 bedrooms available. If you want the luxury of a bedroom w bath then booking as close to 11 months out as possible will get you the best price but don't always expect it to be low bucket. On the other hand if a roomette is the goal, then the wider availablity of that accomodation may give you the low bucket from the gitgo but I'm still unsure.

As for coach fare I don't see a big difference between booking 11 months out and booking 2 months out. Only a few routes seem to sell out of coach seats completely, namely the NE Corridor route, LSL ( I believe in summer) and the Autotrain during vacation season, snowbird and college opening and closing seasons.

 

[ThayerATM]

Last fall, I booked a multi-segment trip (for August 2010) starting exactly 11 months out. I tried my first reservation at one minute after midnight on the first day possible. I was not able to make the reservation at that time because the agent informed me that the reservations were not in the computer yet and she told me to try back at 3am, which I did. The reservations were not in the system at that time either, but I was able to make reservations for the first 2 segments around 5:30 am (ORL-WAS; WAS-CHI). I waited another 2 days and was able to make the next segment's reservation at 12:01am (apparently the reservations were in the computer then). I had problems one evening because the computer system was down for repair until 6am, but after being on hold for 20 minutes, I was able to make a reservation. I think was able to get the lowest bucket available for each segment plus I received a couple of segments with AGR points. However, I do not think the lowest bucket bedrooms were ever available for the CZ from CHI to DEN. I have heard that at peak travel times (which August I am sure is), the lowest prices are a bit more than at non-peak times of the year.
Bottom line - I lost a lot of sleep during those almost 2 weeks while making my reservations, but I am pleased that I got the trains and accomodations that I desired, and at pretty good prices. When I do this again, I will do it in the same manner. I think I got lucky because on several days prior to the days I planned to travel, the bedrooms were sold out by 6am (11 months out) - likely by travel agents.

I hope this helps.

Actually, what you've said does help a lot, and thank you very much.

I've got enough time to explore this, but I'd like to find out Amtrack's [behind the bookshelf] rules. The catch-all phrase of the 21st century is: "our computer's down." I want to find out if Amtrak's using that as an excuse for saying that they won't take reservations 'till XXX o'clock. Then I gotta find out their exact times of day for taking reservations on a particular date, 11 months out.

I think I'm going to go through exactly what you went through getting your reservations. But this time I'll be on the phone with

"Julie" (an agent) when the clock turns the hour, 11 months out. If I find rooms already booked, I'll have missed a [behind the bookshelf] deal. :lol: I'll lose sleep. Eventually I'll get some reservations, and recover my lost sleep the next couple of days. :lol:

Thanks again for your help, and especially your encouraging words.

 

[ThayerATM]

At times we have tried to book very early and still encounted high fares when desiring a bedroom. I theorize that the bucket system may be based upon demand and time of year (peak season vs. off season) and availability. We may also need to factor in the amount of lodging on a particular route. For instance thw LSL only has six bedrooms on the entire train whereas other routes like the AutoTrain can have 20 or 30 bedrooms available. If you want the luxury of a bedroom w bath then booking as close to 11 months out as possible will get you the best price but don't always expect it to be low bucket. On the other hand if a roomette is the goal, then the wider availablity of that accomodation may give you the low bucket from the gitgo but I'm still unsure. As for coach fare I don't see a big difference between booking 11 months out and booking 2 months out. Only a few routes seem to sell out of coach seats completely, namely the NE Corridor route, LSL ( I believe in summer) and the Autotrain during vacation season, snowbird and college opening and closing seasons.

As information comes in, you're giving me some well thought out insight. Thanks.

I think that it would be to Amtrak's advantage to charge more based on season, accomodation desired, and availability. That's fair, 'cuz Amtrak's a corporation trying to make a buck. I'm just looking at how to keep the playing field as level as I can so that I can get a bedroom around the country on a train. It's getting tricky. :lol: I don't mean to say that money's no object, but while booking a bedroom on a train around the country, I guess it's obvious that money is not the primary consideration. :lol:

I just want to get the bedroom on all the trains I want to travel on.

 

[ThayerATM]

I know that we can't book a trip before 11 months out. But how does Amtrak define "11 months out?"I'm planning a trip next year, and we'll be spending a couple of days in each of three cities (FMD, LAX, SEA) along the way, as well as the usual two layovers in CHI. This involves a six leg journey. I'm planning on making the reservations in increments.

In order to get the train accomodations that I'd prefer, I'd like to book on the first day available for Amtrak reservations. Amtrak tells me that the earliest date is the same date of the month, but 11 months out. I've heard some of the members say that there's a time of day involved. Is that true?

For instance --- if our first train would depart on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, would I make THAT reservation on

September 15, 2010 after 11:00 PM. Could I make THAT reservations earlier in the day on September 15th? I know that I can't book the whole trip all at one time 'till 11 months out from the departure time of the last train.

I know I'm getting awfully picky, but I'd like to book before the travel agents tie up some of the reservations. I booked 10 months out for a trip we took last year, and I DID have to get on a waiting list to get a regular bedroom on the Empire Builder. We were able to book the family bedroom originally, but we didn't need the extra berths, and we did want our own "head." We got "upgraded" to a regular bedroom upstairs, four weeks before departure --- at a savings of over $500.

If it makes any difference, the legs are ROC to CHI, CHI to FMD, FMD to LAX, LAX to SEA, SEA to CHI, and CHI to ROC.

And NO, I won't have any of the six legs ticketed 'till we arrive at the first station. Paid for, certainly. Ticketed, no. :lol:

I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket! I'm interested the the replies you get on this question!!!

RF

If what you're saying is true (I have no reason not to believe you) maybe I should change the SUBJECT line of this thread to

"MYTH BUSTERS." :lol: I'll try the same thing a couple of times with the whole trip. How will I be able to determine if I'm getting low bucket or not? <_<

Try the same reservation for 4 or 5 different dates (even months).

You should get different prices.

ex. I did CZ from CHI to EMY for one day every month this year for a roomette. I came up with $267, $362,$457 & $647!

RF

Whew...That's quite a spread. In your first reply you said: "I've been playing around with ticket pricing for the CZ (Chi-Emy). It's 5 am on 2-17-10. I checked on tickets for 1-17-11, they are definitely not low bucket!" Were you saying that the first price you got was NOT $267, but higher? :unsure:

march-362

april-267

may-457

june-647

july-457

aug-362

sept-647

next jan- 552

RF (these are roomette prices not including $148 rail fare)

Interesting!, and thanks for your workup of the numbers. I infer from your numbers that the higher prices in June and September are because of demand. The January price being higher than the May price kind of surprises me. I would even have also guessed April to be higher than it is. But now I have relative prices.

We're actually going to be on the rails in late September 2011 through early October 2011. I'll probably pay the going rate for each leg, with no court of appeal.

I just want to make sure that I get all bedroom reservations.

 

[BeckysBarn]

Because my one planned trip a year is around Thanksgiving, I usually pay for the return segment (due to blackout dates). I've been checking SJC to CHI since Dec 2009. On the CZ, the roomettes are all over $500 for about the last 2 weeks in Nov 2010. Believe it or not, I think I may be taking the CS & EB back. They are still pretty much low bucket.

 

[AlanB]

How will I be able to determine if I'm getting low bucket or not? <_<

You can start by flipping to page 105 in your Amtrak timetable and looking at the chart there that shows the high & low buckets for the major runs. If you're going end to end, then it's real easy. If you're going to a point along the way, then you have to start guessing a bit and then couple that with testing several dates as other's have suggested.

 

[printman2000]

For three years now I have purchased our tickets for our yearly vacation on the day they came open. From my experience, it is not been exactly 11 months out. I have found it is usually earlier by a couple of days and many times they will open several days at one time.

My strategy is simple...

Pick the departure date I want and then when I get 12 months out, I check the website every day to see what days have opened. I have gotten low bucket all three years.

I use the same process my return date.

I have not bothered to stay up late or get up early, I just check them first thing in the morning.

 

[ThayerATM]

Some day I'm going to have to get a life. :lol: Yesterday I test booked the trip that we have planned for Sept/Oct of 2011, plugging in dates for each month, March through December of this year. That's a total of 60 legs. I was kind of surprised at the results.

March $5,275.00

April $3,962.00

May $5,894.00

June $6,160.00

July $6,094.00

Aug $4,166.00

Sept $4,935.00

Oct $5,061.00

Nov $4,187.00

Dec $4,508.00

The first thing that caught my eye was that the rail fare remained fairly consistent, and it was the bedroom that made up most of the variance. The next thing that caught my attention was that there was a bedroom available on each leg except one. The bedrooms were sold out on the Coast Starlight (train 14) on that date in August. I didn't check for the availability of a roomette 'cuz this was just a test, looking at prices for bedrooms.

What I'm taking away from this is that June and July are months to avoid, and book April or November if I'm looking to pinch a penny. I'm going to keep our dates for Sep/Oct 2011 in place, and quit worrying about bedroom availability. I'll still book as soon as I can, but no longer concern myself with what time of the day I have to be on the phone.

 

[printman2000]

Our vacation has been end of June/beginning of July every year. I have always gotten the low bucket. I have never seen them raising the price for June/July trips. It is just that it is a very popular time so more get sold driving the prices up. That is why I buy 11 months out.

 

[ThayerATM]

Our vacation has been end of June/beginning of July every year. I have always gotten the low bucket. I have never seen them raising the price for June/July trips. It is just that it is a very popular time so more get sold driving the prices up. That is why I buy 11 months out.

I gather from what you're saying that the June & July prices wouldn't have been that lopsided if I'd been able to test book closer to 11 months out. That makes sense.

Getting two weeks of vacation in June or July out of my employer is like pulling teeth out of a chicken. :lol: That's why we travel in Sep/Oct. April or November would work vacation-wise, but the weather's always iffy during those months. October can be nasty in the mountains, but we've got to gamble on it being decent. If (or when) I retire we'll probably travel just about when you do.