Here is Amtrak's route performance for the train. In the last twelve months, it was on-time 88% of the time.
Due to a medical issue, I couldn't bathe or shower for a while - ugh.
In the OP's case this is not an issue, but I just thought I'd point out that only the last stop is counted toward on-time performance in Amtrak's performance numbers. Thus, a given train could be two or even three hours late to 90% of the stops on it's route and still be recorded as "on-time" according to Amtrak's questionable reasoning.
If you are traveling with teenagers, something you should make sure they understand is that there will be no WiFi available on the SWC. Amtrak has not yet added WiFi to the LD trains (besides a limited and reportedly poor service in the Pacific Parlor cars on the Coast Starlight). If you or they want internet access, you will have to use and pay for your own 3G/4G connection to cell phone systems.
Good to know- I did not know this.
Only issue I have with it is that it usually tastes awful. Who throws the old tires in for flavor?
That's a sleeper problem, the recessed plugs, not a coach problem. Still having a surge protector can be useful if your seat mate wants to plug in something and you want to both charge your cell phone and use your laptop for example at the same time.
Thanks for the link. Good to know that it's mostly on time.
Those home health care wipes are pretty expensive. I just thought they'd work better. Glad to know that regular old baby wipes work just as well if not better. And I'll have to check out the Suave dry shampoo. That sounds like it would come in handy. I hate that greasy hair feeling.
Thanks. I'll make sure they know. And look into the GPS map apps. It would be nice to follow along with where we are.
I thought I had seen a water fountain of sorts in one of the many photos I've looked at but I wasn't sure. It's nice to have that option if we need it.
It's perfectly fine to post what you did here. We like to hear when someone at Amtrak does a good job too!Anyway, I don't know if this is appropriate to post here. It's a comment, not a question, but I just had to share with anyone reading. It really gave me a good feeling which is rare to get from any customer service or business these days. And, it made me even more excited for our first Amtrak adventure!!
I have always found the late-evening agents to be wonderful.I just wanted to share an experience I just had with Amtrak. Per a suggestion on this thread, I called Amtrak Customer Service to request if my family and I could be seated near each other. I was on hold for a few minutes, nothing unusual. When a lady came on the line to speak with me, I was honestly expecting the same hurried, borderline rude service you get when you call most places these days. At best lately when I call someplace with a request or question, I get polite tolerance.
Well, I really wish I'd asked this lady's name because she was the nicest, sweetest person I've spoken to in a long while. She was on the phone with me for almost 19 minutes!! After I made my initial seating request, which she said she'd make a note of on the reservation, she proceeded to ask if I was familiar with this policy or that policy, and went on to explain everything to me. (a lot of it I knew from reading here and on the Amtrak website, but it was nice of her to do that)
Then she went above and beyond once she found out I was a new Amtrak customer, and proceeded to tell me about her own experiences traveling by train with her son. She offered up personal advice/tips, shared more about what I could expect and encounter along the way. You could tell she loved train travel. She was talking about how neat it was to see parts of the U.S that you read about in History class. Her enthusiasm was very evident.
Anyway, I don't know if this is appropriate to post here. It's a comment, not a question, but I just had to share with anyone reading. It really gave me a good feeling which is rare to get from any customer service or business these days. And, it made me even more excited for our first Amtrak adventure!!
MamaU4 said:1339087211[/url]' post='372234']I just wanted to share an experience I just had with Amtrak. Per a suggestion on this thread, I called Amtrak Customer Service to request if my family and I could be seated near each other. I was on hold for a few minutes, nothing unusual. When a lady came on the line to speak with me, I was honestly expecting the same hurried, borderline rude service you get when you call most places these days. At best lately when I call someplace with a request or question, I get polite tolerance.
Well, I really wish I'd asked this lady's name because she was the nicest, sweetest person I've spoken to in a long while. She was on the phone with me for almost 19 minutes!! After I made my initial seating request, which she said she'd make a note of on the reservation, she proceeded to ask if I was familiar with this policy or that policy, and went on to explain everything to me. (a lot of it I knew from reading here and on the Amtrak website, but it was nice of her to do that)
Then she went above and beyond once she found out I was a new Amtrak customer, and proceeded to tell me about her own experiences traveling by train with her son. She offered up personal advice/tips, shared more about what I could expect and encounter along the way. You could tell she loved train travel. She was talking about how neat it was to see parts of the U.S that you read about in History class. Her enthusiasm was very evident.
Anyway, I don't know if this is appropriate to post here. It's a comment, not a question, but I just had to share with anyone reading. It really gave me a good feeling which is rare to get from any customer service or business these days. And, it made me even more excited for our first Amtrak adventure!!
Thanks for posting the links to your photos! I was eager to see them, but unfortunately when I clicked on the link this is the message the was displayed: "The page you requested cannot be displayed at the moment. It may be temporarily unavailable, the link you clicked on may have expired, or you may not have permission to view this page."You can see pictures from my most recent SWC trip here:
https://www.facebook...30311596&type=3
They're out of order, so you start halfway through the trip and then back at the beginning, but it gives you a good idea of how large the coach seats are, how to sleep in them, sights, and so on. Feel free to skip over the Christmas pictures. My boyfriend's family lives in ABQ, so those are in between all the train pictures.
This is from August 2010:
https://www.facebook...30311596&type=3
Not as many train shots, but lots of scenery.
As a statistician in a former incarnation, I cringe when I hear statements like this.
*LIKE*
There is an overhead luggage rack above the seats. They are not bins like airlines, but open racks with dividers in them to keep things from sliding too far. You can use the downstairs common rack if you want as well. It isn't customary to store things under the seat, besides, the footrests kind of get in the way.
Yes, they're empty. Usually coach attendants or even conductor may assign passengers to specific cars, based on their destinations. It is usually done at the platform at Chicago. Some originated stations may assigned when check in at the ticket booth (or even seat claim desk) and some at platform.
