Going on a trip soon from RNO to SAC

[Owensmum775]

I will be taking a train from Reno, NV to Sacramento, CA on the california zephyr. I will be traveling with my 2 yr old son and wondering some things.

-I want to bring food and a cooler for him for snacks, etc; but does a small soft sided cooler count as a carry-on?

-My 2 yr counts as a passenger right? I paid half price for him because of his age and technically bought him his own seat right? So does that mean the 2 carry-ons per passenger rule and the 3 checked luggage per passenger counts for him too? So a total of 4 carryons for both and total of 6 luggage checked?

-Also is there a playroom on the CA zephyr? I heard from someone there on some trains there are.

Thank you in advance.

 

[darien-l]

-I want to bring food and a cooler for him for snacks, etc; but does a small soft sided cooler count as a carry-on?

Amtrak pretty much never enforces the carry-on requirements. The unofficial rule is that you can bring on the train whatever you can carry by yourself.

-My 2 yr counts as a passenger right?

Yes. According to Amtrak, "passengers 2 to 15 years of age are classified as "Child" passengers."

I paid half price for him because of his age and technically bought him his own seat right?

Yes, absolutely.

So does that mean the 2 carry-ons per passenger rule and the 3 checked luggage per passenger counts for him too? So a total of 4 carryons for both and total of 6 luggage checked?

That's correct. That said, if you bring 4 carry-ons and are unable to carry them all by yourself onto the train, you might run into problems.

-Also is there a playroom on the CA zephyr? I heard from someone there on some trains there are.

No. As far as I know, the only Amtrak train that has a play room is Coast Starlight.

 

[Guest]

I will be taking a train from Reno, NV to Sacramento, CA on the california zephyr. I will be traveling with my 2 yr old son and wondering some things.

-I want to bring food and a cooler for him for snacks, etc; but does a small soft sided cooler count as a carry-on?

-My 2 yr counts as a passenger right? I paid half price for him because of his age and technically bought him his own seat right? So does that mean the 2 carry-ons per passenger rule and the 3 checked luggage per passenger counts for him too? So a total of 4 carryons for both and total of 6 luggage checked?

-Also is there a playroom on the CA zephyr? I heard from someone there on some trains there are.

Thank you in advance.

If he is over 2 years old, he gets his own seat and counts as a passenger. Yes, you get 4 carryon/6 checked combined.

No playroom on the Zephyr, that's only on the Coast Starlight.

Not sure about the cooler.

 

[darien-l]

One other quick tip:

The train that you will be taking (#5, the California Zephyr) has been consistently running about 2 hours late in the last couple of months because of flooding in Iowa. Before you head to the station, check the status of your train on amtrak.com or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL, and time your station arrival accordingly. I can imagine that sitting in the station with a 2-year-old for three hours is not much fun.

 

[the_traveler]

As said, the cooler is a carry-on, but they almost never enforce the "2 carry-ons per passenger" limit. (So much so, that I have NEVER seen it enforced!) Also remember that there are many things that are not counted towards that limit! They include:

• purses
• computers
• coats
• sweaters
• pillows
• strollers
• child seats
• wheelchairs/walkers/canes (and such)
• newspapers/magazines/books
• personal items
• etc...

 

[Owensmum775]

thank you darien for the advice. I will definitely check. Good thing I dont live far from the train station. My mom also lives right down the street. Thank you! Also one more question...

so my son just turned two in beginning of august so that is why I am definitely getting him his own seat. I need to bring his carseat with us because we are visiting family and will need the carseat there for their car. so i plan on bringing it on the train and of course says its not a carry--on(well counts towards it)...so my question is..can i put the car seat like on the window seat and buckle it in so he can sit in it? I would just also feel comfortable with him in the car seat at least half the time...just wondering if they will make me put it in the back or above the seats... I can pack good and carry a lot of items.

 

[amamba]

I am sure you can place the carseat on the train seat. I don't know about buckling because the trains don't have seatbelts.

 

[the_traveler]

As stated, trains do not have buckles. And it is allowed as a carry-on IN ADDITION to the "2 bag limit" - which is not strictly enforced. You can choose to use it or not - and if not, it can be placed in the luggage rack above your seat. (It has MUCH more room than the luggage bins on a plane! And it's open - meaning no door to close!)