I Have a Few Questions...

[AwesomeFace]

1. In reserved coach, will I have to sit by somebody if I ride alone?

2. Is it easier to get sick in a car/truck or a train? I don't really get carsick.

3. Can you hear people in the bathroom? I'm scared I might get diarrhea and people will hear me...

4. What are the rules for walking around? Will I be able to get up and walk around I feel sick? If so, how far can walk in the Coach area?

5. How quiet is the coach area? I don't want it to be quiet because then it will be awkward.

6. I will be riding 4 Southwest Chief from Dodge City, KS to Kansas City, MO (12:30am-7:45am) and then 314 Missouri River Runner from Kansas City, MO to St. Louis, MO (8:15am-2:00pm) Will there be a lot of people in Reserved Coach at those times?

Thanks in advanced for any replies.

 

[benjibear]

If the train is full, you will need to sit next to somebody.

I think it is easier to get sick in a car/truck when you are going around curvy roads but that is just me. Riding the train backwards can make me a little sick.

Unless you are Austin Powers and screaming "who does number two work for", nobody will hear you in the bathroom.

You can walk around almost the entire length of the train. You won't be able to get into sleeper areas.

Coach depends what time of day, how crowded, number of kids, etc. I have been in very quiet coach and very loud coach.

Someone more familiar with those routes can probably talk about how busy that route will be.

 

[Ryan]

1. Possibly - depends on how crowded the train is.

2. The motion is a little different - some people that are fine in cars don't like trains. Some are the other way around.

3. On the Southwest Chief, the restrooms are all on the lower level, so you'll be away from the main seating area on the upper level. The River Runner uses single level equipment so you'll be closer. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though.

4. You can get up and walk around anytime you want - you'll have the run of all of the coach cars and the lounge car.

5. This can vary widely.

 

[AwesomeFace]

Thanks for the answers!

 

[berkyo]

I used to get car sick as a child but not anymore. when riding in the dining car and seated so I am backwards though, makes me a bit dizzy. If you eat in the dining car, ask to be seated forwards which they will do unless they are too crowded.

The coach cars are fairly quiet. There is no hush hush rule. You may talk. You can take a DVD player with earphones and watch a movie or listen to music if it is too quiet. The sightseer car can sometimes be noisy. So you may feel more comfortable there.

Generally people on trains are friendly if you want to talk and they will also let you be alone if you wish it.

Hope you enjoy the ride. Let us know what you thought of the trip.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

If you think there might be an issue with motion sickness, get an inexpensive bottle of motion sickness pills. I do that for a few of the trains in the east because they are bumpier than others.

I travel exclusively by coach and because I am disabled, I sit in the disabled seats near the back on the single level seats and have never heard anyone in the bathrooms. On the two level train like the Southwest Chief, the restrooms are down a small hallway downstairs far away from anyone.

As far as quiet, the trains do have a quiet time from 11pm to 7am where there are no announcements and people are expected to sleep or be quiet, but you can always go into the observation/sightseeing lounge if you don't want to be quiet.

You ask about walking around, that is the big upside of train travel, you can walk around any of the coach cars and the sightseeing lounge. So you can walk around.