I have purchased...now what

[dn4192]

Well I have purchased for the most part my round trip ride on Amtrak for August. Part 1 I am taking the Cardinal from Indy to Trenton NJ. Part 2 I am then returning on the Penn/CL to Chicago. Part 3 which I have yet to purchase is the Cardinal from Chicago to Indy. I have the printout of the purchase, so now what should I do? The Indy station is well not very organized, should I just wait till night of my train and get the ticket then? I don't know if they have a quick ticket machine or not as I didn't see one when I was done there last year. Or should I secure my ticket heading east sooner? Also for ease would it be better to print out my return tix when I arrive or just wait till I head back? Also since I am taking two different trains back, will the return ticket print as one in Trenton for my Penn/CL trip?

 

[ScottC4746]

Well I have purchased for the most part my round trip ride on Amtrak for August. Part 1 I am taking the Cardinal from Indy to Trenton NJ. Part 2 I am then returning on the Penn/CL to Chicago. Part 3 which I have yet to purchase is the Cardinal from Chicago to Indy. I have the printout of the purchase, so now what should I do? The Indy station is well not very organized, should I just wait till night of my train and get the ticket then? I don't know if they have a quick ticket machine or not as I didn't see one when I was done there last year. Or should I secure my ticket heading east sooner? Also for ease would it be better to print out my return tix when I arrive or just wait till I head back? Also since I am taking two different trains back, will the return ticket print as one in Trenton for my Penn/CL trip?

There are several rules of thought on this...I like to pick up my ticket ahead of time and have in my hot hand, but others say once ticketed you are pretty much stuck on changes. Personally, I like to pre-everything. Pre-book, pre-print, pre-reserve, pre-plan.

 

[the_traveler]

Are they on the same reservation or not? If so, both will print out at the same time - there is no other choice. If they are separate reservations, they can be printed separately.

Are you staying in Indy? If not, it will cost more to get one ticket CHI-IND and another IND-TRE! And even if IND does not have a QT, it is staffed so there is a ticket agent there!

 

[dn4192]

Are they on the same reservation or not? If so, both will print out at the same time - there is no other choice. If they are separate reservations, they can be printed separately.

Are you staying in Indy? If not, it will cost more to get one ticket CHI-IND and another IND-TRE! And even if IND does not have a QT, it is staffed so there is a ticket agent there!

I live in Indy. I purchased my eastbound Cardinal ticket first. Then about a month later I purchased 2/3 of my return tix taking me from Trenton to Chicago via a multi ticket of the Penn from Trenton to PGH with a four hour layover then catching the CL on to Chicago where I have about a 8-9 hour layover in chicago. I have not purchased the Chicago to Indy Cardinal ticket yet but will here this coming month.

 

[OBS]

Are they on the same reservation or not? If so, both will print out at the same time - there is no other choice. If they are separate reservations, they can be printed separately.

Are you staying in Indy? If not, it will cost more to get one ticket CHI-IND and another IND-TRE! And even if IND does not have a QT, it is staffed so there is a ticket agent there!

I live in Indy. I purchased my eastbound Cardinal ticket first. Then about a month later I purchased 2/3 of my return tix taking me from Trenton to Chicago via a multi ticket of the Penn from Trenton to PGH with a four hour layover then catching the CL on to Chicago where I have about a 8-9 hour layover in chicago. I have not purchased the Chicago to Indy Cardinal ticket yet but will here this coming month.

I haven't checked, but wouldn't be cheaper to but one ticket, Tre-Ind? or are you laying over a day or more in Chi.?

 

[Rail Freak]

IMO, purchase NOW, before a possible Sell Out!!! You can always cancel! BUT, I'm Thinking Sleeper!

Have Fun

 

[dn4192]

Are they on the same reservation or not? If so, both will print out at the same time - there is no other choice. If they are separate reservations, they can be printed separately.

Are you staying in Indy? If not, it will cost more to get one ticket CHI-IND and another IND-TRE! And even if IND does not have a QT, it is staffed so there is a ticket agent there!

I live in Indy. I purchased my eastbound Cardinal ticket first. Then about a month later I purchased 2/3 of my return tix taking me from Trenton to Chicago via a multi ticket of the Penn from Trenton to PGH with a four hour layover then catching the CL on to Chicago where I have about a 8-9 hour layover in chicago. I have not purchased the Chicago to Indy Cardinal ticket yet but will here this coming month.

I haven't checked, but wouldn't be cheaper to but one ticket, Tre-Ind? or are you laying over a day or more in Chi.?

wanted to spend the day in chicago, and with taking the Penn/CL back and into Chicago allowed for me to do that and see some different views on the route back over returning on teh Cardinal.

 

[dn4192]

IMO, purchase NOW, before a possible Sell Out!!! You can always cancel! BUT, I'm Thinking Sleeper!

Have Fun

Sleepers in my opinion are way overpiced. In fact almost criminal in my opinion the prices they want and a reason why more people fly. To add teh sleeper on teh Cardinal going out would have cost me almost an additional $250...I could fly for less then that and be there in just a few hours.

 

[the_traveler]

1338319470[/url]' post='370240']

1338316816[/url]' post='370219']

1338315831[/url]' post='370213']

1338314635[/url]' post='370207']Are they on the same reservation or not? If so, both will print out at the same time - there is no other choice. If they are separate reservations, they can be printed separately.

Are you staying in Indy? If not, it will cost more to get one ticket CHI-IND and another IND-TRE! And even if IND does not have a QT, it is staffed so there is a ticket agent there!

I live in Indy. I purchased my eastbound Cardinal ticket first. Then about a month later I purchased 2/3 of my return tix taking me from Trenton to Chicago via a multi ticket of the Penn from Trenton to PGH with a four hour layover then catching the CL on to Chicago where I have about a 8-9 hour layover in chicago. I have not purchased the Chicago to Indy Cardinal ticket yet but will here this coming month.

I haven't checked, but wouldn't be cheaper to but one ticket, Tre-Ind? or are you laying over a day or more in Chi.?

wanted to spend the day in chicago, and with taking the Penn/CL back and into Chicago allowed for me to do that and see some different views on the route back over returning on teh Cardinal.

Even if you purchase the ticket from CHI to IND today, next week or next month, you still will have the same layover time! Unless you are staying overnight in CHI, I think a thru TRE-PGH-CHI-IND fare may be cheaper then the 2 fares combined! Check it out!

 

[OBS]

Are they on the same reservation or not? If so, both will print out at the same time - there is no other choice. If they are separate reservations, they can be printed separately.

Are you staying in Indy? If not, it will cost more to get one ticket CHI-IND and another IND-TRE! And even if IND does not have a QT, it is staffed so there is a ticket agent there!

I live in Indy. I purchased my eastbound Cardinal ticket first. Then about a month later I purchased 2/3 of my return tix taking me from Trenton to Chicago via a multi ticket of the Penn from Trenton to PGH with a four hour layover then catching the CL on to Chicago where I have about a 8-9 hour layover in chicago. I have not purchased the Chicago to Indy Cardinal ticket yet but will here this coming month.

I haven't checked, but wouldn't be cheaper to but one ticket, Tre-Ind? or are you laying over a day or more in Chi.?

wanted to spend the day in chicago, and with taking the Penn/CL back and into Chicago allowed for me to do that and see some different views on the route back over returning on teh Cardinal.

I get it now. I was thinking your routing might be an option for your return when you buy the ticket, but maybe not.

 

[dn4192]

Are they on the same reservation or not? If so, both will print out at the same time - there is no other choice. If they are separate reservations, they can be printed separately.

Are you staying in Indy? If not, it will cost more to get one ticket CHI-IND and another IND-TRE! And even if IND does not have a QT, it is staffed so there is a ticket agent there!

I live in Indy. I purchased my eastbound Cardinal ticket first. Then about a month later I purchased 2/3 of my return tix taking me from Trenton to Chicago via a multi ticket of the Penn from Trenton to PGH with a four hour layover then catching the CL on to Chicago where I have about a 8-9 hour layover in chicago. I have not purchased the Chicago to Indy Cardinal ticket yet but will here this coming month.

I haven't checked, but wouldn't be cheaper to but one ticket, Tre-Ind? or are you laying over a day or more in Chi.?

wanted to spend the day in chicago, and with taking the Penn/CL back and into Chicago allowed for me to do that and see some different views on the route back over returning on teh Cardinal.

Even if you purchase the ticket from CHI to IND today, next week or next month, you still will have the same layover time! Unless you are staying overnight in CHI, I think a thru TRE-PGH-CHI-IND fare may be cheaper then the 2 fares combined! Check it out!

The Chi-Ind fair was/is $23 no matter if I had purchased along with the Tre/PGH/CHI or not, so that is why I didn't and will next month.

 

[dn4192]

How soon should I arrive at the stations for departure? The Cardinal route is suppose to leave Indy around midnight and the return trip starting at Trenton at 11:44am.

 

[the_traveler]

If you are not checking baggage (and TRE does not offer baggage service anyway) 30 minutes or less is fine. Also note that the fare for CHI-IND could rise before you purchase the ticket!

 

[dn4192]

If you are not checking baggage (and TRE does not offer baggage service anyway) 30 minutes or less is fine. Also note that the fare for CHI-IND could rise before you purchase the ticket!

It would be the first time in the past year plus I have been monitoring it. It has always been $23 or $20 with my AAA discount. No luggage check, just my small carry on. I had planned to make this trip last Aug, but in June I think there was a derailment outside of Indy which took out a bridge and forced the stoppage of the Cardinal route in Indy, and thus why I am going with it this year and watched all the prices last year leading up to my trip and then change to airlines due to the issue.

 

[amamba]

I never print out my ticket until the day of or the night before my departure. Don't forget that tickets right now are like cash - if you lose them, you will have to buy a new one. Plus, once you are ticketed, its a PITA to make changes.

I am of the opinion that one should never, ever, ever print out your tickets more than a day or two ahead of time.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I never print out my ticket until the day of or the night before my departure. Don't forget that tickets right now are like cash - if you lose them, you will have to buy a new one. Plus, once you are ticketed, its a PITA to make changes.

I am of the opinion that one should never, ever, ever print out your tickets more than a day or two ahead of time.

Yeah, I totally agree. That's what I always do as well.

 

[Rail Freak]

IMO, purchase NOW, before a possible Sell Out!!! You can always cancel! BUT, I'm Thinking Sleeper!

Have Fun

Sleepers in my opinion are way overpiced. In fact almost criminal in my opinion the prices they want and a reason why more people fly. To add teh sleeper on teh Cardinal going out would have cost me almost an additional $250...I could fly for less then that and be there in just a few hours.

I quess it's just me, But I would fly before I would overnite in Coach! But I would overnite in a sleeper before I would fly, normally! Again, that's just me, I look at train travel as more than a means of transportation!

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

\Sleepers in my opinion are way overpiced. In fact almost criminal in my opinion the prices they want and a reason why more people fly. To add teh sleeper on teh Cardinal going out would have cost me almost an additional $250...I could fly for less then that and be there in just a few hours.

Before you complain about Sleepers,why don't you look at how cheap some sleepers can get, ride a sleeper first.

I quess it's just me, But I would fly before I would overnite in Coach! But I would overnite in a sleeper before I would fly, normally! Again, that's just me, I look at train travel as more than a means of transportation!

Again what I was thinking. It seems I agree with a lot of people on this thread, unlike what sometimes happens.....

 

[dn4192]

\Sleepers in my opinion are way overpiced. In fact almost criminal in my opinion the prices they want and a reason why more people fly. To add teh sleeper on teh Cardinal going out would have cost me almost an additional $250...I could fly for less then that and be there in just a few hours.

Before you complain about Sleepers,why don't you look at how cheap some sleepers can get, ride a sleeper first.

I quess it's just me, But I would fly before I would overnite in Coach! But I would overnite in a sleeper before I would fly, normally! Again, that's just me, I look at train travel as more than a means of transportation!

Again what I was thinking. It seems I agree with a lot of people on this thread, unlike what sometimes happens.....

A sleeper ticket from Indy/Trenton on the Cardinal was around $275 +...I can fly for about $145, sorry but to me when you are competing against something like the airlines, you have to be a tad more price competitive..

 

[Ozark Southern]

\Sleepers in my opinion are way overpiced. In fact almost criminal in my opinion the prices they want and a reason why more people fly. To add teh sleeper on teh Cardinal going out would have cost me almost an additional $250...I could fly for less then that and be there in just a few hours.

Before you complain about Sleepers,why don't you look at how cheap some sleepers can get, ride a sleeper first.

I quess it's just me, But I would fly before I would overnite in Coach! But I would overnite in a sleeper before I would fly, normally! Again, that's just me, I look at train travel as more than a means of transportation!

Again what I was thinking. It seems I agree with a lot of people on this thread, unlike what sometimes happens.....

A sleeper ticket from Indy/Trenton on the Cardinal was around $275 +...I can fly for about $145, sorry but to me when you are competing against something like the airlines, you have to be a tad more price competitive..

Can you fly first class for $145? If not, then this is an unfair comparison. A true comparison would be airline FC v. Amtrak FC, airline BC v. Amtrak BC, airline coach v. Amtrak coach. If you're going to compare Amtrak's top-tier seats with an airline's bargain seats, of course the airline will be cheaper. But to do so is remarkably dishonest.