Info for 1st time rider/Cresent

[CityLove]

Hi guys,

We (two women) will be taking a train for the first time this summer and I have to admit I'm a little bit nervous and unsure about a few things. I am so frustrated with the airlines that we decided to give Amtrak a chance so I am hoping for an enjoyable experience. I was so happy to find this forum filled with seasoned and smart train riders!

We will be boarding in SC and going to NYC (Penn Station) on a train called the Cresent. We will definitely be booking a sleeper car. I had hoped for a one bedroom but as of now they seemed to be booked. So, we may have to settle for a roomette unless we adjust our dates a bit. So that brings me to my first question, could two girls be happy with the space of a roomette? Will it accomodate all of our "stuff" or is it worth it to adjust the dates in favor of a one bedroom, thus more space? And speaking of our stuff, are we allowed to bring all of our luggage into our room? I've read some not so good reports of luggage not being handled well. I am hoping not to have to check luggage, but I know we have to go by whaterver their rules are. We don't want to have to worry about retriving it at Penn Station upon arrival.

Also, and I guess this is an obvious question, but is train travel safe? Can we lock the door to our sleeper? We have no idea what to expect. We do like that we have a bathroom in our sleeper no matter if we get a roomette or a bedroom, so that's a good thing, right?

Finally, is anyone familar with the Cresent? Is it nice and clean? Are the sleeper cars cleaned after each passenger disembarks?

OK, I guess that is enough questions for now. Thanks in advance for all of your help!

 

[Ryan]

Welcome!

First, read this:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...d=1241210576303

Then go get some masking tape and tape a box that's 3'6" x 6'8" on the floor. Put 2 chairs in it, facing each other, and imagine that the lines on the floor are walls. This should also answer your questions about luggage.

You can lock the door from the inside, but not the outside. Thievery from sleeping cars isn't a problem (although it's always a good idea to just keep the curtains closed - that way nobody knows if the room is occupied or not and won't be tempted).

The sleeping compartments are given a cursory cleaning at the end of each run (or in the middle if they turn the room over mid-route). They're given periodic deep cleanings as well. They're not spotless, but for the most part they're in good shape.

The Crescent is a popular train, so availability on sleepers is going to be difficult - book early, you can always cancel without penalty.

 

[GaSteve]

Relax ! You'll have a good time. The cars are clean and well-maintained. Make good friends with your Sleeping Car Attendant (SCA) and remember to tip at the end of the trip commensurate with the service you receive. The food (you get meals with your sleeper ticket) isn't bad, either. And, enjoy the scenery (although you'll start in the middle of the night).

A roomette is fine for 2 people sleeping, but you might want to hold yourself to one piece of luggage each in the room and check the rest. A bedroom would give you a little more space, but not enough for several pieces each. I don't think the treatment of luggage is any better or worse than airlines, and you don't have to pay extra to check it.

Also remember that, although roomettes have individual toilet facilities, they're not exactly private. Bedrooms have private facilities.

 

[Chris J.]

Hi guys,
We (two women) will be taking a train for the first time this summer and I have to admit I'm a little bit nervous and unsure about a few things. I am so frustrated with the airlines that we decided to give Amtrak a chance so I am hoping for an enjoyable experience. I was so happy to find this forum filled with seasoned and smart train riders!

We will be boarding in SC and going to NYC (Penn Station) on a train called the Cresent. We will definitely be booking a sleeper car. I had hoped for a one bedroom but as of now they seemed to be booked. So, we may have to settle for a roomette unless we adjust our dates a bit. So that brings me to my first question, could two girls be happy with the space of a roomette? Will it accomodate all of our "stuff" or is it worth it to adjust the dates in favor of a one bedroom, thus more space? And speaking of our stuff, are we allowed to bring all of our luggage into our room? I've read some not so good reports of luggage not being handled well. I am hoping not to have to check luggage, but I know we have to go by whaterver their rules are. We don't want to have to worry about retriving it at Penn Station upon arrival.

Also, and I guess this is an obvious question, but is train travel safe? Can we lock the door to our sleeper? We have no idea what to expect. We do like that we have a bathroom in our sleeper no matter if we get a roomette or a bedroom, so that's a good thing, right?

Finally, is anyone familar with the Cresent? Is it nice and clean? Are the sleeper cars cleaned after each passenger disembarks?

OK, I guess that is enough questions for now. Thanks in advance for all of your help!

The roomette in night-mode is a bunk bed with a door, in day mode it's two chairs facing each other. I find it's fine for just me, but if I was travelling with somone else I might be glad of the extra space.

I'm not sure how much luggage you can fit in a bedroom; but in a rommette it's very limited; and more limited for two people since you can't put stuff on the other chair or on the other bed. I didn't have any problems checking luggage; and unlike the airlines they do want to see your luggage check before you take your stuff. I normally take a small overnight bag for the journey and check my other stuff. I wouldn't check anything valuable or fragile, but my luggage has always survived the trip.

Train travel is safe (it's not 100% safe, but nothing is). You can look the door from the inside when you are asleep, and the only other people who will be around are the other sleeping car passengers.

Don't forget that as a sleeper passenger you can use the shower. You'll need to bring soap / shampoo for this (I normally liberate the little ones from hotels) but you will get a towel and all your meals in the dining car are included.

I'll let other people answer the points I've missed - enjoy the trip.

 

[alanh]

Unfortunately there are only 4 bedrooms on each train, so they go fast. I'm personally fine in a roomette; it's two facing seats with a small table between them. The seats turn into the lower bunk and the upper bunk lowers from the ceiling. There's a luggage storage area over the door which holds two small bags.

You also don't have to stay in your room the whole time. You can go sit in the lounge car too.

As for security, the dining car and sleeping car staff are very strict about only allowing sleeper passengers into the sleepers. Don't leave valuables out in plain sight when you're out of the room, but you should otherwise be fine.

 

[Chatter163]

I would STRONGLY recommend the bedroom. From the tone of your post, I can almost guarantee that you wouild prefer a bedroom. Despite having two beds, a roomette is really spacious enough for only one person (size of two phone booths). The bedroom is much better for two.

 

[CityLove]

Thanks so much for all of the great (and fast!) replies! Based on all your comments, I went ahead and booked, feeling a little more confident with the info you guys have provided. I moved the dates around a bit, but still there were no bedrooms available, so we had to go with the roomette. Of course after seeing the difference in price, I won't complain too much about it!

I checked it out a bit more, (thanks for the link, Ryan) and feel like we will be fine. Luckily, we are related so the privacy thing won't be too much of an issue. I just see it as something else for us to laugh about and remember fondly in years to come. Ha!

I explored the Amtrak site and found answers to a lot of the questions I was going to ask here, so I won't have to bother yall with those questions now! But can someone tell me what the difference is in a SuperLiner and a ViewLiner? And which of these two is the Cresent? Thanks!

Also, in looking at the pictures, I don't see a way to access the top bunk bed. Is there a ladder provided to get up there? And will we still have access to reading lights and electrical outlets even during the night set-up with the beds in place?

I agree with you guys that we WON'T be able to put our luggage in the roomette...so we will pack accordingly. I'm still not crazy aobut checking our luggage, though, and would still like to find a way around that. I do remember reading somewhere on this site that there was a luggage storage area on the hallway of the sleeping car and that you can just walk down the hall to get anything out of your suitcase that you may need. Do you guys know anything about this? Would we be allowed to put our stuff there?

Again, thank you guys so much for the help, you are appreciated!

 

[GaSteve]

Superliners are the two level cars used on most western routes and some in the east and central. Viewliners are single level cars such as the Crescent. One reason they can't use Superliners on the Crescent is the clearance in the tunnels leading into WAS and NYP.

To get to the top bed, you are provided with a stick like a pole vaulter . Seriously, there is a ladder to get up there. And, if you hadn't noticed, there are also windows that allow you to see out from the top bunk - pretty cool. Yes, you will have access to reading lights with the bed made up.

The luggage storage area refers to Superliner cars - there is not a storage area in the Viewliner cars.

You may want to check back from time to time to see if a bedroom opens up. Sometime there are cancellations.

 

[CityLove]

Thanks GaSteve!

Glad you were only joking about the pole vaulting! LOL! If that were the case, we'd have more to worry about than what to do with our luggage!

After reading this forum and the Amtrak site, I am really getting excited about this trip, I think it will be a true adventure and certainly will make memories to last a lifetime. Maybe I have seen the last of having to deal with the dreadful airlines.

I will keep a check on a bedroom becoming available, is it easy to upgrade to a bedroom if it become available? Can I do it online or would I need to call? Honestly, after seeing the price difference, I may just stick with the roomette anyway.

Ready for our trip...is it summer yet????

 

[AlanB]

To get to the top bed, you are provided with a stick like a pole vaulter . Seriously, there is a ladder to get up there. And, if you hadn't noticed, there are also windows that allow you to see out from the top bunk - pretty cool. Yes, you will have access to reading lights with the bed made up.

Basically to get into the top bunk, you step on the lid of the toilet, then on a small shelf that the fold down sink sits on when lowered, and from there you can get into the bed pretty easily. There is also a handle mounted on the wall for you to hold onto to help maintain your balance.

The upper bunk also comes with safety straps too, so can't accidentally roll over and fall to the floor.

Regarding your luggage, the rolling suitcase that I normally travel with is 14 inches wide, stands 23 inches tall, and is 7 inches thick. If I had two of those bags, I could just barely fit both of them side by side in the cubbyhole above the hall. The same sized bag can also fit underneath your seats. One bag could be a little wider than mine by maybe an inch or two, the other Id say could be approximately 5 or 6 inches wider. They could not be much taller or thicker and still fit underneath the seats. There is also room for a shoulder bag next to the larger of the two seats. If you need anything more than that, then I would recommend checking some luggage and letting it go into the baggage car. Your car attendant will try to accommodate larger bags, but it is very difficult for him to do so. He usually has to store them in the shower room, and in the vestibule of the car. This means that he has to keep moving them around as people enter and exit the train at stations, or if someone wants to take a shower.

You may find it easier to lower the upper bunk to it's halfway position, you do that by turning the silver handle on the bottom of the bed and letting it roll down gently, and then placing your suitcases onto that bed. Then stand on the toilet lid and slide your suitcases into the cubbyhole.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Basically your questions have been answered, I might mention that when you get to NYP yall consider using a RedCap to get into/out of the Station, also when returning, it makes it lots easier to board and deboard if you havent ever been in NYP! (As someone said "it's a real slice of life"!) Also you can use the Club Acela in NYP since youre in a sleeper, it's really a step above sitting in the "bullpen" with the mobs!

As to the roomettes, I prefer the top bunk which slides down from the top and has more headroom and windows! as opposed to the Superliners which have no windows up top and fold out from the wall, some call them the coffin! As the others said it's not that hard to get into the top bunk, sharing the toliet is a matter of common courtesy, I dont care for them myself but it is handy! The sink is nice

too, and most of the Viewliner sleepers are in fairly good shape (ie everything works which isnt always the case on Superliners which are older!)Nice shower too! Its probably not worth the big difference in price between the bedroom and roomette for an over night trip, I think youll love it! BTW-If you havent joined AGR (Amtrak Guest rewards) sign up, its free and you can start building up points for your free trip!Also consider the AGR MC from Chase! Jim

 

[CityLove]

Basically your questions have been answered, I might mention that when you get to NYP yall consider using a RedCap to get into/out of the Station, also when returning, it makes it lots easier to board and deboard if you havent ever been in NYP! (As someone said "it's a real slice of life"!) Also you can use the Club Acela in NYP since youre in a sleeper, it's really a step above sitting in the "bullpen" with the mobs!
As to the roomettes, I prefer the top bunk which slides down from the top and has more headroom and windows! as opposed to the Superliners which have no windows up top and fold out from the wall, some call them the coffin! As the others said it's not that hard to get into the top bunk, sharing the toliet is a matter of common courtesy, I dont care for them myself but it is handy! The sink is nice

too, and most of the Viewliner sleepers are in fairly good shape (ie everything works which isnt always the case on Superliners which are older!)Nice shower too! Its probably not worth the big difference in price between the bedroom and roomette for an over night trip, I think youll love it! BTW-If you havent joined AGR (Amtrak Guest rewards) sign up, its free and you can start building up points for your free trip!Also consider the AGR MC from Chase! Jim

Thanks for the info jimhudson! Tell me what is a RedCap and why do I need one? No, we have never been to NYP. A real slice of life, huh? Please fill me in, the good, the bad and the ugly, tell me! LOL What is the Club Acela? Thanks!

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Red Caps are persons who help with luggage boarding and deboarding trains and planes. Guess you do not see as many of them these days since so much luggage these days in on rollers. Luggage is easier to handle these days, thus fewer red caps. They are still useful for persons wth large amounts of luggage and, say, a parent with several children, and luggage.

Club Acela is a nice enclosed waiting aea for persons with first class (i.e sleeper in your case)tickets.You have coffee, juice, snacks, comfy seating, clean restooms,etc. Not sure that you will need it going up but if you are coming back on the train definately go there and sign in.

 

[Sam31452]

I am so frustrated with the airlines that we decided to give Amtrak a chance so I am hoping for an enjoyable experience.

Welcome to my world!

(Why doesn't everybody realize that airline travel stinks?)

BTW: It's not NYC, it's NYP you're going to.

How much do you love the person you're travelling with?

My girlfriend and I were perfectly happy in a roomette on nearly every train of the Amtrak system. When travelling with my mother (well I don't say that I don't love her, but I was a teenager in those days) a roomette was definitely too small.

Regarding the fact that this is a rather short trip (12-16hrs), I would recommend you to save the money and take a roomette. But if you feel that could spoil your Rail experience, then I rather would like to see you spending the money than never travelling by train again.

And yes, a Roomette is about double the size of a phone booth (well a large phone booth), but there is space for about two medium-sized backpacks/suitcases and two daypacks. The toilet within the roomette is a very weird thing, if you ask me, but I've learned to live with.

But remember, a roomette is still about five times the space you 'll get on a budget airline.

About stuff not being handled well:

Last time I traveled on the Crescent, we checked one suitcase which arrived in perfect state at NYP.

About the Crescent in general: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...8/1237405732511 (check out the route guide and the timetable)

Please note that the Crescent offers also a somewhat different menu in the diner: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...d=1241267294103

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

NYP stands for New York Pennsylvania Station. The reason the word "Pennsylvania " is used for a property in New York state is that Pennsvlvania was the name of the old railroad that station was built for many many years before Amtrak.

 

[George Harris]

you say, SC, presumably South Carolinaa. Which Stop?

Greenville is listed as a staffed station with checked baggage. Spartanburg and Gastonia are listed as unstaffed and no checked baggage.

Also not mentioned: Timliness.

The good part: Trains cannot leave a station ahead of schedule, except where the stop is marked as "D" which means no passengers can get on at this stop. This applies to the northbound Crescent on that portion of its run north of Washington DC. Therefore, you may get into New York early.

The bad part: Trains may run late. Normally the Crescent is relatively good on timekeeping, but do not expect "set your watch by it" timekeeping as happens in Japan. There is a certain amount of slack in the schedule, so if the train is say 30 minutes late out of Atlanta, it does not follow that it will be 30 minutes late out of Greenville. It could be less and it could be more.

Other: Amtrak does not own the railroad except the portion norht of Washington Union Station. (To those that want to nitpick, Virginia Tower.) Norfolk Southern owns and operates the tracks where you will be getting on and for almost the entire distance between New Orleans and Alexandria, VA. CSX owns Alexandria to DC.

The line between Atlanta and Washington consists of alternating sections of double track and single track. North of DC it is for the most part has either 3 or 4 main tracks.

South of DC, the maximum speed limit is 79 mph, except where reduced due to curves, of which there are many. North of DC the speed limit is higher, but I do not know how fast the Crescent is allowed to run. Probably 110 mph. Why 79 moph? Because there are specific and expensive signal requirments that must be met to operate at "speeds of 80 mph or higher". Outside the northeast corridor there are almost no lines in the Eastern US and only a few in the western US that are so equipped.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Not sure if anybody mentioned this, but the size difference between a roomette and bedroom kind of goes to what sizes the people are. :lol:

I am heavyset and do well in a roomette by myself but would not do well sharing with somebody else.

 

[Guest]

If you can't get the sleeper you want a different option might be driving up to Charlotte to take the Carolinian since it is a day train.

 

[AlanB]

As a sleeping class passenger you are entitled to utilize Amtrak's first class lounge in NY the Club Acela. These lounges are a nice quiet refuge in the often-bustling train station. They have nice plush chairs, conference rooms, computer terminals, newspapers, TV's, luggage storage, free soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea, and clean safe bathrooms. They also allow you to board your train before the rest of the masses.

The lounge in NY can be found to the far left of the NJ Transit ticket windows as you face them, when standing in the Amtrak concourse which is on the 8th Avenue side of the station. Walk past the West Gate for tracks 7 & 8 on the left side of the escalator and you will see a sign on the corner of the wall. There is a doorbell to the left of two gold doors. Ring the bell and wait for the click to open the door. Note: In NY there is no pre-boarding ahead of the regular passengers, but they usually do announce your train in the lounge before they announce it in the main station. This means if you don’t dilly-dally, you can generally be near the head of the line at the escalator.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

You mentioned that you had never been to New York. With that in mind, Penn Station can be very overwhelming.

One of the smartest things you can do is ask your sleeping car attendant to summon a redcap for you as you step off the train in NYP. Ask the redcap to take you straight to the exit you want or the cabstand or wherever you are going. And, yes, they do want a tip, maybe about $5, sort of how much luggage, etc.

 

[dlagrua]

Its possible that a roomette will fill your needs but after reading your concerns I would recommend a bedroom. There is little room for much luggage on either but in the bedroom you have a sofa and a reclining chair during the day and the two bunk beds at night. You'll also appreciate the private bath for those middle of the night conveniences.

A roomette can be best described as two chairs facing each other or a bunk bed in a closet. You can sleep fine in one but for two it can be cramped.

Whatever your choice I recommend each of you taking only one overnight bag as carry on.

 

[Hytec]

Origin of the term "Red Cap"....for more than 100 years, at least until the formation of Amtrak in 1971, all luggage porters at most stations wore red caps so they could be identified quickly. I don't know if this is still true, though I would hope so for the same reason of quick identification.

 

[AlanB]

Its possible that a roomette will fill your needs but after reading your concerns I would recommend a bedroom. There is little room for much luggage on either but in the bedroom you have a sofa and a reclining chair during the day and the two bunk beds at night.

While it is true that the Superliner Bedroom does not have much room for luggage, that is not true of the Viewliner Bedroom. In fact the Viewliner Bedroom has the most room for luggage of any room available from Amtrak on any train. In addition to the normal cubbyhole over the hallway ceiling that all Viewliner rooms have, you have more floor space, and you can put luggage on top of the shower/sink/vanity unit.

In fact, one can probably put more luggage into the Viewliner Bedroom than two people could possibly carry. If one put the suitcases up on top in a smart pattern, I'd bet that you could easily store at least 10 suitcases inside the Viewliner Bedroom without any trouble or loss of floor space. Give up some floor space and you could store another 2 or 3 bags. One may have to get the ladder out to get the bags up on top, but there is plenty of room up there for luggage.

 

[zephyr17]

Origin of the term "Red Cap"....for more than 100 years, at least until the formation of Amtrak in 1971, all luggage porters at most stations wore red caps so they could be identified quickly. I don't know if this is still true, though I would hope so for the same reason of quick identification.

Red Caps still wear red caps.

BTW - airline "Sky Caps" were originally a direct copy of Red Cap style services...hence the "cap" nomenclature.

 

[alanh]

Re: the suggestion of a bedroom, note that the original poster said they were sold out. Thus, it's either a roomette or a coach ticket. The bedrooms on the Viewliner trains sell out quickly because there's only two per sleeper car.