Looking for advise -CZ. coach travel

[Girl Scout Leader]

We are booking a trip from Cincinnati to Glenwood Springs then take Amtrak's thruway bus to Vail and return -the first of June. We are planning to travel coach. I am looking for advise to make the trip enjoyable for the girls (ages 15-16) and the chaperones (app 28 total traveling).

Is Coach a comfortable ride? Does geting meals included make up the difference for First Class? Any suggestions to make the trip the best it can be for our group would be appreciated? We are all first time travelers by Amtrak. Thanks

 

[Scott]

Hi,

I'm happy that you are considering the train, since I think it might eventually be a part of our culture that is lost, unfortunately. I took several Amtrak trips last summer, all of which were very interesting. Alan or one of the other posters will know more about the times of the train travel, but if you are doing an overnight trip, I would advise the sleepers if you can get a deal. If you contacted Amtrak, they might give you quite a deal for having 14 or 15 girl scouts. On the other hand, at that age, coach should be fine. The seats are like first class in an airliner; I know I've flown first class on Alitalia and other airlines, and Amtrak is better! As for food, again, at that age, I would think they could simply go to the lounge car and get some snacks whch are much cheaper, and fairly tasty and nutritious. You can also bring your own snacks aboard, remember.

I doubt they'll be bored. Sitting in the lounge and looking out the window is fun for hours. Downstiars there are a few tables and they can play games. The dining car is fun and should be experienced even if you don't have evry meal there.

The ten-year-old boy that we met on the train last summer was having the time of his life

Scott

 

[scott]

as an afterthought, you might want to consider having the chaperones get a sleeper

 

[Steve4031]

If you go to a local bookstore, you should be able to find a book that had route descriptions for the Amtrak system. These will provide all of you with informtion about what to expect. In addition, teach the girls ahead of time how to read the train schedules. You can download them from Amtrak's website.

In Chicago, the Sears Tower is a few blocks east of the station. The observation deck provides great views. For lunch, the girls would enjoy Connie's pizza which is located in the food court on the second floor of Union Station. Connie's is a pizza mecca as far as I am concerned. There is a McDonalds and several other fast food restaurants in the station.

 

[AlanB]

Girl Scout Leader,

First and foremost, I would definitely contact Amtrak and checkout their group rates. You can click here to be taken to Amtrak’s group reservation form. I would also check out Amtrak’s current 2 for 1 sale. If you go to Amtrak’s website and into the reservations section, enter the code H255 into the promotion code box. This will save a great deal of money, as you will get 2 tickets for every 1 that you pay for. Note: You must buy your tickets before February 15th to take advantage of this special.

Regardless of how you buy your tickets, I would still make sure that you try to make prior arrangements with Amtrak for a group that size. This would probably be easier if you’ve used the group purchase as opposed to the 2 for 1 special that I’ve mentioned. Otherwise, I can promise you that you won’t find the group sitting together, especially on the Cardinal from Cincinnati to Chicago. You might have better luck on the Zephyr out of Chicago, but even then you could get split up. So I highly recommend that you see if Amtrak can make an accommodation for your group by blocking out a bunch of seats.

Now the free meals in the diner, when you travel in a sleeper or first class, does help to mitigate some of the extra cost. However, it doesn’t offset the whole cost of the sleeper. You should also know that only the first person in a room pays for that room. The second traveler only pays railfare, so when you divide the cost of the room between two people it does go down.

If you do go with a sleeper, you may wish to consider only taking the sleeper from Chicago to Glenwood Springs. At the hour you will board in Cincinnati, it's almost not worth paying for the sleeper for that night. Plus they may not even have enough room for your group out of Cincinnati, in the sleeper. I'd ride coach that first night, and treat yourselves the next night out of Chicago.

A few final thoughts: If the kids bring radios or CD players, they must have headphones (unless they are in a bedroom and even then the volume must be kept low). If they bring electronic games to play, they must be able to turn the sound off or again have headphones. Should you decide to travel in coach, I’d still recommend having at least one breakfast in the diner. It’s a nice experience and breakfast is the cheapest meal in the dining car. By the way don't be shocked if the diner can't handle all 28 of you at once.

Last but not least you may want to check out this page from Prodigy’s On Track On Line website. It is chocked full of hints and tips for train travel.

Please don’t hesitate to come back and ask more questions as they arise.

 

[EmpireBuilderFan]

I don't know if Amtrak still does this, but they used to have a group deal that would include meals in the diner. Ten years ago, I was part of a group of Boy Scouts that took the train to the National Jamboree in Virginia. We rode in coach the whole trip, but got the meals in the diner included with the fare. I don't remember exactly how large our group was, but I think it was somewhere in the range of 30-40 kids. Of course, because we were so large, we often had the last seating in the diner. One of the customer service agents at Amtrak's 1-800 number should be able to help you with this information.

 

[battalion51]

They can accomodate the needs of your group as you specify. We had one group in the 43 car not too long ago on the Meteor from SBG-SAV, what they did was they had a charter bus bring them from Ft Myers to SBG, get on the train to SAV, had a special seating in the Diner for them, and then got on another bus in SAV for their stay there. I also am planning a group function on Amtrak for a group from NRHS from FTL (and some from WPB) to CHS (I'm also looking at adding the Jacksonville Chapter in on this little masquerade too). We have already contacted Amtrak and will probably include dinner in the price of our group rate. Once in GHS we will contract with Coach USA or another bus company for our transportation in town as CHS is definitely not a walking city. So definitely call Amtrak about group rates and including meals in your tickets. Many times when we have large groups down here we will just put them in the last coach so they can do whatever they want without disturbing other passengers. This may not hold true on the Cardinal and Zephyr, but it's the way the show is run down here. Don't forget to check out the Sightseer Lounge for the great views

 

[Girl Scout Leader]

Thanks for all the helpful information. I did book the group which grew to 30 on the buy one get one free. A helpful agent cross referenced the reservations and they are going to block out 30 seats for us.

I appreciate all the guidance. Thanks again. June 5 we are heading for Colorado vai Amtrak. THis will be a great experience for the girls and their Moms traveling with them.

 

[Viewliner]

Enjoy your trip and don't hesitate to ask more questions. I was worried you wouldn't book after not hearing from you for a while. Are you bringing a camera? I think it would be interesting to photograph the group on board and in front of your car, especially if they enjoy the trip, which I hope all of you will.

 

[AlanB]

Let me also add my best wishes for a fun filled trip!

 

[Steve4031]

Please let us know how it went.

 

[Amfleet]

Have a great time a be sure to check out the Lounge and at least one meal in the Dining Car (prices per meal range between $10-20 depending on the entree and if it's Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner). B)