March trip planning

[Chris J.]

Hiya

Some time ago I was planning a trip for december, but due to work and other things, that didn't happen. However, i've still got the idea in my head so i was looking at maybe doing something in march - early march (ie.before easter) was my first thought.

I've got around 12 days to work with, and i want to balance seeing places with riding the trains.

As I'd like to go to both NY and Boston (plus ride the Acela between them) I'm going to be based in the Northeast, my initial thinking was to fly into Chicago for a few days, take the Capitol to Wasington, a few days there then up to NY for 3-4 days then onto Boston for 3 days before flying back to the UK.

Is the Capitol the best LD option for this, I think from the earlier thread it has the better (superliner?) equipment, but what about the view out of the window? Its just under a day on the train I think, which I think i can handle, and may well lead to me wanting to do longer journeys in the future.

I was going to do NYP-BOS in 1st on the Acela, and was going to try to get a roomette on the Capitol.

Anyone any comments or suggestions for tweaks on this plan?

Thanks

Chris

 

[Rafi]

Hiya
Some time ago I was planning a trip for december, but due to work and other things, that didn't happen. However, i've still got the idea in my head so i was looking at maybe doing something in march - early march (ie.before easter) was my first thought.

I've got around 12 days to work with, and i want to balance seeing places with riding the trains.

As I'd like to go to both NY and Boston (plus ride the Acela between them) I'm going to be based in the Northeast, my initial thinking was to fly into Chicago for a few days, take the Capitol to Wasington, a few days there then up to NY for 3-4 days then onto Boston for 3 days before flying back to the UK.

Is the Capitol the best LD option for this, I think from the earlier thread it has the better (superliner?) equipment, but what about the view out of the window? Its just under a day on the train I think, which I think i can handle, and may well lead to me wanting to do longer journeys in the future.

I was going to do NYP-BOS in 1st on the Acela, and was going to try to get a roomette on the Capitol.

Anyone any comments or suggestions for tweaks on this plan?

Thanks

Chris

If scenery is a primary concern, also consider the Cardinal, which runs from Chicago to Washington to New York on a southerly route via West Virginia and Virginia. The Cardinal's scenery (spectacular mountain gorge vistas) is unparalleled by either the Capitol or the Lake Shore (Chicago to NY/Boston), but it does lack the superliner equipment found on the Capitol. The Cardinal is also using a Diner/Lounge car, which is one notch below a full service Dining car (as found on the Capitol). That said, the food has been reported to be quite good nonetheless.

The Capitol isn't without its scenery, but it's primarily focused between Cumberland and Harpers Ferry, which is a very short portion of the trip (about 2 hours, as opposed to the Cardinal's scenery which lasts the better part of a day). That said, the Capitol's 2-hour portion of scenery is quite scenic as the train snakes its way alongside the Potomac River, Cumberland Narrows, and the Allegheny Mountains.

Couple things to remember when booking on the Cardinal:

-Book early if you're going with a sleeper. The train only carries one sleeping car, and the crew takes a few of those rooms, so sleeper prices tend to get high on that train rather quickly.

-The Cardinal is a tri-weekly train, meaning that it only departs Chicago on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

 

[AlanB]

Chris,

Sounds like a good plan to me. The Capitol, the Cardinal, and for that matter the LSL are all decent choices. However, if this is to be your first trip ever on Amtrak, then I would recommend the Capitol just for the variety factor. You'll be seeing single level equipment as you move from Washington to NY, and then onto Boston. So you might as well experience the bi-level Superliner cars on the Capitol. I won't deny that the Cardinal is a very scenic ride, but it may not be appropriate for your first ride and especially if it is to be your first long distance ride.

 

[Rafi]

Chris,
Sounds like a good plan to me. The Capitol, the Cardinal, and for that matter the LSL are all decent choices. However, if this is to be your first trip ever on Amtrak, then I would recommend the Capitol just for the variety factor. You'll be seeing single level equipment as you move from Washington to NY, and then onto Boston. So you might as well experience the bi-level Superliner cars on the Capitol. I won't deny that the Cardinal is a very scenic ride, but it may not be appropriate for your first ride and especially if it is to be your first long distance ride.

Chris, I second Alan's comments. If you are concerned with experiencing a variety of Amtrak equipment, the Superliners represent the "core feel" of Amtrak's double-decker equipment and the Capitol is one of just two double-decker trains east of Chicago (the other being the non-stop Auto Train from Lorton, VA (DC area) to Sanford, FL (Orlando area)). Because it's a double-decker train, and because it carries both a full service Dining Car and a Sightseeing Lounge Car (with curved windows to the ceiling), the Capitol is a train you're going to spend more time walking around in and socializing on. The Cardinal's consist (single level Viewliners and Amfleet II's) doesn't have the variety of cars, so you'll spend most of your time in your room, which has the best windows on the train (actually better than Superliner bedroom windows, IMHO).

But again, if you're primarily concerned with scenery first and train equipment second, then you might want to consider the Cardinal. It's too bad you don't have a longer time in the US. Many folks like to make a circle trip between DC and Chicago on the Capitol and Cardinal to get the experience of both of the trains (same with NY and Chicago on the Cardinal and Lake Shore).

-Rafi

 

[Chris J.]

But again, if you're primarily concerned with scenery first and train equipment second, then you might want to consider the Cardinal. It's too bad you don't have a longer time in the US. Many folks like to make a circle trip between DC and Chicago on the Capitol and Cardinal to get the experience of both of the trains (same with NY and Chicago on the Cardinal and Lake Shore).
-Rafi

Thanks Rafi and Alan for your comments, certainly some stuff to think about.

The 12 days isn't totally fixed in stone, to I might be inspired to add a few to that, however there's the usual factors of cost and number of days off work to think about.

I'm sure whatever of the routes I take I'll get to see some part of America that most folks on holiday won't.

Am i right in thinking that prices for travel and hotels are likely to be a bit cheaper before easter?

Cheers

Chris

 

[Rafi]

But again, if you're primarily concerned with scenery first and train equipment second, then you might want to consider the Cardinal. It's too bad you don't have a longer time in the US. Many folks like to make a circle trip between DC and Chicago on the Capitol and Cardinal to get the experience of both of the trains (same with NY and Chicago on the Cardinal and Lake Shore).
-Rafi

Thanks Rafi and Alan for your comments, certainly some stuff to think about.

The 12 days isn't totally fixed in stone, to I might be inspired to add a few to that, however there's the usual factors of cost and number of days off work to think about.

I'm sure whatever of the routes I take I'll get to see some part of America that most folks on holiday won't.

Am i right in thinking that prices for travel and hotels are likely to be a bit cheaper before easter?

Cheers

Chris

While I can't speak authoratively on hotels in the DC and NY area, I can speak about hotels in the US in general with regard to seasons. Easter this year falls on March 23, so that's pretty early this year. Hotel prices don't heat up until the weather does, so to speak, so I'd say you're probably best to book a DC hotel before April 6-ish, New York by April 10-ish, and Chicago by April 15-ish. That's just an estimate, but I'd say if you wait much longer after that, you're going to start hitting spring vacation rates.

Again, I'm not an authority, so some other folks here on the board may have some added insight.

-Rafi

 

[rtabern]

Very shortly I will be doing a lot of the same itinerary as you:

CHI-NYP (Cardinal)

NYP-BOS (Acela First Class)

BOS-WAS (Acela Biz Class)

WAS-CHI (Capitol)

I promise to take lots of pictures and write a trip report and will post it.

Check back before Christmas.

RT

 

[Chris J.]

While I can't speak authoratively on hotels in the DC and NY area, I can speak about hotels in the US in general with regard to seasons. Easter this year falls on March 23, so that's pretty early this year. Hotel prices don't heat up until the weather does, so to speak, so I'd say you're probably best to book a DC hotel before April 6-ish, New York by April 10-ish, and Chicago by April 15-ish. That's just an estimate, but I'd say if you wait much longer after that, you're going to start hitting spring vacation rates.
Again, I'm not an authority, so some other folks here on the board may have some added insight.

-Rafi

I suspect the authority on that will be the hotel websites, i'll enter some dates around and see what they come back with. Does easter itself have much of an impact on hotels, i'm guessing trains will get busier, and so the cost will rise as the cheaper seats sell out. Plenty of research to do this evening then

Cheers

Chris

 

[Rafi]

I suspect the authority on that will be the hotel websites, i'll enter some dates around and see what they come back with. Does easter itself have much of an impact on hotels, i'm guessing trains will get busier, and so the cost will rise as the cheaper seats sell out. Plenty of research to do this evening then
Cheers

Chris

While I think there's some weight to that theory, Easter's impact isn't nearly as noticeable as compared to Thanksgiving or Christmas. With that said, Amtrak has marked March 21 and 24 (Friday and Monday on Easter Weekend) as blackout dates for its Guest Rewards program, so it appears that they do expect some increased activity on those days (after all, many schools take that weekend to bookend a spring break). The best advice for booking Amtrak in any season, however, is to book early. Trains can fill up on even the most unexpected days.

-Rafi

 

[Guest]

Please remember too, that you are traveling to cities with high numbers of business conventions, so rooms may become fully booked without a holiday in sight. Of course, if you are more flexible in your lodging choices this may not be as much an issue. For example, a relative of mine is due to come in the first weekend in March to Washington D.C. for a conference and they are currently wait-listed for rooms near their function.

 

[Chris J.]

On this topic, I thought I'd check out the option of taking the Lake Shore from Boston to Chicago. I realise that from Boston it's two trains, with a connection in Albany, but i wanted to check the times/fares. I was vaguely amused to find that amtrak.com offered me two options fro Boston to Chicago - one was the Lake Shore, the other was down to Washington on a Regional, then the Cardinal, and both were $80 (coach) - thats $3 less than the fare from Boston to Washington on the same train!

 

[AlanB]

I was vaguely amused to find that amtrak.com offered me two options fro Boston to Chicago - one was the Lake Shore, the other was down to Washington on a Regional, then the Cardinal, and both were $80 (coach) - thats $3 less than the fare from Boston to Washington on the same train!

Yes, when one is connecting to a long distance train, Amtrak will deeply discount a ticket on the Regionals and even in some cases on an Acela.