National Rail Pass

[ukmale]

Hi me and my partner are doing a 8 week tour of america, neither of us are keen on buses and flying everywhere would be too expensive so we have choosen to go by train. the national pass seems like the best option but i was just wondering how you go about getting each train.

can you just turn up at the station and get on desired train? or do you have to reserve your seats in advance? if so how long in advance?

Also if anyone has used 1 of these passes before any info or advice you could give me would be great.

Thanks

 

[frj1983]

The information on the USA Rail Pass is located here, and yes you do need reservations:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...45&ssid=296

Enjoy your travel by Amtrak!

 

[AlanB]

can you just turn up at the station and get on desired train? or do you have to reserve your seats in advance? if so how long in advance?

Well how far in advance you must reserve is a function of, when do you plan to visit? If you will be here during the summer months or around major holidays, then reserve as far in advance as you can. If you are coming at other times, you can probably just show up at the station and get a ticket and a reservation.

Even during the summer months, many trains probably have some room left right up until the week of departure. But the most popular trains can sell out, especially on the weekends.

So I would recommend that you try to plan things out, know where you want to get on and off, and make reservations at least a month before if possible, even sooner if you can just to be sure that you can go where you want on the dates that you want.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Welcome aboard!! While you are probably already aware of this, the rail pass buys you a coach seat, NOT a sleeper compartment, so overnight trips will not be as restful as in a bed. Some folks seem to sleep better than others in coach, but it's still difficult to get a good night's rest in a chair, even one that reclines nicely, and has a calf and leg rest. If you were planning to be on the train for two or three continuous days, it might be wise to pick an intermediate stop where you could remain overnight in a motel, do some sightseeing, then pick up the train the following day. With the rail pass, I believe you can do the reservations that way with no penalty. If you have a proposed itinerary and let the folks on the board know what it is, some will likely make suggestions for places to visit, things to look for, and so forth.

 

[ukmale]

can you just turn up at the station and get on desired train? or do you have to reserve your seats in advance? if so how long in advance?

Well how far in advance you must reserve is a function of, when do you plan to visit? If you will be here during the summer months or around major holidays, then reserve as far in advance as you can. If you are coming at other times, you can probably just show up at the station and get a ticket and a reservation.

Even during the summer months, many trains probably have some room left right up until the week of departure. But the most popular trains can sell out, especially on the weekends.

So I would recommend that you try to plan things out, know where you want to get on and off, and make reservations at least a month before if possible, even sooner if you can just to be sure that you can go where you want on the dates that you want.

Thanks both for the help.

First date of travel will be around march 6th so as far as i know that will be off-peak. spending around 3 - 4 days in every major city we visit. i think by the sounds of it booking the train to leave the city on arrival ( 3 days in advance ) should be ok?

 

[ukmale]

Welcome aboard!! While you are probably already aware of this, the rail pass buys you a coach seat, NOT a sleeper compartment, so overnight trips will not be as restful as in a bed. Some folks seem to sleep better than others in coach, but it's still difficult to get a good night's rest in a chair, even one that reclines nicely, and has a calf and leg rest. If you were planning to be on the train for two or three continuous days, it might be wise to pick an intermediate stop where you could remain overnight in a motel, do some sightseeing, then pick up the train the following day. With the rail pass, I believe you can do the reservations that way with no penalty. If you have a proposed itinerary and let the folks on the board know what it is, some will likely make suggestions for places to visit, things to look for, and so forth.

Yes i think we will limit ourselves to around 8 - 10 hours max on a train at a time. Is it possible to upgrade to a bed if needed though?

 

[AlanB]

Is it possible to upgrade to a bed if needed though?

Absolutely! If yo think that you'll want one in advance, you can reserve it and then pay the extra fare above the cost of the coach seat when you pick up your tickets.

For the best deal however, once you are on board ask the conductor if there are any rooms left. If there are, you will get the best price possible for the room. The conductor can take cash, credit card, and I believe traveler's checks to pay for the upgrade. Note: If you come over on March 6th you might be getting close to Easter by the end of your journey. Upgrading on board in the week or so before Easter could be tough, as many people do travel at that time and the sleeper can sell out. So if you think that you'll want a sleeper at that point, you had best reserve it ahead of time.

Finally, don't forget that when you have a sleeper, all of your meals are now included when taken in the dining car. That can help make the cost of an upgrade more palatable. It doesn't however include the tip or things that you buy from the cafe car.

 

[gswager]

Most of the stations are unstaffed which means no tickets issued to you. Since you mentioned that you will be in major cities, so most of them are staffed. You can buy tickets at the station anytime to ensure a spot for you to ride, up to like 1/2 hour before departure.

 

[sechs]

If you have a very good idea of when and where you are going, I'd strongly suggest trying to reserve hotel, etc. in advance, even if you plan on staying in hostels.

When I last went to Yosemite, there was a young couple from the Netherlands who had visited the park at the same time. They had no problems getting tickets at the station in Merced to take Amtrak to Las Vegas, but then weren't able to find appropriate accommodations there. I don't know what happened, but you don't want to be in a position like that if it's at all avoidable.

 

[DaveKCMO]

i just finished a 26-day trip using the north american rail pass. if you have specific questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[Lennie]

I think it's odd that Amtrak still has the Three Rivers route on the Rail Pass Maps on the purchase screen. You would think they would have gotten rid of that by now

 

[AlanB]

I think it's odd that Amtrak still has the Three Rivers route on the Rail Pass Maps on the purchase screen. You would think they would have gotten rid of that by now

Well unfortunately there are a lot of things that we'd figure that Amtrak would have gotten rid of by now or fixed by now.

When it comes to things like maps and such, they often simply keep copying the old maps over without even stopping to think if they are still acurate. And then there is the problem that existed for years in the timetable where one travels 226 miles if one rides a regional train between NYP and WAS, but 225 miles if one rides a long distance train between the same two points.

 

[Indochine_UK]

The earliest I was able to buy a pass (from Internationalrail.com) was 6 months in advance of my first journey, and I phoned Amtrak to book a seat on each journey as soon as the pass arrived. Because I'm doing lots of trips, Amtrak asked me to e-mail my itinerary to the International Sales Desk and they e-mailed a Word document with my travel plans back to me with a booking number. The only problem is that I now have 2 booking references to quote when collecting tickets. One from Wandrian/Internationalrail for the pass, and one direct from Amtrak for the individual tickets.

Indo x