To me, 49 is old!You're right on, and I think that if the engineer was described as "older" or better yet "more experienced," it would have been more appropriate. But then again, it wouldn't have been as humorous... would it?Amtrak engineers are pretty good and have a good safety record. However, some of them are less than 65 years old. :lol:
You must be Canadian eh?VIA is mas mejor(better)than Amtrak but were getting better all the timeand yall will be on the best trains AMTRAK has running!Enjoy the journey, its the thing!!!Thankyou all again.. I'm getting rather excited about the trip. We will check to see if there are any roomettes available once we get underway. There was none when we booked, but I understand they occasionally become available. We know about the bus ride to San Fran... its 40 mins... so that should be okay.
I have lots of reading to catch up on... and this will be the perfect time to do it. I'm freezing some water to take with me and picking up snacks in grandforks to stow in the carryon. I think we will use checked baggage. I have my pillow all ready, and some medical aids in case I need them... ( to keep others quiet...lol)
I love broasted chicken so if there is any I will try it unless we go through there at breakfast time.. which might be some what weird...
Winnipeg to San Fran via Grand Forks....
heather
The Alaska train is the White Pass yukon... and it's rather scary ( probably only to me) the cruise to Alaska was fine, the rail travel not so good.
I echo all the comments about not sneaking from coach into the sleeper area for a shower. It is basically stealing. It's part of the 'amenties' that is paid for by sleeper passengers. You are also creating more work for the sleeper attendant. Better to bring wipes, a washcloth & some soap & do a quick clean up in coach. If showers were available in coach, that would solve the issue, but create more.We went down this road just about a year ago.Sneaking a shower...while in coach :angry:
Heather, Amtrak is a piece of cake compared to the Yukon train ride. If you can do that, you'll have no problem with Amtrak.The Alaska train is the White Pass yukon... and it's rather scary ( probably only to me) the cruise to Alaska was fine, the rail travel not so good.
Coach seating isn't done exactly the same way on all the trains. Most long distance trains don't have assigned seats in coach, however I'm told that the Coast Starlight does and I know that the Empire Builder has been testing assigned coach seating. Generally, sections of the car are reserved for families and groups, couples and singles. AMTRAK's standing policy is that if the attendant needs to move someone in order to accommodate passengers traveling together, then they will move people.As I will soon be taking my first Amtrak trip in 30 years, and like Heather will be in coach, I would like to ask two questions that might also be of interest to Heather.
First, does one just pick an empty seat in coach and sit down? or does the car attendant escort you to a seat?
Second, how do you make reservations for the dining car? Who do you ask for reservations -- the car attendant? or do you go to the dining car and ask someone there? And are reservations always available (even if earlier or later than desired)?
Since you've worked the Empire Builder mainly, which uses different procedures from the rest of Amtrak, I can understand your leaving out of that list "waiter". On all other trains, except for the Auto Train, the LSA also now has to act as a waiter too, in addition to all of the other duties you've mentioned.The reservations for meal service in the dining car are usually done by the dining car LSA or Lead Service Attendant. Kinda like the manager, host, book-keeper and cashier all rolled into one.
Since you've worked the Empire Builder mainly, which uses different procedures from the rest of Amtrak, I can understand your leaving out of that list "waiter". On all other trains, except for the Auto Train, the LSA also now has to act as a waiter too, in addition to all of the other duties you've mentioned.The reservations for meal service in the dining car are usually done by the dining car LSA or Lead Service Attendant. Kinda like the manager, host, book-keeper and cashier all rolled into one.
IMHO (in my humble opinion), the picture of the train going over the bridge is the mildest part. Most of the "fun" is when the train hangs along the side of a mountain. I opted for the bus up White Pass and watched the train from the highway. No thanks!Thankyou for posting the pictures... my husband is just laughing his head off. He thinks its all terribly funny that I lay on the floor of the train, hoping for devine intervention
heather
Heather,If I would have paid more attention to the lovely brochure and not on my..oh the husband so loves trains.... I would have waved at him from the safety of the dock. It is not a trip for the faint of heart.... I was a bit embarrassed to be the only one on the floor of the train ( I was 50) at the time and the 70 year old lovely little ladies patting me on the back and reminding my husband that his wife was losing it in the car... did he care... not much.. too busy taking pictures...lol... We still laugh about it,, but believe me, I won't be going on any more tourist sight seeing train rides.... I'm highly suspicious of them now... It's feeling pretty good about the ride at the beginning, going around a corner and actually seeing the trestle waaaaaaayyyyy up there and knowing I'm going to be hanging on the side of a mountain and disappearing into the clouds.
So the adventure begins today,, Were leaving for Grand Forks... do some shopping ( snacks sales.. you know) and then up at 3 am and off to the train.
Thankyou everyone. I will drop a note and let you know how things are going when I can
heather
Why, was there also bungee jumping involved? :blink: ... :lol:IMHO (in my humble opinion), the picture of the train going over the bridge is the mildest part.
Thanks for appreciating my humor. Not everybody does. Some used to tell me that I have a dry sense of humor, but I've since found a solution to that... I started drinking!Sky12065, that is so funny! When I saw the picture of the train on the bridge, the first thing I thought was, "What a great place for base jumping!" I've bungee jumped out of a hot air balloon a couple of times and that was quite a rush!
On my next train trip, I'll be reaching heights of 30,000 feet! :lol:the higher we are, the better. ... I'm hoping I reach new heights. However, I have to admit that if we start passing people sitting on clouds... playing harps, I'm-a gonna start freaking out! :unsure: ... :blink: ... :wacko: ... :lol:
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