New Orleans to Atlanta on the Crescent

[jessiekay]

Me and my friends are taking a weekend trip to Atlanta for my birthday and decided to take a train. This our first experience on an Amtrak train and we are departing out of New Orleans on the Crescent. There will be about 8 in our group and we are all in are mid 20s. The reason we decided to take the train is so we could all hang out together (instead of being split in cars) and also to drink. However I'm still uncertain about a couple of things. Does the Amtrak Crescent even have a bar? Is there an area where we can all sit around tables and play board games? or do we have to sit in our normal seats the hole time? If they do have a bar do I need cash or credit cards? Any information would be helpful.

 

[TVRM610]

Great choice! Your gonna have a wonderful time since this is a lovely day trip (i've taken this trip a few times this past year).

Yes, there is a Cafe car which has a snack car selling drinks, snacks, and light food (re-heated hamburgers, hot dogs, pizzas, etc.). The cafe car has booth style tables where you can hang out, play cards etc. The Cafe Car takes Cash and Credit on board.

ALSO- There is a full service dining car on board. I would highly reccomend eating at least one meal in the diner. Breakfast and Lunch are quite reasonable (dinner gets a bit steep) and the food is much better than in the cafe car.

Have fun!

 

[j653]

You'll have a great time. Just remember -- after you've had a few drinks -- to respect the conductor. I was on the Empire Builder several years ago and in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, the conductor decided to kick a drunk man off the train after he took a leak in a trash can in the cafe car.

 

[jessiekay]

Great choice! Your gonna have a wonderful time since this is a lovely day trip (i've taken this trip a few times this past year).

Yes, there is a Cafe car which has a snack car selling drinks, snacks, and light food (re-heated hamburgers, hot dogs, pizzas, etc.). The cafe car has booth style tables where you can hang out, play cards etc. The Cafe Car takes Cash and Credit on board.

ALSO- There is a full service dining car on board. I would highly reccomend eating at least one meal in the diner. Breakfast and Lunch are quite reasonable (dinner gets a bit steep) and the food is much better than in the cafe car.

Have fun!

Thanks so much for the info! Do you know if these trains are usually packed or empty? We just want to make sure we'll have room and won't be stuck in our seats the whole time. This is the first time we ever rode on a train and we just don't know how busy they can get.

 

[Exiled in Express]

Roomettes are cheap on that routing, probably a wise idea to buy up. That will get you meals included and allow you to legally BYOB. It could be an overall cost savings over buying Amtrak drinks.

 

[the_traveler]

And the cost of roomettes (or even bedrooms) on this portion is cheap enough, and it includes all meals (IIRC 3 each way) per person up to the allowed occupancy of the accommodation. (That is 2 for a roomette or 3 for a bedroom.) And the cost of the accommodation is per room, not per person! So with it including meals, it may even be less than going coach!

And you can BYOB in a sleeper. You can not in coach!

 

[battalion51]

I did the trip from ATL-NOL a few months ago, and most of the time it is usually very reasonable to upgrade to first class (about 50/room or 25/person). It would allow you to have privacy if you like it, the ability to take a nap if you want, BYOB, and as mentioned all three meals in the Dining car. Given the dynamics of your group it may or may not be worth it to you. Also, do note for the return trip Amtrak is VERY strict on the fact that checked bags must be in one hour prior to departure in Atlanta. I believe it's only 30 minutes in New Orleans, but for whatever reason my city has decided they need an hour, so plan accordingly! Enjoy the shopping (Lenox and Phipps I assume) and make sure you hit the bars in Buckhead!

 

[alanh]

The issue in ATL is that the tracks are way below the station, and there's only one small elevator going down. BTW, this also means you can expect a long wait for the elevator if you can't take the stairs. When I arrived there from WAS, people thought it was not working but it had been locked at the top while the agent was doing other work.

Anyway, my understanding is that the NOL-ATL leg is much less travelled than ATL-north, so you should have plenty of room.

 

[Bill631]

I take the Crescent fairly frequently.

Your group should consider getting roomettes. It might very well be cheaper in the long run than coach simply because the cost of the roomettes includes meals (3 in this case)in the dining car. However, liquor is not included in the dining car.If you want a drink in the dining car, you have to buy it.

You can BYOB in the roomettes, but you can only consume it in the roomette. You are not allowed to consume you own liquor in the cafe or dining car.

I am not sure how strictly this is enforced, and have never seen any problems with it before.

I have seen some sleeping car passengers discreetly drink their own booze in the cafe car.

For example, buying a soda at the cafe, and then spiking it with their own rum, bourbon or vodka,etc.

The key here is to be discreet.

The advantage to bringing your own, is that you can drink what you want, and it is a lot cheaper. Mixed drinks are $6.50 as I recall, and beers are $5.00 for domestic and $6.00 for imports.

The booze selection in the cafe car is also pretty limited.

For instance, the usually only have Absolut vodka, which I don't like.

One other thing about the Crescent, and I always mention this, is that it usually leaves right on time, 7:05 am.

I usually get there by at least 6:45am.

I am sure you all will have a great time.

Bill

 

[had8ley]

Unless it's Mardi Gras or Super Bowl you should have few riders out of NOL. It really picks up once you get off in Atlanta; so much so they'll open one or two more coaches on the hind end. I think everyone's advice is very worth while listening to. If you have some real suds drinkers $6 times 12 (two six packs in the lounge car) ($72) can buy a roomette and a half and provide 12 meals which are not cheap (IIRC, the steak is up to $22.75 and dessert is $5.50.) Go have a great time but go first class !

 

[zoltan]

You'll have a great time. Just remember -- after you've had a few drinks -- to respect the conductor. I was on the Empire Builder several years ago and in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, the conductor decided to kick a drunk man off the train after he took a leak in a trash can in the cafe car.

Having encountered a lot of spineless conductors, I can't help but love reading about things like this.

 

[amtkstn]

On every Amtrak train I have rode over the last few years, the rules for drinking alcohol were strictly enforced in the lounge/dinning cars.

 

[Shanghai]

On every Amtrak train I have rode over the last few years, the rules for drinking alcohol were strictly enforced in the lounge/dinning cars.

Obviously you have never taken the Missouri River Runner from Hermann, MO to St. Louis during Oktoberfest!!

 

[had8ley]

On every Amtrak train I have rode over the last few years, the rules for drinking alcohol were strictly enforced in the lounge/dinning cars.

Obviously you have never taken the Missouri River Runner from Hermann, MO to St. Louis during Oktoberfest!!

Don't you think the offenders were already on a full tank when they boarded the MORR to return to St. Louis? I really feel sorry for the LSA in the cafe section~ does anyone remember her name? I would honestly like to write a complimentary letter to Amtrak; her disposition and composure were excellent even after that nasty lady barfed on her...

 

[PaulM]

On every Amtrak train I have rode over the last few years, the rules for drinking alcohol were strictly enforced in the lounge/dinning cars.

Obviously you have never taken the Missouri River Runner from Hermann, MO to St. Louis during Oktoberfest!!

I don't know about that. While waiting for the very train you are talking about in Jefferson City, a west bound train arrived, and a large number of unstable, but very happy, passengers de-trained on their way home from Hermann. However, when I later got off in Hermann, I was trapped on the fenced-in platform while another hoard of revelers boarded. I watched as the conductor inspected coolers; and I and joked with him about enforcing the sleeper only rule. He said "Yep".

Regardless, as someone pointed out discretion is the key. I've never been called for enjoying a night-cap from bicycle water bottle in the lounge. Normally, I would never do such a thing in the dining car. But I just got off the CZ where there was a problem with the diner/lounge (AKA cross-country-cafe) which had been swapped at the last minute for a bad ordered diner. Sleeping car passengers were comped an item from the cafe and invited to come to the D/L for a salad and dessert. I drowned my sorrows at having to substitute a microwaved meat ball sandwich for a steak with my own supply of wine.