Summer trip 2012 suggestions

[mflsjhs]

Last summer i did a round trip from philly to sacramento via the Crescent (Viewliner Bedroom) Sunset Limited (superliner bedroom) and the Coast Starlight (Superliner Roomette) \

this summer i was thinking about changing it up.

What i came up with so far-

1, Acela FC PHL-NYP

2. Lake Shore Limited (Viewliner Roomette) NYP-CHI

3. SWC (Superliner Roomette) CHI-LAX

4. CS (Roomette) LAX-EMY

5. CZ EMY-CHI (Roomette)

6. Cardinal (Roomette) CHI-PHL

anybody have any thoughts or suggestions, or maybe different plan of a route? Thanks!

Also, i have 8100 AGR points, how much would i be able to take off price of this trip- still new to using AGR

 

[Sactobob]

With particular reference to segments four and six, I think you are definitely planning to go in the right direction on those trains for the best daylight viewing of the best scenery on those routes, compared to doing those trains in the opposite direction. As for segment five, I would prefer going in the opposite direction during the portion of the year with fewer hours of daylight, but since you will be travelling in the summer, it will make less difference, and you will need to take the Zephyr eastbound to match up with a northbound Starlight.

 

[johnny.menhennet]

For such a short first leg, don't waste that money on FC - go business class on Acela instead... use the money you save there on upgrading the California Zephyr leg from roomette to bedroom (unless you are by yourself, if by self, roomette is fine)

 

[johnny.menhennet]

If you want to go to Sacramento, don't take the CZ from EMY to SAC... just use a CapCor train... if visiting the Bay Area though, that will be a great itinerary

 

[Rail Freak]

The only suggestion I have is BOOK IT!!!

As far as your points, think about saving them. They may come in handy for your next trip!

Have Fun

 

[NETrainfan]

Looks like a very good plan. Have been on all of the trains except the Cardinal- know you will have some exceptional scenery on SWC, CS, & CZ.

Do you have any stopovers?

 

[amamba]

Those points won't get you very far with your chosen routing. You will need at least 15,000 points to do a one zone roomette trip, which is the minimum points needed for a sleeper award. It is hard to know how many points you would need for various segments because we don't know if you are doing any stopovers.

If you don't yet have an AGR mastercard and want to accumulate points quickly, think about getting one. Log into AGR and look to see how many bonus points they are offering you - if you have a 32K point bonus, definitely open up a card ASAP! For 30,000 points you can do a three zone roomette redemption (that would be across the country!) or a 2 zone bedroom redemption.