R
redrhodes
Guest
Just wanted to give you an update on my family's first train trip. We left from Lafayette, La. on June 20 to San Antonio, Texas, on the Sunset Limited #1. The train was 3 1/2 hours late. Of course I expected this since I did research before our trip. The ride itself was fine. It was my DH and I with a 6 year-old, 11-year-old and two 15 year-olds. We ate in the dining car at about 7:30 p.m. The food was good but it ended up being quite an expensive meal, about $100 with tip. We were supposed to get in to SA at 3 a.m. but ended up there at 6 a.m., which was really better for us. We rode coach but slept pretty good since the seats are so roomy. This train was in pretty good shape. It must have been refurbished recently. We didn't have any problems with other passengers on this trip, they were all pretty quiet. We all had a really good first impression of train travel.
Our return trip, however, was another story! We were supposed to leave SA on Sunday, June 29 at 1 a.m. The train was 3 hours behind scheduled but Julie said it was still set to leave on time so we were there by 12:30 a.m. The train didn't get in until about 2:30 a.m. When it was finally time to board we were told the train was overbooked and we were told there were no seats for us!!! OK...so we went sit in the lounge car. We had a great view of a firetruck rush over to our train...then an ambulance. The train was stalled because a worker got sick. So we finally leave abour 4 a.m. Since we had no seats and we were all exhausted, we laid down on the floor in front of the lounge seats and slept until morning. We awoke when the breakfast announcement was made so we headed in the dining car. The food again was delicious and the coffee never tasted better! Since we were so behind schedule we didn't reach Houston until about 11 A.M. Quite a few people got off so we ran for seats. I was totally disgusted at this coach car. It looked very old, worn and dirty. It had the worse smell you could imagine. My husband said it was probably because the door of the car woldn't close so we were getting the smells from the exhaust and the bathrooms below. It really did smell like sewage! At times it had me gaging! Then to top it all off there was a little boy who looked about 8 years-old but acted like he was 2. Yelling and screaming and wining, and CURSING! And the mother would do NOTHING! Half of the people in this car were in the lounge to get away from him. Once they got off in Lake Charles everyone in the lounge went back to their seats. It was funny cause everyone was talking about him and making jokes that Grandma was in for one hellavah week! We ended up getting back to Lafayette 5 1/2 hours late. The lateness didn't bother me, like I said, I expected that. But we bought our tickets 2 months ahead and being told there were no seats for us, plus the smell and the dirtiness, that just ruined it for me. I'm not sure I would choose to ride the train again. That second train really needs a makeover. Or at least a good steam cleaning. And the smell... you just can't imagine how bad it really was. There is NO excuse for that!!!!!
Our return trip, however, was another story! We were supposed to leave SA on Sunday, June 29 at 1 a.m. The train was 3 hours behind scheduled but Julie said it was still set to leave on time so we were there by 12:30 a.m. The train didn't get in until about 2:30 a.m. When it was finally time to board we were told the train was overbooked and we were told there were no seats for us!!! OK...so we went sit in the lounge car. We had a great view of a firetruck rush over to our train...then an ambulance. The train was stalled because a worker got sick. So we finally leave abour 4 a.m. Since we had no seats and we were all exhausted, we laid down on the floor in front of the lounge seats and slept until morning. We awoke when the breakfast announcement was made so we headed in the dining car. The food again was delicious and the coffee never tasted better! Since we were so behind schedule we didn't reach Houston until about 11 A.M. Quite a few people got off so we ran for seats. I was totally disgusted at this coach car. It looked very old, worn and dirty. It had the worse smell you could imagine. My husband said it was probably because the door of the car woldn't close so we were getting the smells from the exhaust and the bathrooms below. It really did smell like sewage! At times it had me gaging! Then to top it all off there was a little boy who looked about 8 years-old but acted like he was 2. Yelling and screaming and wining, and CURSING! And the mother would do NOTHING! Half of the people in this car were in the lounge to get away from him. Once they got off in Lake Charles everyone in the lounge went back to their seats. It was funny cause everyone was talking about him and making jokes that Grandma was in for one hellavah week! We ended up getting back to Lafayette 5 1/2 hours late. The lateness didn't bother me, like I said, I expected that. But we bought our tickets 2 months ahead and being told there were no seats for us, plus the smell and the dirtiness, that just ruined it for me. I'm not sure I would choose to ride the train again. That second train really needs a makeover. Or at least a good steam cleaning. And the smell... you just can't imagine how bad it really was. There is NO excuse for that!!!!!
