Trip to AZ moved to March..Boarding process at Chicago or New Orleans?

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JC_620

JC_620

Train Attendant
Joined
Oct 15, 2019
Messages
62
Location
Centerville
Moved my trip out west to this March. Fares much better and won't have to have the hassle of the Holiday rush.

So, there are one of two options for me to go:
A.) Either Lake Shore Limited #449 switching to #49 in Albany to get a sleeper closer to the dining car, on to Chicago then Texas Eagle #421 to Maricopa OR; I would overnight in Chicago respectively
B.) Northeast Regional from PVD on #161 to either NYP or WAS, then the Crescent to NOL. From New Orleans to Maricopa on the Sunset Limited. Again, I would overnight in New Orleans...I would have to since the Crescent is a P.M. arrival.

Which is best? I think that switching in Washington, DC is better than at NYP. Others can chime in on this though please? I have also heard that the boarding for sleeping car passengers is atrocious lately or has been at Union Station in Chicago. So, that, combined with possible weather related issues along the "northern" way rather than the "southerly" route has me leaning towards doing the NRG/CRE/SLTD routing.

Can anybody speak to their experiences or knowledge with how the process is done in Chicago for Sleeping Car passengers for the Eagle, or in New Orleans for the Sunset Limited? Do some Red Caps offer passengers a 'lift' on the carts or what have you out to the train if you are traveling with excess baggage in Chicago or New Orleans? I have read some about the Magnolia Room in New Orleans. I am not one who has to have a fancy waiting area away from the screaming babies or what have you, I just would prefer a smooth boarding process with the least amount of everyone rushing to get on the train at once like a Black Friday at midnight store opening type of deal.

Thanks!
 
B.) Less hectic at New Orleans than Chicago . It is a small station with the train close to the boarding door. Fewer passengers boarding for the shorter train. Two lines are called just before boarding, one for sleeper and one for coach. No need for a "mad rush" or anxiety for boarding.


NYP and WAS both have Red Cap services and lounges for sleeping car passengers too avoid the "mad rush". Consider reducing what you refer to as "excess" baggage.
 
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The Crescent is often very late getting into NOL. So you might find yourself needing to get to a hotel late at night... then back from hotel to station early in the AM. My preference would be to plan for two nights in New Orleans, to allow time there besides a short night's sleep.
 
I think both routes are fine. I have done the Lake Shore - Texas Eagle route twice and had no problems. I would probably do that again unless I wanted to spend a few nights in New Orleans. Now that the Crescent has been downgraded to flexible "higher quality" dining I don't feel a great incentive to take that train. If you decide to go via New Orleans I agree with Tricia that it would be much more enjoyable to spend a few nights there and enjoy the city rather than arrive on the Crescent late at night and leave on the Sunset the following morning.

Look carefully at the timing of your trip. My impression is that hotel prices would be less expensive in New Orleans than Chicago but if you are going through New Orleans during Mardi Gras, hotel prices there will be at their peak if you can get a room at all.

Be aware that the Magnolia Room in New Orleans is nothing special but the Chicago lounge is great. I don't recall seeing an red caps in New Orleans or any special passenger boarding assistance but maybe someone who has paid more attention to those things can provide better information.
 
I have had no problem boarding in Chicago. In the last month and a half, I have boarded the Texas Eagle, California Zephyr and Capitol Limited (twice) from the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. The boarding has changed to a line with an escort, which is fine with me. I did not see any passengers denied Red Cap services that wanted them.

Chicago hotel prices can be all over the place. Apparently last week they were incredibly low (below $100 at the Palmer House).
 
Did the Crescent to Sunset Limited last October with an overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Downtown/Superdome in NO. Boarding #1 was no problem (other than a two hour late departure). Nothing special with the Magnolia Room.
 
Twice in the past when I was leaving on the Crescent, No. 20 I arrived at the station in New Orleans so close to boarding time that I didn't bother to check out the Magnolia Room. However, last May, we arrived with plenty of time to finally check it out. If I recall correctly we were given a code at the ticket counter to use on the door keypad to access the room. There were some chips and soda (I think the coffee was all gone.) There appears to be no attendant on duty.

There are so few amenities on Amtrak now that I am sort of glad they have the Magnolia Room even if it is not really special compared to Boston, DC, Chicago or LA (or even New York for that matter.)
 
Depending on where you live, you may also consider the Regional to say PHL, overnight in a hotel (if necessary) then take the Regional to WAS and the CL to CHI (or all one day to connect at WAS if possible).

A recent test booking from upstate NYS showed me that by going thru WAS - with a roomette on the CL and inclulding the overnight hotel was less than just going directly on the LSL in a roomette!o_O
 
tricia said:
The Crescent is often very late getting into NOL. So you might find yourself needing to get to a hotel late at night... then back from hotel to station early in the AM. My preference would be to plan for two nights in New Orleans, to allow time there besides a short night's sleep.
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I agree with this. I did Crescent to the Sunset Limited last year and regret only spending a night. The Crescent was late, arriving around 11 pm, and I had to leave my hotel room at 8 am to catch the Sunset Limited. It really wasn't worth the expense of a hotel for that short of a night.

As far as the waiting room in NOLA, I found it quite small and crowded. The general waiting area has more space, but it is also a shared bus terminal, so you do get a few characters. That said, there are far less people in NOLA than in Chicago. When it was time for boarding, they lined us up in 2 seperate lines, sleepers in one and coaches in the other. We then waited until the conductor was ready for us to board (they collected tickets on the platform). I thought it was kind of silly to have us all line up, but it's also more or less the same process in Chicago (with more people).

One benefit DC has over New York, is that they board you straight from the lounge.

If crowds at the station are a concern, I think via DC and New Orleans may be the better option.
 
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I appreciate all of the replies to my thread.

One of the things that concerns me is not so much the amount of people boarding or traveling (even though that could be sort of a problem) but also the possible weather issues that may crop up in March near or in Chicago or along that northerly route. From what I have been able to gather, Chicago is either hit or miss weather-wise (and I am talking mainly about a snowstorm or worse, a blizzard) in early March. However, not so much on that southerly route via New Orleans on the other hand. With that said, my guess is that southerly route, should be, pretty favorable. Of course, there may be rain or what have you, but barring any severe weather issues, it should not significantly impact a connection to another train.

As far as staying in New Orleans is concerned, I do not have a problem with that but I was researching last night arrival times over the past year in 2019, the Crescent into New Orleans and it does have a notoriously late arrival time just as tricia had said above of arriving in New Orleans. So that is a bit of a concern. I was thinking of only spending that 1 night in New Orleans but if people are suggesting that I spent 2 nights there, then that might be something that I have to look into.

Lastly, as far as the boarding process in New Orleans - it looks pretty favorable. Washington could be dicey which is where I would probably switch to the Crescent as I would be coming down from Providence, so I would tend to think that Washington would be the better of the two, as opposed to Penn Station in New York City. Penn Station seems like an utter cluster, so I would rather just try my luck in Washington. On the flipside, I have also read online articles that there has been some recent changes at Washington to improve the boarding process there as well.

The long and short of it is that like anyone else traveling, I just would like to look forward to a nice easy transition from 1 train to the other. I suppose that it is simply pick your poison.
 
2 Nights in New Orleans is a great idea!

And as for catching the Crescent, I think you should catch it @ NYP since the Train originates there.

You can use a Red Cap to/from the Train, which makes it easy to detrain/board @ NYP.

I dont see the need to ride all the way to Washington on the NEC, and then change Trains @ Union Station.
 
I find Penn Station to be far more confusing that DC. That is probably why some friends of mine prefer to take a Northeast Regional from Boston to DC and board the Crescent there instead of boarding in New York. I know that there is something to be said for boarding on the train at the point of origin in New York and settling in for the trip. While I may be convinced to do that my friends aren't convinced.

If I recall, boarding the Crescent from the lounge in DC involves going down an escalator. I don't know what is done for those who have mobility challenges and cannot use an escalator. I assume there must be an elevator nearby.
 
Rasputin said:
Good to know. Thanks for posting that.
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Okay so assuming that I can manage my bags myself, what is the process from the Metropolitan Lounge in D.C. to train trackside roughly? If you could try and describe it just as a heads up. Crescent departs Washington at 6:30PM. I figure to arrive on #99 at 4:37pm or #161 at 5:33pm from Providence. That is pushing it, I know, on #161.

Thanks!
 
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JC_620 said:
Okay so assuming that I can manage my bags myself, what is the process from the Metropolitan Lounge in D.C. to train trackside roughly? If you could try and describe it just as a heads up. Crescent departs Washington at 6:30PM. I figure to arrive on #99 at 4:37pm or #161 at 5:33pm from Providence. That is pushing it, I know, on #161.

Thanks!
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If you choose not to get a Red Cap, generally, the passengers walking down to the train will be called by attendant to line up at the East (I think) door (the door on the right if you are standing at the lounge front door looking into the lounge). An escort will guide the group to the down escalator (and elevator). The escort will tell you on which track your train will be located (however, it is obvious). At least on the Silvers, where the Sleepers are on the rear of the train, it is a fairly long walk from the escalator/elevator to the sleepers. I do not travel on the Crescent often enough to be certain of the location of the sleeper cars. In July 2018, the sleepers were in the rear and I assume they are still in the rear, but I am not positive.
 
If I were traveling in sleeper, I'd rather be in a Roomette on the Crescent than in a coach or Business Class seat on the Northeast Regional between New York and Washington.

Two nights in New Orleans is highly recommended. YMMV, but I would go for a day at the WWII museum and a dinner jazz cruise on the steamboat Natchez.
 

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