Which way is the best way?

[MnMotherMary]

We have been traveling by Amtrak and shopping to earn points with my AGR card. I now have 59,000 points and would like advice on our next trip. We plan on traveling in March of 2016. Should I book now or?

We live in the Twin Cities and would like to make a round trip via Amtrak.

Options-Leave St. Paul on Empire Builder to Chicago & transfer to Zephyr to which station in California? Maybe overnight on land and then Coast Starlight to Seattle. Another overnight on land and then home. Or reverse the trip? Pro's & Con's? Best use of points? Other suggestions?

How much time in between train changes?

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions. I have read & learned a lot from this forum & all your advice has been very helpful.

 

[SarahZ]

I did a similar trip in March. (I swear the trip report is in progress.)

I went from Chicago to Seattle, spent two nights in Seattle, took the CS to San Francisco and spent one night there, and then I took the CZ home to Chicago.

Were I to do it again, I'd take the CZ to San Francisco, spend two nights there, take the CS to Seattle, spend two or three nights there, and then take the EB home.

Reasons: I hear the scenery going westbound on the CZ is better, while the scenery going eastbound on the EB is better. I traveled in early March, so the sun was setting when we reached Glacier National Park on the westbound EB. I got to see the mountains for about 15 minutes, and I completely missed the Cascades because the sun hadn't come up yet.

Also, one night in San Francisco wasn't enough. I really could have used another day of rest (and another day to see San Francisco). As it was, I arrived at my hotel around 10:30 a.m. and had to be in bed around 10:00 to get up early enough to catch the CZ out of EMY. I really could have used a good night's sleep before getting on another 3-day train.

I didn't feel that two nights in Seattle was enough, but that's because I'd never been there before and wanted to see more. I had about a day and a half there.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I agree with Sarah that riding the Zephyr #5 Westbound and the Empire Builder #8 Eastbound is the best way to do these routes.

You have several options for using points, doing layovers etc.

Since the Empire Builder doesn't connect in Chicago with the Western Trains, you'll have to fly to CHI or spend a night there if you take the train from St. Paul.

These are Popular trains in the Summer and Fall so booking early is prudent!( price doesn't matter with points but Sleepers sell out)

You didn't indicate a preference for spending the night in the Bay Area, but you could layover in Sacramento, Davis ( recommended) or the Bay Area on a 2 Zone AGR Roomette Award, 20,000 Points( 19,000 if you have the AGR MC after 5% Rebate) If you layover in California its a 1 Zone Roomette Award to SEA, 15,000 Points. (14,250 with rebate) A Bedroom would be 25,000 Points(23,750 with rebate)

If you dont want to do the layover in California, you would have a 6-8 Hour layover in Sacramento and catch the Coast Starlight to SEA around Midnight!

This would be a 20,000( 19,000) Point 2 Zone award from CHI- SEA. A Bedroom is 40,000 Points ( 38,000 with rebate)

After your layover in SEA ( 2 night minimum as Sarah suggested), its a 2 Zone Award from SEA-STP on the Empire Builder, 20,000 Points for a Roomette( 19,000 with rebate). A Bedroom is 40,000.points( 38,000 with rebate) Plan on being late into STP, but it won't matter, its a daytime arrival!

 

[willem]

Your trip sounds like it would have flexible dates, so be sure to use amsnag.net to compare prices. Then you can decide whether to redeem points or pay cash using your AGR card.

An advantage of using points is that there are no buckets, so you can book a trip when it would be expensive to pay cash. For this reason, you might want to save them if you can find a low bucket. On the other hand, the number of points required for a trip could go up at any time, so it might make sense to redeem them sooner rather than later. (As noted in another thread, the cost to buy points has just gone up.)

 

[MnMotherMary]

Thank you for the suggestions. Sara, I will be waiting to read your wonderful trip reports. Our daughter and her husband lived near Seattle and we have been there on the Empire Builder many times. Yes, there is lots to see there. They have since moved back near us and we are looking forward to returning.

I am looking at our options on which way to go and I don't understand what station in San Francisco. Sacramento or Davis and why? What station does the Coast Starlight use?

While looking at options I noticed the Coast Starlight goes all the way to Los Angeles and we could return to Chicago on the Southwest Chief. Any thoughts on that route/option?

 

[SarahZ]

I should have clarified. The Coast Starlight has a stop in Emeryville, where you can connect to San Francisco on a Thruway bus. It's a 30-minute trip, if I recall correctly, depending on where in the city you are going. (The bus has a few stops in the city.)

If you've never been on the Southwest Chief, I recommend taking the CS down to L.A. and then connecting to the Chief. The scenery is really pretty.

If you've never been on the California Zephyr, though, I recommend that over the Southwest Chief.

 

[MnMotherMary]

Haven't been on either the CS-CZ or SWC. Looking forward to it and deciding for ourselves which one we like best.

Haven't really decided what we were doing yet... I am just ready for another train trip and trying to figure where to ride the train and then figure out some things to do...

We are familiar with Chicago and Seattle, trying to figure out what to do in San Francisco area so I can get the train tickets booked. I would love some suggestions on where/what to do in between the Zephyr & Coast Starlight.

 

[SarahZ]

If you're spending the night, then I highly recommend going on one of the Alcatraz tours. I've been on both the daytime and the nighttime tour, and I loved both of them.

The nighttime tour was my favorite, because they cruise all the way around the island, so you get to see the whole island before docking. Plus, the prison is just a little bit creepy at night, and the fog looks really cool.

I also really enjoyed walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. The grade isn't steep at all, so it's pretty easy, even for casual walkers.

I really need to get that trip report written.