Zephyr sold out

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BuffaloBoy

Service Attendant
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Apr 23, 2015
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SLC
I thought I might try to go see my mother for Thanksgiving but Amsnag reports that the CZ is completely sold out from the 15th of November til the 30th. That includes coach and sleepers. Huh? I have never seen that before for so many days? I was going to go from SLC to FTW.
 
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Yes I will, but I am still blown away that the CZ is that booked up for that amount of time. I thought it would be an easy trip to book off season. I guess I am not as smart as I thought I was. Maybe I will just go to Grand Junction for Train Days and double up on points and stay in the Holiday Inn and get 4000 points from Rocket Miles. The nice thing about going from SLC to GJT is that it is only 6 hours arriving at 10am and I can participate and then go back to the hotel and order up whatever I want! This is Colorado you know! They deliver pizza and just about anything else. Hint, hint
 
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In the for what it is worth dept.:

I have been booking the CZ for at least one annual trip (CHI-SAC) for several years. I try to do so at least 4 months in advance.

Why? My preference is to get a sleeper and hopefully the SuperLiner bedroom of which there are only 5 per car; depending on

the season, sometimes only one sleeper (not counting the Dormitory of course).

We are making a round trip this year at the end of Oct into early Nov and it too is supposedly sold-out.

A most popular run with perhaps the finest in scenery (Denver - westward).

Keep trying though - you may find that someone has canceled out. Rather than listening to Julie - keep saying "Agent"

in order to get a live-one.

Good luck!
 
cool, I just might get a photo shot of all the UP locomotives stored in Grand Junction right now. I was on the Westbound #5 out of Denver on the 5th of this month and when we pulled into GJT all I could see was UP loco's for what seemed like a mile or more. Old SW's and Geeps for for miles, I guess the end cabs are done forever! I would like to get a closer look, GJT it is!
 
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Amtrak is showing available reservations SLC-FTW now, for any day of your choice. Maybe travel agents blocked out large blocks of seats and gave them back today, or something.
 
Also possible that Amtrak decided to add an extra car to the train which would open up space.
 
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Also possible that Amtrak decided to add an extra car to the train which would open up space.
Yeah, that's a possibility. It would be interesting to know which segment was sold out yesterday. Amtrak is more likely to add a Denver-Chicago "short" car than to add an entire Chicago-Emeryville car (it's less work to get the car back where it originated).
 
For Thanksgiving I have two coach seats from GBB to Osceola,,,, but I bought them four months ago,,, is this heaven? No it's Iowa !

I too noticed the forest of UP Locos at GJ two weeks ago,,, I had visions of sugarplums dancing in my head thinking of the scrap value...bit the problem of eastbound departures at SLC is the 3AM departure,, good luck on getting your ticks
 
Actually, I made a mistake on Amsnag, it is October that is sold out from the 15th to the 29th! Thanksgiving in Texas is going to happen and the roomette prices are very reasonable! I got curious about those dates in October though and found that I could book the #5 to CHI, and from CHI to FTW on any of those sold out dates, so it appears that the sold out portion is the bus connection?
 
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Actually, I made a mistake on Amsnag, it is October that is sold out from the 15th to the 29th! Thanksgiving in Texas is going to happen and the roomette prices are very reasonable! I got curious about those dates in October though and found that I could book the #5 to CHI, and from CHI to FTW on any of those sold out dates, so it appears that the sold out portion is the bus connection?
The Thruway between GBB and SPI is a Van, not a Bus, and Spots are Limited due to the Number of seats available, along with the Limited size of the Luggage Bay behind the Seats.
I've seen people denied seats on this Van in GBB and SPI because Amtrak overbooked! ( supposed to be Reserved in conjunction with a Train ticket)
 
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Actually, I made a mistake on Amsnag, it is October that is sold out from the 15th to the 29th! Thanksgiving in Texas is going to happen and the roomette prices are very reasonable! I got curious about those dates in October though and found that I could book the #5 to CHI, and from CHI to FTW on any of those sold out dates, so it appears that the sold out portion is the bus connection?
Aha! That makes perfect sense.
 
Thanks Jim for helping me understand this. I assumed it was a Greyhound connection. I did go as far as checking Greyhound schedules and realized that it was not, but I also assumed that at least it would be a dedicated Bus. You know what they say about ASSUME!
 
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Thanks Jim for helping me understand this. I assumed it was a Greyhound connection. I did go as far as checking Greyhound schedules and realized that it was not, but I also assumed that at least it would be a dedicated Bus. You know what they say about ASSUME!
There are 2 Thruway Bus Connections that run through Galesburg(Burlington Trailways)
#8890 Lvs GBB @ 125pm/Peoria @ 225pm/Bloomington Normal @315pm/Champaign-Urbana @ 425pm/Danville @ 510pm and Indianapolis @ 735pm.( sometimes used to chase the Cardinal by connecting pax from a late #4 and #6 but Amtrak will not let #21 Pax catch the train in BNL because the connection is less than an hour))

#8892. Lv. Davenport,IA @ 400pm/Rock Island @ 410pm/Moline @420pm/ Galesburg @ 510pm/Peoria @615pm/BNL @ 715pm/Champaign-Urbana @ 820pm and Indy @ 1125pm.
 
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When we arrived at GBB on 9-10 we were a little more than two hours late. There was mass bustition for the Cardinal 50 and the Illinois trains (305, 307) . My guess there were forty folks moved to a Thruway,,,
 
Still just now showing sleeper and coach available two days before Thanksgiving.
 
I'm planning CZ and CS next July, with very tight scheduling linking to planes.

I presume July is a busy time. I've been delaying while I work out itineraries but once I know my dates should I book immediately to ensure a berth or wait a while for possible discounts? Is there a danger of schedule changes so far out? How late can I safely leave it?
 
. . . once I know my dates should I book immediately to ensure a berth or wait a while for possible discounts?
I would book immediately to insure a berth. Then, keep checking the fare and if it decreases, call an Amtrak Agent and have the reservation modified to the lower fare. I don't know the answers to your other questions.
 
I'm planning CZ and CS next July, with very tight scheduling linking to planes.

I presume July is a busy time. I've been delaying while I work out itineraries but once I know my dates should I book immediately to ensure a berth or wait a while for possible discounts? Is there a danger of schedule changes so far out? How late can I safely leave it?
alan_s: Since no one else has addressed your other two questions, I'll attempt to do so. I'm not sure I understand the last one, though. I agree with the answer given regarding booking to ensure a sleeper compartment.

Your first comment is the one that concerns me. It is not advisable to schedule a very tight plane connection from a long distance Amtrak train arrival. It is not unusual for long distance trains in the U.S. to run late, sometimes very late, to their final destinations. Sometimes passengers are taken off the train and travel by alternate means to avoid being so late, but I don't know if that is common on the CZ or CS.

I'd say it is doubtful the timetable will change, if that's what you mean. However, there are certain times of the year that trains may likely experience rerouting or delays, affecting their actual arrival times. It is my understanding that track work on the CZ route is common during the summer, but I don't know which months.

I've never taken this train but have asked questions about it, because it is one I'd very much like to take. I may have misunderstood your questions. Hopefully others with more experience will respond.

In any case, I would not advise scheduling a tight connection time from a long distance train. If you meant a tight connection to board a train, there should be no problem, assuming your flight is not late. Trains do not leave before the scheduled time. (There are rare exceptions but none that should apply to you.)

I hope you have a pleasant trip!
 
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