Traveling Amtrak

Since I have used Amtrak quite often for my travel needs I decided to give them a review. I'm someone who hates to fly but I have a lot of family living on the west coast and I live on the east coast so the need for travel is definitely there. I have tried flying, the Greyhound and Amtrak and I usually choose Amtrak for my traveling needs.

Whether you are going from New York state to California or just to Virginia, Amtrak can get you there. They go pretty much anywhere all over America. There are rules as too how many you items you can take per person two carry on and two stored but you will find that you have some leeway with this, if you have an extra bag they have ample room at the end of the cars for some extra things. Strollers, Car seats and diaper bags you can get away with unless you are trying to check them, then they count towards checked baggage. After you reach your two per limit of checked baggage there is a small fee of 10.00 dollars per bag up to ten more paid total. Their prices and rules can change at any moment so always check first. The tickets bought to get you on board are fairly cheap but can go up in price quickly the closer it is to the date you need a seat since they usually fill up quickly. Rooms fill up even faster since there are so few of them on board each train. Make sure you pay well ahead of time and you will get a fairly nice price.

The seating on coach is much nicer than that on board flights you have about two more inches of leg room and seat width and that makes a huge difference. The seats also go back a little farther that makes taking a nap easier than on a plane or bus. The scenery is usually quite nice since you travel of the beaten path you get to see what you would not had you driven yourself or taken a bus. Some of the stops are ten or more minutes and you get a nice chance to step off and see some sights. Some of the stops are in quaint little towns where the air seems fresher and the sunrise or sunset whichever it might be looks breathtaking. The bathrooms are OK, cleaned regularly. There is always one that is wheelchair accessible.

The service is usually nice as well. You get a pillow each night on board and a call over the intercom when dinner, breakfast, or lunch will be served and for how long. The food is OK, nothing special there. It is a little overpriced and the choices are slim about six choices for each meal. If you choose to eat their on board dinner than you should get a reservation; which they will give out the call for you to do so and then you just make your way to the dinning car and let them now what time and for how many and they will seat you reasonably. Don't expect to eat at a table alone though, unless there is four of you or it is really slow you will most likely be seated with total strangers. That is fine with me though, each time I sat with someone new the conversation was good. There is also a snack car with many choices of snacks or simple breakfast, lunch and dinner options, again a little over priced but convenient. The Amtrak workers are usually quite nice and willing to help with your baggage, or sometimes they make for good conversation. In all my times on Amtrak I only encountered one rude worker, she did not want to refund me for a very disgusting breakfast sandwich., but I did get a refund in the end anyways.

My only two real complaints were one, if you bring a cup of coffee on board they will not microwave it for you. They said something about cross contamination I honestly thought was absurd. It would not hurt to put a cup of coffee in the microwave in my opinion, oh well. Also my other complaint is it that it can get a tad bit smelly since the air is constantly being re-circulated the bad smells from the bathroom seem to come out of the vents every so often and that was kind of gross, it did not last too long though.

Over all I say this is a very good way to travel. If time is on your side then relax and enjoy a nice trip through the country side. See the sights, and meet new people on board the Amtrak.