Ds (7) and I will be taking our first ever Amtrak trip this weekend. We are going from southern AZ up to CA (San Luis Obispo). We will be traveling overnight with a transition in LA. I figured someone or several people on here must have traveled Amtrak at some point and thought you may have some tips and suggestions. My husbands aunt and uncle that we are going to visit have given me some pointers, but I would love to hear from others as well. Thanks!
Are you getting a sleeping compartment or sleeping in your seats? The seats are uncomfortable after a while. So if you are staying in a seat, take a pillow. They have some but they are small and useless. Wear comfortable clothes. TAKE HAND SANITIZER AND WIPES!!! lol Have extra toilet paper in your purse. :? Use the handicap bathroom if at all possible. The other restrooms are sooo small that even my daughter had trouble using them and there was no toilet paper in one of them. Take your snacks. They are expensive. If you get a chance, ride in the glass observatory (that isn't the name). It is a treat if you are going through nice areas. Wear shoes you can be comfortable in, remove easy, but support you when you walk. Unless you are on a straight away, AmTrak isn't always stable and you do not want to slip in your shoes.
Thanks Patty! We did not get a sleeper car. We were told that the seats were comfortable enough that the cost difference was not worth it. The funny thing is that I only have a boy, but he is such a germaphobe and particular boy that the bathroom situation will be much more traumatic for him than for me. I will make sure to seek out the handicap restroom.
I have always found Amtrak seats comfortable. I agree about taking snacks though the snack car is very expensive. Bring lots of games and things to do, and it's ok to wander the train. I used to take my kids to the snack car to color where there were tables. If you can afford to splurge a little do at least eat one meal in the dining car. Yes it is pricey, but it's such a memorable event for the kids to eat on a moving train! Do bring your own pillow, and for your son it would be nice to have a blanket as well. One thing I love about train travel is that everyone is so polite and helpful. Also rarely do the other passengers complain about children and such so it's a relaxing trip for me!
I agree about the blanket. After a few hours on the train, it started to get cold. When we traveled, there were two different Amtrak trains. The first was older and the returning train was new. The older train seats were actually more comfortable than the new train, but not something I would consider again unless we had no choice. I just assume fly. After about eight hours, I wanted to sprawl out or curl in a ball. I guess it depends on how long your trip is and what your body likes. Mine didn't like it and Handsome couldn't stand it after about three hours. He is a tall and wide man and the seats wouldn't allow for him to get cozy enough to sleep. Even though you can walk around, the trip took 24 hours and it was more than we liked. But it was a nice experience in that we can say we tried it. It was definitely way cheaper than flying and took about the same amount of time that it would have taken to drive. Once our train passed Arizona, it was all up hill with a lot of stopping and going.
