Pacific Coast Starlight Train LA to SF

[awakenedsoul]

I just made my reservation. I'm taking Amtrak from Los Angeles to San Francisco. I did a lot of research, and decided to reserve a sleeper car. That way I'll get free meals, drinks, and access to the parlour car. It's a vintage car built in the 1960's. It has couches, comfy chairs, and panoramic views. They also serve your dinner on china plates. Its kind of like First Class. The trip will take 12 hours. I'm going to bring my knitting and a good book. I can take a nap in the sleeper car if I'm tired or want privacy. I traveled all over Europe by train, and loved it. I like the people, too.
I'm going to fly back. I got a flight on Southwest for $69.00. It pays to book early.
Has anyone her taken any trips on Amtrak? How was your experience? According to the reviews, trains can be late, and it's a good idea to bring extra drinks, snacks, and a blanket. I'm also looking at the Hearst Castle trip. It looks beautiful. I think next year I will fly to SF, and then take the train through Oregon to Seattle. The scenery looks gorgeous! Prices are pretty affordable. This train leaves at night. I'm a train person...I find my legs start aching when I drive on long trips as I get older. This way I don't have to worry about stopping to use the bathroom, filling up the gas tank, or walking the dogs. How about you?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Trains WILL be late (could be 6 hours or so late). The schedule seems to be an ideal schedule. The problem is freight trains have the right of way over passenger trains (profits over people :)) and so the train will have to pull over if there is even one freight train (there might be multiple requiring multiple pull overs) thus the chances of the schedule being met are very low. CA definitely doesn't have seperate tracks for freight in much of the state. Of course where there are seperate tracks this problem doesn't exist, it would only pull over for the train going in the other direction.

It's a problem if you are time crunched or don't expect it. If you sit back and know you will get there when you get there, whenever that is, and drink wine and eat cookies and brownies in the observation car as you observe the waves lap against the shore eternally, so close you could almost touch them ... then it's not a problem. Free wine and cookie samples for sleeper guests too, I liked the wine and even bought a bottle, but I'm not a wine conseuir or anything so what do I know, only my own tastebuds.

I don't think that train goes to San Fransisco as such, it goes to Oakland, however I figure the schedule includes a van to San Fran as part of the iteniery.

Actually I've decided on trains as my main means of travel too. Ok if it's just a few hours I know how to drive obviously :~) but driving long distances is really tough on the body. And I don't want to fly for environmental reasons, plus that flying is an aweful experience these days, I hates it. I've occasionally gotten a cold from the train though (enclosed environment you know - so are planes of course and everyone is aware of getting sick from planes).

[CathyA]

I spent a summer in Europe when I was younger, and loved the trains.
I wish we still utilized them more, instead of all the cars/semis here in the U.S.
Well, I'm not sure you want to hear my one Amtrak experience............ It was fine until we hit a car and killed the guy in it. We were then bused to our destination. But.....other than that, I liked it.
I met some neat people on the trains in Europe. This was circa l969......but people were very friendly. I loved the way the train was arranged.......with compartments on one side with doors, and a small hall on the other, where you could pull a seat out of the wall and sit there, looking out the window. I think train seating is more like buses now, right?

[Blackdog Lin]

awakenedsoul - how wonderful. I hope you love it - and I'll bet you will.

We took Amtrak last year 2013 from Kansas City to Los Angeles. Sleeper room, 2 nights. It was exciting and different and relaxing all at once, and I loved it. I would hope to do it again, but.....how to put this? I was not happy with the service. A sleeper room COSTS cross-country. Big bucks for people like us. As such, it is supposed to be their top-of-the-line service. We had an on-time trip, enjoyed ourselves immensely, but issues like lost meals, and unavailable meals, and cold coffee, and no toiletries available.....it was certainly not first-class service for us on our trip. (and I do understand the reasons for these issues - I had researched our trip for 5 months and had the info on potential service issues. But still. I felt a little ripped off.)

Had I paid basic fare I would have been thrilled with the experience.

You have a wonderful trip!

[pinkytoe]

I haven't done any overnight trips but have taken Amtrak from Denver to SLC and the Seattle back through Oregon. Just two weeks ago, we took the train from Seattle to Vancouver. I LOVE trains. Hope you have a wonderful time. Just don't be in a hurry and take drinks and some munchies.

[iris lilies]

Last year I took a 2 day vacation away from dogs and DH and took Amtrack for a short jaunt, about 2 hours, to the tiny village of Hermann, Mo. It was a nice trip and charming. I walked form my house to the Amtrack station to catch the train.

[awakenedsoul]

Thanks for all the replies. It helps to hear your personal experiences. What a story Cathy! I've been reading all of the reviews. It's very entertaining...there are pages and pages of them. I plan to pack toiletries and snacks. I keep things like string cheese, fruit, and beef jerky in my backpack. (Even if I'm just going to the gym.) It won't matter if the train is late, because I'm just going to go to bed once I get there. I may pack a couple of those Starbucks frappucino drinks that Costco sells, too. The whole trip is costing under $250.00. (Including meals.) I'm looking forward to the scenery and the experience. Food is a big deal to me, so I'll pack sandwiches, just in case. I'm a pretty happy traveler as long as I've had my coffee and am not hungry...

Blackdog, Thanks for the tip. I can tell from the reviews that it's not going to be like The Fairmont Hotel. I'm using the term "First Class" loosely. Did you call them and complain? I read a story like yours on line, and they gave him a $150.00 voucher. The nice thing about being a knitter is that you can always work on a sock, or a blanket...

[Tussiemussies]

Sounds so great to me....I took a train to work for about three to four years and loved every minute of it. I too sometimes did certain crafts and had a group that we would sit together and talk, there was always reading to do. No one seemed to understand why I liked it. To me being able to look out the window or people's homes or nature was very enoyable to me so I can understand how you feel. Oh, and food is a big thing for me too! LOL!!!

[Float On]

I've only done short trips on AmTrack. Mostly Philly to Baltimore route. When I was little we took the passenger train from our hometown to KC quite often and I always enjoyed it.
My parents did Atlanta, MO to somewhere in CA then up the coast to Portland. They were pretty worn out by the time they got to CA, so the part they were looking forward to they pretty much slept through and missed. They were disappointed and said "never again". I had tried to talk them into flying to CA and picking up the train there and they wished that was what they'd done.

[awakenedsoul]

Your post made me chuckle, Oddball. I've heard good things about the steak, too. I downloaded the menu and have been musing over what I will order.
FloatOn, The reason I'm just going to SF, (instead of all the way to Oregon,) is that first I want to see how I like it. If it's enjoyable, I'll go to Oregon next time I visit my parents. Too bad your mom and dad didn't listen to you. The coastal part of the route is in the first section. I'm really looking forward to that scenery.
Tussiemussies, I used to take the train once a week from Grand Central Station to Larchmont, NY. I loved it, too. The views were so pretty, and the train let me out a block from the dance studio. I would teach all afternoon and evening, and then take the train home. It was two subways once I got to NYC, as well.
pinkytoe, I bet your trip was gorgeous! Those mountains are spectacular!
iris lilies, Wish I could walk to our train station. I can take two buses there and be dropped off at the platform. They let us take bikes on the train, too.

Keep your train stories comin! I'm reading them all.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Free dessert too with a sleeper car. Yes I'm a terrible influence. But key lime pie and the like. I've been disciplined in my diet at times and avoided free dessert on the train on my bday, but that sort discipline just wears one out of discipline. Yea the coast part is the best part, the central coast, miles and miles of it, it eventually turns inland which isn't as interesting.

[rodeosweetheart]

What a wonderful trip, Awakened. Train is my favorite means of travel, although be prepared to be very, very late--I have been as late as 24 hours on Amtrak, but it was my trip in 1976 to move out to Chicago, so who cared?

But do take extra food--they ran out that time, and other times, too.
Took our children to Vermont from Chicago with sleepers--they still talk about what a wonderful trip that was.

An observation car sounds like the absolute bomb. Now I am thinking we should plan to take this trip, someday. . .

[HappyHiker]

Eager to hear more about Amtrak and your experiences. My spouse and I love trains..but have never taken Amtrak...we'd like to. Just got back from France where we took both the high speed TGV and a local train across much of France. Very comfortable, on-time, but both trains had disgusting bathrooms--which was surprising. You'd think someone would clean them once in a while. One bathroom on the TGV was taped closed--out-of-order. The other? Major yuck. Much the same on the local.

Don't know about the food, we packed our own. The trip was not overnight. We found the seats on both trains way more comfortable than our trans-Atlantic air flights. I long for the days of gracious train travel. Flying has become an ordeal. I hate it.

[awakenedsoul]

ANM, The one common thread on the reviews is that people love the desserts. I heard they have an excellent chocolate mousse!
rodeo, 24 Hours!!! If that happens, I will have to come right home. I'm only staying two nights. I'll hold a good thought. One time when I was little the airline ran out of food right before they served us. My mom had a fit! They gave her a voucher. I always have food with me. It's helpful to have snacks at the bus stop. The Vermont trip sounds cool.
HappyHiker, Too bad about the bathrooms. I'd love to take one of those high speed trains. I took a couchette from Paris to Barcelona when I was in my late twenties. I went with a friend, and we shared the sleeper with another couple. They were older, and really sweet. From there we took a ferry boat to Mallorca. It was a spectacular trip. I love the Swiss Rail, too.

[Mary B.]

We (me & DH) took Amtrak from Vancouver to San Francisco a couple of years ago. We had lots of pauses -- overnight in Seattle, then a couple of nights in Portland, then on to San Francisco. We had a roomette, which was lovely in the daytime. The bottom bunk was okay but the top one was pretty cramped. The meals, access to the dining car, watching the countryside go by -- it was all lovely. It was late getting to San Francisco, but not excessively so. I'd definitely do it again.

[Spartana]

What a great trip AS. It's long - 12 hours - but I think it'll be really nice. Having the sleeper car will give you extra privacy too. I've taken lots of trains overseas but have only taken Amtrak from San Diego to Orange County as I do a bicycle ride called the Amtrak Century ever years and you bike to San Diego and ride the train back. It's always really great and relaxing and very scenic too. Once of these days, once dog free, I'd like to do a cross country Amtrak trip as well as the Coast Starlight. Have fun!

[awakenedsoul]

Well, I'm back. The trip was fabulous! I rode my bike to the bus stop and took two quick buses to the train station. In the early morning, the commuter bus stops right at the train platform. I locked my bike there. I got to Union Station and hung out in the fancy lounge for people who have sleeper cars. They had coffee, hot cider, orange juice, and muffins. Our train was delayed for an hour. They came around and passed out bags of Lays potato chips. (I decided not to have any dietary restrictions while on vacation.) The sleeper car was fantastic! I loved it. I did some knitting, read my book, and watched the scenery. The people were all really friendly. I had a nice conversation with the man in the car across from mine. The Parlour Car was really cool. It's a vintage car and with all windows. I sat in a swivel seat and had a great view of the ocean. If you have a sleeper, it's like being in First Class. You sign for your meals...they're included in the fare. I had a delicious fresh salad for lunch, and coffee and chocolate mousse for dessert. Went back to my sleeper car and took a nap. For dinner I sat with a nice lady I met who was also traveling solo. She had short ribs and I had the half a chicken with rice and vegetables. For dessert I had blood orange sorbet. Went back and dozed off in my sleeper and then got into San Jose around 10:00 p.m. (The train was almost two hours late.) It worked out fine, though. I took the last Caltrain of the evening to my destination, and my dad met me at the station. My parents live five mins. from there. We plan to take a trip together and go to Oregon and Seattle next time. I can leave from LA and the train will pick them up in San Jose. I didn't want to get off! It was so comfortable. They do all the work for you. You don't have to cook, stop to fill the gas tank, let the dogs out to go potty, etc. It was really luxurious! I highly recommend it!

Mary B. and Spartana, Glad to hear you had such great experiences. I'm hooked! The service was excellent. I feel like I got so much for $166.00! My flight home was only $39.00 on Southwest. Economical and fun...

[Float On]

awakenedsoul, thanks for reporting back. Sounds like you had a great time and a good experience. We have a train here in town for the tourists...it's fun to take advantage of the local discount and hop on it for a 3 hour trip down into Arkansas and back. Love sitting up in the old observation car to view the hills, bridges, and tunnels. The whole train is vintage cars.

[Blackdog Lin]

Oh I'm so glad your trip went so well! Yes, you must do it again.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I will have to do the train again (sometime ...).

[awakenedsoul]

awakenedsoul, thanks for reporting back. Sounds like you had a great time and a good experience. We have a train here in town for the tourists...it's fun to take advantage of the local discount and hop on it for a 3 hour trip down into Arkansas and back. Love sitting up in the old observation car to view the hills, bridges, and tunnels. The whole train is vintage cars.

Oh...I would love that. The vintage car on our train was beautiful. The views were incredible. Many of the passengers ride trains all of the time. One lady was visiting family in Phoenix, and she lives in Minnesota! She took the train the entire way! It's a certain kind of personality that prefers train travel.

[awakenedsoul]

What a great trip AS. It's long - 12 hours - but I think it'll be really nice. Having the sleeper car will give you extra privacy too. I've taken lots of trains overseas but have only taken Amtrak from San Diego to Orange County as I do a bicycle ride called the Amtrak Century ever years and you bike to San Diego and ride the train back. It's always really great and relaxing and very scenic too. Once of these days, once dog free, I'd like to do a cross country Amtrak trip as well as the Coast Starlight. Have fun!

That sounds cool. I found a great kennel near my house that's like a dog camp. It's up on a mountain on lots of land. The pooches love it, and I can travel without them. I'm researching the cross country Amtrak trips, too.

[awakenedsoul]

Oh I'm so glad your trip went so well! Yes, you must do it again.

Thanks Blackdog Lin. Yosemite and Mt. Shasta sound beautiful, too. When I got to the airport to fly home, my flight was delayed for two hours. I was able to switch to another flight on Southwest that landed in Burbank at no charge. Good thing I only had carry on luggage! I took the Metro train from Burbank to my city, biked to the bus stop, and rode the bus home. All of the connections were seamless.

The fare from San Jose to LAX was only $39.00. Southwest has good deals.

[awakenedsoul]

I will have to do the train again (sometime ...).

The conductor told me that the Pacific Coast Starlight train is always late. I was glad I knew in advance.

[kimberlyf0]

I'm glad you had a great trip! We have traveled on the Coast Starlight several times from L.A. to Oakland (and then San Francisco via Amtrak bus) and we also took it to Portland and did a car free vacation there. We've had minor delays but even when we got held up in Sacramento for hours (overnight) somehow they made up the time and got us to Portland on time. The Parlor car is the best, and they only have it on the Coast Starlight! We book sleeper cars (first class) just for that option. When all four of us travel we book two roomettes across the hall from each other rather than the more expensive family bedroom. For our anniversary one year we booked a bedroom and it was nice to have our own restroom.

[awakenedsoul]

Thanks kimberlyf0. That's amazing that you still got to Portland on time. I'd like to do a car free vacation there, too. I bet it's really pretty when there's snow. I met a lot of people on the train that take that one regularly. It's really nice having a sleeper. I loved having my meals in the Parlor car, too.

[kimberlyf0]

We didn't eat in the parlor car because my boys didn't like the offerings :( nor could they accommodate food allergies. Now that we have resumed a vegan diet I imagine that eating the "free" (included in the price of the ticket) meals would be difficult, even in the main dining car. We could request vegan meals, but accommodating a tomato allergy becomes difficult, and that is just one allergy (although the one I butt up against most often with vegan options).

We did partake of the wine and cheese pairings, and of course spent hours in the parlor car!

[awakenedsoul]

They had a vegetarian meal for lunch when I was there. It was a large salad and a roll. (It might have had tomatoes, though.) It was delicious. I think there was a vegetarian option for dinner, too. I can't remember. You're right, there are more choices in the dining car. I just liked the quiet and privacy of the parlor car.

They no longer offer the free wine and cheese. They've been cutting back their expenses. I think wine is $5.00 a glass.

[kimberlyf0]

Interesting! When we first traveled, they charged for the wine and cheese tasting, and then the next couple of times it was free. Considering how many more people attended when it was free and how few people chose to buy anything afterward, I am not surprised that they resumed charging for it. I saw more sales when they did charge and it was a more intimate affair.

I would spend all my time in the parlor car and my room if I could; the dining car is very noisy and crowded. Next time we go I will likely pack our meals and then eat in the parlor car when they are not serving meals. DH did take us to the regular observation car but it didn't hold a candle to the parlor car.

[awakenedsoul]

That's a good idea. I felt like one of the employees there was trying to get us to eat in the dining car. She kept saying that they had more choices on the menu, and that if you ate there you could order the five cheese lasagna. I didn't want to eat in the dining car for the reasons you mentioned. Also, that's one of the reasons I paid for a sleeper. It seemed like she didn't like the separation. I think she'd prefer that everyone ate together. I loved the peace and quiet in the parlor car. It was a treat to travel first class! It was my first time, and it was so worth the money!