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The upside is in what you get. They give the sort of service that most of us have never experienced in travel in our lifetimes.
What you get for your money:
- Private room in a quiet part of the train closed off to coach passengers.
- A room attendant who will see to your every need, and bring you spring water, tea and warm chocolate chip cookies before bed. Your seats fold down into beds.
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining car included.
ctishman on
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You sure on the roomette price, amtrak.com shows $380 for round trip on that. Hmm, ah well im cheap and poor and the restaurant car should be fine to get boozed in so coach seating it is.
Actually, it costs more than that. For some reason, rooms on the southbound are $250, and all rates are in addition to the $187 it costs already. So total fare is:
I just bought tickets for my boyfriend and myself. I had to triple check everything. I'm just a little paranoid. ^^ :shock:
But really, arent we all just a little paranoid? Im going to be on a train for the first time in maybe 5 years with 20+ people ive never met before. Not to mention sleep in close proximity to each other.
Lindygamer on
The opinions I don't have are the opinions I don't got.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
0
dyaballiklPAX Main Theatre House & Security Manager • PAX Community CartographerGold Coast QLD AustraliaRegistered Userregular
edited April 2007
how long is the train? i've taken trains up and down the east coast a few times, and they were never long enough to need to sleep on.
dyaballikl on
a.k.a. dya
"Riding a mongoose reminds me of having sex with a man, which is something I do frequently because I am gay!" -Gabe
You leave L.A. around 10 in the morning on Day 1, and reach southern Oregon on the morning of Day 2. Seattle you reach around midnight to 1 AM on day 2.
ctishman on
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0
dyaballiklPAX Main Theatre House & Security Manager • PAX Community CartographerGold Coast QLD AustraliaRegistered Userregular
edited April 2007
holy crap! what the hell does the train do the whole time?! ok, stupid question, really, does it just stop for a while? it doesn't take 12 hours to get from anywhere in oregon to seattle, even by car, nevertheless by train.
dyaballikl on
a.k.a. dya
"Riding a mongoose reminds me of having sex with a man, which is something I do frequently because I am gay!" -Gabe
The rail lines Amtrak runs on nationwide (with the notable exception of the Acela Express east coast commuters) are owned by the freight companies such as BNSF and Union Pacific, and their dispatchers decide which train goes first.
Generally BNSF is very accomodating, and lets Amtrak pass their trains and cruise across the great plains at between 70 and 90mph. Union Pacific, on the other hand, almost always makes Amtrak's quicker trains sit behind their (huge, slow) freight trains for hours, creeping along at between thirty and forty miles per hour. Of course, it's just our luck that Union Pacific owns the entire west coast corridor trackline.
I say Midnight as an arrival time because even though it's supposed to get in at 9, it never, ever, ever does.
ctishman on
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0
dyaballiklPAX Main Theatre House & Security Manager • PAX Community CartographerGold Coast QLD AustraliaRegistered Userregular
edited April 2007
does riding behind the union pacific trains feel like riding behind old people with their blinker on?
dyaballikl on
a.k.a. dya
"Riding a mongoose reminds me of having sex with a man, which is something I do frequently because I am gay!" -Gabe
I'm all in for this, A few of us Vegas folks are going to one way it to LAX and take the train. I just hope I don't go into nicotine convulsions.
November6 on
fucos: Past tense of focus, you have already lost focus that you can't even spell focus. Can be combined with shit for impressing anonymous crowds; fucoshit. source: Wil Weaton
I'm all in for this, A few of us Vegas folks are going to one way it to LAX and take the train. I just hope I don't go into nicotine convulsions.
I've got myself +3 coming from Vegas to LAX in the morning as well. Very sneakily, our only smoker is picking up the rental car and declaring total war on us poor airbreathers.
I say Midnight as an arrival time because even though it's supposed to get in at 9, it never, ever, ever does.
Never as in never ever? Seriously? Why the hell dont they just say that on the website? God dammit and I was hoping to get to go out dancing thursday night.
Lindygamer on
The opinions I don't have are the opinions I don't got.
Well, I'm sure it does sometimes, but the odds are against it. Nationwide average is 71% (source), and that's taking into account all of the midwest/eastern seaboard lines with more considerate host railroads (and the Acela Express, which owns its own tracks). I guess that the Coast Starlight has somewhere between 35 and 50% on-time arrival, with a delay of between 1 and 4 hours.
The train is still worthwhile, though. Keep an eye out on the right side of the train about an hour after Chemult to see what I mean.
ctishman on
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I dont know what to think. Im planning on couch surfing for PAX. My bed is entirely dependent on the kindness of a stranger. I dont know if I want to take a train that could potentially make me 6-10 hours late.
Lindygamer on
The opinions I don't have are the opinions I don't got.
I also think that the 4% figure is a bit exaggerated. It is always late, but it's not always 6-10 hours late. Generally it's 1-3 hours late. Given what I know about newspapers, they probably got a bunch of mail about the 6+ hour delay and wrote a story about it.
ctishman on
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08! http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
0
dyaballiklPAX Main Theatre House & Security Manager • PAX Community CartographerGold Coast QLD AustraliaRegistered Userregular
edited April 2007
that's odd, whenever i take amtrak on the east coast, you can set your watch to the time it arrives at the station.
atleast the train is never early, though, so you won't arrive on time and miss it.
dyaballikl on
a.k.a. dya
"Riding a mongoose reminds me of having sex with a man, which is something I do frequently because I am gay!" -Gabe
Well I guess I can dismiss the 4% on time thing. I know I shouldnt trust everything public media tells me. Pfft video games desensitizes us to violence, then why do hospital dramas still make me wanna puke?
I do want to ask how last years train trip went. Was there long delays that anyone can remember?
Lindygamer on
The opinions I don't have are the opinions I don't got.
No, actually it was a wreck involving one of our cars. I forget what ended up happening, but they wrecked somewhere in California, and arrived about 8 hours after everbody else. Missing the bumper, but otherwise okay.
The delay near Seattle was somebody else's (huge) wreck (that, I believe, involved a gas tanker), combined with rush hour traffic. Lemme tell you, that's no fun in a stick-shift car.
ctishman on
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08! http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
I don't know if anyone has posted about this yet but I found a coupon for 2 for 1 train tickets. My friend and I went to the Amtrak station in Eugene today to get our tickets (yes I know you can get them online, but we were close by) and we were told that they were selling Chinook Books that have an Amtrak coupon in them. Specifically, "Free With Purchase
Amtrak Cascades invites you to bring a friend along for FREE." Now this is a Eugene/Portland version of the book, but they also have them for a few other places. With this coupon, we're saving $84. Well, $64 because the book costs $20. Anyways, I just thought that anyone from Eugene that hadn't gotten their tix yet might appreciate this. And before you ask, no I'm not affiliated with the coupon book.
Big Guy on
Survivor of PAX '06 (BALL!), PAX '07 (Don't be a Dick), PAX '08 (Bad Horse), PAX '09 (H1Nerd1), PAX '10
Hi, nemaihne (Stephanie) and husband Suiryu (Tony) are also gonna be catching this train. We sprung for the cabin though, because it's our anniversary. (Insert rude comment here.) OK, also because that gives us access to the all powerful electron motion- although I doubt there's any way short of satellite we're getting internet connectivity...
How ironic is it that on a 22 hour trip to a gaming con you can't even check WoW auctions?
Posts
{Fondly remembers the PAXTrain}
LAX-SEA roundtrip coach: $178
LAX-SEA roundtrip with Superliner Roomette: $558 (seats 2)
The upside is in what you get. They give the sort of service that most of us have never experienced in travel in our lifetimes.
What you get for your money:
- Private room in a quiet part of the train closed off to coach passengers.
- A room attendant who will see to your every need, and bring you spring water, tea and warm chocolate chip cookies before bed. Your seats fold down into beds.
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining car included.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
You sure on the roomette price, amtrak.com shows $380 for round trip on that. Hmm, ah well im cheap and poor and the restaurant car should be fine to get boozed in so coach seating it is.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
But really, arent we all just a little paranoid? Im going to be on a train for the first time in maybe 5 years with 20+ people ive never met before. Not to mention sleep in close proximity to each other.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
Generally BNSF is very accomodating, and lets Amtrak pass their trains and cruise across the great plains at between 70 and 90mph. Union Pacific, on the other hand, almost always makes Amtrak's quicker trains sit behind their (huge, slow) freight trains for hours, creeping along at between thirty and forty miles per hour. Of course, it's just our luck that Union Pacific owns the entire west coast corridor trackline.
I say Midnight as an arrival time because even though it's supposed to get in at 9, it never, ever, ever does.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
But look at it this way, its more time to get liquored and hang out on the train.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
I've got myself +3 coming from Vegas to LAX in the morning as well. Very sneakily, our only smoker is picking up the rental car and declaring total war on us poor airbreathers.
Update:
33 Confirmed riders
+ 6 Tentatives!
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
Never as in never ever? Seriously? Why the hell dont they just say that on the website? God dammit and I was hoping to get to go out dancing thursday night.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
The train is still worthwhile, though. Keep an eye out on the right side of the train about an hour after Chemult to see what I mean.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Business/2006/08/08/amtraks_coast_starlight_chronically_late/
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/305437_amtrak28.html
The train is on time 4% of the time?
I dont know what to think. Im planning on couch surfing for PAX. My bed is entirely dependent on the kindness of a stranger. I dont know if I want to take a train that could potentially make me 6-10 hours late.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I also think that the 4% figure is a bit exaggerated. It is always late, but it's not always 6-10 hours late. Generally it's 1-3 hours late. Given what I know about newspapers, they probably got a bunch of mail about the 6+ hour delay and wrote a story about it.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
atleast the train is never early, though, so you won't arrive on time and miss it.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
I do want to ask how last years train trip went. Was there long delays that anyone can remember?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
The delay near Seattle was somebody else's (huge) wreck (that, I believe, involved a gas tanker), combined with rush hour traffic. Lemme tell you, that's no fun in a stick-shift car.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
Serith: Hunter of Dunemaul
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
Amtrak Cascades invites you to bring a friend along for FREE." Now this is a Eugene/Portland version of the book, but they also have them for a few other places. With this coupon, we're saving $84. Well, $64 because the book costs $20. Anyways, I just thought that anyone from Eugene that hadn't gotten their tix yet might appreciate this. And before you ask, no I'm not affiliated with the coupon book.
(Nice to meet you all too. I'm a lurker. ;-) )
"We're the Tea Baggers. We don't fight, we wait til you fall asleep, then we rub our nuts on your stuff!"
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
How ironic is it that on a 22 hour trip to a gaming con you can't even check WoW auctions?