California Zephyr newb questions

[mrtwug]

Hello all,

This site has been recommended to me as a place to get answers to some specific questions I have regarding travelling on the California Zephyr Amtrak service. Basically, I've never used Amtrak for anything other than short trips (under 4 hours) and I'm not sure what to expect from longer trips.

I've read the Amtrak page on Zephyr service but I still have a number of questions about what to expect regarding the service.

1. Does this service tend to fill up fairly far in advance? If I wanted to book a Superliner Bedroom for June of next year (the site shows 3 available), are they likely to be booked before the end of this year?

2. What other train cars will I have access to if I book one of the various rooms (Roomette, Family or Superliner Bedroom) and is that access scheduled or is access first come, first served?

3. Are the bathroom facilities (shower, toilet) kept clean so my family and I would actually feel comfortable using them? Is access to showers scheduled or first come, first served?

4. We would be travelling from Chicago to Emeryville. Are there rental car agencies at the Emeryville station or should we expect to make use of the Amtrak shuttle into San Francisco? Do those shuttles drop riders off at their hotels or do they drop them at a station? Are rental car agencies available at that station?

5. On-time performance over the last 12 months is 55%. Are we talking a couple hours or are very long delays to be expected?

6. We may be travelling with another couple who will be making their own arrangements. Would there be a car where it would be possible to sit with them across a table and play cards?

7. Am I forgetting to ask important questions? If so, what should I be asking?

Are there any suggestions or more info that you could share that would give me a better idea of what travel would be like on the Zephyr?

I appreciate any insight and experiences that you could share.

[mtuandrew]

Welcome, mrtwub! I'm moving your post to the Amtrak forum, so you can better find answers to your questions.

Otherwise, I can't answer most of your questions, since I've never ridden the CZ or traveled in a sleeper. For #1, I'd definitely book before the end of the year, since sleepers do tend to go quickly and for increasingly large amounts of money. And for #6, there is a lounge car with several booths and wrap-around windows - can't beat playing cards and watching the Rockies go by!

[tomfuller]

You don't really "NEED" a rental car in the city of SF. There are 7 Amtrak bus stops in the city, all east of Hyde. http://stations.amtrak.com/amtrak/Stati ... esults.jsp
If your hotel is near one of them great. Otherwise you will be getting a taxi from the bus stop.
I doubt that your train will be more than 3 hours late.
Plan on being in the Viewliner Lounge when you go through the Glenwood Canyon in Colorado and the Blue Canyon between Reno and Sacramento.
There are several places to rent cars in SF the next day when you want to go see some things outside the city.

[ngotwalt]

1. Does this service tend to fill up fairly far in advance? If I wanted to book a Superliner Bedroom for June of next year (the site shows 3 available), are they likely to be booked before the end of this year?
I really don't know how early the CZ fills up, but I would not wait to long.

2. What other train cars will I have access to if I book one of the various rooms (Roomette, Family or Superliner Bedroom) and is that access scheduled or is access first come, first served?
As a sleeping car passenger you will have access to the sleeping cars, dining car (at meal times to the tables and to pass through to other cars 24h a day), the upper level of the lounge car 24 a day, the lower level might close, or it might just be the food service area, I have seen both. You will also have access to the coaches, should you want to go there, however you cannot sit in the coaches. You WILL NOT have access to the crew sleeper, the lower level of the dining car, or the baggage car.

3. Are the bathroom facilities (shower, toilet) kept clean so my family and I would actually feel comfortable using them? Is access to showers scheduled or first come, first served?
The toilets are kept clean, but they are a vacuum system and (Extremely rarely) the altitude the zephyr travels at on parts of its route can cause them to malfunction, if so it might be a few hours until a station with maintenance personnel who can repair them. All facilities are on a first come first serve basis, and I find that they tend to stay pretty clean and they are cleaned periodically (maybe once a day, think about where you work, the toilets there probably aren't cleaned with greater frequency). In a sleeper there are four toilets for maximum of 32 passengers (In the bedrooms passengers have a private room that is combination toilet and shower).

4. We would be travelling from Chicago to Emeryville. Are there rental car agencies at the Emeryville station or should we expect to make use of the Amtrak shuttle into San Francisco? Do those shuttles drop riders off at their hotels or do they drop them at a station? Are rental car agencies available at that station?
This I have no idea on, I have always gotten off in Sacramento personally. Only an hours drive from San Fransisco.

5. On-time performance over the last 12 months is 55%. Are we talking a couple hours or are very long delays to be expected?
I would expect on-time to three hours late to be the norm, however longer delays can occasionally happen. The Zephyr has been doing better though as of late, compared to a few years ago.

6. We may be travelling with another couple who will be making their own arrangements. Would there be a car where it would be possible to sit with them across a table and play cards?
The lounge car should have such seating on either the upper or lower level.

7. Am I forgetting to ask important questions? If so, what should I be asking?
I think you got it.

Are there any suggestions or more info that you could share that would give me a better idea of what travel would be like on the Zephyr?

Claim a seat in the lounge before the train boards passengers in Denver, and make sure there is someone around to hold it for you. They're first come first serve, and you'll want to be there from breakfast until lunch at least, probably longer. (This is on the second day).

Cheers,
Nick

[Fan Railer]

Hello all,

This site has been recommended to me as a place to get answers to some specific questions I have regarding travelling on the California Zephyr Amtrak service. Basically, I've never used Amtrak for anything other than short trips (under 4 hours) and I'm not sure what to expect from longer trips.

I've read the Amtrak page on Zephyr service but I still have a number of questions about what to expect regarding the service.

1. Does this service tend to fill up fairly far in advance? If I wanted to book a Superliner Bedroom for June of next year (the site shows 3 available), are they likely to be booked before the end of this year?

2. What other train cars will I have access to if I book one of the various rooms (Roomette, Family or Superliner Bedroom) and is that access scheduled or is access first come, first served?

3. Are the bathroom facilities (shower, toilet) kept clean so my family and I would actually feel comfortable using them? Is access to showers scheduled or first come, first served?

4. We would be travelling from Chicago to Emeryville. Are there rental car agencies at the Emeryville station or should we expect to make use of the Amtrak shuttle into San Francisco? Do those shuttles drop riders off at their hotels or do they drop them at a station? Are rental car agencies available at that station?

5. On-time performance over the last 12 months is 55%. Are we talking a couple hours or are very long delays to be expected?

6. We may be travelling with another couple who will be making their own arrangements. Would there be a car where it would be possible to sit with them across a table and play cards?

7. Am I forgetting to ask important questions? If so, what should I be asking?

Are there any suggestions or more info that you could share that would give me a better idea of what travel would be like on the Zephyr?

I appreciate any insight and experiences that you could share.

Can't say much about the specifics on sleepers, but I would book early anyway, since it tends to be much cheaper. I rode coach on the entire zephyr run from SF to CHI, and it booked a month early, and it was 65 or so dollars cheaper than booking the week of. The showers are first come first serve, and there will be complementary water provided in your sleeper, in addition to free dining in the dining car (also by reserve / first come first serve). The dining attendant will come through your sleeper asking for reservations about an hour before dinner. Lunch is first come first serve. You can also access the lounge car, which offers beautiful views, and a snack bar on the lower level. This car has your diner style tables, which sit 3 facing 3 at each table. The train runs with 2 engines, a baggage car, a crew sleeper, 3 coaches, the lounge car, the diner, and then 3 passenger sleepers (in that order). The restroom facilities on coach were abysmal, on my trip, with all of them breaking down by the time we got to CHI. The line for the lounge bathroom was a mile long. Hope you have better luck with your sleeper bathrooms. However, in terms of cleanliness, they are kept relatively well, and you shouldn't expect to be grossed out to any extent. The bathrooms are similar to your airline accommodations, but as for showers, I can't say.

As for on time performance. Don't expect to be there exactly on time, but don't be alarmed. The average delay for the train is between 2-3 hours, depending on the freight traffic that it runs into along its route. If you're delayed going through the Midwest, there is a lot of schedule padding along the Nevada portion of the route, so the train will make up a lot of time between Salt Lake City and Reno.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this trip to you and your friends if you enjoy the scenery and the social activities to be found on board the train. Here's my compilation video that I shot back on my trip. It IS three hours long, so just feel free skim through for some key points and stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvsqqGY3xio

[Fan Railer]

And as for transportation into SF from Emeryville, aside from the Amtrak buses which you will probably take, there is a Hertz car rental just outside the station, along with the Emeryville shuttle that would be able to take you from the Amtrak station to MacArthur BART Station (the rapid transit commuter system of the bay area). Whatever suits you best to get to your final destination from Emeryville.

[Greg Moore]

BTW, if you do end up with a bedroom, not only does it have its own toilet/shower (very small btw) but it has a door that can be open with an adjoining bedroom to create a "suite". So you and your friends may want to book together. Don't worry, you can also lock the door.

If you haven't check out this page from Amtrak and take the virtual tour.

If you book now, you're more likely to get a better choice of rooms (in general most would say closer to the center of the car).

I took the CZ EB 16 years ago for our honeymoon. My only complaint was the food. I ate too much.

Enjoy the trip.

[Jersey_Mike]

1. Does this service tend to fill up fairly far in advance? If I wanted to book a Superliner Bedroom for June of next year (the site shows 3 available), are they likely to be booked before the end of this year?

I have generally found booking 4-6 months in advance to be sufficient, but Amtrak travel continues to increase in popularity so you might want to book as soon as you know your plans. Reservations are fully refundable until you actually pick up your tickets.

2. What other train cars will I have access to if I book one of the various rooms (Roomette, Family or Superliner Bedroom) and is that access scheduled or is access first come, first served?

As a first class passenger you will have access to all passenger spaces. The Zephyr has sleepers on the rear which means there will be a rear facing window for you to enjoy the scenery from as well.

3. Are the bathroom facilities (shower, toilet) kept clean so my family and I would actually feel comfortable using them? Is access to showers scheduled or first come, first served?

The bathrooms are generally fine and in a sleeper there are more than enough. The shower will tend to get a little messy be the end of the trip and the supply of towels can run a bit low as well so keep an eye on the situation.

4. We would be travelling from Chicago to Emeryville. Are there rental car agencies at the Emeryville station or should we expect to make use of the Amtrak shuttle into San Francisco? Do those shuttles drop riders off at their hotels or do they drop them at a station? Are rental car agencies available at that station?

Use the connecting service into San Fran if you plan to stay in that city. San Fran is transit accessible and there is no need to waste $ on a car.

5. On-time performance over the last 12 months is 55%. Are we talking a couple hours or are very long delays to be expected?

Expect about 1-2 hours of delay, any more depends on local conditions so track the train's punctuality in the month before you trip to get a handle on how its doing.

6. We may be travelling with another couple who will be making their own arrangements. Would there be a car where it would be possible to sit with them across a table and play cards?

Yes, the Lounge will accommodate you. You can also request a specific room from the Amtrak agent if you want to be near to your friends.

7. Am I forgetting to ask important questions? If so, what should I be asking?

Ice goes quickly so upon boarding identify which sleeper has ice and fill an ice bucket to keep your drinks cold. If no ice buckets are available you can use your room's trash can. Tipping your sleeper attendant is encouraged. For a bedroom $20-30 for the full trip is the norm. Same with meals in the dining car at about 5-10$ per meal depending on how many are in your party. Less for breakfast, more for dinner, but it all averages out.

[mrtwug]

Excellent, excellent info! Thanks to you all.

Follow up: How is the food? Are three meals served or is lunch more casual? Are all 3 meals include in the cost of a room?

As far as the lounge car goes, is the expectation that it will always be full and that there are more passengers with access to that area than seats to accommodate them?

[gprimr1]

IMO, your sleeper may provide better views than the Lounge car at times. I've been on several cross country trains and I always find the sleeper view to be better.

Why?

You can control the glare.

[ThinkNarrow]

The CZ is a "once in a lifetime experience" that I have had the good fortune to enjoy several times in the last six years. I agree with most all of the previous posts. I have been picked up by friends at Emeryville, so have not used Hertz. Unfortunately, I think they close very close to train time, so if the train is late (which is likely), they will be closed. I disagree with gprimr1 about the benefits of bedroom window viewing. The climb from Denver to the Moffat tunnel and the subsequent trips through the Red Canyon and Glenwood Canyon are best viewed from the lounge car, as you will be surrounded by grandeur. The food is very good and is served at tables for four in restaurant style at all three meals. I imagine that if you are traveling with friends, you will want to sit with them. However, try to occasionally go by yourselves so as to sit with strangers. Dining with strangers sounds bad, but it's actually one of the best parts of the trip - they won't be "strangers" for long.
-John

[E Runs]

Excellent, excellent info! Thanks to you all.

Follow up: How is the food? Are three meals served or is lunch more casual? Are all 3 meals include in the cost of a room?

As far as the lounge car goes, is the expectation that it will always be full and that there are more passengers with access to that area than seats to accommodate them?

There will be periods when the lounge is vituraly empty and others when you can't find a seat typically dictated by time of day and what you're traveling through. Luckily I've always been able to find a seat however I have been in there when all the seating is accounted for. Expect it to be full west of Denver through Grand Junction where you'll crest the Continential Divide in Moffat Tunnel and then go through Glenwood, Gore, and Byers Canyons.

35 days until I'll be on the CZ myself for the third time.

[Jersey_Mike]

The lounge car suffers from terrible tint and glare at the benefit of seats and family friendliness. So if you want to just hang out by all means stay in the lounge. However if you want quality photographs, head to the last car and take photos out the back like these.

http://acm.jhu.edu/~sthurmovik/Railpics ... b-sigs.jpg
http://acm.jhu.edu/~sthurmovik/Railpics ... ing-wb.jpg

[ExCon90]

I recommend wrapping up your packing right after leaving Sacramento and planning to be in the lounge about a half hour before Martinez (if you're running late, the lateness out of Sacramento will probably be about the same at Martinez). Just before arriving in Martinez you cross the Carquinez Straits (?) on a bridge built in 1930. From Martinez to Richmond you have a great waterside view on the right, and it would be a shame to be occupied with packing and completely miss it. Port Costa (not in the timetable, but maybe 1/2 hour after Martinez) is where a train ferry from Benicia on the north side transported an entire train (in segments) across the Straits to resume its journey at Port Costa. This lasted until the bridge at Martinez was built in 1930. tomfuller and Jersey Mike are absolutely right about renting a car. It's more of a hindrance than a help -- wait till you see the hills -- unless you're actually going outside the City (which you may well want to, but just rent the car for the days you'll need it). If you do drive a rental car in the City, as it's known to locals, be aware of a local ordinance (I believe they ticket for it) requiring parked cars to have their front wheels cramped against the curb in the downhill direction; the reason will be obvious.

[Fan Railer]

Excellent, excellent info! Thanks to you all.

Follow up: How is the food? Are three meals served or is lunch more casual? Are all 3 meals include in the cost of a room?

As far as the lounge car goes, is the expectation that it will always be full and that there are more passengers with access to that area than seats to accommodate them?

The quality of the food and lounge car seat availability has been addressed, and yes, Sleeper car passengers have their diner car meals packaged in their sleeper fare.