PEPE, Thanks so much for all the information. It sounds like such a better option than driving! Are there outlets if something needed to be plugged in? I know that may be a stupid question but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. Are the trains typically full? Are there many empty seats around?
We find it a better alternative to driving. Traffic, trucks the last time we drove, many years ago, was nuts the whole way, 1100 miles of that madness. No more, sit back, prop up your feet and relax. The train we get on in Ohio are the scenic liners, high boys and there are receptacles at every pair of seats. Since these cars won't fit in the tunnels leading out of Washington, regular low boy cars are in service and we notice that each car has at least one receptacle for the whole car, luck of the draw who gets the seat with the outlet. Seems that we're in the Orlando/Kissimmee car, that seems on how they load passengers as to where they are getting off, we haven't had luck with having an outlet, other cars might be up dated and have them and there are some in the club car. Real bummer if you brought a portable DVD player, enough battery for one movie and you're done, same with a computer. I guess more and more people are complaining and they seem to be up dating as well as they can. If you have a sleeper, there are a couple of outlets in there.
As for the fullness of the cars, depends on when you're traveling. Late fall through the winter has alot of snowbirds heading south so it's totally full. We go more in August, September, October and we've run into half full cars, real easy to find an empty pair of seats and curl up for a nap. They, Amtrak, frown on people moving around from their assigned seats but people do it. Makes it impossible for the porters to find you when it's time to detrain, late at night if you're asleep and not in your assigned seat, where do they find you? You're free to roam the train, the club car seems to be popular but we just stay in our car, curled up with our blanket, snacks and drinks and snooze away. I've said before in other posts that the roomette is a nice change but it's very small, only for 2 and there is less room in there than in regular coach seats but it's private, no noise, has a toilet but an upper berth and lower at night for sleeping. No way would I get in the upper, wife likes it up there, has a huge window along the outside and she watches the lights and town pass by until sleep takes over. Great for me, I get the lower, alittle cramped but nice to sleep lying down before arriving in Kissimmee and meals are included in the fare and the food it very good, pricey out of pocket though.
At night it felt as if I were being rocked to sleep and I loved waking up in the middle of the night and having no idea where I was.
