How is it to ride Amtrak Coach?

Question

My Fiance's Dad Booked us two upper level coach seats to California from Louisiana and I'm a little nervous. This will be my first time to use ANY kind of public transportation. I'm a little worried about sleeping arrangements because I know we have to sleep in out seats, are they at all comfortable and how easy do they make it to sleep, do they turn down the lights or anything like that?

And any other tips you have would be really great.

Thanks

Answer 1

it's fine the seats are good and comfy big a lot of leg room they recline allot but I don't think Beyond 120 degrees. the light are half tinted and clear I would bring a light to read if interested and if you have problems with light bring a blindfold maybe ear plugs but the most noise you hear is from people walking from car to car. I would for your next trip get a roomette Little more fun and all your meals are free.

Answer 2

Amtrak is cool.  It's slow but comfortable.  The sleeper seats are pretty nice.  Have fun.

Answer 3

Whoa - Your first travel experience is the Sunset Limited? You'll be spoiled for anyhting else - that's a luxury ride even in coach.

The long-haul Amtrak trains have big coach seats that lean way back, they are designed to be slept in.  It might be a little hard to get used to your first night, so turn in early.  Yes they dim the lights.

Here's how you pack.

- Luggage to be checked.  You won't be able to get to it.

- An overnight bag to leave at your seat, changes of clothes etc.

- Small f***y pack or bag for your valuables, that you can easily carry with you.

As soon as the conductor takes your tickets, get up and explore the train.  You'll find a real dining car, serving real food, first class.  Prices are somewhere between Dennys and Applebees.  You'll also find a lounge car that's for you - spend a lot of time in it!  Downstairs they sell drinks and microwave junk food, but don't spoil your appetite!

One thing about overnight Amtrak trains - they can run late.  Very late.  It's a fabulous ride but you'll enjoy it a lot more if you just accept that it'll very likely be very late - 5, 7 hours or even more. It's just the nature of long-haul passenger trains on freight lines.

Most Amtrak riders are super good folks.  On a long-haul train like this, people will be very sociable and friendly.  That's kind of unique to long-haul Amtrak trains.  Just so you know, people aren't like that on airplanes, buses or short haul trains.  There aren't many seats in the diner so you'll be seated with others usually.

Enjoy your trip, lots of us are envious of you!

Answer 4

My wife and I take the Coast Stralight out of San Jose twice per year to visit relatives in Seattle.  Amtrak is a great experience, its more like a rolling hotel than anything else I can describe.

Tough I think your Fiance's Dad should have sprung for a Sleeper Berth for you two, but probably trying to be old fashioned and polite to your parents, thought Coach would be more "Proper."

The good news is, if they have the space available in the Sleepers, you guys should upgrade, (which they can do while on the train).

The good thing about that, is all of your meals will be included in the ticket fare.  

From California to Lousiana, is definately going to be a long haul, and you guys are going to be pretty tired of those coach seats by the time you get there.

We did the Coach thing the first time I took my wife on the train.  Have not done Coach since.  We are willing to pay the extra $$ to have a little privacy, and an actual bed to sleep in while the night hours go by.

The views are really great, and don't forget you camera.  As the other folks have told you, being on the train is a totally different, (and better experience in our opinion), than flying.  

The food is really good, and the staff is excellent.  No complaints there.  

But depending on where you live in California, you should also experence the Coast Starlight run from your town into Seattle.  When the train gets above Redding, it will be dawn as you are crossing Lake Shasta, and it will be daylight as the train approached Dunsmuir.  So you get a wonderful ride through extreme Northern California, and nearly all of Oregon.

If you spend your all of your time at your seat, and don't visit the Observation Car, you are missing half the trip.

At any rate, check into the upgrade I mentioned, and definately enjoy your trip.

Answer 5

i rode amtrak about three weeks ago from portland oregon to winona minnesota, took 41 hours.

yes, the seats are comfotable, they do turn down the lights at night, however i found sleeping to be impossible cause the thing is constantly moving around.

when i got to my destination my bed was calling.

take a long a duffel bag full of food, like a big duffel bag, cause if you have to buy food it's quite spendy, and you can bring ANYTHING to eat.

a beer is like $4, a cheesburger is 7.25, stuff like that.

Other than that i just hanges out most of the time in the lounge car and most of the people seemed cool and would tell your their life stories, where they were from, where they are going to.

as far as public transportation goes it is NOTHING like riding the city bus as you may be thinking of public transportation, the people who ride amtrak are of MUCH higher caliber.

EDIT- i noticed somebody suggested getting a sleeper car, POINTLESS do not do that, it's like 300 bucks more per person, and you still can't get much sleep cause of the constant movement. I talked to somebody who had a sleeper and that's exactly what they told me.

Answer 6

It will be fun!

Answer 7

When I used it from Denver to Oakland it was quite confortable. Reclining seats (better than on aircrafts), lots of leg space. I am sure, you will enjoy it.

Answer 8

I can't comment on what sleeping in coach will be like (I've heard it can be a little stiff, though), but I can say that you should have a very pleasant, and relaxing trip (with a good view of the scenery as well from the upper-level of Amtrak's Superliner cars).  

Taking Amtrak is usually very comfortable and enjoyable although the only drawback is that it can tend to run a little (sometimes a lot) behind schedule since it operates its trains over the private freight railroads (and thus, is often times held up by construction or time sensitive freight trains).

In any event, you should have a good trip so I wouldn't be too worried.  By the way, I'm guessing that you will be riding aboard the Sunset Limited?