Emeryville to Eugene via Amtrak

My husband and I would like to take our soon to be 15 month old in November to Eugene, Oregon to visit friends around Thanksgiving. Flight prices are mighty high and neither one of us want to drive 9 hours with our already on the go son and are considering Amtrak. We were just going to get regular seats for the 14-15 hour ride. I am terrified that it could take us 24 hours to get there as I hear Amtrak is always late but I love the idea of being able to get up and move around and potentially sleeping through the night-plus it's a fraction of the flight cost and cheaper than driving. Has anyone out there taken Amtrak's Coastal Starlight overnight in that direction before? Good, Bad, I'd love to hear it all. Thanks beth

Yes, AMTRAK is usually late. This is often because the RRs that own the track hold up the passenger trains.

However, it's a great way to travel. Low stress, other than possibly waiting for the train to pick you up. Comfortable seats, and great scenery. Our first trip we pulled out of Dunsimuir as the sun was coming over the mountains....just spectacular. And you get to enjoy the scenery (which is really super north of Redding all the way to Eugene) instead of concentrating on driving a car.

Being able to walk around, etc. is nice. No leg cramps! The food is not what it was in 1996 (it was really quite good then), but it's fine and reasonably priced.

I recommend the experience. Ray

Cross-country trip via Amtrak

For many years, I have had the fantasy of taking a cross- country trip on a train in a sleeping car like the old Pullman trains of the past. I have a meeting in Chicago in early December and would like to consider flying to Chicago for the meeting, and then, meeting my wife and taking Amtrak back to the Bay Area (the ''California Zephyr''). The price of a ''bedroom'' for two (including meals) is about $1100.00, but the accommodations, as described online, appear fairly spare and cramped. Has anyone made such a trip on Amtrak recently? If so, feedback would be appreciated. Robert

First of all, the bedrooms are cramped. I suggest a Deluxe if you can swing it...it's the least cramped and you have your own bathroom. The food is pretty mediocre, but certainly palatable. The experience is fabulous! It's so fun sitting eating dinner in the dining car watching the world go by. It's fun sitting in the lounge car reading a book and talking with people. Your bedroom may not be spacious, but you're not stuck there, you have places to wander.

Oh, and be prepared to be late, very late. Amtrak leases track from other railroads, and they have to wait on sidings while other trains use the track. It's really annoying. Union Pacific is the worst offender, in my experience. Have fun! It is a blast! Jennifer

We loved the scenery and the romance of the train travel. I think sleeping on a train is so wonderful - the rocking motion, etc. And its so much more relaxing than either flying or driving. We had a family bedroom and the space worked well. In fact, the long lower bunk was wide enough for my husband and I to sleep on together, and we used the upper bunk to store things. You will need to store your larger suitcases outside the cabin regardless. Our kids took the two little bunks and really enjoyed it. But I did think that the basic two-person compartment, which we saw from the outside, seemed a little snug. There is basically no floor space -- the seats/bunks take up the whole area.

We also planned to stop off in various places along the way, including an overnight in western Colorado and a stop-off in the Lake Tahoe area. I think if we had been continuously on the train all that time it would have made us a bit stir-crazy. I will say, however, that we got off a little early, in Reno. We had planned to get off in Truckee, spend a night near Tahoe, and get back on and go all the way to Emeryville. But by the time we got through Nevada we were running about 10 hours behind, so at that point we bailed out and switched over to driving the rest of the way. I am glad about the part we did on the train, but be aware that it is at times quite late.

Good luck with your trip
Fan of train travel

Good points. If you enjoy reading, sleeping, talking with your wife, doing absolutely nothing, etc., the train is wonderful. You can spend hour upon hour just looking out the window at America as it rolls by. If you're the friendly sort, you can meet other travelers. The food is serviceable, and it's a blast to eat in the dining car as the aformentioned scenery rolls by. The noise and motion of the train can help you sleep really well.

Bad points. I'm afraid your fantasies of an old-fashioned Pullman car experience will be dashed! The sleeping compartment is beyond tiny -- you'll laugh when you see it. It's really just two seats facing each other with the only standing room in between them. It works for two adults, it's just very, very cozy. One thing you could try, though -- the train has an Accessible bedroom that they reserve for people who actually need it. Around a week before the trip (call to confirm the timing), if that room hasn't been booked, it becomes available to anyone. They then let you upgrade for a very reasonable price, and the room is (relatively) much bigger.

You can choose to have your meals in your room but it's a lot easier to use the dining car. However, if you use the dining car, you're going to be sitting and eating with strangers. I'm somewhat antisocial, so this was a drawback for me. But maybe you like that kind of thing.

The last thing to remember is that Amtrak is inefficient and clunky. You are almost always late to wherever you are going; the train can break down and/or lose air conditioning/heat/electricity (aside from meaning you might be cold/hot/in the dark for a while, it also means they might not be able to refrigerate/cook the food). The train uses the same rails as every other train in America, so it often has to stop and wait to let the other trains go by.

All of that said, I would take the train trip from Chicago in a heartbeat, and look at it as an adventure. You can see some of the country, do absolutely nothing for three whole days, and spend a lot of time with your wife. Tori

Amtrak is very cheap when you book well in advance, and it isn't necessary to get a private bedroom--the seats are extremely wide, long, comfy and tilt way back. They are sufficient for an adults for a few days, and certainly fine for kids. Bring your own blankets. Food is adequate, kid-friendly & overpriced but not terribly so. There is plenty of room for your own cooler if you prefer to go that way. Some people order takeout at the longer stops that are in cities--ask the porter. Beer and wine are for sale.

If you bring a laptop or DVD player, there is actually plenty of room to operate it. (Grab a seat with an electric outlet next to it as soon as you board.) I used to train to LA and work on the train, with piles of files next to me. (Impossible to do on an airplane.)

Typically the scenery is fabulous. The trains snake thru places they don't send cars. In Colorado you go thru long gorges with the Colorado River right next to you on one side and a cliff face on the other. The Coastal Starlight to LA travels right next to the water for many miles--you can watch the surfers and sometimes see whales.

Multi-stop tickets are extra but there are some wonderful places to visit. The northern train that ends up in Seattle goes to Glacier National Park. The train to Chicago from Emeryville goes thru Colorado ski country. (When you plan this, be sure to factor in the arrival time--could be the middle of the night.) After a certain age your kids will be OK on their own. Mine got card/video games going with other kids in the snack bar car. I checked in with them occasionally, but mostly read and enjoyed the scenery.

The biggest drawback: Amtrak is almost never on time. (Freights get priority, so the trains are often sidetracked--literally--for long periods.) This can be an advantage if your arrival is scheduled for the middle of the night--otherwise, it is something you have to factor in. Call before you leave for the station, and have anyone meeting you on arrival do the same. If renting a car, talk to the rental agent about whether they are willing to leave it at the station for you if the train is late. If not, carry motel names with you so you can call ahead for a room if you need one.

The website is amtrak.gov (I think) and it is worth visiting just to see where they go. Train fan

Where to take Amtrak for 2-year-old birthday party

My son, like many toddlers his age, is obsessed with trains. We've spent many a day at the Tilden Park steam trains. He turns 2 in December, and given the weather risk here in Berkeley at that time, we thought an indoor birthday party would be smart. But why not on a train? We could catch the train in Emeryville or Berkeley and head north perhaps for a fairly short trip -- like 1 hour or less each way. Any ideas? Anyone know if there are fun spots in Suisun or Martinez that are in a short walking distance from the train stations in those towns? Has anyone done this -- a birthday party on the train? The party-goers will be mainly adults with perhaps 4 toddlers. Alternative ideas would also be great -- like I understand there is a great steam train ride near/through the Santa Cruz mountains? Thinking maybe something closer (but not Tilden since we do that commonly) would be fun. Thank you! Holly

If you have more stamina, you can go to sacramento - closer to 2 hours but a nice ride, and go to the train museum which is indoors and great cause you can go in all these old trains.

We have done the bday party thing on the train, and if it's not crowded we got a whole car top level, had snacks and presents there and everything. GREAT for the right kids, and they have a blast, very relaxing for you too as no driving, just a bit of cleanup before arrival.

Allow a bit of time n case the train is delayed but normally those routes are within a half hour of schedule. remember to get the AAA discount. (from berkeley you have to have tickets ahead of time though, or pay a premium to buy them on the train, so Emeryville is easier in that way as a departure station)

Have fun! isabel

For a short Amtrak ride, get on at the Richmond BART station, then get off at Jack London Square (about 1/2 hour). At Jack London Square, you could go to a book store, for pizza, or take a ferry ride.

On Amtrak, kids under 2 ride free, and kids two and up are half-fare. AA members also get discounts R.K.

If Sacramento is too far, and it's a nice day, there's a nice park at the Martinez Marina, a short walk from the station. There's also a hot dog place near the station, and several restaurants downtown, but many are closed on weekends. Mike

Then the train museum is only a short, one-block walk from the station. You'll have time to explore it and get lunch at one of the many kid-friendly places along the historic Sacramento River Walk before catching the train home, which leaves around 2 p.m. You arrive in Emeryville @ 4 p.m., before anyone is so worn out they melt down.

I think having a birthday party on the train is a great idea. Wish I'd thought of it when my little engineer was two! Trainster Mom

If a shorter ride is more appealing I'd shoot for Davis because the downtown is so walkable and there's a big park maybe not too far where they have the farmers market, but I don't know anything about Suison, etc - Charis

Taking the train to Seattle

My husband wants to take the train to Seattle this year with our kids, at the end of May (21-27). I am looking for recent recommendations for kid friendly places to stay for a couple of nights, midweek. I have read the recs on things to do with kids and I imagine they are still accurate? Nothing about where to stay. Any suggestions would be appreciated. clueless in seattle

Taking a toddler on a 48-hour train trip to Chicago

My husband and I will be taking our then-17-month-old on a 48-hour train trip this summer from the Bay Area to Chicago. We've never been on a passenger train before, so we don't know what to expect (and aren't getting much info from the Amtrak website). The train is the superliner California Zephyr, and we will have a teeny-tiny 3.5 ft. by 6.5 ft. sleeper car.

Can anyone out there tell me what it's like being on the train, particularly in terms of having a small child along? Is there anything on the train that would interest a guy his age, or will we spend our hours walking from car to car with him? And finally, is it possible/safe to leave him in the sleeper car in the evening (asleep, of course, with a monitor turned on) so we could go into another car and watch a movie, or something? Wish I Had Done It Before Baby

We LOVED it. My son loved looking out the windows and crawling through the cars. We'd go from car to car, sit here, sit there. We had one of those tiny sleepers. It was tight but cozy. We didn't leave him at night and go anywhere else so i can't answer that part for you. Bring lots of snacks and toys. My husband and I have very happy memories of that trip. happy travelers

1) Your train may have a child's play room with toys. The toys in our train were extremely grungy and not appropriate for his age, but it was a godsend because it was a big open space for him to move around in, and play with the toys we'd brought.

2) Walking up and down the halls and negotiating the joint between train cars was not easy with a toddler (of course, I was heavily pregnant, so I might be exaggerating).

3) We had a regular sleeper and then a ''family'' sleeper on the way back, and the family sleeper was much better. Two windows instead of one, and a nice fold down bunk for naps.

4) It's loud on the train! I found it very difficult to sleep (although, again, I was pregnant). I thought the clickety clack of the train would lull me to sleep, but found it incredibly distracting (also, it's coupled with bumps and jolts).

5) As a sleeper car passenger, you are riding first-class--but it's not equivalent to a first-class experience in a hotel, or even in a plane. The food was reasonably good, and it was nice to have the advantages of the parlor car. I would certainly never attempt such a trip with small kids WITHOUT being in a sleeper. But don't expect too much!

6) I certainly would not leave a child alone in the sleeper. The train could stop suddenly and pitch your kid out of the bed. In a fire you would not necessarily be able to get back to the train car you'd left. Unlikely events, sure, but you wouldn't leave your kid alone in a house while you went to a movie for the same kind of reasons.

sorry to have focused on the negatives here; for us it was once- in-a-lifetime in more ways than one. It was amazing to wake up in the morning, look out the train window and see elk grazing along a river. Wish I'd done it before the baby

Cross-country train trip with 2 kids

We're (me, my wife, our kids aged 11 and 9)contemplating a cross- country train trip this summer, from (major east coast city of your choice) to Emeryville. The notion of sitting in a coach seat for 3 days is unnerving (probably de-nerving) but sleeper accomodations are SO expensive. We thought about springing for ONE sleeper room and kind of trading off. I'm curious to know if anyone on the list has attempted such a thing, and if so, how did it go? How did you handle it? Thanks. E.

We got a ''family sleeper'' on the way up, which had two adult beds and 2 kids' beds; bathrooms and showers were outside in the hall. That was great because you have a relatively large space with windows on both sides of the car. On the way back, we had a (more expensive) ''deluxe sleeper,'' which included bath and shower; that was definitely not worth it.

Also consider that as a sleeper car passenger you get all your meals included; it might be hard to bring 3 days worth' of food for all of you, and you can't count on being able to leave the train at stops to resupply. Coach passengers can eat in the dining car at dinnertime, if there is space, which is not always true.

Finally, I should say that we didn't sleep very well on the train; the sound of the tracks and the jiggling and clacking of the cars, which I thought would be romantic and soporific, was sleep- shattering. But the tot slept fine, and it would have been worse in the recliner seats. VM

Overnight train travel with 4 and 6 year old?

I am contemplating a train trip from NM to the Bay area with my two energetic sons, 4 and 6, to visit their Dad over spring break in March. (We are separated.) I have looked at Amtrak's website, and it seems from the photos and illustrations there that the acommodations are okay, a double sleeper for the three of us looks like it would work. I am wondering though, if I am being unrealistic about 24 hours on a train with my boys. They have traveled often by plane, and are great in the air, but that is usually a much shorter haul. We would leave ABQ in the evening, arrive in LA the next morning, then change trains and head up north, arriving about 7:30 p.m. Does anyone have any recent experience with Amtrak and children? Reliability, convenience, child-friendliness, comfort, safety, cost, etc.? Are there any activities available on the trains for kids? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks. Melissa

I wouldn't look forward to changing trains in Los Angeles but once you get through that headache the rest of the day should be nice. Have fun!

Oh, one more note of caution: the dining car fills up quick so get there 5 minutes early for meals (waiting an extra 90 minutes once was murder); and have some healthy snacks on hand just in case. John

Convenience  - schedules are limited
Child-friendly - I find train travel easier than car or plane travel 
because you can walk around and don't have to sit in car seats.
Comfort - comfort is costly. The double sleepers are REALLY small. 
The deluxe sleepers are great, but very expensive.
Safety - People are very friendly on the train and I felt safe - 
you can leave your stuff at your seat and it won't get stolen. I was 
worried about my 2-year old bumping his head when he walked around 
when the train was in motion, but he didn't.

One of the last trains we were on had a "kid's room" with loaner books, movies, games, etc. The Amtrak family rooms are large, but I don't think they have their own bathroom. The rooms with their own toilet/shower are small, but cozy and it's really nice to have your own facilities especially in the middle of the night. There is an observation car, and a club car where we usually play cars, or read. It's nice to move around to the different cars and get out of your room for awhile. As a child I traveled to California from NM on the train and it's one of my fondest memories. I hope if you take the trip it's fun for you all.

I've seen lots of tips on the web at various parents sites for long trips. You might have some luck with them also. Good luck, Bridget

If you stay in one of the sleeper cars, your meals are included. We also had use of a lounge car and a room where they show movies. Everyone on the coast starlight had access to the more crowded playroom. You also have priority for seatting in the dining car - if you choose to use it. Next time we will ask for room service mroe often as you can get your food much faster than waiting for a dining car table!

We liked haveing the sleeper as it was much quieter than the coach, and it was less crowded with folks.

Make your reservations as soon as you can. See if they take an AAA discount.

We hope to do it again...once we save up enough money! Suzanne

Taking baby on the train - are there seat belts?

I will be taking a trip to New York in October. We will fly round trip through JFK, but will be spending part of our time in up-state New York. I will be travelling with my mom and my 9mo baby (age at time of trip). We are currently weighing the option of renting a car and driving up-state (and back) vs. taking a cab to Penn Station and taking the train. Does anyone have a recommendation as to which is better with a baby and a car seat? If we rent a car I know I can buckle him in and he will be safe. What about the cab and train? I read on this list that lots of cabs don't have belts, but can't remember if that applied to US or foreign cities. I have never taken a train, other than BART or the Subway, are "real" trains the same, with no seat belts? Rose

Of course, traveling with a 9 month old would be different. Every baby is different, of course, so you will be the best judge of how your 9 month old might handle a car trip, but I know that our youngest couldn't stand being strapped into a car seat for much more than about 45 minutes. Before we moved to California, he couldn't even handle the drive from Santa Fe to Albuquerque (about one hour). Consequently he made even short trips miserable for everyone. In contrast, the freedom from having to concentrate on driving, and the freedom to move about, that the train provided made for an enjoyable and relaxing trip for all of us. Hope this helps. Carl

I have never seen a seatbelt on a train, and I've travelled on quite a few, although never the line you're planning to do. In general, the idea on a train is that it is safe to move around at all times--there shouldn't be any reason to really need a seatbelt. In addition, on a train, you typically have good access to the floor, so you could set up the carseat there, and wedge it in well--it won't go anywhere.

My two cents on which mode of transport to take would probably be the train, because you can easily move around on a train to care for the baby and/or yourself. Plus no driving stress on unfamiliar roads. Meg