Traveling by Train: Amtrak
To celebrate my son turning 18 and graduating from high school, we decided to spend his Spring break in Seattle. With gas prices on the rise, I decided to travel by Amtrak, instead of driving. The fares were very reasonable, for round trip, reserved coach tickets at $180 each and I had no stress of driving and dealing with traffic.
Our trip started off with a delay, due to our train running an hour late. The nice thing is, knowing it was late, by signing up for text alerts. Amtrak was on target, by texting us the delay time, so we knew when to be at the station.
We boarded the train in Whitefish, Montana at the Amtrak station. It was like stepping back in time, walking into the historic building, that is well maintained. When the train arrived, it was full of people and the line to board was long as well. Once on board, we were quickly directed to our seats by the attendant.
Knowing that our train was leaving at night, I planned for it, by bringing throw blankets and pillows for each of us. The seats do recline and there are pull out tables to sit your cell phone on, as well as outlets to plug in your devices to charge.
The trip seemed fast, when we woke up for a stop in Spokane, Washington. With a short layover, for the trains to change engines, we had enough time to run inside that station and use the facilities, though each car has it's own bathrooms.
The staff of Amtrak was very friendly and patient and I appreciated that. Thank you, Amtrak employees. From their staff working the counters in Whitefish and Seattle, to the attendants working each car, to the dining staff, they were all smiling, friendly and very pleasant.
Good customer service is becoming hard to find these days, The Amtrak employees definitely showed good customer service and made sure their guests felt welcome and comfortable for their ride.
When we woke up in the morning, we had breakfast in the dining car. It was an almost mystical experience, eating our breakfast, while floating through the beautiful Cascade Mountains. The prices for breakfast were reasonable and the food tasted alright.
The down sides, were being seated at the same table with other guests, when the other tables were empty. Though we didn't mind our company, it did feel a bit awkward at first. The other was the rattling of the box car behind us, that did make it difficult to sleep.
We arrived at our destination late, due to the departure delay. The beautiful historic King Street Station, in Seattle, is lined with Marble walls and is spacious and clean. We had no problem getting our luggage and the taxis were lined up outside, waiting to take people to their next destination.
The trip home was a bit more pleasant, we left in the late afternoon, so we were able to see more of the scenery on the way. I bought a glass of wine, that was actually a little bottle, it helped me to relax and sleep as it got later. I was able to get better seating in the middle of the car and did not have to hear a rattling box car, while trying to sleep.
The downside to our trip home, was the sandwiches we bought from the diner car, the bread was soggy and for the price, not worth it. The train was on schedule and we arrived to Whitefish on time.
If you are planning to travel, I recommend taking Amtrak, for the experience of it. I also recommend spending the extra money on a sleeper car, if traveling at night. All in all, we had a good Amtrak experience and if you have never traveled by train, it is something to experience at least once in life.
Everyone have a good week and Happy travels!
Bobbie
XoXoXo
Our trip started off with a delay, due to our train running an hour late. The nice thing is, knowing it was late, by signing up for text alerts. Amtrak was on target, by texting us the delay time, so we knew when to be at the station.
We boarded the train in Whitefish, Montana at the Amtrak station. It was like stepping back in time, walking into the historic building, that is well maintained. When the train arrived, it was full of people and the line to board was long as well. Once on board, we were quickly directed to our seats by the attendant.
Knowing that our train was leaving at night, I planned for it, by bringing throw blankets and pillows for each of us. The seats do recline and there are pull out tables to sit your cell phone on, as well as outlets to plug in your devices to charge.
The trip seemed fast, when we woke up for a stop in Spokane, Washington. With a short layover, for the trains to change engines, we had enough time to run inside that station and use the facilities, though each car has it's own bathrooms.
The staff of Amtrak was very friendly and patient and I appreciated that. Thank you, Amtrak employees. From their staff working the counters in Whitefish and Seattle, to the attendants working each car, to the dining staff, they were all smiling, friendly and very pleasant.
Good customer service is becoming hard to find these days, The Amtrak employees definitely showed good customer service and made sure their guests felt welcome and comfortable for their ride.
When we woke up in the morning, we had breakfast in the dining car. It was an almost mystical experience, eating our breakfast, while floating through the beautiful Cascade Mountains. The prices for breakfast were reasonable and the food tasted alright.
The down sides, were being seated at the same table with other guests, when the other tables were empty. Though we didn't mind our company, it did feel a bit awkward at first. The other was the rattling of the box car behind us, that did make it difficult to sleep.
We arrived at our destination late, due to the departure delay. The beautiful historic King Street Station, in Seattle, is lined with Marble walls and is spacious and clean. We had no problem getting our luggage and the taxis were lined up outside, waiting to take people to their next destination.
The trip home was a bit more pleasant, we left in the late afternoon, so we were able to see more of the scenery on the way. I bought a glass of wine, that was actually a little bottle, it helped me to relax and sleep as it got later. I was able to get better seating in the middle of the car and did not have to hear a rattling box car, while trying to sleep.
The downside to our trip home, was the sandwiches we bought from the diner car, the bread was soggy and for the price, not worth it. The train was on schedule and we arrived to Whitefish on time.
If you are planning to travel, I recommend taking Amtrak, for the experience of it. I also recommend spending the extra money on a sleeper car, if traveling at night. All in all, we had a good Amtrak experience and if you have never traveled by train, it is something to experience at least once in life.
Everyone have a good week and Happy travels!
Bobbie
XoXoXo
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