Good Evening Doydie:
I have a ton of experience taking Amtrak so I thought I would chime in on things There are a lot of good and bad things about Amtrak so I'll start of with the good things. It really is a wonderful time just to get away, enjoy the scenery with no cell phones, computers, TV and all that stuff. It's sort of a great way to get your head together so to speak and do a lot of thinking. I've met some wonderful and very interesting people during my train travel. I was surprised at how many doctors take Amtrak. They seat you for your meals with strangers so conversation is always awkward at first but before you know it, you're finding some of the same hopes and dreams. I've experienced nothing but very nice Amtrak employees(while on the train) from the cabinet steward to the wait staff. I really enjoyed watching the terrain change as we moved from state to state. There are some really neat train stations t/o the country with a ton of history behind them dating all the way back to the civil war. I love history so that was great to see. I especially loved the Denver and D.C. train stations. The food is equivalent to airline food but the coffee is great. I really just love the meal conversation more than anything.-meeting new people... If you have a sleeper car, your meals are included and they can bring them to your room if you want or are unable to get to the diner car. In the morning they bring you the paper as well.

Okay now here's the bad. Amtrak is notorious for being hours late so be prepared for long delays, sometimes for many hours. The ride is usually very rough, especially in the lower cabins. You can hear and feel every bump. I'm a rather ah-hum... heavy person and sometimes it gets so rough it almost knocked me out of bed. I would never recommend trying to sleep upright in a coach seat as it can be very uncomfortable for long hauls. This is difficult though because the cost of a sleeper is so expensive. If your handicapped, you can get a very decent handicapped rate for a large sleeper room but you have to call reservations for this. I think it's 15%. I was just fine in their smaller room-ette which sleeps two. One on bottom and the other on a drop down bed from the ceiling which is very close to the ceiling and somewhat claustrophobic. I would not recommend two adults for these room-ettes though and you have to share a bathroom with the rest of the train which really can be very gross. The larger sleepers have bathrooms. I would take some type of cleaner with you and give the bathroom a good wipe down before use. If you have to use the shared bathrooms and showers well.... they can be rather gross and very small. The older trains have larger bathrooms.

Ok I did say you do meet interesting people. Well, this is true to the negative too. You have to be fairly wiley with Amtrak passengers as I've met everything drug dealers, pimps, felons and more. They do due routine security and drug sweeps in certain parts of the country. On my last trip from D.C. to NY I met a man that was actually very nice, reminded me a lot of Jack Black, anyway, I prayed that he wouldn't sit next to me but that didn't work. He plopped down, pulled out a large can of beer from his backpack and starting drinking, this went on and one for about 5 beers and at every stop he went out for a smoke. I have a few good stories about my encounters but hey it makes for some fun conversation and is always a learning experience. Speaking of stops, Amtrak makes so many stops that it gets real annoying after awhile, especially if you 've been on the train for hours already and especially coming in out out of major hubs like Chicago, NY, DC and LA. If they would just cut out half their stops they would get there faster.

I'm not sure I will ever be able to take Amtrak again because of my physical condition and it is very difficult to get around the train walking as the ride is very rough as I've stated, especially trying to maneuver going from one train to the next, for meals and such.

This last trip was the first time I've used Amtrak as a disabled person and I have to say that it isn't quite there. They do help as best as they can while you're on the train, but getting to your train from the station is difficult but the really do try. For the most part, they were very courteous in attempting to help but some of the Amtrak employees refuse to help you with your language even with a visual handicap.

Well, I can't think of anything else now. I'm glad I had the experience and I would do it again because I know what to expect and not expect. I've had some lovely quiet times with my daughter while traveling on Amtrak and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

If you have balance problems such a vertigo or prone to sea sickness be very cautious when riding trains. Maybe like you said, talk a small, less expensive train trip first and see how you like it before spending more money on a long excursion. A lot of the people I talked on the train take things like Dramamine(SP?).

If Amtrak had a better on-time schedule, less stops and smoother rides, it would be much more enjoyable. FYI- I've traveled their high speeds from DC to Boston and they aren't very high speed(compared to euro-trains) and are still very rough.

Good luck with your decision and I hope you have a great time either way.


Gail