Anyone experienced a "Coast to Coast" Amtrak trip?
I have reserved a round trip rail pass from California to Virginia. It is a four day/three night trip each way.
The reason for my decision to travel on train rather than air, was largely based on wanting to avoid anti-maskers/vaxxers on flights and their disruptive/wackadoodle behavior delaying the trip or worse.
I'm now having second thoughts though, and thinking about cancelling Amtrak and booking a flight instead.
The reason for that is to save money. while traveling in coach all the way is roughly about the same as booking a flight, the experience of riding coach all the way at my age maybe just about as brutal an experience as I'm beginning to imagine. the cheapest sleeper is still way too high priced on a one way for my budget.
Before I cancel, I thought I'd check in with folks here for your own personal experiences and recommendations.
TIA.... 
= new reply since forum marked as read
They are pretty well off. It was especially fun for her because we see the Zephyr almost every time we hike the trails up Eldorado Canyon, a big silver train climbing the Flatirons. It looks really cool. And the view from the train must be incredible! Get a seat on the right for the westbound trip. 
Since this is a "pleasure" trip...
I actually haven't checked out the pricing difference. I'd expect it to be way out of my budget. but I'll double check!
I feel like I'm going to miss a lot. Well, certainly Utah, I think we arrive in Salt Lake City like about 3 or 3:30 in the morning..
I dislike that the itinerary of every stop isn't included, only the stops where I switch trains. I sort of felt like I read we'd be in Denver during daylight, I might be misremembering.
I think if I wanted to stretch it out, I could lay over in some of the areas and do an over nighter at a hotel in order to spend a little time to see things, but that option isn't in my budget at the moment.
Even though I've booked the reservation I can cancel up to 48 hrs before departure and get a full refund. That's at least a benefit for me to make some changes if needs must. The "full refund" policy is apparently a limited time offer. I think I read until the end of Sept. (needs fact checking)
I'm still torn.
On the plus side, there is much more room to stretch, comfortable reclining, walk around, chance to take some sights on the upper deck, conductor assists with schlepping baggage for seniors, seniors on first after disabled, and the privileged class...and I've been assured there is security on board. Air filtering systems are supposed to be set to a high degree of circulation frequency, supposed to be frequently changed filters.. charging outlets right there at your seat, and the sanitation is supposed to be at covid free standards, high degree of frequency regarding cleaning restrooms etc. Supposed to be.
One other plus for the train option, is that i'm picked up by the Amtrak motor coach, very close to home, and taken directly to the station, where the driver assists with the schlepping on board. Conductor assists with each transfer, don't have to deal with driving down to SFO or Oakland dealing with horrible commuter traffic, paying for bridge pass, and airport parking or any of the other types of hassles traveling to and from airports, And it's a crap shoot on whether or not passengers will be held "hostage" by the airlines, while parked on the tarmac for unknown reasons and for an indefinite amount of time, unable to leave the plane while they sort out the problem. And that was standard fare in the "before times". Now we have anti-vaxxers/anti-maskers wackadoodles causing all manner of mayhem.
I think I just laid out for myself the reasons to rough it on the train, rather than travel by air. 
and bring my own spirits.. 
It would have been my first choice. If I had someone to come with, share the driving, in fact do most of the driving
I actually will be house/pet sitting for a musician friend of mine who will be teaching in Alaska while I'm scheduled to be at her new digs in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's going to be a fabulous retreat for me. But the dates to be there is a must do factor.
I have Macular Degeneration, it's too risky for me to drive at night, or even in the day in certain instances.
I'm keeping in mind your suggestion though on future travel adventures, where there is no commitment tied in to destination.
It's very good to know that prices can vary that widely. There was a time not that long ago it seems, where the pricing was quite fixed, and scheduled published in a booklet that you could bank on.
It appears, Amtrak has taken to the airline industry of setting prices. Changing every 20 seconds.
I do hear ya on the covid concerns. I have them too. I'm packing the sterile gloves, lots of fresh masks, wipes and the whole kit and kaboodle. Maybe a hazmat suit to boot!
five or six years I've paid attention to it.
I think when you account for the fact the trains are traveling continuously, with only brief stops, and include the overnight accommodations, it can be, well maybe not a bargain, but a reasonable trade-off. Especially as you cannot drive at night.
Of course, it's easy for me to be cavalier about someone else's finances.
In recent years I've gone to fewer trips, but more luxuries and comforts. About a decade ago, I decided that the rare times I fly I'm going to book first class. If I book the flight far enough in advance, I find I can get a fare I'm willing to pay. Obviously not the cheapest fare, but it comes with perks: free baggage check, seat assignment, priority boarding, meals, drinks. Sometimes a cheap coach fare has a lot of add-on fees that make it more expensive than a non-restricted coach fare, or perhaps even my advance purchase first class fare. But the financial decision is highly personal.
In March of 2020 I took a cruise to Hawaii. It was a delayed 70th birthday present to myself (by the time I took the cruise I was already 71), delayed largely because of the extra cost of travelling alone. Cruise lines are not very friendly to the solo passenger, alas. I finally decided it was a milestone birthday, I could afford it, and I deserved it. I am so very glad for so many reasons that I made that trip. March 1-18, San Diego to Hawaii and back. My only other cruise, one in the Caribbean in 2015, I discovered I liked the days at sea even better than the days in port, so I wanted one with lots of sea days. Which this one had. I also treated myself to a room with a balcony, and spent a lot of quality time on said balcony with a glass of wine. I also met some lovely people I've stayed in touch with, and did have great tours on land. My point here is how nice it can be to treat yourself, although I will repeat that I know everyone's finances are different.
Whatever you decide, I hope it works out well for you. 
But in recent years, being aware of the health risks in terms of being exposed to various viruses and other contagions on board a ship, has really dampened those ideas. The only one I still think about occasionally is an Alaskan Cruise.
Way back in 1999, I was a part of an "orchestra" on a multi-venue concert tour through the Kenai Peninsula. We flew and chartered a couple of tour buses and a plane for some areas. It was one of the most amazing experiences (apart from the performances) with spectacular scenic views and sounds of glaciers, sea life, frozen lakes and of course mountains The opalescent colors of the glaciers and the reflective colors in the sky and atmosphere were just Stunning! Something I would love to experience again, perhaps on a cruise.
On that tour, we had taken a one day off from concert performances, took a ferry from Seward and enjoyed a splendid experience of cruising through glaciers, the sounds of glaciers "calving" is both an eerie and wondrous sound. A prolific population of Orcas accompanied our ferry. Fun memories.
I lived in Hawaii when I was in High School back in the 60's for a couple of years. My father is buried at Punch Bowl Veterans Cemetery and have a lot of 'family' from my step mom's side of the family. Have visited on occasions through the years, still it saddens me more and more with every trip, in terms of what has happened on the island of Oahu. I know of course there is still a lot of beauty, and particularly on the other islands, but it'll be just a matter of time when they go the way of Oahu too. More or less.
Travel bucket list might be limited to financial affordability, but it certainly is filling up!
Both were on Holland America, and their ships tend to have 2,000 people or fewer, depending on just how full a given cruise is. So there's simply not the vast overcrowding there is on the mega-ships that some other companies use.
Their cleanliness standards are high. On that Hawaii cruise, the ramping up of cleaning and sanitizing was very noticeable. We all, or at least everyone I talked to, felt incredibly safe while on board. Our final stop, in Ensenada, Mexico, still took place, but passengers were not allowed off the ship. No one minded. I'd have perhaps done a little shopping, eaten lunch, but I sat in one of the lounges with some new friends, had a couple of gin and tonics, and enjoyed the view.
In 1971 I spent a month in Honolulu, staying in a friend's apartment. I went back several time the next year or so. At the time I was an airline employee so I could travel pretty much for free. This time, as much as I enjoyed it, I was distressed by the incredible growth. Of course that's happened in lots of places during the past decades. At least on the cruise, for the first time ever, I saw some other islands, not just Oahu.
I know what you mean about the bucket list.
If you catch them just right on a sunny morning with the fog in the valleys they are truly blue.. More of a blue/gray and stunning. While there if you get a chance the Blue Ridge parkway is a treat. Built during the Roosevelt administration, it is a national park.. The last time I was there the speed limit was 45 mph and a speeding ticket is a federal offense!! Take a side road and you are in rural Virginia and North Carolina... The real Appalachians.. I rode the length of it on my motorcycle and it was memorable.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Parkway
https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/
Yes the autotrain packs your car up and you ride in a coach.. A bit more expensive than driving and a bit longer but you don't have to drive the long way down to Florida...
https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train
I'll take the bike 😉
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Gorgeous! It will be interesting if the leaves will be turning by mid-September. Probably not until October/November I suspect, unless an early Fall sets in.
Apart from music sessions and connections, I'm definitely going to take a drive on the parkway. Going for hikes too.
I hope my android phone camera captures will do justice to photo shots. I saw someone's photos on their new iphone and it was just dropping in terms of resolution and brilliance. Wishing that I had one, but maybe a new Galaxy is to put on my shopping list.
regardless, this image is brilliant, thank you!
The only thing I'd change is to perhaps book a sleeper if you're able to keep from getting fatigued.
Are you going to keep us posted while en route?
Unfortunately, the last leg from Jasper was rainy.
A few of my favorite shots from the train
Going to check it out right now.
Seems like chartering a motor coach would be cheaper.
actually the price on roomettes keep climbing just like air fares. it's infuriating!
I went from San Francisco to Seattle and it was well worth it. Now traffic jams, no driving, The food isnt awesome but you can wear a mask and you'll meet some interesting people and the scenery will be awesome. You'll probably want a bed though.
