Amtrak’s California Zephyr & Coast Starlight: The cross-country ride of a lifetime
Jul 31, 2015, 5:01 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Gold, IHG Plat, CC Gold
Posts: 250
Amtrak’s California Zephyr & Coast Starlight: The cross-country ride of a lifetime
Most of the reports I see on FT are via air, but I've got a great one via rail. Here's the intro:
Amtrak Guest Rewards is one of the hidden gems of Ultimate Rewards transfer partners. While mainstream travel hacking is all about flying international First Class, slow travel can be quite rewarding as well. In this trip report, I travel cross-country from Chicago to Seattle via Sacramento on the California Zephyr (50 hours) followed by the Coast Starlight (20 hours), both in the Superliner Roomette First class cabin. This means a private cabin with two chairs and two convertible beds, full meals, showers, and some of the most breath-taking scenery this country has to offer along the way. Where else can you have the luxury of waking up in your own bed for the sunrise over the Sierra Nevadas and having breakfast right next door?
You can find the rest and the pictures here. Enjoy!
http://focusedflyer.com/2015/07/29/r...of-a-lifetime/
Amtrak Guest Rewards is one of the hidden gems of Ultimate Rewards transfer partners. While mainstream travel hacking is all about flying international First Class, slow travel can be quite rewarding as well. In this trip report, I travel cross-country from Chicago to Seattle via Sacramento on the California Zephyr (50 hours) followed by the Coast Starlight (20 hours), both in the Superliner Roomette First class cabin. This means a private cabin with two chairs and two convertible beds, full meals, showers, and some of the most breath-taking scenery this country has to offer along the way. Where else can you have the luxury of waking up in your own bed for the sunrise over the Sierra Nevadas and having breakfast right next door?
You can find the rest and the pictures here. Enjoy!
http://focusedflyer.com/2015/07/29/r...of-a-lifetime/
Jul 31, 2015, 5:39 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Home: East Mids UK - Work (Base): Accra, Ghana.
Programs: BAEC: Silver - Marriott: Titanium
Posts: 12,086
Wonderful post kpowed…!
I have amazingly fond memories of Amtrak, it being a big part of my first big adventure in 2005…!
I wanted to travel the US for about 6 weeks, and could have bought an air-pass, but decided to look at other options. Those being Greyhound or Amtrak. I had always been a train fan, so that is what I opted for… During my journey, I travelled on the following:
Lake Shore Limited - New York to Chicago.
Empire Builder - Chicago to Seattle (non-stop).
Coast Starlight - Seattle to San Francisco (Emeryville).
I was then supposed to travel from Los Angeles across the southern states over to Florida, but I can't remember the name of the train, but Hurricane Katrina happened and that changed. So, I re-routed back to the north and travelled on:
California Zephyr - San Francisco (Emeryville) to Chicago.
Lake Shore Limited - Chicago to New York.
Palmetto (?) - New York to Washington and back to New York again.
I thoroughly enjoyed Amtrak, met some amazing people along the way, and am still in touch with some of them to this date.
We are very lucky as visitors from outside the US, to get a very good deal on Amtrak, with unlimited travel (or it was at the time) for a set price in a regular seat, and sectors could be upgraded to sleepers, same as yours, and it was amazing…!
Sorry, a long post… But your report brought back amazing memories…
Thank you.
I have amazingly fond memories of Amtrak, it being a big part of my first big adventure in 2005…!
I wanted to travel the US for about 6 weeks, and could have bought an air-pass, but decided to look at other options. Those being Greyhound or Amtrak. I had always been a train fan, so that is what I opted for… During my journey, I travelled on the following:
Lake Shore Limited - New York to Chicago.
Empire Builder - Chicago to Seattle (non-stop).
Coast Starlight - Seattle to San Francisco (Emeryville).
I was then supposed to travel from Los Angeles across the southern states over to Florida, but I can't remember the name of the train, but Hurricane Katrina happened and that changed. So, I re-routed back to the north and travelled on:
California Zephyr - San Francisco (Emeryville) to Chicago.
Lake Shore Limited - Chicago to New York.
Palmetto (?) - New York to Washington and back to New York again.
I thoroughly enjoyed Amtrak, met some amazing people along the way, and am still in touch with some of them to this date.
We are very lucky as visitors from outside the US, to get a very good deal on Amtrak, with unlimited travel (or it was at the time) for a set price in a regular seat, and sectors could be upgraded to sleepers, same as yours, and it was amazing…!
Sorry, a long post… But your report brought back amazing memories…
Thank you.
Jul 31, 2015, 9:17 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP (3MM), DL PM, BONVOY TITANIUM, HYATT GLOBALIST, HILTON DIAMOND, IHG DIAMOND AMB, et al
Posts: 5,913
Excellent trip report and great photos, kpowed! ^
Similar to BingBongBoy, it brought back great memories of my first solo cross-country trip which involved taking the Capital Limited, Southwest Chief, and Coast Starlight from Washington DC to Seattle. Thanks for sharing!
-FlyerBeek
Similar to BingBongBoy, it brought back great memories of my first solo cross-country trip which involved taking the Capital Limited, Southwest Chief, and Coast Starlight from Washington DC to Seattle. Thanks for sharing!
-FlyerBeek
Aug 1, 2015, 12:22 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Dmd,Hyatt Glbl,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat,Accor Gold
Posts: 10,820
A great TR, in terms of both the trip itself and your guidance on how to book it. Definitely got me interested in doing something like this. Thanks very much!