Well, I enjoyed your report. I've transferred some OnePass miles to Amtrak for my first domestic "sleeper" experience, so I'm curious what to expect. (I also may transfer some miles to use in the UA program, but that's another story).

I was also thinking of taking my family on a x-country rail trip for the novelty of it (not sure these will exist in a few years), but when I asked the Guest Rewards agent about that award, I was told no stopovers are permitted. Is that true? I think we might enjoy a few days on a train if we could stop a couple times, but otherwise I'm afraid it could get tedious. Thoughts?