train seattle to anaheim

[CantWaitToGo2007]

Has anyone ever taken the train from Seattle area to Anaheim? I can get a sleeper car (with meals included) for about the same price as plane tickets.

Thanks
Nanette

 

[dreamin_disney]

i never have. I tried looking at taking a train trip but couldnt find amtrak train port in my area.

How many hours from Seatttle to anaheim?

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

It's 35 hours and I found a great deal. $800 round trip for two people with a sleeper car and all meals included. It's almost $800 for roundtrip airfare.

 

[ScooterL]

I have a friend who did Seattle - San Diego. The thing you have to be aware of is that Amtrak has the LOWEST priority on the railroad (they lease track usage from whoever really owns them), so if there's delays with freight trains, Amtrak is the first to get bumped and delayed. They ended up arriving in San Diego about 8 hours late because of that. Other than that it sounded like a really great experience!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I've heard that the northern end of the trip is very nice, but once you get towards SoCal the delays add up and there's so many stops it starts to become boring. Personally, I love taking the train, and as long as you don't have an impatient traveller with you (like a toddler!) I think it would be fun!

 

[barkley]

I have a friend who did Seattle - San Diego. The thing you have to be aware of is that Amtrak has the LOWEST priority on the railroad (they lease track usage from whoever really owns them), so if there's delays with freight trains, Amtrak is the first to get bumped and delayed. They ended up arriving in San Diego about 8 hours late because of that. Other than that it sounded like a really great experience!

BINGO!!!!

we did davis (ca) to the olympia station 2 years ago and it took about 10 hours longer in both directions than the time tables read. we were told that this is the norm because of amtrack's priority on the tracks. the issue you run into is that some of the train staff are only permitted to work so many hours in a row (safety with operating the train) so if delays pushes them to their max you have to pull into a station and sit and wait....................................................................................until they can call in the person who was supposed to take over the shift (and that person might be at a station a couple of hundred miles away).

be aware-sleeper cars are REALY small. if you're looking at the ones set up for just two people they are not much wider than about 3/4'rs the size of a double bed mattress. they have two seats that face each other that flip out to become the bed at which point you have no floor space. we had one of the larger 'family size' sleepers and ended up leaving one of the bunk berths open the entire trip to provide some extra room (it seemed like after the first several hours of daylight the folks in the 2 person rooms left to sit in the coach cars so they could stretch out a bit).

if you go for it make sure to tell your hotel to hold your room for whenever you arrive-and figure out how to get from the station to your hotel (car rental places are'nt generaly open at 3 in the morning nor are hotel shuttle vans-we had to spend more than we anticipated to use a cab which entailed quite a long wait at that hour and then hope the rental car agency had'nt cancelled our ressie).

 

[travelgirl06]

We did San Luis Obispo to Seattle and it was lovely with the sleeper cars. It is far too long of a trip not to do the roomette, but if you are going first class and have the time, it's pretty nice. The rooms are tiny, but nice and quiet and the dining car food is pretty good. They also have a special lounge car for First Class, which is a great place to relax.

The delays do start to add up, but if you're not in a rush, it's a great way to see a gorgeous part of the country.

We brought lots of books and snacks/beverages for the ride (snacks/non-mealtime sodas are not included in the fare, but there is coffee, juice, water, and sometimes fruit available in the first class cars, but we were glad to have some of our own snacks) and we were very happy.

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

Thanks for the info everyone.

The original plan was to go to anaheim, but I think we are going to go to San Diego instead (I know a trip with no disney ). I watched a video on you-tube that showed a roomette. They are so much smaller than amtrak makes them out to be! I think I may delay our trip a year and go for the larger, more expensive sleeping room. Plus if I wait a little longer I can use my parents timeshare Free room with kitchen is so worth it. I know it's a lot faster to fly, but I was lucky enough to have parents that gave me tons of life experiences and I want to be able to do the same for my son.

Nanette

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

$800 for roundtrip airfare??????
Where are you looking? Southwest costs about $150/per person round trip.
I honestly can't imagine spending 35 hours on a train - you can fly out so cheap. Try alaska and southwest.
You can fly to san diego for about the same cost.