Passenger Trains > New Here, Looking for Help Planning a Trip on Amtrak

Hi all, 

Just found, and joined, here today. I'm amazed at all of the people and knowledge I've found here in only an hour.  I took my two boys (ages 5 and 10) on the AutoTrain last March. It was a first for all of us - overnight, sleeping and eating on a train. My and my oldest instantly fell in love with it (the youngest too early to tell). I just spent a nice chunk of $$$ purchasing an Amtrak Superliner / AutoTrain train set for under the tree this year to relive our trip.  B/c these trips are not cheap I decided to sign up for the Amtrak Mastercard - they were running a promotion for 30k bonus miles. 

So for the last few months I've been putting everything on the card and now have over 53,000 points.  Just in time for my 10 year old's birthday coming up.  I got my wife (who wants nothing to do with riding on trains especially overnight) to agree to let me take him on a trip. Quite honestly he doesn't care about the destination and just wants to take another ride, anywhere, on the Amtrak overnight (me too!). I found this cool site (http://biketrain.x10.mx/amsnag2.0/amSnag.php) that allows me to scan for low prices/buckets. Am thinking right now of taking him on the Capitol Ltd in April. Literally take it #29 up from WAS to CHI, walk around the city for a few hours, and hop on #30 back the same day :-)  

Was about to book the trip using all points and then had some questions and found this site.  My questions were:

- Dining: this is an important part of the experience. Did I just read that they've downgraded the dining on the Cap to cold meals in a lounge car?
- Do they serve traditional dining on the Cardinal?
- Should I mix the trip say, go up on the Cap one way and come back on the Cardinal the other?

Anything else I need to think about?

BTW we're definitely booking a full bedroom (not a roomette). My son loves the idea of the in room combo shower toilet.  Showing on board a speeding train is a thrill for him :-)

Bryan
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/19 12:01 by bryher.

If you take the Capitol Limited eat before you board in DC. I had a good steak in Cumberland before we boarded there and was fine. The Box Food is nothing but salt filled food and with my blood pressure eating it was not an option, The Cardinal is a good food option to take back east but you must line up the dates to make it work. Good luck with your trip.

Chris

I've eaten both the Cardinal and LSL/CL menus, and I'd take the box meals every time.  The "omelet" I had on the Cardinal was absolutely foul.  Worst meal I have ever had on Amtrak.  Yeah, it was hot and the continental breakfast in the other trains isn't, but the quality of the latter was way higher.  Lunch/dinner was better, but nothing to write home about.  The pasta was mush and the pot roast was dry.  Now that I think about it, the beef on the Cap was probably better.  Rumor has it the CL menu is getting revamped this month anyway.  Perhaps wait and see if something comes out in the next few weeks.

thanks all. So they both do serve hot dinners? When you say beef does that mean the Capitol has full dining service or did they downgrade that to just boxed meals delivered in a lounge or your room? quality of food doesnt matter to us - more about the experience of sitting down and being waited on. 

bryher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> thanks all. So they both do serve hot dinners?
> When you say beef does that mean the Capitol has
> full dining service or did they downgrade that to
> just boxed meals delivered in a lounge or your
> room? quality of food doesnt matter to us - more
> about the experience of sitting down and being
> waited on. 

There is at this point a single hot dinner/lunch option on the Cap (the full menu is at https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Capitol-Limited-Sleeping-Car-Menu-0518.pdf).  It is full dining service in that there is a dedicated car for dining/lounge service, and you get served at a table/room, as opposed to the takeout cafe car.  It is not "traditional" dining service in that there is no food preperation on board; the meals are boxed airline-style.  The Cardinal is closer to the traditional model in that it has a larger menu and food is served on plates, although its food is all pre made and reheated on board, and passengers are seated in half of a split car, with the other half for passengers purchasing from the takeout cafe.

If the experience is more important, perhaps changing your destination would be a good idea--both the Crescent and Silver Meteor retain the full dining car, with table service and some menu options cooked on board.

keelhauled Wrote:
> There is at this point a single hot dinner/lunch
> option on the Cap (the full menu is at
> https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom
> /english/public/documents/menus/routes/Capitol-Lim
> ited-Sleeping-Car-Menu-0518.pdf).  It is full
> dining service in that there is a dedicated car
> for dining/lounge service, and you get served at a
> table/room, as opposed to the takeout cafe car. 
> It is not "traditional" dining service in that
> there is no food preperation on board; the meals
> are boxed airline-style.  The Cardinal is closer
> to the traditional model in that it has a larger
> menu and food is served on plates, although its
> food is all pre made and reheated on board, and
> passengers are seated in half of a split car, with
> the other half for passengers purchasing from the
> takeout cafe.
>
> If the experience is more important, perhaps
> changing your destination would be a good
> idea--both the Crescent and Silver Meteor retain
> the full dining car, with table service and some
> menu options cooked on board.

Thank you!

Ok so Let me see if I have this right

- Cap: dedicated dining car with hot meals served at table, but in boxes airline style. No china, plates, etc. Bummer :-(
- Cardinal: no dedicated dining car, just use one half of a lounge car. but better meals served on plates. 

Our only comparison is the Auto Train which had both. Full menu, meals served at the table in a dedicated car on plates. 

Really the destination doesn't matter at all since we'll be getting off and right back on. I focused on Chicago as the bedroom rates on the Cap for April are still really low. 

OK will check Crescent and Silver Meteor now. 

 

Not dismissing anything that is posted here, but there is a website that focuses on Amtrak passengers a little more than trainorders.  You might find this helpful:

https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/forum/78-amtrak-faqs-amp-first-time-rider-info/



 

Another plus for the Cardinal, which also includes the Silver Meteor and Star, from a 10-yr-old's perspective:  The Upper bank has a window!

B&OBill

 

kbmiflyer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not dismissing anything that is posted here, but
> there is a website that focuses on Amtrak
> passengers a little more than trainorders.  You
> might find this helpful:
>
> https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/forum/
> 78-amtrak-faqs-amp-first-time-rider-info/
>
>
>
>  

Cool thanks. WIll check it out. 

bandob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Another plus for the Cardinal, which also includes
> the Silver Meteor and Star, from a 10-yr-old's
> perspective:  The Upper bank has a window!
>
> B&OBill
>
>  
Ah ok. He would like that of course!

Take the Cardinal both ways and enjoy the New River Gorge. Plus it doesn't matter if your late as the train turns in Chicago.



Chris

Meal service aside, the Capitol Limited is a nice train with good scenery during daylight hours in April.  You and your son may appreciate the Superliner lounge with oversized windows and outward facing seats.  Single-level trains like the Cardinal and Silver Meteor don't have this feature.  For a few more points and a little more time, you can take a long weekend to cross the country by train, returning by air.  A trip on the California Zephyr is a fantastic way to show a kid how big, varied and beautiful our country is. 

Dave

I would suggest a ride down to Atlanta and back --- The Crescent is a train with full dining car, lounge car, sleepers, and a pleasant ride.  

Out of WAS at 6:30pm (dinner served out of DC) into Atlanta at 8:13am

Plenty to do in Atlanta, including a great rapid transit system interesting museums (all the way from Coke to Civil Rights)

That evening out of ATL at 8:04pm (should be able to have dinner aboard again as it is in the dinner service window) and back into WAS at about 9:45am

The Amtrak station in Atlanta is not central but an easy bus ride or a reasonable walk (I have done the walk many times) gets you to MARTA. 

 

The Capitoal Limited might get the edge in my opinion due to the Superliner equipment - especially the lounge.  

As others have suggested, the dining situation on Amtrak LD trains is in flux. By the time April comes around it may be a good bit different on the Cap (and hopefully better). I'd take one leg each way. Consider one overnight in Chicago, just to stretch your legs if nothing else and see a new place. Chicago is a great city and there is plenty to do in a day downtown.

If you do go to Chicago, don't forget to get some stuffed pizza! Giordano's is my choice, but there are other great options. It even tastes good cold on the train.

Before boarding the Capitol Limited, buy a meal in Washington, DC.  Ride the Capitol in coach class to Pittsburgh.  With the money you by not booking sleeping car accommodations, you could spend a couple of nights at a nice hotel in Pittsburgh and enjoy some nice meals at some of the many fine restaurants here.

What has been said points out something really true, which is each one of the trains to consider is slightly different. I would consider, if possible, a round trip that tries two trains instead of repeating the same train. Additionally, as a resident of Chicago, if you go there I would strongly consider staying at least a day, as the city is way to interesting to skip. Your son might be amazed at the Museum of Science and Industry, or at the tall buildings, or the unique park for kids downtown, or the food, or a bunch of other stuff. 

My thoughts on the trains, which repeat some of what others said:

Capitol Limited: Pros: superliners, lounge, some interesting scenery. Cons: the meal downgrade. That said, as someone who at the beef dinner last summer, it is a downgrade from the dining car that includes service, but I do not see as something to skip that night instead of a meal before getting on. It isn't that bad. What is bad, to me, was the bland, cold breakfast. 

Cardinal: Pros: great scenery on about half of the trip. Cons: longer schedule, tedious route through the midwest. Riding in the roomette is priced higher than Superliner trains and takes more points. Food was the worst before the Capitol's downgrade opened up the competition. 

Taking the Crescent, meets the nice sit down diner, but with its late operation, may not have time in Atlanta to do much.  Course it can be expected to be late on the return northbound too !.

Taking the Cardinal both ways would be my choice, otherwise  Capital one way, Cardinal the other.  The dinette on the Cardinal, even not being a full diner is better then the Capital. Have had some good food in that car..

 

"Taking the Cardinal both ways would be my choice, otherwise  Capital one way, Cardinal the other. The dinette on the Cardinal, even not being a full
 diner is better then the Capital. Have had some  good food in that car"

I agree with Mundo the Cadinal is the way to go.

Chris