Great video! I just completed a round trip on the Zephyr in April and about the nicest compliments I can make are we arrived ahead of schedule on both trips and the scenery was incredible! I rode this same route thirty years ago and it was amazing! However,this time I found the train to be filthy! Not only that,but there was a very unpleasant odor in the sleeper cars and finding a room attendant was difficult. Meals were served Luke warm and on our last days lunch was served from ten thirty until eleven thirty. Many did not get to eat. We had only one section of the trip with any sort of tour guide and that was it. I will go on another trip ,however I was very disappointed on the lack of service on this trip.
Thanks for the thorough feedback from your trip. I'd agree that the cleanliness and service is very dependent on the car attendant who's tied to your room throughout the journey. This might have been one of the older sleeper cars as well. I believe they only have a volunteer docent in the view car between Sacramento and maybe Reno? Short meals can be a possibility when there's a final stop soon. Sorry you didn't enjoy it more but I'm glad you liked the scenery.
Meals were all pretty even. Maybe the veggie chili with bacon on top was my favorite. The first night, everyone slept well as we crossed the desert. Better than usual, actually. The next night wasn't as good as we tried to make up lost time on more curvy track.
I rode the California Zephyr from Chicago to Sacramento in 1952. I was 4 years old then. I can still remember the smell of the dining car. It was winter time so crossed the sierra's through the many snow sheds. I have always wanted to relive that ride.
First class roomette? Amtrak doesn't have first-class private rooms or know how to make it first class. Do you want to a first-class private train room? then ride a train in the Middle East or an Asian country. The private rooms on amtrak are just overpriced tiny holes with barely any room. The only thing you're paying for is privacy. All the other amenities on the train are open to all train riders, so yeah you don't get anything nice other then privacy and a free meal. It's definitely not first class.
Please tell me what makes your trip considered First Class. Is it that you booked a sleeper? I'm trying to understand how a person is able to use the Metropolitan Lounge in stations that have one. Thanks
Yes, I believe the sleeper makes it first class. There's no lounge in San Francisco, but I used the one in Chicago ahead of the second leg of the trip. Not sure how other lounges stack up, but I was unimpressed with the one in Chicago. Plenty of seating but only a few bags of chips for food.
Tough to say. First class meals on domestic airlines have improved a lot. The meal in my ANA video was excellent. I usually only get snack boxes if flying economy. Amtrak has some good food on the long distance routes if they have a dining car such as on this route.
This was part of a round-trip flight from San Francisco to Delhi. Tickets were very reasonable at around $2600 each. I think Japan was closed to visitors at the time of purchase, which likely reduced the price. Japan opened about a month before this flight, which meant I spent a 16 hour stopover in Tokyo after filing tons of paperwork. Direct fares from SFO to HND tend to be much more expensive
I've taken this from Sacramento to Granby, Co to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. Ive done that probably 5-6 times. I've also taken the coast starlight and empire builder from Sacramento to Portland and Portland to east glacier, to go to glacier national park.Probably did that 10-12 times. You go through the cascades, the Columbia River Gorge and wake up going thru western Montana. Spectacular doesnt even begin to describe it! I like both but have to give it to goung to glacier. I will say, it's only 1 night going on the zephyr vs.2 nights going to Montana
I've taken the Coast Starlight from Seattle to San Francisco and will have a video soon. Looking forward to the second half down to LA sometime. The trip to Glacier sounds nice. I've driven there from Seattle but never took the train.
@@thebayrambler there's nothing like that trip. You take the starlight and change to the builder in Portland. You go over an awesome train trestle over the Columbia River right Vancouver, WA. From there, follow the Gorge then up to Pasco and Spokane. Wake up the 2nd morning at East glacier, right across the street from glacier Park lodge. Talk about a rail fans dream. They come off from Marias Pass. Its still my all time favorite vacation destination, and the train is just as much fun as glacier
That's the inherent problem with high-speed rail here--the US is really big. TGV travels about 199 mph at top commuting speeds, and this trip is about 2150 miles. Non-stop from SF to Chicago would take almost 11 hours non-stop. SF to NYC would be over 14.5 hours versus a flight, which is 5.25 hours. I love taking the Shinkansen and Eurostar, but they rely on a population density beyond many parts of the US. Boston-NYC-DC might work, and SF-LA, but I don't know if anything outside those markets is feasible.
Thanks for the amazing video - I'm doing this trip n a few weeks. May I ask where you catch the Amtrak shuttle from? I'm staing at the Hilton in Union Square. Cheers.
I haven't done any trips from LA yet. You have a few options to get from LA to Chicago, then on to NY. I hear they're not as good as the California Zephyr, but I'm sure they're fine and have nice scenery. The Southwest Chief is probably the most direct.
Nepal was the surprise stop of this trip. The natural beauty of the country and the energy of Kathmandu makes me want to return. I only had three days there, so I feel I barely experienced it.
You're correct. I think of the whole body of water connecting to the Sacramento River as SF Bay, but it's subdivided into other bays north of the Richmond Bridge. San Pablo Bay, Grizzly Bay, Suisun Bay, etc.
It's a good question. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's identical views each way due to daylight hours. The views also depend on the train running on schedule, which rarely happens.
@@thebayrambler thanks! I'm hoping to go from San Francisco to Chicago this August, and yours is the first video I've found of the Zephyr going in this direction :)
You should see most of the Rockies on the trip even if you're running late. We missed the last part into Denver because it grew dark, but saw the rest. Have fun!
I took this trip in 2018 and went single (65 YO male). I was smart enough to get a roomette. You would have to be crazy and stupid to ride "coach" on a trip that long. My journey was 57 hours total. I love trains and the scenery was fantastic. Three days and two nights. I had a great time and want to take another Amtrak trip, soon.
@@thebayrambler Great video...I really enjoyed watching it. There are many things that were fine when we were younger. I really enjoyed having my own room for privacy and an occasional nap...not to mention that my roomette was on the bottom floor of the car and the restrooms were 20 ft. away and the shower a little closer. Plus, all the meals were included with the ticket. Prices have doubled for my same trip and roomette since Sept. 2018.
Did this trip on the original CZ. Remember much of it to this day. Train was classic luxury. Scenery was breathtaking. The Vista Dome cars offered an amazing 360 degree view experience.
$1222 covered a one-way sleeping car ticket from San Francisco to Chicago, one night at the Drake Hotel, and a coach ticket from Chicago to Cleveland. This was booked through Amtrak Vacations, but I probably wouldn't use them again
This wasn't a problem since their baggage allowances are similar to other airlines (50 lbs / 23 kg). Daily clothing consisted mainly of bathing suits, shorts, and flip-flops, so my suitcase was lighter than on most other trips. If you're bringing scuba equipment or similar, there's a sports equipment section on their website that might help and there are other classes of tickets with heavier allowances. www.airtahiti.com/en/checked-baggage
I went from Chicago to Klamath Falls Oregon. It was the trip of a lifetime; magnificent. Nowt,ten years later I hope to go from California to Chicago, my home town. Thanks for this video.
