12 Things Nobody Tells You About Amtrak 

No one tells you, you can be served your meals in your room if you choose. you can use your Amtrak points for free access to the lounges (if you have enough points). I am a solo traveler, so I like the option of being able to keep my bags in my room and not having to check them, or keep them on the baggage rack on the lower level. No one tells you (but you guys) that you can bring your own food on the train. The more I travel the more good food places I have found near the stations. Tip the dining car attendant good and you can get some good off the menu options, like sandwiches and chef salads and bacon cheese burgers made to order for you.

Hi guys!!! Love your channel and all the insights you share for Amtrak travel. My husband and I recently rode the Sunset Limited from Houston (our home) to New Orleans and back. We had coach seats which were perfectly fine for this trip. We spent lots of time in the observation car at one of the tables and discovered it was rather dirty. So another thing people should know is to bring Clorox wipes or wet ones to clean pull down trays, tables, etc. Cheers!

After watching your videos, I felt like I was a confident rider and knew all about the services and where things were on the train. Including that IT IS GOING TO BE LATE. The train will arrive when it arrives. Make sure your arrival has some flexibility. Thank you for your educational and informative videos. It makes things easier. If you are in a roomette, it is possible not only that the top bunk will be too cold, but the bottom bunk will be way too hot. This is because of where the heater is vs. where the vent is. The heater controls sometimes do not work at all, other times they are a suggestion. So if you have one person who likes it cold and another one who likes it warm, plan accordingly. I second the duct tape and cardboard applications (also using towels and wash cloths) to control the ventilation as needed. It's a 50 year old train that has been rebuilt a few times; plan accordingly that not everything is going to work right. Some of the bedrooms have a rolling door that opens up into the next bedroom to make a bedroom suite. This door rattles badly when it's closed. If you jam a wash cloth into the space between the door and the bathroom wall, it will quiet it down. The front bedroom "A" is smaller than the other bedrooms because of the angled hallway. Bring an outlet strip with a 4 to 6 foot cord! It will make all the difference on your trip if you have multiple people trying to share one outlet. This applies to coach, bedrooms, and roomettes. Some of the newer ones have more than a single outlet, but you don't know ahead of time what you will get. If you lessen your expectation that this is not a 5 star hotel, but is actually a 50 year old train that is run by Congress, you will just roll with all the foibles and shortcomings of travel by Amtrak and enjoy yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for your food (or your dessert) to go, and eat it back in your room at your leisure.

Booked a roomette for my first cross country Amtrak trip in May from Portland Or to NYC then boarding the Queen Mary 2 to Europe. I will be returning the same way... Thanks for all the good advice.

To be fair to Amtrak, I would guess 80% of the delays are due to freight companies ignoring the Federal rules of giving Amtrak priority. The freights now are also so long they won't fit on the sidings so Amtrak will get pulled over for every freight going the other way. About 10% of my delays have been weather related. The other 10% have been Amtrak. They really do try to make it but it just isn't possible most trips.

Last year I rode 5 trains in 12 days and every one was either on time or early. I was amazed.

You guys are a God send!They don’t tell you: They will leave you at the end of fresh air breaks. “No All Aboard any more !” They don’t tell you that they are always, always, always 95 Late!

Door rattle: I was in a SuperLiner roomette on the Empire builder. The door had a terrible and annoying rattle. A fellow passenger and very much a veteran Train rider showed me that he brings small, rubber door stop wedges that will slip in between the door and the floor or the door and the frame. They hold in place with compression and friction. They're about $2.00 for a package of two at The Home Depot. They work great. They leave no residue. Last forever. Take up very little room. Standup robot and cold temps. They're inconspicuous. I've had mine sing 2000. The look almost new and work flawlessly. Showing

Red Cap is clutch!!! The walk from the train to the lounge in DC is a hike. The lady in the lounge saw how I was struggling when I got there and offered the service to me. So much better to have a 1 minute walk.

I have paid the $25 access fee for the Metropolitan lounge in Chicago and felt it was well worth the money.

HI! I’ve booked my very first Amtrak trip for September from HAR to NOL. Your videos have been a very good tutorial and great incentive for me to use Amtrak for this trip. Thanks! Keep up the great work!

My family took Amtrak coach from Philadelphia to Orlando last week and loved it! All of your videos really prepared me and the staff went above and beyond for us. I wanted to use Red Cap, but my husband didn’t think it was necessary. Wouldn’t you know that a young gentleman Red Cap approached us and helped us with checking luggage, escorting us down to the track ahead of the train arriving, and spoke to the Conductor on our behalf.?! We felt like VIPs. What service! The onboard staff helped us find seats and really looked out for everyone onboard. I was also happy to have heard your warning about bathroom cleanliness and came prepared with lysol wipes. That would be my only complaint- the state of the bathrooms after such a long trip. Some of us slept better than others, but overall, for $79/person, we would absolutely do it again!! Loved the views and overall experience.

I travel with painter tape. It's has a strong hold, and it doesn't leave a residue. It came in handy during my cross country and back Amtrak trip. I like sleeping with a fan. I was able to tape my handheld fan to the window. I enjoyed sitting in my roomette with the door opened and curtain drawn. The tape kept the door from sliding back and forth.

Also, this is TMI but so are the toilets, haha. There's no water in the bowl, so put toilet paper down before you go #2. That way you don't leave skidmarks for all your neighbors to see. And your poo gets a magic carpet ride. :)

I bid up from a roomette to a bedroom on the California Zephyr CHI-EMY for $250 and WON! They even gave me 24 hour notice

I booked a room on the California Zephyr and was given room 14, which I know is right next to the family bedroom. I saw the next day that roomettes were still being sold, so called to see if it would be possible to switch my room to a different number and they said yes, but the price had gone up over $200 since the day before, and I would have to pay the difference. I just stuck with room 14 and brought some headphones and it wasn't too bad.

I did not know about BidUp until this video! Thanks for mentioning it. I might try upgrading to a roomette on the Empire Builder segment of my upcoming trip.

I have added foam wedges to my travel supplies stash. Although my intent is to use them on the inevitable rattle points in Viewliner car accommodations, I suspect Superliner accommodations have the same "opportunities", and we have even stayed at a reasonably decent hotel where our room door rattled a bit from nearby HVAC or other equipment operation. I chose some unusual cosmetic applicators, but you can cut chunks from a pool noodle. I prefer the springiness over duct tape and prefer leaving no residue; but they won't block or reduce air flow.

I always plan on taking the roomette and always bid up at the minimum. If I get the room great if not good also. Also always check the room prices. I recently got the family bedroom on the City Of New Orleans for less than 100 bucks over roomette.

Building on the credit for a late train point, you are also entitled to a full refund of your fare (regardless of the cancellation policy attached to the fare type) if your train is more than an hour late on the corridor, two hours everywhere else, and you decide not to ride. You are also entitled to be re-booked on another train, if available, without paying any fare difference.

chicago lounge is also great

All of you all's points were very educational and helpful. Thank you.

Luv ur videos. I'm getting ready for my trip to KS from northern CA. Followed your tips when I booked, was able to get a big discount, Senior and handicap discounts. Also booked first week in October, which im thankful i did. Booking showed return trip already 40% full. Can't change my arrival and departure time, 2:43 am, in Kansas but still looking forward to my trip to visit my son. Ty for all your advice.

Love your channel 😊

I agree between you and Jed Brooks, both of you give us the truth of the time it takes to travel long distance by train. I have been caught by trains expectations, I caught one of the Australian trains when they changes a century old trip and it started taking about two hours longer.

Great tips, thanks!

The GulfCoast has no Amtrak since early 2000's. It only went east at 2am on Monday and Saturday going back west. One time I was coming back from Newark to Pensacola and it stopped in Jacksonville and we waited over 6 hours in the train station on hard plastic seats or the floor with more people than there were seats. No food available in the station as well. I never knew they gave discounts.

I love watching this video. I'm going on am track in august

Thank you always with the info you supply❤love all your videos!

Thank you.

Thank you so much for the great video advice you give us. They have prepared us greatly for our journey. We did the California Zephyr from Little Rock- to Reno, Nevada. 😊

Thank you. Very helpful.

Thanks for all of the helpful videos about Amtrak. Will be following your advice later this year after my retirement.

I love watching your channel I’ve always loved the trains ever since I was a little girl and thank you so much for the information that you always give it’s so valuable thank you again have a blessed one

Hey guys I enjoy your channel. We have a trip planned for September with 2 roomettes right across the aisle from each other we are going from Chicago to New Orleans and then to Houston. Thanks for the insight

Best tip you gave: you WILL be late 🙂 Plan for it, expect it, roll with it! You can purchase the lounge access using your points! I always do that in NYC since I don't book a sleeper for the trip home. It's "scheduled" for 4 hours. There have been times I wish I booked a sleeper though! LOL... On several of the NE Corridor trains, business class is the back end of the snack car and is a "quiet" car. You can also have single seat accommodations if you're solo. I usually book this for my home trip. A biggie... Bring clorox wipes! The bathrooms can get a bit "iffy" on busy routes.

Okay, just bought a ticket for this summer. Can't wait!

Great video! It's funny, I just started riding Amtrak a year ago. After I booked my first ticket last year, I found your guys' channel and have been hooked ever since. Thanks to you guys I was well prepared for my trip and new that my train could potentially be very late. My first ride was on the Texas Eagle from Fort Worth to Los Angeles and because it arrives so early, I was really hoping it would be late, but it wasn't. It was actually an hour early! And even yesterday I rode on the Texas Eagle again back to Fort Worth, and we had to use a connecting bus from Temple to Fort Worth, we still weren't late. As far as lateness, so far on the Texas Eagle, that hasn't been an issue for me. It has, however, on other trains.

I am so glad I watched your video! I am having a hard time finding a train that goes to Banff National Park. I will keep on looking !

Thank you😊

New to your channel, thanks for uploading! I'm considering taking the train from Chicago to Frisco

Great vid you guys! I love AMTRAK and all the great employees, they actually look out for you. As a single guy they also got me great dinner-mates ;) Let me add that they can let anyone abusing the system out, off the train, anywhere! Yeah, the middle of nowhere if you’re abusive. Question: The Roomette bunk is parallel to the direction of travel, which is preferred. Are the bunks in the larger bedrooms the same? It looks like they are perpendicular.

Many of the discounts have on major issue, they don't stack. I.e. if they have a sale, you don't get to apply a veteran's discount. Note that often these sales end up being less expensive than a regular ticket with the applicable discount. In other words, all too often you don't get discounts you were expecting. So read the information on the order.

As always another great video you two. We have so much to learn about traveling the trains in the US. We learned about Europe trains by riding them. But we would like to know more before we do it in the US. You mentioned calling for a voucher for late running trains. 2 questions, how late before they issue vouchers, and how much should we expect a voucher to be for?

I've known about delays, discounts, upgrade bidding, & 2 for 1 fares. The Metropolitan Lounge came along during the '90's & was once only offered in NYC, DC, & Chicago. I remember Red Caps long before wheels were placed on baggage when everything needed to be hand carried. Amtrak makes its money on the Northeast Corridor. Overnight long distance trains is where they're losing money. Many will drive or fly than to ride a train unless they have time to kill-most popular for students, train enthusiasts, Seniors, & tourists. Railroads knew they didn't have a chance at competing with airlines when fares became more affordable. Not many people will spend 3 days on a cross-country train opposed to a 5 hr. non-stop flight Enter Amtrak after railroads threw in the towel. Amtrak has no competing railroads and is doing whatever it can to stay afloat by cutting costs. Today the focus is more about getting people to destinations safely.

I booked my first train ride from New Orleans to Lancaster Pennsylvania And your videos have been so helpful to me and doing this I will definitely be using the red cap service when changing trains Because I am handicaps. I'm clumsy. I get tired very easily I got a roommatte For the train, ride from New Orleans to Philadelphia. But I can't pay for it both ways. So hopefully I can upgrade it on the way back.

Yeah both. Nail Thanks! Steven uS NAVY Vet Senior and adventurer from Boston ma😊

Love your channel. Have you considered a sponsored cross country trip.

❤😮 great tip for me to use a flip flop to keep door closed in the roomette since it doesn’t lock from outside. Esp having kids

Thank you guys for sharing those very helpful tips with us, didn't know all of them.😊 Continued safe travels!

Thank you for all of the information that you give about train travel. How much does it cost to purchase a lounge pass?

what is red cap service? you never said

Do you tp the car attendant?

I found on my trip out west that when in the middle of nowhere, no internet service of any kind was available. You'd have to wait until you approached a town of reasonable size to get internet. GPS-related services, like speed and location, were always available, though. Of the seven trains I took, only one was more than 90 minutes late, so the two connections I had to make, each of 3 hours, were no problem. And in New Orleans, the connections are always overnight!

That’s Victorville. I get off there on the southwest chief to my aunts and it’s the middle of the night and it’s usually just me and one other person lol.

We once skipped a station stop on the Empire Builder going into Chicago, to make up time. I like the lack of wifi - it’s a forced disconnect. I know I’m in a small minority for liking that.

Never having been in a room, I wonder if there's a way to bungee the door to keep the door from sliding open when not locked from inside? Would be easy enough to stretch a bungee open to remove from outside, when returning from bathroom or dining car, etc.

I live along the North East Corridor and take NJ Transit between Trenton & NYC. Most of the time the question is not *will* the Amtrak train be late, it is *how* late will it be...

Are the Northeast trains usually on time, or close enough? If I want to go to Orlando from Boston is it safe to make NY train reservations on same day?

How do you check about the lounge access? Call? Online?

For the doors I use a washcloth to prevent it from sliding open and closed. Works better than a flip flop.

Amtrak only compensate if it's due to there circumstances. I was left in Albuquerque new mexico after a frieght derailment. They rebook trip back .

The idea that you just have to assume it will be late is a reason they aren't really competitive for travel dollars.

You didn't mention the cost of lounge access. It is $35 for most where available and $50 at Moynihan in New York. Are a few moments of relaxation and some snacks worth that much?

Hi guys we live your videos and seen them all & look forward to the next ones. My husband and I would like to take the California Zephyr from Chicago - L. A. My husband is a senior we both are retired. We are asking how often do we check for BOGO or other discounts instead of paying full price. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks from Tennessee

Amtrak has a new train called the Borealis that will begin running the third week of may from Minneapolis Union Station to Chicago Union Station

Where can you find the info about what you are seeing out of the windows on the train?

My advice: "Don't go coach if your trip is more than 24 hours because there's no way to get comfortable in those seats!"

Can you put a small strip of duct tape on the outside of your room door when you leave the room for lunch or anything else to keep it from sliding open? If so, will the duct tape actually work?

What’s redcap service?

I wish I thought about calling about vouchers - my last trip was HORRIBLE!

If your train is late, what is the situation if you are transferring to an Amtrak bus to take you to your final destination?

How do you bid for a sleeper? Being late is a real problem when you need to get a connection for the next train on the same day. The Lake shore Limited being late coming into Chicago made me miss the California Zepher and Empire builder on separate trips. If planning to be late then I would have to book a hotel overnight which will add to my travel expense. This is a real problem in which you have said. We have things stolen out of our suitcase in the super liner. It was stored downstairs. The thief was on the same floor. Your information is very useful. Thanks for your teamwork. JH

Good day to you. I know yall don't normally talk about Philadelphia 30th Street Station. However, can I pay for access to the Lounge in 30th Street Station?

New camera?

❤❤

How about heinz 57 sauce? Also, couldn't you use that duct tape to close the door. I'm pro America, but this sounds like a 4th world country. Really enjoyed the shows.

Nobody tells you that arriving to Chicago and having a layover that you will be kicked to the rainy streets of downtown Chicago. Not a good situation for a handicapped person like me. This was after Amtrak attendant broke my walking staph leaving me with severe mobility issues.

What is an average tip for Redcap service? $5?, $20?, $20 per person?

We are planning our first amtrack trip Flagstaff to Pittsburgh with our bikes to bike pack a few trails. Do you have any suggestions how to handle the bikes? Great tips! Thanks

What’s redcap?

May want to explain what red cap service is

So, if I’m traveling overnight in Economy, is there a place to plug in my CPAP machine?

I am not sure if this is the right place for this question, but here goes. I am on supplemental O2 and would need an electric socket for long routes, to recharge my batteries and to use my machine. Looking at booking two roomettes from Spokane to Chicago and then the Cardinal to Indianapolis and back for a summer vacation. I would be traveling with my husband in the other roomette as my portable O2 machine takes up quite a bit of room. Would it be better to book an accessible cabin instead? Or should we just plan to go be car? My husband's family were all railroad people and I know he'd love the train ride. Do you know of any RU-vidrs that talk about accessibility on the train?

What is your yearly budget? It sounds like you both live on about $50,000. Is it less than that? From some of the prices you quote it seems like you could live on $35,000/yr.

"Buy one get one" doesn't sound very special. That's the way it's supposed to work! :)

On the California Zephr now. I’ve a unpleasant experience. No air in room. The vent control out of order so I basically have to sleep like coach with door open all night (roommette) lest I suffocate. I was ignored for lunchtime. I had to remind them twice of my meal. They were about to offer coach passengers meal with a price over me. Well, I paid over $2,000 for my trip ! No blanket in room. I was given wrong menu as well (New Orleans) on the California Zephr. I was ignored again then was told they had none left so girl across from me lend me hers. My 1st experience, took your advice, I’m even wearing your t shirt now. A lot of stress & headache. I’ll probably won’t ride sleeper anymore (USA)side. Will try the Canadian rail next time.

I love train travel. But the noise of the horn from the engine means I could not sleep at all. Ear plugs don’t help. Want to take another trip but sleeping is a good thing.

WiFi isn’t that great on ViaRail, either.

A1 sauce?

SAD. You just told me in the last video that I watched that only NY and CHI lounges were nice, now you say they are nice and i can buy a lounge pass.

I do take medicine need to be refrigerated can I use the refrigerator on Amtrak Trains

I have two things. 1. No one tells you about parking to catch a train. (I came from a small town and drove to the train station, but had to park about 1/2 a mile away from the train station at $9.00 a days.) 2. When I rode the train a person that worked on the train came and checked my ticket and kept it. A few minutes later someone else came to check my ticket and I told him I already had my ticket checked. It got very stressful when the 2nd man told me I had to have a ticket. My sister still had her ticket, I don't know why the first man took my ticket and not my sister's. We were in a sleeper car and my sister spoke up to tell him she would not be having a stranger ride in her car and he needed to go find the man that took my ticket. Needless to say, should the first man have taken my ticket and not returned it? It was my first time riding a train so I thought I did the right thing when he asked for it. What is the rule? I would like to ride the train again someday and need to know if I hand over my ticket or show it and then hang on to it.

Recently did the auto train from Florida. Arrived 10 hours late …. Never again 27 hours without any stops that you can get outside at all … we did get a $400 refund between 3 of us but not worth it

If I was a woman traveling alone, I would find the inability to lock the doors really disturbing from a safety standpoint.

Senior discount 10% $1.99

When they sell out the train you are forced to sit in the cafe car the entire trip.

Here is all you need to know, poorly maintained trains staffed by surley individuals.

Amtral socks. Took a intrastate trip last year. Should've been a 3 hour trip but 15 minutes pulling away the positive control system broke down and the testing couldn't move. Stopped in a field behind a plant. It wasn't fixed for 6 hours. People were getting off with luggage and walked to the next station to arrange other transportation. I should've taken an Uber or even a Greyhound bus.

Announcements made by Amtrak employees (not good with the English language), like to ramble on and say nothing. Poor Amtrak training and supervision.