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Random question but has anyone ever taken Amtrak cross-country? I've had an idea for a while now to buy a rail pass sometime and do a cross country trip with stops in between.
If you board at Cary, you have to go through Raleigh anyway
Correct. And in case someone reads this thread later, these comments (including the ones about Rocky Mount) are in the specific context of the original post: traveling between Raleigh and the northeast. If someone is traveling from Raleigh to Durham-Greensboro-Charlotte or Southern Pines-Columbia-Savannah-Florida, the context is different. That said, those trains pass through Cary after leaving Raleigh -- so it might make sense to board at Cary instead of Raleigh for several reasons.
If you are catching a northbound train, and are getting dropped off, taking public transit, or taxi/uber/lyft, I recommend Raleigh. Both the Carolinian and Silver Star tend to sit at the platform in Raleigh for a while. There is an Amtrak crew change I believe. It can be frustrating to get on in Cary, ride for 10 minutes, and then sit for 20.
If you are heading north and driving yourself, I reiterate the recommendation to drive to Rocky Mount. It's really not a bad drive.
If you are driving to the station and heading to Florida, get on in Cary. Raleigh is fine too if you don't plan on parking.
If you are going to Greensboro or Charlotte, get on in Raleigh, Durham, or Cary. Doesn't matter, though, again, Cary is better for parking.
I want to do this....can anyone comment on how their sleeping compartments are? I have 3 kids and think they would really enjoy it.
Also how is the wi-fi on these? Consistent and strong?
I found the wifi to be adequate.
The roomettes are really tiny. The rooms are a bit bigger and you have a private compartment inside of them with toilet and shower.
Totally handy for keeping kids comfy on a trip and not worrying about whether they stay in their seats, kick other people's seats due to being excited, etc.
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Did the trip in a roomette with a baby to and from Florida. It was fine. The baby had a bit of a hard time falling and staying asleep - being in such an unfamiliar environment was just too exciting. Wasn't getting upset, just too excited & interested to fall asleep. I now have 3 kids age 1-6 but I still think the same thing would apply. Would be fun and a great experience, but having fun does not equate to good sleep. If you have kids who are old enough to behave, entertain themselves, and take care of themselves - basically middle school age-ish, I think it would be awesome.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pierretong1991
Random question but has anyone ever taken Amtrak cross-country? I've had an idea for a while now to buy a rail pass sometime and do a cross country trip with stops in between.
I have! Although it was 15+ years ago. I have taken the train a lot because I don't like to fly. For the cross country trip, I went from San Diego to LA on a commuter train. Then LA to New Orleans with stops in El Paso and San Antonio that I remember. Then I did New Orleans up to DC. It was quite a long trip. And I did it for transportation reasons primarily rather than sightseeing, but I did spend the day in San Antonio and New Orleans. I only did this trip one way, after flying out to CA.
I've also done DC to Chicago which is very nice and good timing - leaves late afternoon and gets to Chicago in the morning. Did this trip round trip.
When my daughter was 3, she and I did DC to Mississippi on Amtrak to visit a friend. We got a sleeper car that time. Other times I was by myself and slept in the seat. Did this trip roundtrip.
I've done DC to Florida on the regular train going through NC. And I've done the Auto Train numerous times from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL. These were with the whole family usually. The Auto Train beats the regular train by leaps and bounds in every way! For the Auto Train, we often did it one way and drove the other way.
You have to really be the type of person who likes to slow down and enjoy the ride/scenery/down time. If you are anxious to get somewhere and keep comparing it to flying, you will be very unhappy. It's slow, and sometimes there are delays. But you meet some interesting people and get to see a lot of the country that you wouldn't see if you flew.
I did NJ > Cary eons ago. All I remember was getting stuck at Quantico for at least an hour. The train was comfortable enough. Just really, really long. And if you get that one annoying person sitting by you, you're stuck with them for what feels like an eternity.
I used to commute to work from NJ > NYC daily and commuted to high school outside of London, too, so I've seen enough trains in my lifetime... Take my review with a grain of my saltiness haha
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