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My MIL and her friend want to take the Amtrak cross country from Cincinnati to Oakland to come for a visit. They are both in their 70's ... afraid of flying ... and think seeing the country along the way will be fun. Neither of them have a computer, so I am putting together all information to send to them (idea of the itinerary, the size of their sleeping space, eating, etc.)
Note that I have never been on an Amtrak, so I just went off info on their website.
Should they decide to share the bedroom, it looks like it has two bunks, a bathroom with a toilet and a shower. The room is approx. 10' x 7', which seems awfully small to me if they were both to bring 2 suitcases. Is there any sort of storage in the room for the suitcases?
They say the beds convert to chairs for the daytime hours ... Are they comfortable for 70+ year old women?
If you think about two older women doing this, so they can see our beautiful country along the way, do you think they will enjoy it?
Any and all information will be greatly appreciated! I will be mailing their info package on Monday and would love to include personal experiences!
I think it depends entirely on "how old" are these two 70 years old women. Which includes how healthy, active, and 'thinking in the Now' they are. You know what I mean? There's such a difference between individuals.
That they want to do it and are making the plans sounds great; they very well could have a splendid & wonderful time of it. It's a real plus that they'd be traveling together.
The last time I went on Amtrak was in the fall of 2000; I traveled from California to Texas and I think it took about two and a half days. Haha, I went coach so didn't have the benefit of the privacy of a sleeper unit or whatever they are called now. Of course I am younger than these women, but will say that even without the sleeper compartment, i.e., have to sleep just lounged back in a regular seat ~ I wasn't any more tired than the usual stress & jet-laggy thing one associates with flying.
It's true that really beautiful scenery is abundant and it could be a nostalgic trip for them in some ways, as I assume they've probably traveled by rail in the past.
You know, if worse came to worst and they hated it, they could choose a place to disembark and fly the remainder of the trip or turn around and go home.
When traveling by rail, there's lots of time to think about things. I don't think it's wrong to encourage them, all things being equal, if they have the health and stamina for duration of travel.
Marina, they are both physically fit, but showing their age ... if that makes sense. My MIL still does her own yard work, painting around the house, etc. but, they are both very old school. Neither of them are computer literate, neither curse, both read the Bible daily, etc.
Neither of them have ever traveled by rail before, and getting off somewhere would not be an option. I shudder at the thought of this, as they would have no clue what to do.
Because they both hate flying, and really haven't been to a lot of places, I think they would really enjoy the train trip. But, I have always been adventurous .... I am 48 and dying to take off for a year RV'ing around the country .... or, buy a boat and cruise for a few years!
Only train trip we have been on is the Auto Train from Wash, DC area to Florida. The east coast travel probably cannot be compared to travel out west. There is too much congestion on the east coast. It was hard to sleep because the train sped up and slowed down so often, plus it had many crossings and switches to bump over, causing a lot of noise and rumbling. I would suspect that out west there are much greater stretches of smooth track, that would allow for a good night's sleep with only an occasional bump.
Only train trip we have been on is the Auto Train from Wash, DC area to Florida. The east coast travel probably cannot be compared to travel out west. There is too much congestion on the east coast. It was hard to sleep because the train sped up and slowed down so often, plus it had many crossings and switches to bump over, causing a lot of noise and rumbling. I would suspect that out west there are much greater stretches of smooth track, that would allow for a good night's sleep with only an occasional bump.
I just looked CIN-OAK would require 2 connections on the train along the way. With the small cabin for the long train run the cost is about $100 less then a NON/Stop 1st/biz ticket on airline from CIN-SFO.
I know they don't 'like' to fly. But get them a 1st/biz ticket the FA will be all over them for few hours in Large Comfortable seats.
As one of the other posters mentioned, it depends a lot on the ladies involved. If they are not all doped up on 15 different kinds of medication, I'm sure they will enjoy the trip.
You want to tell them to pack as much of their own food as possible (snacks and such), because A) the prices for snacks are extreme and B) food is not available 24/7 on the train. Lots of chips, granola bars, some of those "tuna" lunches (that don't need to be refrigerated), etc. Otherwise, they are going to spend a lot of money munching and will be limited to the hours that food is available.
I have traveled by train a few times and liked it a lot. I didn't have a private room, which would really be nice.
20yrsinBranson
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