Видео

The video would have been of a quick meal and eight hours of me sleeping. Absolutely great, but not very interesting. Would highly recommend it, though. I'd say it was comparable to this flight but at night over the ocean so not much of a view. Same 787 and impeccable service on all four legs I took. SFO-NRT, NRT-DEL, DEL-NRT, NRT-SFO with a stop in Tokyo, which basically had no tourists since it only reopened a month beforehand.

This was my third trip on this route, so I'd definitely do it again. The first was as a college student riding in a coach seat the whole time. The trip's not for everyone and has changed over the years due to phone and internet reception throughout most of the ride. Fewer strangers talking with each other. The rooms and beds are comfortable enough, but you'd certainly want a bigger room for two adults than where I stayed. It's not up to foreign train sleeping standards, but a great way to see the U.S. without the stress of driving I-80 for three days.

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.

Ha! I've watched this at least a dozen times and never noticed it.

Hahaha I just saw something flying pass the corner of my eye and had to rewind lol

I suppose it depends on the comparison. First class on many trains around the world only means a bigger seat and no included food.

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.

Thank you so much for your reply!

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

Let us know how it goes. Three days on Amtrak can be divisive for rookies. Having big enough beds will likely be key.

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.

Glad you enjoyed it. It's one of the few places that lives up to the post card images of it.

You can pick it up from next to 555 Mission St. It's a short Uber ride from the Hilton. Have fun!

Glad you enjoyed it!

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!

Have fun and let us know how it went!

Thank you

Thanks for sharing. I rode coach on this route a couple times in my college days, but I wouldn't want to do that now.

@@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.

16:30 - Menu and food review

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it

$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

16:30 - Menu and food review

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'm glad to hear it. If you liked the trip to Oregon, I think you'll like the California Zephyr.