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We're just talking from the standpoint of what Amtrak's official policies are. As long as no one is getting totally drunk and making a scene or disturbing other passengers, then I certainly (personally) don't have a problem with someone having a drink on the train - Amtrak sells alcohol, after all!

I'm so glad you found it helpful! If you'd like to share, I'd be interested to hear about where you're going to go on the trains!

@@inthegreatwide los Angeles to chicago to DC to NOLA to chicago to San Francisco id like to go to Glacier but that means theEmpire

@@user-uc1iz2fy7t I think this is a great route! You're going to see so much of the country & visit some excellent cities. If you want to go to Glacier, then take the Coast Starlight from San Francisco to Portland or Seattle and then take the Empire Builder from there to Whitefish. That section of the Empire Builder between Seattle & Glacier is fantastic! (It's just everything east of there on that route that we're not a fan of.)

Hi there 👋🏻 Amtrak trains can get really bumpy at times. I don't remember the Coast Starlight being particularly bad, but it really depends on what you're comparing it to. Compared to high-speed rail travel, yes, it is going to be very bumpy. Compared to how bumpy some of the other Amtrak routes can be, it's not. Is your concern about motion sickness?

Hello, I see you asked this question on 2 of our videos, so I just replied to the first one I saw on the full-length video here: ruclips.net/video/iyEs6DgwcWg/видео.htmlsi=9d0mFvWm8f3F93ZF I hope that helps!

Hi there 👋🏻 We touch a bit on this answer in this video starting at the 0:52 mark, but I think what you're asking is if you can reserve it ahead of time, to which the answer would be no. Perhaps we need to make another Q&A video talking more about how this works for coach passengers now! I know we've gotten several questions about it. Essentially, there's no guarantee that you'll get to eat in the dining car as a coach passenger, but if they're not booked up on your specific train, then Amtrak has started offering coach passengers the opportunity to make a reservation AFTER all the sleeper car passengers have made theirs. Again, this all happens once you're physically ON the train. If you don't hear an announcement about it, I recommend going to the dining car to ask, preferably sooner rather than later so the spots don't fill up. If you haven't watched it already, we made a video guide to food & drinks on Amtrak trains here: ruclips.net/video/PoYmBN5XT8I/видео.html I hope that all helps! Please feel free to reply with any other questions. I'm happy to help! 🙂

I'm not sure what you're referring to here. Are you trying to tag friends to see the video?

I bet that was much worse for the person who had to use the restroom after you than it was for that family. I totally get being annoyed by kids being allowed to run around bothering everyone else, but I don't think that was an appropriate response.

@inthegreatwide Well every time I tell the story, everyone agrees. You must be a square.

@@banditdarval9401 I just think that responding to inconsiderate behavior with more inconsiderate behavior isn't a good way for a society to operate. Especially when the responsive inconsiderate behavior is then affecting even more people that weren't inconsiderate to you.

@@inthegreatwide I'm guessing you were bullied in school. Sorry you had such a hard time.

@@banditdarval9401 You can make whatever assumptions about me that you want; that doesn't have any affect on the original discussion. Also, I just want to be clear that I'm not trying to call you a bad person or something. I just think that sometimes people don't understand how their behavior unintentionally affects the people around them until someone points it out. Lots of people may have found your story funny, but I bet the person who needed to use the restroom after you didn't, even though they didn't do anything to bother you.

Hi Marilyn 👋🏻 Thanks for watching, commenting, subscribing, & all that stuff! Yes, please send your questions our way. We find that if one person has a question (especially about Amtrak), a lot of people are wondering the same thing, so we're happy to help!

That's about the same price that these Amtrak tickets are going for these days, so it's up to you if you'd rather deal with the airports and save a little time or take more time but enjoy the scenery. If you're traveling in autumn, I recommend the train, but if not, then I could go either way depending on the timing and specific price comparisons.

Thank you so much!

Hello 👋🏻 Are you talking about using the USA Rail Pass to travel or buying each Amtrak segment separately? We talk in this video about what a leg is, how many you get, and when you have to use them by if you're using the USA Rail Pass. We also made a short Q&A video answering the question about hopping on and off the trains when you're using the USA Rail Pass that I'll link below, and maybe that will help answer your question. If not, please let me know; I'm happy to help 🙂 Can you hop on / hop off the trains with the USA Rail Pass: ruclips.net/video/AC9t-CQ2FRM/видео.html

Great! You can change your tickets without any penalties as long as it's not the last minute. Where have you decided you want to go?

Wow, that sounds so nice! I've heard good things about train travel in Canada, but we haven't gotten to do it ourselves yet. If you don't mind me asking, how much did your tickets cost?

@@inthegreatwide Just under $1800 CAD which includes meals. It's more expensive in the summer.

@@suddenlysolo2170 Oof that's expensive! I will be very interested to hear how it goes and if you end up thinking it was worth the price or not.

@@inthegreatwide I'll be posting a video of my trip to share the experience.. It's considered one of the world's 'must-do' journey's for any fan of train travel. @downielive has some good videos of the trip

@@suddenlysolo2170 I'll look up that channel, thanks! If you can remember, let me know when you post your video; I'd love to watch it 🙂

We've only done coach and we've always found it sufficient, even for long rides. I just wish there were more fresh air breaks and showers! The price jump to get a roomette is just too big for us. I'm curious to hear your opinion though on why the sleeper cars are worth the extra price tag 🙂

Yep, that's the shallow lake we mention in this video 😉 Have you been to see it?

The one we got costs $127 now. Link to buy them online is in the video description 😉

Hello again! I wouldn't recommend keeping a large suitcase in front of you at your seat. Even if there is space, that would dramatically decrease your comfort while you ride the train, which kind of defeats the purpose of taking the train in the first place. I don't know what route(s) you're going to be taking, but if you go to the 7:00 mark on our Coast Starlight video, you can see what the coach seats are like on double-decker trains: ruclips.net/video/iyEs6DgwcWg/видео.htmlsi=7cIQbr1CpVsljNmM&t=420 On the other end of the legroom spectrum, you can see in our video about the Northeast Regional starting at 5:12 how different it is in comparison: ruclips.net/video/mtb_GMu_xEs/видео.htmlsi=Cv7mUWY8UbqwoQQR&t=313 As far as choosing your seat in coach when booking, that's not a thing on Amtrak, but they do sometimes assign seats. Here's our quick Q&A video about requesting which side of the train you want: ruclips.net/video/ApNjajTjG0U/видео.html

@@inthegreatwide how bout if i buy two coach seat under one name since i'm a big guy, so then i can put my big luggage in front of the other empty seat beside me. is it possible?

@@inthegreatwide the route is: NWK - WAS, train Northeast Regional.

@@elegantvodka Technically, I think it would be possible if you bought 2 coach seats, but you'll probably have to constantly explain it to people on the train, especially as the Northeast Regional gets full and people are looking for a place to sit down. I bet the Amtrak employees would tell you that you have to move your bag, and you would then have to explain to them that you bought 2 tickets specifically so you could do this. I've never seen it done, but if you paid for the seat then you paid for the seat, you know? That should be enough IMO but I would expect to be told to move it at least once on your trip. Also, I don't know if you looked at the video I linked in my last comment that shows the legroom on the Northeast Regional. That's definitely something else to keep in mind because a large suitcase might struggle to fit in there.

Hi Peaches! I know you also asked this question over on our video about leaving your bags unattended in coach, which I just replied to, so I hope that answered your question. If not, please let me know 🙂

Hi there 👋🏻 This is a great (and popular) question, and it's one we've started to look at making videos about for each train route, because there are different kinds of trains that Amtrak runs. The easy answer is yes, there will be shelves for large luggage in each coach car on the all the trains, but how much space there is changes depending on the train, and if you're on a 2-level train the shelves will be on the bottom floor, and therefore out of your sight. On some trains, there's space behind the seats in the back of each coach car where you can also store luggage, which is what we opt for when we need it so our bags stay close to us. I hope that helps! Please feel free to ask more questions; I am happy to help 🙂

"Controlled or illegal substances" are prohibited on Amtrak, most likely because they receive federal funding, and marij* does fall into that category because it is still federally illegal. There is absolutely NO smoking or vaping while you're ON the train - you will get caught; we've seen it happen more than once, and they have the right to kick you off the train at the next stop and maybe even have you arrested. If you wanted to put it in your carry-on bag and not use it, well, here's a link to our video about how strict Amtrak is about checking carry-on baggage: ruclips.net/video/gf0PhFDe968/видео.html With all that being said though, we have seen a bunch of people use vapes at the fresh air / smoke stops. But depending on where you are, you could still technically get in trouble over it, so use at your own risk.

We did end up doing a walking tour in Salem, which we REALLY enjoyed. I couldn't get through Hubie Halloween - we turned it off after 15 minutes or so - but I may look up that scene because I am curious. If and when we ever go back to Salem, it will definitely be in their off season to avoid the crowds!

Dang this is sad to hear. We don't have pets so we haven't had any personal experiences trying to travel with one; we've just read through all of Amtrak's policies on their website to understand the rules. Have you tried recently or was that all some time ago?

Hi Timothy 👋🏻 I just want to make sure that you also saw our video about the Amtrak 2024 update to their bag policy. Here's a link if not: ruclips.net/video/WMciYE3qk3E/видео.html Thanks for watching! Please feel free to send us any Amtrak questions you have; we're happy to help 🙂

Hi 👋🏻 You're not alone in that wish for a roomette pass 😆😉 But if Amtrak made one it would be WAY more expensive. As far as being an introvert, I think you would be okay in coach, because people generally keep to themselves. If you're in the observation car, you may get a friendly "hey, how's it going" and on rare occasions someone will want to chat, but if you take a book or wear headphones then 99% of the time they'll get the hint. For germs, we ALWAYS take disinfectant wipes on the train and we wipe down our whole coach seat area first thing, and then we do the same when we go to the observation car. That wouldn't be weird at all if you want to do that. At the end of the day, you could always try a short ride (maybe 2-4 hours) first just to try it out. You could end up loving it, and if you hate it, then that's okay too 🙂

Hello 👋🏻 Great question! Unfortunately, the answer to how to find it yourself is complicated to type out (we are looking at making another video explaining it), so I went ahead and looked it up for you. Neither of the San Diego Amtrak stations (Old Town or Santa Fe) offer checked luggage. I think that's odd but I guess it's because the only train in or out of there is the Pacific Surfliner, which is just a day trip. The southern-most station that offers checked bag service on the Pacific Surfliner route is Fullerton, but that's pretty far from San Diego, so you'll have to just do carry-on, unfortunately. Let us know what other questions come up as you're planning your trip! We're happy to help 🙂

@@inthegreatwide thank you very much for the information. I really appreciate it.

Hello 👋🏻 We actually have another Q&A video about motion sickness on Amtrak trains! Here's a link: ruclips.net/video/rIX-bPPeADc/видео.html

We have seen a few people bring water heaters on Amtrak, but in my opinion, it's not necessary. We just bring tea bags and instant coffee and that's pretty much all we (personally) need hot water for on the train.

@@inthegreatwide may is very small , I will think about it

@@elizetes7313 Well I'd be interested to hear about how it goes if you end up taking it. Which route will you be riding? How long will the trip be?

@@inthegreatwide definitely it’s gonna is September love I guys

@@elizetes7313 Autumn is my favorite time to ride Amtrak! The colors in the trees can be spectacular if you're somewhere where the leaves turn. We LOVED taking the California Zephyr to see the golden aspens in Colorado and the Lake Shore Limited through Massachusetts.

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Like I'm pretty sure I said in the video, the Great Plains have their own type of beauty, but it's just not for us. All 3 of the other east-to-west long-haul trains that Amtrak offers have far better views, in my opinion. Have you taken other Amtrak routes?

@@inthegreatwide No other routes, just this one. I am getting a roomette this next trip, and do you know anything about tipping the attendant? What is a good amount and when do you tip? I am guessing toward the end, but any advice would be appreciated. Thank you for the quick reply.

​@@SuperEholmes I highly recommend checking out some other routes too! The California Zephyr is my favorite, and the Coast Starlight is also great. Amtrak has a lot to offer 😉 We have not ridden in a roomette yet - we always stick to coach because we are all about affordable travel - however I have read that you should plan to tip your roomette attendant at least $5 per person, per night, and the same goes (separately) for dining car attendants. Again, we don't have personal experience with that, but that's what I've read from other blogs.

@@inthegreatwide Thank you so much.

I'd be interested to hear your take on it then, seeing as how we've thoroughly read through Amtrak's policies and have loads of experience riding on Amtrak.

Hi 👋🏻 Great question. You do not have to use bag tags on Amtrak! I personally recommend that you have your contact information on your bag anyway, but Amtrak doesn't require it.

@@inthegreatwide Hi, thank you! My anxiety was like omg what if I have to arrive way earlier to get bag tags since it’s a big station full of a lot of people lol. I don’t use luggage it’s more like a bag with wheels so I’m definitely gonna carry it on me with my personal book bag. Thank you for information and where is the lounge located for food for sleeper cars?

@@triplerainbows3022 I definitely recommend getting to the station a little early anyway just to be safe, and especially if you're in a sleeper car so you can take advantage of the station lounge access if the station has one, which is what I think you're asking about (as opposed to the dining and lounge cars on the train). In that case, what station are you going out of?

@@inthegreatwide yes, the station lounge is what I was talking about. I’m taking the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station to Orlando Florida

@@triplerainbows3022 We haven't been to the Metropolitan Lounge there yet, but I know it's on the mezzanine level of the station with a "balcony" overlooking the inside of the station. I can clearly see it in videos I've taken from the lower level in the station 😆 I would recommend just asking an employee in the station or at the Amtrak counter where the entrance is if you're having a hard time finding it. I even looked at the station's map but I didn't find it very helpful. Here's a link to it though if you want to look more closely yourself: moynihantrainhall.nyc/map/

Nice! I'm glad to hear you liked it too. We will certainly look at going back the next time we're in Seattle 🙂

Hi there 👋🏻 That's exciting that you're getting ready to take your own trip! Where all will you be going? Just in case you didn't find it, here's a playlist that includes all of our videos about Amtrak: ruclips.net/p/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO

Agreed!

Yay! Where are you going to go?!

Hi Sara! Amtrak has wheelchair accessible seating on the first floor of their double-decker trains and there are designated areas in the front of each coach car on single-level trains. I would just suggest that you make sure you get to the station a little early so you can notify the person at the Amtrak desk that you will need a ramp for boarding just so they know to expect you. We've never personally traveled with someone in a wheelchair but we have seen them on Amtrak. I hope that helps! I would be very interested to hear about your travel experience so that we may continue to spread the word and help more people get the information they need 🧡

Oh really? Why not sleep in your coach seat? I'm genuinely curious.

@@inthegreatwide side sleeper and I can stretch out. Just bring something to keep you warm as it gets cold.

@@wizerdjuice9589 I'm also a side sleeper so I get that, but I personally still wouldn't sleep in the observation car. Those seats are too small compared to the coach seats and not nearly as comfortable. But Adam and I are always traveling together so we stay next to each other to sleep and I could see that being uncomfortable if you were seated next to a stranger.

Hi Leonor 👋🏻 We answer this question in the video 😉

Hello 👋🏻 We actually already have another Q&A video about assigned seating on Amtrak 🙂 Here's a link: ruclips.net/video/fRlOF7KcN9k/видео.html I hope that helps! Please feel free to send us any other questions that come up 🧡

Hi Miri 👋🏻 It depends on which specific Amtrak route you're taking, because there are several options that will take you along that route. The most popular route is the Northeast Regional, and they don't offer checked bags. Nor do the Acela or Vermonter routes. That's only a 3-4 hour ride anyway, so I would suggest not worrying about checking bags unless you absolutely have to and just carrying the bags onboard with you. If you REALLY need to check your bags, you'll have to arrive to the station at least 1 hour prior to train departure and take either the Crescent or the Palmetto route. This will also limit your departure time options a lot more than the Northeast Regional or Acela. I hope that helps! This is a really popular question so we'll be making a video about it soon 🙂

That's so sweet! I (Phoebe) grew up in the Great Plains too and they have their own type of beauty, but it's not for me. What a sweet story though 🙂

Hello 👋🏻 Unfortunately, if you're taking Amtrak, you won't be able to take your parakeet. I would suggest asking someone you trust to come look in on him while you are away, or see if there are any boarding facilities in your area for birds.

@@Kaylee.Spamzzz What's your favorite hangout spot on the ship?

@@inthegreatwide teen club😝

@@Kaylee.Spamzzz Oh nice! We obviously didn't go to that since we're adults, but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!

@@inthegreatwide lol

@@Kaylee.Spamzzz Cool! I hope you're having a nice time. Where are you sailing to?

@@inthegreatwide I just left the cruise but I went to like 4 different places in greece

@@Kaylee.Spamzzz Wow that's awesome! We haven't been to Greece yet. We're hoping to finally make it back to Europe in 2025.

@@inthegreatwide ard you on a cruise to?

@@Kaylee.Spamzzz We've been on 2 cruises, both in the Caribbean. Our next one is coming up in November to Mexico!