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Amtrak Crescent

We spent two full days of our ten day vacation on the train, and I can't say enough good things about the experience.  We splurged and paid an extra $123 each way so that the two of us could spread out in the privacy of a sleeping car, and we talked our attendent into leaving the room in the bunk bed configuration for most of both trips --- as long as you're agile enough to hop up onto the top bunk, this is very much the way to travel!  As I type this on our way home Sunday, Mark is napping on the bottom bunk with the curtains pulled over his window while I'm writing up my impressions of our journey on the top bunk and watching the southern scenery whiz by.

I can only say a few very minor bad things about the train, so let's get them out of the way up front.  First of all, Amtrak doesn't serve southwest Virginia, so we had to drive 3.5 hours to High Point, North Carolina, to get on a midnight train.  The train had been on the tracks for nearly a day by that point, so I wasn't terribly surprised that it was running half an hour late (and that it arrived in New Orleans an hour late the next day.)  We got to the station early, so had to read in the parking garage across the street until the station opened around midnight, but once he arrived our attendent was very helpful, keeping an eye on the train's approach and telling us about the escaped lions and wolves that had frequented that station in the past.

Sleeping is the other minor glitch in train travel.  It's hard to say whether our wakefulness was due to excitement or to the movement and noise of the train, but we're both keen enough on the mode of transportation that we would try it again and hope we learn to sleep aboard.

Now, on to the delight.  First of all, our compartment appeals to my denning instinct in a way that only small, well designed spaces can.  In an area only about six feet long by perhaps three feet wide, we fit in all of our luggage so that it's not in the way but is easily accessible; we can each spread out on a bed, or sit up and watch the world go by; there are separate reading lights, fans, and even a little leather pouch on the wall by the upper bunk for my water bottle, camera, and book.  There's a mirror on the wall, a pull down sink (perfect for toothbrushing or filling up your water bottle), and a toilet.  We didn't use the latter --- even though we're married, we aren't keen on using the bathroom in each other's faces, and you'd be living very close to the smell of your excrement.  Instead, you can choose to walk down the hall a couple of cars to use the bathroom in another compartment.

Next up --- fine dining.  Included in the cost of our sleeper car is three meals a day for each of us in the dining car.  The food there is a bit hit or miss, but is around the level of Denny's or a bit below (and we like Denny's.)  If you think of the food as reheated leftovers rather than as hot off the skiddle cuisine, you'll be much happier.  Mark taught me the joys of sharing food years ago, and I have to say that by getting Amtrak's very delicious main course salad for lunch and then trading half of it for part of Mark's sandwich, I ended up with a well rounded meal that was nearly as good as cruise food.  If you plan to eat in the dining car (not the cheap option), you should go ahead and get a sleeper car since six meals comes to nearly the same amount as their "accomodation fee."

Trains are not a fast way to travel --- it took us nearly twice as many hours to take the train to New Orleans as it would have to drive.  But they're a restful and scenic way to begin and end a vacation, giving us plenty of time to contemplate our experience.  Next year, we'll probably plan our adventure based on Amtrak's routes so that we don't have to put up with taking the bus from the train terminus to the cruise terminal, but otherwise there is very little we would do differently.

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