I did Chicago to Dallas and back.
Never again. On the way down I had coach seats only and the trip was about 20 hours. Trying to sleep in those seats was hell.
The moment I got off the train, I walked to the ticketing desk and immediately upgraded to a sleeper for the return. “That will be an extra $400, sir.” Don’t care, just do it.
The sleeper was slightly better in that I got to stretch out, but actually sleeping wasn’t as restful as I thought it would be.
The number of delays while waiting for freight trains was the worst. Before arriving into Dallas, you could see the city. We were 15 minutes away from arriving into the station, but had to sit and wait for about 90 minutes. I could have gotten off and walked and gone back for my bags later.
I did meet some nice people, as you’re forced to sit with others in the dining car when you’re traveling alone since there’s only so many seats. And the food was better than expected. That was probably the only real plus.
I did Chicago to Dallas and back.
Never again. On the way down I had coach seats only and the trip was about 20 hours. Trying to sleep in those seats was hell.
The moment I got off the train, I walked to the ticketing desk and immediately upgraded to a sleeper for the return. “That will be an extra $400, sir.” Don’t care, just do it.
The sleeper was slightly better in that I got to stretch out, but actually sleeping wasn’t as restful as I thought it would be.
The number of delays while waiting for freight trains was the worst. Before arriving into Dallas, you could see the city. We were 15 minutes away from arriving into the station, but had to sit and wait for about 90 minutes. I could have gotten off and walked and gone back for my bags later.
I did meet some nice people, as you’re forced to sit with others in the dining car when you’re traveling alone since there’s only so many seats. And the food was better than expected. That was probably the only real plus.