amtrak... help please

[bethie_73]

we were thinking of traveling by train for part of our trip. The issue is we are on the east coast, and there are no family/sleeper cars. Anyone travel by train (this will be 13 hours) and have any tips or suggestions?

TIA

[NewfieNat]

We took an 18 hour (each way) Amtrak trip this summer with DD, then 9 months, and DS, then 3.5. We were in coach because the sleeper cars were out of our budget.

Each way we were lucky enough to get a 4th seat for DD. We took a pillow and toddler sleeping bag for DS so at bedtime he slept on the floor in front of DH's two seats. DD slept in her infant carseat on the floor in front of my two seats. It worked well but this summer we will be bringing extra blankets because DH and I were cold.

For eating, we took a backpack full of snacks and drinks. We had dinner in the dining car (yum) to entertain the kids, but the snack car was expensive and had questionable food.

We also brought a small suitcase full of new toys and books for DS. He also had his DVD player but there were no power outlets so he could only use it until the battery died. There are a few outlets in the viewing car but it was hard to get a seat in there.

Other things...we took our stroller aboard and put it in the storage area next to the exit doors. That worked well. I think we had the maximum number of carry on bags, so it was difficult getting on and off but plenty of space to store it once seated. Lots of legroom, too.

Overall, it was wonderful. The train was on-time, the staff was great, the kids were well-behaved and it got us where we wanted to go for about 20% of the cost of flying.

[MartiesMom2B]

Pay to upgrade to the next class. It's usually only a few more dollars. I went on a trip where I went business class on the way up and regular on the way back and I was miserable on the way back. The whole car smelled like the toilet.