The day had finally arrived. It was time for the great train adventure.
All my life I had wanted to take a long-distance journey on Amtrak and now I would have my chance…29.5 hours to Portland, Oregon then another 14.5 hours to West Glacier, Montana.
I redeemed Amtrak Guest Reward points for a Superliner Bedroom, which Amtrak describes as:
The Superliner Bedroom is ideal for two passengers, but can accommodate three (two passengers must share the lower berth). Each room has a large sofa with two individually reclining sections, and an easy chair. At night, the sofa converts to a comfortable bed, and an upper berth folds down from above. All Superliner Bedrooms feature private, self-enclosed restrooms with toilet, sink and shower. All Bedrooms are located on the upper level of our double-decker Superliner train cars.
It was nice to have a full bathroom in the room and we ended up spending almost the entire journey in our room. After spending 30 minutes in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge at Los Angeles Union Station, boarding was called about 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Today the train was running on time.
Amtrak 14
Coast Starlight
Los Angeles Union Station – Portland Union Station
Monday, May 16
Depart: 10:10 AM
Arrive: 03:32 PM+1
Duration: 29hr, 22min
Seat: Car 1430 / Room C (Bedroom)
Our conductor, Terrence, introduced himself outside the train and directed to our room, on the upper level. He was happy to pose for this photo and offered excellent service throughout the journey.
Amtrak Coast Starlight Bedroom
We found our room upstairs. The lower level includes roomettes and a single family bedroom, Amtrak’s largest sleeping room.
Our room was tight: I was happy that I had booked the larger bedroom instead of a roomette. The room is big enough for three (two on the lower berth, one on the upper) but ideal for two. We found the beds folded up, with the upper berth wholly folded in and the lower birth folded into a couch. The room included a chair and sink as well.
A small closet was large enough to accommodate a few pieces of clothing and room temperature and lighting were controlled by switches above the couch.
The bathroom was an all-in-one, including a toilet and shower in the same space.
You can see that the room was starting to show its age: the chair was overdue for a reupholstering and the bathroom had duct tape on it.
In the evening, Terrence transformed our couch into a bed. The sheets and blankets were already on the bed: we just had to add pillows.
Although the accommodations were not luxurious, we enjoyed the privacy and found the room quite comfortable. Down the hall, coffee, water, and snacks were always available.
And this, which always reminds me of I Love Lucy:
Amtrak Coast Starlight Dining
All meals are included on Amtrak if you are a sleeping car passenger. About an hour after departing LA, a conductor stopped by to find out when we wanted to eat lunch and dinner. We made our reservations to have lunch at noon and dinner at 6:30 P.M.
Talk about a small world: I ran into one of my closest friends from law school in the lounge. We would be traveling together as far as the Bay Area! He and his fiancé live in Philadelphia and were just on vacation in California. Such a coincidence. That solved the dining with stranger problem.
You see, on Amtrak you do not get your own table. Booths are for four and if you don’t have a party of four you’ll be seated with strangers. Some people love this: it allows for new friendships and interesting conversation. I’m agnostic about it, though used to that arrangement since Germans do the same thing at many more traditional restaurants.
Anyway, we had our lunch and dinner companions sorted out, though I made a mistake. Sleeping car passengers are offered an additional special menu in the lounge car (formerly called the Pacific Parlour Car). The dinner special was lamb shank, which I thought I could order later. Oh no. There were only a limited number boarded and you needed to reserve it in the lounge car shortly after boarding. Oh well, lesson learned. Here is the lounge car menu:
The lounge attendant was nice enough to let me snap a picture of the lamb special before serving it to someone else. Too bad.
Dining – Day One
Lunch occurred during the most beautiful portion of the journey, along the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Barbara area.
Here’s the dining car menu for the trip:
The lunch special was pork ribs with mashed potatoes, which I ordered. My wife had a chicken salad. My friends are vegetarian and ordered veggie burgers. Lunch begins with a green salad. Soft drinks and water are complimentary while alcohol is available for purchase. Amtrak uses “real” cutlery, but plastic plates and cups in the dining car.
My main course was very tasty. That turned out to be a theme on Amtrak: food that was much better than I was expecting.
For dessert I enjoyed a Greek yogurt cheesecake and my wife had chocolate mousse.
I may have missed my lamb special, but I did enjoy a “signature” Amtrak steak for dinner. My wife had chicken with rice. This was no Morton’s, but again quite acceptable and filling. Once again, the meal began with a green salad and bread.
For dessert, I ordered vanilla ice cream and my wife tried the low-fat vanilla pudding.
Dining – Day Two
The following morning, we dined in the lounge car for sleeping car passengers. I thought I would give Amtrak’s breakfast burrito a try and did not regret it, though the portion was small. The lounge car offered real coffee cups compared to styrofoam in the dining car.
My wife skipped breakfast and my friends ordered a continental breakfast of Greek yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit, and croissant. I was offered a croissant too and thought it was served perfectly warm and flaky.
About an hour before arriving into Portland we had lunch. My wife ordered the same thing as the previous day and I ordered a bacon cheeseburger.
I truly was pleased with the food onboard Amtrak. If you are hungry between meals, a snack/café car offer hot and cold light meals.
Amtrak Pacific Parlour Car
I have to admit that I was devastated when I learned that our train did not include a Pacific Parlour Car. This was a primary reason I booked the Coast Starlight…but the car had “gone mechanical” and had to be removed. The Pacific Parlour Car was unique to Amtrak’s Coast Starlight Service and included plush purple chairs and bar service. It was a special amenity for sleeping car passengers and hearkened back generations to a different era of train travel. Furthermore, the lower level of the Parlour Car included a move theatre where movies were screened.
Sadly, these cars were fully retired earlier this year. You can learn more about them here. Oh well.
Since the Parlour Car was broken, Amtrak hitched on a second dining car to my train and called it a lounge car. That still provided some of the amenities that the Parlour Car would have: private dining (you could eat alone or as a party of two and have your own booth) as well as an afternoon wine and cheese tasting. We did not partake in that since my wife does not drink alcohol.
Amtrak Coast Starlight Observation Car
The main Observation Car was quite crowded–twice I could not find a seat–but underscores what a beautiful journey this is if you have the patience for it.
Amtrak Coast Starlight Coach Class
Coach class is like an old business class seat on an airplane. The seats recline fairly deeply and are actually comfortable. That said, I certainly recommend upgrading to a sleeper if you can pull it off, since you’ll pay for all meals in coach class and those add up quickly. A couple of steaks will set you back $60 with tip.
Amtrak Coast Starlight Wi-Fi
Although Amtrak does not advertise Wi-Fi aboard the Coast Starlight, the lounge car had a wi-fi hotspot intended only for sleeping car passengers. It did not work and was one of those little boxes that uses a SIM card (thus was it was no surprise it didn’t work). I was able to check email intermittently throughout the journey on my mobile phone. Don’t count on it and you won’t be disappointed. If it works, consider it an added bonus.
Amtrak Coast Starlight Service
I got a kick out of the service onboard. It was by no means polished, but it was very friendly. The staff working the dining car and business class lounge car were very casual, but in a good way. You were called “honey” or “darling” and never sir or ma’am. Staff are happy to engage in conversation and have a repertoire of stories if you are willing to listen. Tips are expected. I choose tip after not before. Some say tipping in advance guarantees excellent service, but I still think tips need to be earned.
Amtrak Coast Starlight Outside the Train
I shared a couple pictures from Santa Barbara above, but here are some additional pictures I snapped during the journey to Portland. I’m sorry some of them are a bit blurry, but that’s what happens when you’re on a rapidly moving train.
CONCLUSION
29.5 hours on a train versus a two hour flight is quite a contrast. While a long-distance trip on Amtrak is not an everyday solution to traveling between Los Angeles and Portland, I sure enjoyed the journey. I hope one day to do it again.
Have you ever traveled on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight service? What was your experience like?
“but plastic plates and cups in the dining car.”
For plastic plates, I’d say they look decent.
The food looked decent as well, though it seems some items you ordered weren’t on the menu?
I agree, they are excellent plastic plates. You almost can’t tell.
Amtrak eliminated real plates about a decade ago.
travel the California,Zephyr at least 2 times a year. I love it!!! Have traveled the coast starlight, and the S W chief several times as well. I will not fly so if Antrak. eats its demise I guess I’ll be sidetracked.
I just came from ca to Vancouver on the starlight 14 and had a roommate for my daughter and I. Enjoyed it. Room was a little claustrophobic but I was able to sleep instead of sitting all night trying to sleep.
Traveled this week overnight from Bend/Chemult, Oregon. The first part of the trip is a 90 minute shuttle ride. Love business class and since I’m not a good sleeper ANYWHERE was very happy catching a few hours sleep during the night on the way to Salinas, CA. $6 voucher for breakfast, a bottle of water and a very friendly hardworking woman conductor. This was very easy on the pocketbook and was my third trip. Already looking forward to the next one.
I live in bend as well and was planning on taking the coast starlight to la from Chemult.
Rock n’ Rolling on down, on the ‘City of New Orleans’…
With Arlo Guthrie’s song reverberating in my mind, I thought
After retiring, an easier’ albeit Much longer journey was to be experienced..
Despite the aforementioned aged’ environment, the experience was tolerably
Enjoyable…The train and staff were amicable and courteous.
The problematic concern was the rail bed….The track, I was informed was
Owned as well as “serviced” by the original railways, the Illinois Central
In this case…a horrid experience when having dinner while the Diner was rocking
And Rolling, plus pitching and dipping…not a time to have soup…
Other than that ‘experience’ which was not AMTRAK’s fault, the trip was a pleasant
Alternative to flying in a ‘Xian Warriors’ 737….worth a try given the time and fortitude
Available….
I too have been interested in overnight rail travel for some time and really appreciate the review, but this does not look like something that would interest me. I’m sure the service is lovely and it’s a unique experience but this train just looks too worn down and grimey.
They really are not in my very frequent cross country experience.
In 30 years of Amtrak travel, I have never had an unpleasant experience.
Wonderful way to leisurely travel, see the country, and catch up on my reading.
In the early 1980s we took a trip from SLC – DEN on Amtrak…it was a lot of fun! The views through the Rockies were stunning. We flew home, a fun trip for a kid!
Was Terrance your “conductor” or your “sleeping car attendant”?
Sleeping car attendant. I thought they were the same?
The conductor is the person who comes through the train now & then checking for passenger’s tickets. This person is in charge of the train’s journey.
I’ve traveled on Amtrak’s long distance trains for many trips, including a number of times on the Coast Starlight, also the Sunset Limited, the Empire Builder and the Texas Eagle.
I just this last Sunday got off that train in Sacramento from Seattle . We had a small sleeper room for only two people in bunk beds, no water closest. I never in all the times I’ve made this trip have I had such a hard time trying to stay in the bunk! If I didn’t have that little net attached I would have flown out of bed several times!. But that isn’t all I was bounced all over all night getting the wind nocked out of me! that night trying to sleep was frightening ! The engineer must of been making up for lost time, he was flying down those tracks with not one thought of his passengers. I have not call Amtrak just yet I needed to cool down frist .
Sounds bad Judy!
It truly was. I was a train wreck when I got off that train. I still have not called …what is done is done!
Yea. Took silver Sep has on her first trip from Chicago to la. I was only 10 I think but the train now resides in the Chicago museum.
I did the Coast Starlight about 5 or 6 years ago, and I got a roomette on the upper level. It was a bit tight, but it was comfortable enough for a short trip. It’s a shame they got rid of the Pacific Parlour Car. It was never crowded, since it was just for sleeping car pax. Half the car was dedicated to dining (during meal times) and the other half was for viewing/lounging. It was great.
IIRC, they had discontinued the wine tasting (so I missed it 🙁 ), but they must’ve brought it back by the time you took this trip 2 years ago. Do they have a replacement lounge car dedicated to sleeping car pax? While your review seems to indicate so, there’s no mention of it on their website now.
As for dining, I was also pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t gourmet by any means, but it wasn’t what I expected “train food” to be. I do remember that the attendant came around to take reservations for dining times AND meal orders soon after boarding. Perhaps you missed the “meal order” part? Service was, like you said, casual and friendly. I’d do it again, but their prices for the roomettes and bedrooms are quite high…
My husband ans I have traveled on the Coast Starlight a few times, last year we were very disappointed with the removal of the Pacific Parlor Car/Lounge. In our humble opinion it made the trip! We have questioned travelling by train since. It was so helpful to the staff as well, kept the dining car from overflowing. Terrible decision on Amtrak’s part!
My husband and I recently traveled from PDX to SJC. We had 2 superliner roomettes for the first portion of the journey. These were sufficient, since we already knew neither one of us could fit in the upper bunk comfortably. I had to change our return reservation s and was pleased that a bedroom was available at a small discount. It was very enjoyable traveling in this mode; however, the train is pretty aged. The features all worked, but I’m pretty sure the toilet refuse holding tanks are directly under these bedrooms. Several times during our 19 hour journey we we’re clearly treated to a smell from these holding tanks. The current fares are incredibly high. It’s time to replace these cars and bring back the parlor car I will continue to travel on the train, but I won’t splurge on one of these rooms again until Amtrak upgrades their offering.
I traveled to Seattle on the Starlight. I loved it! My mother is handicapped so we had the lower level seats, much more comfortable sleeping than the upper level. The conductor would help the handicap with ordering and or buying food from snack bar or diner. I helped as well. The sights are absolutely beautiful! We loved it. Even though in our return trip there was a fire right on the rails as we went through the lower Oregon mountains. Made us several hours late but Amtrak gave us a portion of our fare back.
Pro tip: “my wife skipped breakfast” – nope.
Just in case there’s something else you’d like to try, or the portions are small (check), the other in the couple can and should take something to possibly share or to nibble on halfheartedly. Same goes with the “one free champagne at brunch” etc. My late teetotalling dad was always delighted that he “beat the system” when he realized that yes, he’d LOVE a mimosa. And promptly pass it to mom.
While I like the sleeping cars they are not cleaned very well between trips. My room had old candy skittles on the floor and paper and dirt on the floor. My glasses fell between the door and the seat when retrieved them they had sticky dirt like crap on them! Customers pay to much for these tiny spaces for dirty accommodations!!! I bring my own pillow and blanket because theirs is so thin.
The sad thing of it all is AmTrak has gotten rid of most if not all major discounts. Whyyyyyy? If you’re not in a hurry, want to avoid the airport criminal pat down and wanna enjoy watching picturesque views get a room and ride the train.
Now that I am retired, I have the time to travel by train. AMTRAK does not disappoint. I have taken the Coast Starlight several times between Emeryville and Los Angeles to visit my adult children and grandchild. I have also taken the California Zephyr several times between Denver and Emeryville. I find that when I am traveling, my vacation begins the moment I step into the train. The staff is friendly and accommodating. The food in the dining car is well presented and enjoyable. When I choose to forego the dining car meals, I am able to find a variety of foods in the snack car, including burgers, pizza, soup, fruit, and other snacks and drinks. There is always free hot water when I bring my own tea and instants, like oatmeal, soups, etc. The seats are very comfortable and roomy.
They recline with leg and foot rests. I usually travel coach, even on overnights as my 5’2″ frame can easily recline to a nearly flat, outstretched position, especially when there is no one sitting next to me, which is usually the case. I bring a small lap blanket to stay warm as it can be chilly at night. There are electrical outlets at every seat, so I am able to keep my phone, ipad, or laptop charged. There is wifi on board, although it is not consistent in coach, so I rely on the hotspot on my phone. Due to track sharing, and other unforeseen situations, there are sometimes delays. Most of the time, the time is recovered. The scenery on both trains is spectacular. The lounge car with the “Vistadome” allows you to enjoy elevated ocean views from the Coast Starlight. On the California Zephyr, you can enjoy the Rocky Mountains, including Lake Tahoe, the Truckee, the spectacular canyons of Glenwood Springs, and the gorgeous Colorado River complete with river rafters and numerous tunnels near Winter Park and Boulder. When given the choice, I travel AMTRAK. Traveling by train allows me to walk around. I have met some very interesting people, including a family from France that will be trading houses with me and my husband next summer for a month (long story). If you like to relax, are not in a hurry, and have the time, I highly recommend traveling by train.
While the trip and the scenery continue to fascinate, I am sorry to say that the on-board experience does not. We have been riding the Coast Starlight from LA to Eugene for over 15 years and have seen a steady decline in the on-board appearance and services. The CS still gets you there via a lovely ride, but gone are the many little touches that made us feel like we were really special, the trip so amazingly enjoyable, and well worth the high fare. We have seen the table settings go from china, glassware and flatware to plastic, cloth table covering to paper, and menu selection cut in half. The attendants appear exhausted or distracted and offering service too often seems to be an inconvenience to them. Doing their jobs but not at all attentive. I suspect that this may be the result of being understaffed, or suffering from being on duty for 2 to 4 days a shift, or feeling oppressed by poor management (ref Indeed.com). Anyway, the CS trip used to be a delightful, uplifting experience; currently, not so much.
I do need to insert here that while it is Amtrak’s job to get us from point A to point B, which many other services can do, it is the wonderful experience package that we expect when paying such a premium for getting to point B.
To top it off, I recently learned that the glorious Parlour Car service is being discontinued, that the formerly magical dining car experience is being replaced with box lunches for some meals. How far will this go before we’d just as soon call Greyhound?
If you have no experience of having been treated like a king and no expectations of being treated like one, give it a try. For me, this fascinating experience is becoming a distant memory and now and I’d just as soon face the horrors of air travel.
Nice review. My dad always loved trains and I’ve long had both the California Zephyr and VIA Rail’s The Canadian (Vancouver to Toronto) on my radar. Price has always been the problem. Those sleeper cars aren’t cheap.
At least on the East Coast, sleeper cars don’t guarantee a meal. The Miami-NYC route has two options, the silver star and the silver meteor, one includes meals and is more expensive, the other does not and is cheaper, both trains place you in a sleeping car though. I made the non-meal mistake, and ended up snacking on granola and protein bars in my cabin since the only food option was the typical East Coast cafe car on that trip.
I’d echo the statements that service is infrequent (though very available if you ask), and the rooms are extraordinarily dated and worn. My blanket was also covered in dried brown flakes – which was understandably gross, but Amtrak did not respond to any complaints.
The California Zepher and the Southwest Chief are far superior trains in terms of sights. Though it does take 3+ days to get from Chicago to the west coast. PS. I should hope one is not using Morton’s as a benchmark for steakhouses. 😉
Thank you so much for your article. I was under the impression that a section of this journey had to be by bus as a result of the fires in the Santa Barbara area a few years back. We have a house in Laguna Woods and travel to Portland. We love slow travel. We take the Queen Mary to Europe and back.
Keep the trains the trains is apart of American history don’t let them die
Thank you for the info, and especially for your tips on dining and seating. It will help when we train from Oakland to Los Angeles in a month. One reason I reserved a Superliner Bedroom for my wife, daughter and I was that I could find no guarantee that we could sit together in coach, and your comments made me even more thankful that I did. We won’t need to sleep (we get on ~9am, off at 9pm), but it will be nice to be able to stretch out. Thanks again!
As the train travels, do you only get to see a lot of scenery or does the train venture into cities a lot of times? I want the experience of seeing everything I can while on the train, but I feel I’ll get bored if all I get to see are landscapes. Thanks!
You go through cities as well. I thought it was a great journey.
Do you have any comment as to whether this is good trip to take with small children? Or a comparison to traveling in an RV? My husband and I are going to take a trip out West with our 3-year-old and 9-month-old and are trying to research the most kid-friendly option. Thanks for any input!
I took a trip like this when I was young (8 or 9) and I found it to be too much. With board games, playing cards, tablets, and laptops it is not too bad, but I would prefer an RV with children.
I’ve been wanting to take the Coast Starlight for about 5 years and will finally do it next summer, but I am SO DISAPPOINTED to learn that the Pacific Parlour Cars are gone! I was looking forward to that experience. Oh well, I’m still excited to take my trip next year. I only plan to go from Los Angeles to Klamath Falls.
2 years ago, I traveled solo on the the Coast Starlight from Seattle to Oakland. I wanted to see what it was like to be in a roomette. Since it was only one night, I opted for the version without the shower.
It was comfortable, albeit tight, but fine for one person. The bed was uncomfortable, but I’m sure much better than a reclining seat in coach. It had all of the amenities one would need, including electrical outlets.
I agree with other comments here about the below-average level of cleanliness of everything in general. It is probably hard for Amtrak to keep up the turnover of passengers, many of whom are slobs. Some of the stops are very quick and I don’t know how they would have time to clean between roommette occupants anyway.
The attendant was very friendly and helpful. Her cabin was in the same section as mine, so she was easy to find it help was needed.
The food was good, although I’m not a picky eater. I was OK eating with strangers, although one family I was seated with was visiting from Europe, and spoke little to no English. So conversation was limited, but we managed to plod through some small talk and everyone was cordial.
My only complaint was that the observation car was taken over by a large, multi-generational family for pretty much the entire short time period of daylight. (It was a winter trip, on a rainy, dark day.) They spread out, and most of them were reading their Kindles or playing video games instead of scenery-gazing. They finally left when daylight ended. I think the conductors should have a better way of handling that.
Here we are in the middle of Covid…I may take a cross-country trip on Amtrak, and upgrade to a bedroom (shower, toilet, sink). I read that meals are delivered, so there really isn’t a lot of exposure risk once inside the train, I believe. A big canister of sanitizing wipes would be a must, however.