America's greatest train views âïž with a cruel twist ending đ | Coast Starlight
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 2. 12. 2023
- I rode Amtrak's Coast Starlight train 13 hours through California, from Emeryville (near SF) to Los Angeles. The ride through the fields of crops in the north, and the awe-inspiring views of the sunset as the train hugs the coast near Santa Barbara, were uplifting. But there was trouble when I went to the cafe car for dinner and the staff (never friendly to begin with) had an unwelcome surprise in store for all of us passengers. A worthy train ride, but there are some kinks to work out.
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I used to ride the Coast Starlight from Olympia to LA and then down to SanDiego. I found the Amtrak personnel in Los Angeles to be the rudest and most unhelpful bunch along that whole segment. This was 15 years ago. And it was always the same people there when I arrived....usually too late to catch the local train that goes to San Diego from there. It's unfortunate that the atmosphere has not changed that much. However, as you discovered, that is also the most spectacular vista along the route. If you were going slow it may have been because they were going through the rice fields. We traveled once during an especially rainy stretch and they were forced to slow down on that section because of the saturated ground. I hope you have discovered that it is always always wise to pack your own food in case of problems as well as water. I don't do well when I'm hungry and it's for everyone's protection that I always come prepared. Happy rails to you and I look forward to more trips in Japan.
Some. perhaps most of the Amtrak employees have ZERO customer service skills, such as kindness, a smile and helpful attitude. How do those people get hired? You would think the wages would be decent, but these people hate their job apparently Half of Amtrak travelers are new to the various experiences on these trains, such as the extreme delays. Why can't they create automated announcements if the employees are too busy to get on the microphone, or they are short staffed? Are automated announcements too high tech for America and Amtrak?
Is it too expensive to set up AUTOMATED announcements like every train has in Japan? EVERY TRAIN. This is a disgrace in communications with the paying customers.
If you want to take rail for the entirety of SF to LA you can take Caltrain down the peninsula and transfer to the Coast Starlight in San Jose
There is no excuse for getting on an Amtrak train without sufficient food. Don't front.
That cheese looked like melted plastic
The conductor is the king on any US train, passenger or freight. Conductors traditionally rose via the engineer ranks and are members of the Railway Union which are more concerned with operations than customer service. If you want better customer service, buy a sleeper ticket. Sleeper attendants or porters are members of the Pullman Union, are customer service oriented, and expect a tip. With different unions representing different jobs, expect different reactions with customers.
Fun fact: there is a ghost town (Drawbridge, CA) at the south end of SF bay that is only visible from Amtrak or ACE trains. It's in the salt marshes between Fremont and San Jose. It's one of my favorite rail easter eggs in the bay area.
It happens to me when I was in roomette. Looks like they closedown around 630 and there goes my dinner. Their PA system is crap and attendant claims he looked for me but I never get the knock on the door. It was flex dining so I didnât loose much, but staying hungry for the night isnât a best experience.
Itâs too late now, but now I have something to look forward to at breakfast.
3:05
Boy AMTRAK has changed a lot since I last took a ride. Thanks for the video.
Whenever I can I'm in the lounge car as it's the best seats for viewing.
One time on the Crescent, they shut down the cafe suddenly. I talked to an attendant, and he gave me a snack box (he wouldn't let me pay). Since then, I always carry a cooler bag with diabetic friendly food just in case.
I ride amtrak about once or twice a month. I can say from expeirance that the LA Crew Base (that staffs the onboard staff like the dining car, cafe car, and coach attendants) are very hit or miss. Some or great and some are not so great. It is almost always the case that if there is one bad crew, the rest of them will be bad too. I recognize a few of the employees from your video.
Thanks for the great video. yes, I've had similar experiences with services on Amtrak, including the no-food scenario, but that sunset was amazing. We love your narrative style in these videos. Keep up the great work.
My wife and I always enjoy eating in the dining car. In coach, you just have to flag down the dining car attendant when they cone through for reservations.
Iâve taken the Coast Starlight several times since I used to live in Ventura and Simi Valley. When my son was little about 20 years ago he was able to play in the childrenâs car. They had an entire car just for kids to play with toys. Around Oxnard a magician would board and play with them. I donât know if they still do it but there were two observation cars; one for business and sleeper cars only. One thing about the CS is the bathrooms and train are gross and dirty
Hey great videos. I have to ask... Why on Earth do you not bring food on these trips.
The CS is a beautiful ride. We chose to break it up with an overnight in Santa Barbara, mostly because we were continuing on to San Diego and didnât want to wake up our relatives with late night arrival. Best decision! Great experience there and easy ride the next day.