Amtrak

Whenever possible, I love taking the train to San Diego. Service is the best and you can’t beat the scenery. I want to take Amtrak to Chicago in the future.

Clean trains with outlets for your mobile device at each window. Super fun attendants and station personnel. I love taking the train from San Diego to various points in Los Angeles. It’s a very civilized way to travel. Much less stress than driving on the 405 or 5 through bumper to bumper traffic. Plus for a huge percentage of the time you get to see the ocean

I was just told by an employee that «it’s not [Amtrak’s] fault» if I can’t make my connection in LA because Amtrak’s train is running 45 minutes late?
I’m not sure why I’m paying you then!
It is literally your job to transport me from A to B in a timely fashion and because you didn’t do that I shouldn’t have to get hassled over a refund. Now that I can’t take the train I have to drive to LA to make my (non-​refundable) connecting line.
Very disappointed in the snooty attitude and lack of customer service.

There are faster ways to get from A to B in today’s society. That is, if you’re anywhere that doesn’t involve LA traffic. When faced with the prospect of driving from LA to SD down the 405 on a busy weekday, I’d rather stick needles in my eyes. It was for that reason that I jumped at the opportunity to ride the Amtrak, and I’m so glad I did.
Instead of bumper-​to-​bumper, blood pressure-​raising gridlock, I was able to stretch my legs on the top deck and take in gorgeous views of the Pacific. The train was plenty crowded that day, but there was still enough room for me to sit down at a table and set my bags next to me. The trip was slow and steady. That’s the best kind of trip when you aren’t in any particular hurry.
The only bummer was that the Wifi, which I usually applaud Amtrak for keeping reliable, was completely out of service that day. My plans to get some work accomplished were ruined. Oh well. It just meant more time to take in the ocean views and laugh at the long line of cars.

It may be because I have higher expectations of public transportation after having lived in Washington DC and Europe but Amtrak really needs to up its game.
First of all, $ 37 to get to LA makes choosing Amtrak a difficult value proposition. For what it takes to pay for gas you can get there cheaper and faster. And what do you get for $ 37? On my trip to LA our train was delayed because there was a miscommunication with the rail companies the Amtrak shares rails with. In addition, on the very same trip the attendent told me that the credit card machine was broken in the café and made no effort to call or fix it. She sat the remainder in the employee car texting.
Now to start on the café, the food is low quality overall and overpriced. It aggrevates me how big of a missed opportunity this is for Amtrak. I could literally think of a hundred minor ways to make the café a much better place from décor to product offering.
The problems with Amtrak stem from their funding. There is this backwards mentality in this country that public transportation is something the government should profit from instead of viewing it as a service. Until that mentality changes Amtrak will remain a poor choice for transportation.

I took the Pacific Surfliner twice this summer to the Anaheim station. I normally would drive but it was nice to sit and relax while cruising along the gorgeous California coast and not having to deal with traffic. If you’re traveling on a schedule, I would recommend to plan ahead and leave with plenty of time because from what it seems, it’s normal for the train to run late.
The only thing that I didn’t like is that customer service is almost non-​existent among their crew. I accidentally crossed into the business section to ask a question while looking for their café and was quickly greeted with condescending statements making me feel as if the world had just stopped because I stepped in there. Instead of being a bitch about it, she could’ve just pointed me where to go, and I would’ve quickly and apologetically get off her nose, but apparently it was necessary for her ego to make me feel stupid.

These people are completely clueless. Worse than the post office. It’s faster to fedex yourself between Los Angeles and San Diego than to ride the Surfliner.

I use Amtrak a lot… Almost weekly at times. When it’s great it’s great. When it’s not, it’s really annoying. The main problem is their aging fleet of trains, as well as pedestrians who walk on the tracks resulting in delays. The good news is that the views of the ocean are gorgeous. If departing San Diego, sit on the west side of the train (opposite the Santa Fe Depot side). When leaving from San Diego you will almost never have a problem getting a seat since the trains originate there… Although you will probably end up sitting next to someone during premium travel times at some point in your journey. This is one of the more awkward stations in that you have to cross busy trolley tracks and train tracks to get to your train. Summertime travel is always miserable as the trains are packed. The staff ranges from really friendly to «I don’t want to be here.» If departing from San Diego, I never use business class because the train is never full at that point. There is often a «Superliner» car which is actually nicer than business class on some of the trains… you just have to know where it is located since the doors don’t open at ground level. If I’m departing from a busier station and it is during peak season I would do business class.

Riding Amtrak makes the trip half the fun! The ride is cheap, better than driving my car, and fun! They have WiFi on board, a snack car, and the seats are HUUUGGGEEEE! Tip: Sit in the Superliner car (silver in color, one door). Bigger seats than Business Class, and you only pay the coach fare! Conductors are all wonderful as well.

This was our first time riding Amtrak and within the first 5 minutes we were having a blast.
I am traveling from San Diego to LA to Oregon.
We had Travis working in our train car and he was awesome!
We all were pretty nervous being out first time in a train and he was very helpful.
Being 28, and Traveling with 2 small kids, 2 teenagers, and one 22 year old I was extremely worried about getting lost or missing our train in Los Angeles.
The whole ride up Travis continuously checked in on us, had all of us laughing and made our experience a memorable one.
When we arrived in LA he helped us find the ticket booth and even walked us to the station and gave us directions on what to do next since LA has a huge station
It’s just a great reminder that there are great people left in this world that genuinely will go out of their way to help! He needs a raise!!!
Thanks #amtrakTravis !!! #SquadUp

My wife and I took the Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles Union Station for a day in L.A. The cost was reasonable, about $ 108 round-​trip for both of us.
The seats in Coach class are equivalent in size to First Class seats on an airliner, except you have way more room between you and the seat in front (seat pitch). The seats recline a bit, and the headrest is adjustable. You can face forward or backward in most cars.
It’s way more comfortable than driving, but it’s slow. averaging about 33 MPH. The conductors were friendly enough, and many shared a little conversation with regular passengers. The views from the upper level are very interesting, sometimes even striking. Surprisingly, the best views are on the land side, which clearly shows levels of progress and wealth, or the lack of both, as the train moves on. I can’t believe how close to the tracks some homes have been built. The ocean view never really changes.
I noticed that there is an electrical outlet at each seat section, so you can charge up your devices, or use Wi-​Fi. I did neither, the idea was to get away from it all.
We departed/​arrived using the Old Town station, in order to find ample parking. We packed some fruit snacks and bottle of water for the 3 hour trip.
All in all, it is a very relaxing trip, unlike most driving experiences to L.A. It’s a train, it’s A-​OK.

I love taking the train, but the employees, conductors are all rude a holes. I work with the public and I treat everyone with respect and common courtesy. I got on the train last night after the fair at the Solana Beach station. Every single conductor was rude and unhelpful. This woman was snapping out orders to people. There’s no reason for talking to people like that. Anyway just kavetching.

The minute you walk into the train station, it’s almost as if you just walked into the past. The train station itself has a timeless feel to it the minute you walk in through the doors, and for me it still looks and feels the same as when I was a child. If you been on the train in the past and recently, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. I can remember as far back when I was just a child taking the Amtrak with my siblings (with our mom of course) from LA to SD.
So recently I took a trip up north using the Amtrak, and I had a blast! The cost for the tickets round trip weren’t bad at all, depending on how far are you are going obviously, but still pretty reasonable. The ride is so quiet, smooth, and down right relaxing really. There’s way more than enough scenery to look at through the windows as you ride along the coast, and it’s a beautiful view all the way.
There’s a few food options, but I’ll be honest all I had was beer, and I even can’t remember the price exactly for that! I don’t think it was more than $ 6…I think. The seats recline and have more room compared to the seats on a airplane! The bathrooms are clean, and overall it’s one of the best ways to make a day get away, or even a vacation trip.

I’ve been using Amtrak for about a little over a year now and never really had any problems on any of my train rides. There were a few times where my trips were delayed because of trespassing trains, problems with the railing, etc., but other than that, the conductors and staff on the train were always nice and helpful. On my first train trip, one of the conductors was nice enough to sit me in coach class on the side where I would be able to see the ocean view, which was really nice of him, considering I’ve never taken the train before! Haha. I always make frequent trips to LA, so I signed up for Amtrak Guest Rewards and honestly, the rewards points are worth it! You earn 2 points for every $ 1 you use when you book a trip, so the points honestly add up during trips, and with those rewards points, you can redeem them and use it for a free train trip.
So my tips are: 1) If you don’t like driving up north all the time, take Amtrak! It’s $ 37 one-​way to go to LA 2) Coach class seats are the same as coach, so whenever you get the chance, sit in the coach class car! It’s nicer and more dim compared to the regular coach cars 3) The food’s a bit overpriced so I would honestly pack my own snacks to bring 4) Sit on the left side of the train to get a nice view of the ocean 5) Sign up for the Amtrak Guest Rewards! Totally worth it!
There is wifi on the train, but the connection doesn’t stay connected for long. It cuts in and out, and it’s pretty slow. I like how there are outlets so that you can charge your electronic devices during train rides. Very convenient!

This is the only way to travel to Los Angeles for me. $ 37 bucks each way, I can park my car in Old Town and leave it there for a night or two. Easy peasy!
So skip the headache and hop on Amtrak. I bring my snackies, some vodka soda, my own ice and cups and pretty much have a little train picnic. Usually takes about 2.75 hours to get there sometimes less. The wifi is okay but does get sketchy sometimes. You have 2 outlets and ample leg room to stretch out as you watch the traffic stopped heading up to LA. #sorryboutit
My only gripe but this is because my back is ugh, carring my suitcase to the top of the train on the stairs is hard for a lady.
Protip: Make sure you sit on the left side of train while going up to get the best view of the ocean, vice versa coming home.

Never on time and always pack people in standing room only. Constantly breaking down and never offering any type of compensation. Lame

Love taking the train and San Diego, is the most organized when it comes to loading people onto the train. I wish more stops or stations were as organized.
Now my complaints their wifi is TERRIBLE on the train. And in business class there isn’t a changing table in the bathrooms. Luckily there is a hand capped bathroom that I sat on the floor to change me sons diaper.
When in Santa Barbara we got there early for our trip back to San Diego, but no line for business class and everyone was charging the doors like wild animals. They can make it more organized!

I’ve never really had issues with Amtrak as a whole but the Santa Fe Depot is in downtown, so it would be really unfair to bump my review down to three stars if they can’t control all the characters and homeless people that roam the depot.
However, I knocked stars down because of the cleanliness, or lack thereof. The bathrooms at the depot are pretty horrible and they all smell.
There aren’t very many food options for the starving traveler here — just a little café within the depot selling overpriced food & beverages, but the café in the actual Amtrak train isn’t any better or cheaper so you may want to eat beforehand and settle for the food here.
Arrive 15 minutes (at the latest) before your train is scheduled to depart. They will leave ON TIME if they are not delayed. A line starts forming if you take the Amtrak in the evening (after work) going north so try to secure a spot when you can. It determines how easy it will be for you to find a seat when they start letting everyone board the train. Holidays & the summer are the worst times for traveling via Amtrak so be ready for a full train and hope you don’t get squished next to someone with horrible BO!

Since the Boyfriend moved south, we (my kid and I) have become well acquainted with with the Pacific Surfliner (San Diego to LA). We’ve taken the train 2x a month (round trip) for going on 3 years now)
The Pros:
I guess you are missing out on the traffic and saving gas ?
— except that they raised the prices for tickets so its actually the same amount to drive (less, actually). And traffic? They have to wait for Metro trains to pass so sometimes we have to stop for a while. That’s not so bad– 10 minutes at a time maybe.
The view is pretty between Solana Beach and San Juan Capistrano.
— so, basically 45 minutes. If you’re traveling in the day or at sunset.
We’ve only ever had 1 – 2 encounters with rude conductors. Mostly they’re rude to people who gripe about paying more when they hop aboard and THEN buy tickets (hint: buy your tickets in advance or online, yo). Oh– and people who bring their own alcohol on board.
Anthony on the northbound train who sings to us from the café. He’s the best :)
And… I’m out of pros.
The Cons:
The first year and a half we took the train south– they were only on time (picking up) THREE TIMES. Sometimes we were waiting there at a platform (no station, no restroom, no snacks or drinks) for an hour and a half. The average wait was 45 minutes.
The drunk people. Can’t they put a limit on the alcohol they serve?
I’ve heard they add extra cars for Holidays… Would not seem like it for all the standing/​squished people. And for example during Comic Con? Where thousands of people flock to SD and home again for five days in July/​August? They did not. I want you to imagine a train full of people coming from a 4-​day geekfest (I can say that– I’m a geek) in the summer with bags and bags of swag and NO WHERE TO SIT. Aside from major holidays, there have been numerous occasions where we had to crouch behind seats, or stood near the doors hanging on for dear life or had people shoved together in aisles/​on stairs because they sold twice as many tickets as seats. And then the conductors have to tell people to «keep the aisles clear». Um, maybe add 2 – 3 cars so they could all sit down? Unsafe, to say the least. It does not make for a pleasant trip.
And then Business class? Fifteen dollars extra– they give you a complimentary drink and bag of snacks (chips/​trail mix/​a cookie/​a candy). Oh wait no– these last couple times they «didn’t know what happened to the snacks» or «ran out. sorry». And then yesterday when they finally brought snacks– it was no longer a big bag of chips and full bag of trail mix, but a TINY bag of ‘goldfish crackers’ and TINY bag of almonds. There were like 10 almonds in there. That’s not even a serving. Chedder guppies? What are we, five? And no candy! (maybe I am five). What the hell exactly are we paying extra for? Oh yeah, a seat– even though oftentimes I can’t even sit with my kid, which isn’t the end of the world, but it makes nervous to sit with strangers sometimes.
The bathrooms– they rely on passengers to keep them clean. Not, actually cleaning them just picking up after themselves. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone from car to car looking for one that doesn’t have beer piss all over the seat/​edges. (If you’re drunk on a train FUCKING SIT DOWN).
The food is kind of expensive– burgers, pizza, hot dogs. Microwaved HS cafeteria food. The salads look gross and stale– they got rid of half the fruit juices they used to sell (still have all the alcohol but I don’t usually like to pay $ 8 for a mini bottle of vodka).
Now I’ve heard that they’re going to offer free trips to writers? Um, maybe if you like dozing and daydreaming– but there are several sections where the train shakes so bad (think heavy turbulence) that writing with a pen is impossible. I suppose you can type on a laptop? But honestly there have been loads of times where fellow passengers make it too distracting to concentrate on any work I’ve tried to do. Talking/​playing guitar/​listening to music with earphones so loud you can hear it several seats away… Unless you’re in a sleeper car (which must have some subliminal «quiet» thing going on– they’re almost never noisy)… in all the times I’ve taken the train its really never been a good environment for creativity. Too shaky for sketching or note-​writing.
And I love how they advertise that you’ll never hear «are we there yet» from your kids. Well, having taken the train from La to Seattle with a (not small) child– let me tell you: False advertising. After 33 hours on a train we got over our fear of flying and took a plane to Seattle the next time around!!! (oh– and my kid had lice after that trip ^_​^ so not cool)
I suppose if you’re just commuting its ok. But my many many experiences with Amtrak have only convinced me that I NEED a car and that traffic really isn’t that bad!

What’s not to love about Amtrak? Avoid the bumper-​to-​bumper traffic, enjoy the beautiful ocean views from your train window, while sipping some coffee, or a glass of wine, reading a book, doing some work, taking a nap, surfing the internet. Very civilized way to travel. I take the train to OC, LA, even a couple times to Santa Barbara (it’s a 6 hour trip, but if you leave at 6 am, you’re there by noon, and you see some beautiful neighborhoods north of LA that you might never otherwise see)
Only downsides are the cost (although with the price of gas now, it’s not a bad deal), and the time (can take a little longer, although you never know — with traffic, it can save you time; plus, you arrive well-​rested, and stress-​free).
TIP 1: If you book in advance, you can get AAA discount;
TIP 2: If you book business class, you get free coffee/​tea, packaged pastries and newspaper in morning, and free glass wine/​snacks in the afternoon. PLUS, they don’t over-​sell first class, so you’ll have a seat, and won’t have people hovering over you in the aisles (which can happen on weekends, especially holiday weekends).
TIP 3: If you book business class in advance w/​AAA discount, the AAA discount covers about half the cost of the business-​class upgrade.