Amtrak gets 5 Stars!

[Lily&Me]

I have had since last year a great adventure planned with my grandchildren in June...taking the train from home to Glacier and back, getting a sleeper car, staying at the Izaak Walton Inn, going whitewater rafting, the whole deal.

A GREAT ADVENTURE, and with grands and this Grandma not getting any younger, possibly the last one we will get to take.

Given the pandemic and the cycling of peak infection rates moving through the country, after much deliberation I decided to cancel the train portion, leaving the rest of it in place for now to re-evaluate in early May.

It’s just not going to be safe to travel 2 days each way by train in June, even if the trains are still running.

I was a bit nauseous to see online the Amtrak policy for cancelling this type of ticket included a 25% cancellation fee.

So, I called them, prepared for at least an argument, but the agent I spoke with not only recommended canceling, but said Amtrak would waive any cancellation fee under the circumstances, and refund my entire ticket amount.

Which they did, promptly sending the confirmation and crediting my Visa.

He said they’d received a number of calls from people wanting to cancel their tickets, upset after finding their travel insurance did not cover a pandemic.

Amtrak...doing the right thing by their customers.

Kudos to them.

Maggie

[pmclemore]

Always glad to hear of someone stepping up.

Pat

[RevRunRegan]

My friend Matt runs the Amtrak station at Union Station in downtown Kansas City. If you ever ride through, he'll continue that great customer service. I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with them.

Regan

[Lily&Me]

My mother used to take me and my siblings as children to Chicago on the train just before Christmas, to look at the window displays at Marshall Fields, go out to lunch, and just generally experience the big city at that time of the year.

I took my children, have taken my grandchildren, and go by myself in widowed life.

Amtrak has been a heavily relied on, economical and beloved means of transportation for thousands of people.

The trains are always full, if not to the brim, and it remains an excellent way to get from here to there.

I still hope to do this great adventure with the grands, just not this year.

Maggie

[Hans627]

Maggie,

We did the same trip as you were planning several years ago. except we left from DC Union Station. We stayed at the East Glacier Lodge (an awesome building). I would encourage you to still make the trip by train. It was an unforgettable adventure for us.

Of course it make sense to postpone it for the near future. But do it sometime!

Bob

[Lily&Me]

We hope to.

I rented us a cabin at the Izaak Walton Inn, and have not yet canceled that, thinking we may still be able to go in the RV.

But, I’m on the verge of canceling that, but am going to talk with them first.

Doug and I took the train to Seattle years ago, 2 1/2 days each way, getting a sleeper car and the whole deal.

It was an amazing trip.

Maggie

[gaylejoe]

I have always wanted to take a train trip. I can think of anything more satisfying.