What would be the cost of a high-speed rail version of this?
EDIT: I stand corrected. I looked at the Coast to Coast "Vacation". https://www.amtrakvacations.com/trips/america-coast-to-coast
Currently searching on amtrak.com (they don't seem to make PDF schedules anymore, sadly!):
449 Lake Shore Limited BOS - CHI 22 h 22 m
5 California Zephyr CHI - EMY 52 h 57 m
Scheduled transfer time in Chicago Union Station is about 4 hours.
So this should take a total of about 79 hours.
It takes just over 3 days to travel from the Bay Area to NYC. The price is $281 [1].
Now if you throw in some rooms, you are talking about first-class travel that includes all meals free. You need to consider how much money a few days of hotel and restaurants would cost, so the comparison is complex. Also the room cost is not really per-person unless you are traveling alone.
[1] I looked up the price for June 11th.
It's important to note that that's 3 days in a coach seat. 3 days.
The food is terrible, like truly terrible.
We brought a bottle of Jack and had a decent enough time. Wouldn't choose it again.
It looks like the sleeper version is indeed quite expensive nowadays if you're doing it as one person.
How many days does it take to fly from SF to NYC?
> Now if you throw in some rooms, you are talking about first-class travel that includes all meals free.
First class? I've done the trip in a room and there's nothing first class about it. The bedding was suspect. Everything in the room felt old and dirty. In the dining car, you don't even get your own table. They cram you with other passengers. And for much of the trip, your view consists of corn fields and miles long CSX trains slowly chugging alongside your train. And to add insult to injury they was hours late ( 9 hours if memory serves ) so if you have friends or family waiting to pick you up, make sure to tell them to set aside the whole day. If you are a light sleeper, then you are not going to have a good time because the train wheels on the tracks are very loud. If you have cash to burn, then try it out for the experience. But it's not a trip I'd recommend or take again.
Regarding your bad experience on the train... it seems to me that a lot of quality went downhill during the pandemic, and I'm wondering if you went before or after the pandemic started.
On your comments about lateness and how hard it is for light sleepers. Your comments there are very true, and people who would be concerned with either of those should think twice before riding.
I love riding long-distance trains. But I don't kid myself: it is way longer and more expensive than flying. There is a reputation on Amtrak for severe lateness. And the pandemic has made some things onboard worse. People should definitely read negative reviews and look for common issues; if the common problems would be a problem for them, that should be a deal-breaker.
I agreed with you there. That commenter exaggerated the costs. My response was directed to the 'first class' portion of your comment.
> And the pandemic has made some things onboard worse.
My trip was many years ago. Before the pandemic. I personally don't think the 'first class' amtrak experience is worth the money unless amtrak upgrades everything about the experience.