oooh jenni!

nluvntexas

despite the fact that we would like to spend christmas in the midwest, tickets are looking like they will be way more than we can afford. so i started thinking... i wonder if we could take the train? and i got on amtrak's website, but it is harder than heck to figure out. any tips, or should i just give it up and call CS?

thejennigirl

The website works just like a airline or a cheap fair site.

On the homepage, choose your start and end destinations & date.  Choose round trip.  It should give you options from there as to seating, ect.

Make sense?

thejennigirl

and are you spelling amtrak right?  There's no c.  If you miss spell it a crazy page will appear.  Here's the link to the right site:

https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage

thejennigirl

and be sure to choose active military when asked.  Your DH's seat will be discounted.

nluvntexas

yeah, i tried that. its just telling me that there isn't service or something? but when i look at the map, it definitely shows that there is. i did spell it right for the website, i don't know what i was thinking here!

thejennigirl

How close are you to Emeryville, CA?

That's where I found a train station for you.  If you type in San Francisco, it gives you a TON of choices, most are bus pickups to the train station (included in the price).  Make sense?

nluvntexas

Ummm, about 9 hours, w/o traffic hehe. I'm in San Diego, so completely opposite end of CA. But I know we have rail service, I've taken it to LA and when I take the trolley downtown I switch at the Old Town Station. I can tell that the service isn't continuous, and we'd have to switch, but it's not even giving me options from LA to OKC.

thejennigirl

OKC only has limited sevice from Dallas & back

We came into KC, MO and rented a car.  Small cars are CHEAP to rent.  We had to rent one big enough for our family, and still was only $35 a day or something like that.

Where are you going to in OK?

thejennigirl

I should add that Will Rogers is grossly expensive.

nluvntexas

DH's family is in DFW, but mine is in far south KS, so OKC wouldn't be too bad. and renting a car is cheap, if you are 25. when i was in chicago and had to rent on my own it was 215 for three days!

thejennigirl

oy.

It's much cheaper to fly into Witchita.  You're kinda messed on the train as far as getting to OKC.

I remember now!  Ark City!  Duh.  Blonde moment.

I here you on cost of travel. pfffffst.  That's what I think of the cost of travel.

thejennigirl

If you rent a car under your DH's name, military get a MUCH better rental discount that being 25 does.  You might try that route.

nluvntexas

hmm. well it does seem that way but now that i've seen all the possibilities i may just have to plan a train trip just for kicks anyway. and you KNOW if we PCS to VA i'm taking the train and shipping the car. or just selling it like i want to anyway!