Amtrac train from Vancouver to Seattle..which side of train?

[4_Leaf_Clover]

Which side of the train will have the best views from Vancouver to Seattle? Thanks!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Which side of the train will have the best views from Vancouver to Seattle? Thanks!

 

Heading south you will want to sit on the right side of the train, the side near the water. It's a beautiful ride.

 

I've only done the northbound trip, so I don't know if the same thing applies in Vancouver. But if you buy business class tickets for the northbound trip, you get an assigned seat, and can ask for the water side. You don't get your seat assignment until you check in at the station. (it would be sooo much easier if they'd asign them when you buy the ticket, but they don't) Coach seating has no assigned seats, it's first-come-first-seated.

[4_Leaf_Clover]

Heading south you will want to sit on the right side of the train, the side near the water. It's a beautiful ride.

 

I've only done the northbound trip, so I don't know if the same thing applies in Vancouver. But if you buy business class tickets for the northbound trip, you get an assigned seat, and can ask for the water side. You don't get your seat assignment until you check in at the station. (it would be sooo much easier if they'd asign them when you buy the ticket, but they don't) Coach seating has no assigned seats, it's first-come-first-seated.

 

Thanks for the tip...we did purchase Business Class so I will have to make sure I arrive early and ask for the water side :)

[pizzalady1]

Thanks for the tip...we did purchase Business Class so I will have to make sure I arrive early and ask for the water side :)

 

When are you going? They have temporaily replaced the regular cascades equipment for two-level superliner. If you are on the regular equipment and there are two of you, you will automatically be given the water side which has two seats together. The other side only has single seats. If they are still using the superliner, you want the upper level, right side.

 

They were really good earlier this month with automatically assigning upper level water side without asking. The line started to form at 4:00pm-ish but did not start assigning seats until 4:30pm (on the nose!)

 

It was a very nice train ride.

[4_Leaf_Clover]

When are you going? They have temporaily replaced the regular cascades equipment for two-level superliner. If you are on the regular equipment and there are two of you, you will automatically be given the water side which has two seats together. The other side only has single seats. If they are still using the superliner, you want the upper level, right side.

 

They were really good earlier this month with automatically assigning upper level water side without asking. The line started to form at 4:00pm-ish but did not start assigning seats until 4:30pm (on the nose!)

 

It was a very nice train ride.

 

Thanks for the reply! We will be making the trip from Vancouver to Seattle on the evening of June 7th. How long are they supposed to be using the SuperLiner?

There will be 6 of us (3 couples). So the Cascades train only had 2 seats on the right and single seats on left? Wow!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks for the reply! We will be making the trip from Vancouver to Seattle on the evening of June 7th. How long are they supposed to be using the SuperLiner?

There will be 6 of us (3 couples). So the Cascades train only had 2 seats on the right and single seats on left? Wow!

 

We were on the Cascades cars (fall 2010). Business class had the 2/1 configuration. I think the coach cars were 2/2, as most of Amtrak's cars are set up.

[Putterdude]

For sure it is right side for the view. I am not sure when the business class cars will be back but they are now either back or will soon be back, they were only out for maintenance. With business class southbound you will have single seats on the right side of the car.

[Urban trekker]

When I was at the Expo associated with the Vancouver Marathon their was a rep from Amtrak and I asked him that question - he said he thought it was May 23 but he was very busy so I didn't bother him further.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[trophy_23]

When we went in 2010 we were second inline and asked for water side, he said you get what you get and handed us our assignments (which turned out not to be water side) I was really mad. We just got up and moved to the next car for most of the trip. The only time we actually had to be in our assigned seat was for the border and at station stops.

[3rdGenCunarder]

When we went in 2010 we were second inline and asked for water side, he said you get what you get and handed us our assignments (which turned out not to be water side) I was really mad. We just got up and moved to the next car for most of the trip. The only time we actually had to be in our assigned seat was for the border and at station stops.

 

How rude!!! The whole point of getting in line early is to get the good seats.

 

When we checked in in Seattle, the lines were long and the checkin desks didn't show if there should be two lines or one. When it appeared that there was a separate line for business, those of us in business moved over and formed a separate line. All nice and orderly. Checkin started, and then some pushy woman (tourgroup leader) with a group that had just arrived marched right to the front of the business line, and they took her people ahead of those of us who had been standing for more than a half hour. When I asked the checkin guy why they took the group ahead of people who had been there first, I was told to be quiet or I wouldn't get good seats. Nice, huh? Fortunately, there were still waterside seats available and we got them.

[3rdGenCunarder]

For sure it is right side for the view. I am not sure when the business class cars will be back but they are now either back or will soon be back, they were only out for maintenance. With business class southbound you will have single seats on the right side of the car.

 

Are you sure? It didn't look like there was anywhere in Vancouver to turn the train around. It looked to me like they just run backwards and forwards, which would keep the double seats on the waterside the whole time.

[Putterdude]

Are you sure? It didn't look like there was anywhere in Vancouver to turn the train around. It looked to me like they just run backwards and forwards, which would keep the double seats on the waterside the whole time.

 

Yes, I am sure, that is where I sat, perhaps it came up that way from Portland.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Yes, I am sure, that is where I sat, perhaps it came up that way from Portland.

 

That's interesting. I figured they kept the double seats on the water side so that more people could have the "good" view.