4.0
Pros: The train was comfortable, the route was beautiful, the staff was helpful, the food was better than we expected, and the entire experience was pretty relaxing. We got to talk to other people in the observation car and the dining car and met really fascinating folks as a result, and there was none of the stress that's intrinsic to flying. Having meals included made the price of the tickets so much easier to manage, and really added to the experience. It was extremely fun. We're definitely going to do this again on other routes whenever possible and plan to treat our train time as part of the vacation. Cons: I wish that the staff had been more communicative about the length of our delay and our updated station arrival times. WiFi would be great on the Coastal Starlight-- we already paid to sleep and eat, we definitely would have paid another $10-20 to be able to google the birds we saw and such. Not having it was also fine, though, because it forced the experience into the world a bit more, but it definitely created inconveniences. Tips: Don't make plans for immediately after you arrive at your destination under the assumption you'll be on time. Enjoy the ride; you're going to get there safely and comfortably.
