When I think of Amtrak, the first word that pops into my mind is NOT luxury (wait, maybe I’m thinking of Greyhound). Kidding aside, Amtrak, by all accounts, may be the first name in efficient rail travel, but five-course meals and personal butler service it’s not. Or is it?
According to Amtrak executives, it is… and then some. Five-course meals, personal butler service… and mahogany interiors will all be available on several Amtrak routes in just a few months. The nation’s leading passenger train service is teaming up with GrandLuxe Rail Journeys to attach seven special GrandLuxe cars to regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. According to the company, more than 90 departures are scheduled from November to early January.
The new service is named GrandLuxe Limited and will be available between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area; Chicago and Los Angeles; and Washington and Miami. Limited trips are also scheduled between Washington and Chicago; from Denver to San Francisco; from Denver to Chicago; and from Chicago to Albuquerque. The partnership is a historic one for Amtrak as it marks the first time the company is providing regularly scheduled private rail services.
Tickets for the two- and three-day GrandLuxe Limited trips will range in price from $789 to $2,499. That’s an incredible deal when you consider that GrandLuxe’s regular tours take seven to 10 days and range in price from about $4,000 to $8,000 per person.
GrandLuxe executives say for the new Amtrak trips they will split the train in three. Each segment will have a dining car and a lounge car and have room for 47 passengers, and will operate separately from the Amtrak portion of the train. This means GrandLuxe passengers will not be able to get off at intermediate stops because of limitations such as platform length. The companies said they might consider expanding the partnership if it is successful.
Personally, I have always dreamed of taking a cross-country trip on a train… and to be pampered on board at an affordable price… how can you go wrong? According to GrandLuxe executives, personal butlers bring coffee in the morning and in the afternoon there are complimentary cocktails in the lounge car. The lounge cars are described as “luxurious” and feature baby grand pianos; while others, which are used on scenic routes, are surrounded by glass.
Not a bad way to travel.
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