The Great American Train Tour Adventure

Tour Departs: 25 May 2012    •    Tour Length: 28 Days

Overview:
There is no better way to experience the American heartland than by rail. On a train, you see sights that you are not able to see strapped into an aircraft seat at 30,000 feet. The train meanders its way over mountains, through canyons, across prairies and along coastal routes revealing the vastness and the contrasts of the American countryside. Add to this the multi-night stays in a range of great American cities and you have as good a tour as you could wish for in the limited time available.

Highlights
• San Francisco
• Denver
• Chicago
• New York
• Washington DC
• New Orleans
• Los Angeles

Train Accommodation:
During the tour, we spend a total of 6 nights on board the trains. There are two types of compartments. The Roomettes have two reclining seats for day use converting to Upper and Lower Sleeping Berths for the evenings. They do not have private bathrooms but these are located just a few steps along the passage. The Bedrooms, with private facilities, are larger and have a bench sofa and swivel chair for day use converting to Upper and Lower Sleeping Berths for the evenings. Complimentary tea, coffee and juice is available to all sleeping car passengers and, for the overnight journeys, all meals on board are included in the cost. Dining cars offer a range of freshly prepared meals in comfortable and pleasant surroundings with full waiter service to the table. On selected routes, local guides join the trains to describe the sights, facts and legends of the local countryside.

A message from Kerry Maher ………….
I have escorted this tour on many occasions and would do so again tomorrow. Great train journeys, great cities and on each trip I have seen something new and met different people. And that is one of the beauties of this tour – you do get to actually meet and mix with the locals. We had great tour group in 2011 and here’s to a repeat in 2012. All aboard!!” 

Tour Cost:                                                 
Per Person Share Twin Room hotel/Roomette train     NZ$14,850             AUD$12,150
Supplementary Cost Options Per Person:
Single Room Hotel and Roomette Train            NZ$ 4,700              AUD$ 3,750  
Upgrade to Bedroom (share twin) on Train       NZ$ 1,895              AUD$ 1,580          

Upgrade to Premium Economy or Business Class Air Travel   Prices available on request
 
Costs Include:
• Economy Class air travel from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney
• Prepaid airport/government taxes and airline fuel surcharges
• Superior / First Class hotel accommodation
• Sleeping accommodation on all the overnight train journeys
• All coach transportation, sightseeing and entrance fees as indicated in the itinerary
• Hotel taxes, service charges and baggage handling of one suitcase per person
• Tips to coach drivers, local guides, train cabin attendants
• Fully Escorted

Costs Exclude:
• Meals unless specified
• Items of a personal nature, telephone calls etc
• Travel Insurance (advice and assistance offered)
 

DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

Friday 25 May:
HOME – SAN FRANCISCO (D)
Today we depart for San Francisco. Cross the International dateline before arriving in San Francisco early afternoon of the same day. We are met on arrival and transferred to our downtown hotel for a three night stay. The remainder of the day is free to rest up.

Saturday 26 May:
SAN FRANCISCO (B)
Our morning tour of San Francisco includes the downtown area, Nob Hill, Twin Peaks and Golden Gate Park and Fisherman’s Wharf. The afternoon is at leisure.

Sunday 27 May:
SAN FRANCISCO (B)
Today we take a day tour to Monterey and Carmel via California’s rugged Central Coast. Travel south through Santa Cruz with spectacular views along the way. The tour includes scheduled stops at Steinbeck's Cannery Row in Monterey – known for the characters in John Steinbeck’s novel “Cannery Row”. Visit the one-square mile city of Carmel, located on the Bay of Carmel. The trip back takes us through the Silicon Valley in the San Jose and Santa Clara counties.

Monday 28 May:
SAN FRANCISCO – DENVER (B,L,D)
This morning, our coach transfers us to Emeryville Station across the Bay where we join the “California Zephyr” train for the 1400 mile journey to Denver. From California through the Tahoe National Forest, the train begins its assault on the High Sierras then across the Nevada Desert to the casinos of Reno. During the night, the train stops briefly at Salt Lake City where the lights of the Mormon “Tabernacle” can be seen across town.

Tuesday 29 May:
ARRIVE DENVER (B,L,D)
After a night’s rest, we enjoy the wonderful sights of the Rocky Mountains as the train crosses the Continental Divide at 9239 feet following the breathtaking canyons of the Colorado River. This afternoon, our train emerges from the Rockies high above Denver and winds its way down to the city for an early evening arrival. We are met and transferred by coach to our downtown hotel for a two night stay.

Wednesday 30 May:
DENVER (B)
This morning’s sightseeing tour of the “Mile High” city shows us the many parks and gardens of this attractive city, the State Capitol Buildings, the Museum of Natural History. The afternoon is free and the 16th Street Mall is only a few blocks from the hotel.

Thursday 31 May:
ROCKY MOUNTAINS – DENVER – CHICAGO (B,D)
This morning we leave our hotel and enjoy a magnificent tour to the famed Rocky Mountain National Park. Undoubtedly one of the many tour highlights with the unequalled beauty of the towering peaks, picturesque canyons, rivers and meadows. Weather permitting, we drive on Trail Ridge Road to a height of 12,138 feet. In the evening, we rejoin the “California Zephyr“ train for the 1000 mile overnight journey to Chicago. Through Nebraska and Iowa and the lush fertile farmland of America’s agricultural heartland, we cross both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers en route.

Friday 01 June:
ARRIVE CHICAGO (B,L)
A late afternoon arrival into Chicago for a 2 night stay. We are met and transferred by coach to our hotel conveniently located close to Michigan Avenue’s magnificent shopping, dining and entertainment areas.

Saturday 02 June:
CHICAGO (B)
This morning, we enjoy a sightseeing tour of the “Windy City” with its skyscrapers, classic architectural styles and tree-lined boulevards. The afternoon is free for independent activities. You will be impressed with Chicago.

Sunday 03 June:
CHICAGO – NEW YORK (B)
This afternoon, we enjoy a cruise on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan for dramatic views of the city and its buildings from the water. This evening, we continue our adventure on the “Lake Shore Limited” train for the 950 mile overnight journey through to New York. Our train follows the Great Lakes routes across northern Indiana following Lake Erie to Buffalo and then on to Albany, the capital of New York State.

Monday 04 June:
ARRIVE NEW YORK (B,L)
From Albany, we journey down the Hudson River through some beautiful country, past the Catskill Mountains and historic West Point Military Academy and on to our journey’s end with an early evening arrival into New York’s Penn Station. We are met on arrival and transferred to our midtown Manhattan hotel for a three night stay.

Tuesday 05 June:
NEW YORK (B)
Our comprehensive full day “coach and cruise” sightseeing tour of ”The Big Apple” shows us plenty – Times Square, Central Park, Harlem, Lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Wall Street, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building and the United Nations.

Wednesday 06 June:
NEW YORK (B)
A full day free in New York to pursue your own interests. There are museums and galleries to suite every taste, Fifth Avenue shops, Circle Island Cruise… The choice is yours. What about a Broadway show this evening?

Thursday 07 June:
NEW YORK - WASHINGTON DC
A late morning departure from New York’s Penn Station for the 4 hour 225 mile train journey south to the nation’s capital. On arrival mid afternoon, we are met and transferred to our hotel for a three night stay.

Friday 08 June:
WASHINGTON DC (B)
A full day sightseeing today as this morning our tour shows us Capitol Hill, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Washington Monument, the White House, Embassy Row and much more. This afternoon, we drive to Alexandria in Virginia and a tour of Mt Vernon, George Washington’s home on the banks of the Potomac River.

Saturday 09 June:
WASHINGTON DC (B)
A full day free for independent sightseeing today. Why not visit the Smithsonian Institute or one of the many galleries that line The Mall. A visit to Arlington National Cemetery is also a worthwhile exercise – take the trolley car tour that tours the cemetery and stops at JFK’s grave and also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where you can see the changing of the guard.

Sunday 10 June:
WASHINGTON DC – NEW ORLEANS (B,D)
Most of the day is free before we are transferred to Washington’s Union Station this afternoon in time to join “The Crescent” train for the 1400 mile overnight journey to New Orleans. Through historic Virginia to Georgia where Atlanta’s small station contrasts with the Coca Cola capital’s skyline. On through Alabama where small towns are small and much of the countryside is swampy and overrun with wild creeper.

Monday 11 June:
ARRIVE NEW ORLEANS (B,L,D)
Our journey into New Orleans concludes with the early evening crossing of the spectacular six mile causeway over Lake Pontchartrain. On arrival, we are met and transferred to our hotel in the French Quarter for a four night stay.

Tuesday 12 June:
NEW ORLEANS (B)
This morning, we enjoy a sightseeing tour of the “Crescent” city with its unique southern and French flavour. Jackson Square, Audubon Park, St Charles Streetcar, “Cities of the Dead”. The tour concludes with a cruise on the Mississippi River on the paddlewheel steamship “Natchez”.

Wednesday 13 June:
NEW ORLEANS (B,L)
A full day tour out of New Orleans to the antebellum mansion of Oak Alley and the contrasting Laura’s Plantation. A chance to see how the wealthy families of the South and their slave workforce lived before the Civil War.

Thursday 14 June:
NEW ORLEANS (B)
A free day in New Orleans today. Why not visit the markets, explore the antique shops in the French Quarter, maybe a tour of the Bayous, or just relax at a street cafe and watch the world go by.

Friday 15 June:
NEW ORLEANS - LOS ANGELES (B,L,D)
This morning, we return to New Orleans Station in time to join the “Sunset Limited” train for the 2000 mile journey to Los Angeles. Commencing with the spectacular crossing of the Mississippi River over the towering Huey P Long Bridge, this journey is large in every way.

Saturday 16 June:
EN ROUTE TO LOS ANGELES (B,L,D)
The route is big sky and open spaces with Texas at its centre. The New Mexico and Arizona deserts present their own mystical beauty. San Antonio, El Paso, Yuma – these names conjure up pictures from the “Westerns” of long ago.

Sunday 17 June:
ARRIVE LOS ANGELES (B)
From desert to citrus groves to vineyards, the scenery changes as we arrive into Los Angeles mid-morning. On arrival, we are met and transferred to our hotel located out at Santa Monica Beach for our last two nights. The rest of the day is free for independent activities.

Monday 18 June:
LOS ANGELES (B,D)
Today, we enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Los Angeles including the historic “Mission area”, Hollywood, Downtown, Beverley Hills, and Farmers Market. This evening we get together for a farewell tour dinner.

Tuesday 19 June:
LOS ANGELES – HOME (B)
The final day of our tour is free for independent activities, sightseeing or last minute shopping. This evening, we transfer to Los Angeles International Airport where we join our homeward flight. We cross the International Dateline en route.

Thursday 21 June:
ARRIVE HOME!