Monday, January 7, 2019: Trip Summary

Today, I am spending the night in Jonesboro, AR. I should arrive back home tomorrow.

Overall, I enjoyed the trip and I believe I can speak for Gavin in that he did as well. Gavin was fun to travel with and he quickly became something of a mascot of the group. I was very proud of how he handled himself and his willingness to try new experiences. I hope he is even more excited now about future travels.

Accommodations:

The Golden Eagle train was very nicely appointed and well maintained. As I predicted, it was nicer than the US Amtrak cross country trains we have previously taken, but nowhere near the opulence of the Royal Scotsman. There were four sleeper cars, one dinning car, one club car, one staff car and the "generator" (engine). The train was electrically powered. It was interesting to see apparently all the domestic trains are electrically powered, even in the "remote" areas.

The Superior Deluxe stateroom was comfortable and the bathroom adequate. The dining and club cars were good as well. The only annoying issue with the accommodations was the unreliable Wi-Fi/Internet service. The company had cautioned that we might find the Internet services intermittent when traveling in remote areas. Whether or not that was true, we never found out because after the first day or so, we never had reliable service anywhere, even when in Vienna or Prague. The problem appeared to be a hardware problem. At one point, our Tour Director said they had changed a "card" and now had service, but only in the Club Car. That worked for less than one day and then nothing more.

Food, Comfort and Train Life:

Good food, nothing really spectacular, but it was good. Had several "first-time" dishes of local cuisine.

The train was not an overly rough or bumpy ride. There were a few occasions where there were sudden jerks. You needed to be aware of what "might" happen when shaving and showering.

Neither Gavin nor I had any problems sleeping. Overall, we were very comfortable.

Other than the black tie night in Vienna, attire was whatever you wanted. Both Gavin and I took a sports jacket and tie, but never used them. Several gentlemen wore coats and ties during evening meals, but we did not feel out of place.

Service:

Excellent! From the Tour Director to the room attendants, everyone seemed bent on making sure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves.

Third party guides:

Every excursion utilized a local guide. With the possible exception of the last stop in Kosice, Slovakia, these guides were friendly, knowledgeable and patient. The last guide in Kosice was not very patient, urging us to "hurry up".

Itinerary:

The pace was, at times, exhausting. We would return to the train and have a late dinner, get to bed around 10:00 pm with a 8:00 am platform rendezvous the following morning. After the New Year Eve gala, when we did not get to bed until 2:00 am, we got to "sleep in" and didn't have to be on the platform until 9:30 am on New Year's Day. As usual, no one had to attend all the excursions and there were several who did not.

Excursions:

They were all interesting and I am glad I attended them. There was only one excursion in which you actually needed to make a selection. That was in Vienna where you chose between visiting the Schonbrunn Imperial summer palace or the monastery of Helligenkreuz.

Weather:

What can I say? It was Winter in Central Europe! The day time temperature typically was around freezing. We had a couple of snowy days. Overall, we were very lucky with the weather. We had plenty of clothing to stay warm.

Air flights:

Flew Turkish Airline both to and from the trip. Both directions were non-stop between IAH and Istanbul, with a connecting flight to/from Budapest. We flew Business Class over and Economy Class back. Turkish Air is considerably lower cost than many of its rivals, but they really try hard. I thought they would never stop feeding us while flying Business on the way to Istanbul. Even the Economy flight home was not too bad, but I have come to the conclusion: NO MORE ECONOMY CLASS LONG HAUL FLIGHTS!!!

Group size and constituents:

There were 22 guests on the trip. There was a wide range or ages. Gavin was not the youngest. The average age however was probably in the low 60's. They were mostly from the US, but there was a couple from Australia, some Canadians and some from Spain.

Luggage:

I had a large checked bag, a carry-on and my computer bag. Gavin had a checked bag and his computer bag. There was plenty of space for all the bags in the cabin. Once again, I took more clothes than I needed, especially the business casual evening attire which I never used. No problem this trip with respect to overweight baggage costs.

Overall:

Ready to go again. I have talked with Laura and family about joining me on a trans-Siberian rail trip in the summer of 2020.