WHILE LIVING ON ST. THOMAS, we occasionally had the pleasure of dining aboard fancy cruise ships (when enough of their passengers chose STT cuisine that evening). Otherwise, I’ve never been on a cruise ship except for the R&T comparison test of the QE2 and Concorde. I have from time to time had train adventures.
On the Train Asea. Andrew Liszewski reports an interesting variation in The Verge, July 16, 2024, “You Can Escape this Royal Caribbean Cruise Aboard a Virtual Train Ride.” Liszewski describes “a unique experience called Royal Railway Utopia Station, where passengers dine on a virtual train ride while staring at simulated scenery zipping by on giant screens.”
“Train dining without the bumps and spilled drinks.” Image from Royal Caribbean via The Verge.
“The restaurant,” Liszewski says, “is built to look like two full-size rail cars with a lavish interior featuring four-person booths lining the sides, each with its own giant display serving as a virtual window. What diners see out those virtual windows will rotate throughout the year. The first experience is Western-themed, with views of mountains, canyons, and gold mines.”
A neat YouTube shares the experience.
“Subwoofers in the seats simulate vibrations as the virtual train rumbles down nonexistent tracks. (Again, this is inside a cruise ship.),” Liszewski recounts. “And in addition to a meal and moving scenery, there will be a live show with themed characters interacting with each other and guests.”
Gee, I wonder if there are any hobos ridin’ the rails beneath. Gulp.
My Rails on Land. On my “From Sea to Shining Sea” adventure, I had an overnight stay in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And what better accommodations than the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
A charming stay. Rather more elegant than a Mini Moke. Image from Hotel Chalet.
The stay in a vintage railway car was charming and elegant. To be honest, I don’t recall it being quite as grand as today’s Hotel Chalet. On the other hand, back in 1990 prior to arrival I had just been beating across the Appalachians for some hours in a car sans windows nor doors.
I surely had a restful night.
Our Coastal Drive-and-Rides. Wife Dottie and I, together with pals Jon and Beverly Thompson, devised the perfect way to day-trip San Diego: We’d flip a coin to decide the order of the drive-and-rides. Then one couple would drive the 405 and 5 south to San Diego whilst the other couple would run parallel on the Pacific Surfliner. We’d meet at the San Diego train station and have the car for local shopping, used bookstores, and other attractions. Then we’ve swap car keys for train tickets—and the lucky pair would get to sip cocktails while watching the sun dip into the Pacific. What a fine day!
Check current schedules as coastal landslides along the route have complicated matters.
Wife Dottie’s Orient Express. The fabled Orient Express still exists. As luxurytrainclub.com writes, “The modern day Venice Simplon-Orient-Express currently runs: London – Paris – Verona – Venice on the southerly Simplon route and Venice – Verona – Paris – London via Innsbruck, where it joins the Arlberg route.”
Awhile back, Wife Dottie enjoyed the Orient-Express as a press junket (hosted by Pirelli as I recall). She, pal T.C. Browne, el al. had an elegant and luxurious trip—entirely on terra firma but for the English Channel and an occasional bridge. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024