We Travelled to NEW YORK 🇺🇸 from Toronto 🇨🇦 via Amtrak Maple Leaf 🍁🚉
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- Опубліковано 23 жов 2024
- Today we travel from Toronto to New York City on the Amtrak Maple Leaf commuter train. Come with us as we share our experience in business class. This is our 1st time riding with Amtrak and our 1st time ever travelling on business class by rail. Lets see how it turns out !!
Comment below if you've travelled on any Amtrak trains in the US or Canada and let us know what routes you took. Please leave a like on the video to support the channel if enjoyed the video. As usual, thanks for watching and maybe check out some of our other videos if you dont like this one. Cheers!
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak, is a passenger railroad service that provides medium and long-distance inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United States and to nine cities in Canada.
Amtrak Maple Leaf
The Maple Leaf is an international passenger train service operated by Amtrak and Via Rail between Pennsylvania Station in New York City and Union Station in Toronto via the Empire Corridor.
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Wow dude. Beautiful journey. Omg. Look at the upgrade in Penn station. It is absolutely stunning. Its beautiful like heaven. It did not look this nice last time i was in Penn Station. NYC STRONG FOREVER🗽🗽🗽🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yeah man, thx 4 watching. Pennsylvania station really looks brand new. We were impressed. 🗽👏🏽
@@jerrivlogs right. I really want to go back to NYC just to see the new Penn Station. I love the architecture. I have subscribed to your channel. I look forward to seeing more videos. I love it. Please continue to post more videos.
@@andrewohare8550 yeah definitely will do. Appreciate the support 🙏🏾
@@jerrivlogs you know what dude. You inspired me to go to NYC. Lol. I just booked a ticket on amtrak to Penn station. Im looking forward to this journey. 13 hours train ride. Its going to be fun. I can't wait to see the new Penn Station
@@andrewohare8550 yeh man it'll be fun. Hopefully there's no delays on ure trip 🙏🏾
You should take Amtrak again. There might be lots of delays but some of the routes can show you the best scenery and have some of the best comfort
We will, we're gonna try another route somewhere else to compare and see.
This is great, I was just looking up how to get to New York from Toronto! Thanks for sharing!!!
Glad it was helpful! Any time!!
Thank you so much. Your video was very informative.
No problem, thank you for watching! 🙏🏽
Nice Review. I'll be catching the Maple Leaf next month from Niagara Falls ON to NYC. One thing I'd like to point out is that you guys could've taken the GO Train from Port Credit GO towards the opposite direction and got off at Oakville GO Station where Amtrak would have made its first stop after departing Union Station. Just to save some time along the way.
Hey thanks for watching !! That's a good point we will most likely do that instead next time. Have a good trip ✌🏽
Going to New York (from Toronto) next month. I was considering the train but with those delays and having two kids with me, I might just fly. You know what, after seeing this video though, might just take the train back…just for the experience. Great video!
Heyy!! That sounds great! I think doing it at least once for the experience is worth it, We are just now finding out that Amtrak is notorious for delays so keep that in mind as well. Have a good trip!
Great video, really answers the question of what the train ride experience is like
Thanks for watching !! 🙏🏽
cool vid man, thx for sharing !!
Thanks for watching!
I've rode the train from New York to Toronto before
It took us literally shy of 24hrs to get there lol
We been stuck at Niagara Falls, Canada side for almost 4 to 6 hours
Sure, you're better off flying which is roughly an hr, but riding by train is a cool experience
Hi Ernie, Wow that's the longest delay I've heard of so far. Amtrak appears to be renown for their extensive delays. I agree about the experience though, as much as we were inconvenienced, the train ride itself was quite spectacular with the a great view of scenery that you wouldn't see when you travel by air.
it seems like a really good deal for a last minute trip. i looked up the cost of departing tomorrow and amtrack econo was half the price of flying and checked luggage is free!
Hi Shivyyz, Yes! 100% If you dont have any plans its definitely worthwhile and a bit cheaper than flying. We wanted the experience as we never travelled that far on a train before
@@jerrivlogs You had bad luck on your first train. At least Amtrak sped up the train to make up for the delay and you were just 1 hr late. There's generally not much of a difference between Business and Coach, so you could have saved $100. I generally bring my own food (I don't know how it works in this particular train since you cross the border, but I imagine sealed food and drinks are ok). I also take a travel pillow and a light blanket to be more comfortable. At least you got views that you don't get from the sky
@@nataliajimenez1870 yeah ure right... it was our 1st time doing this and my wife was pregnant so I did the business class just to be safe. But alot of ppl have now said it's not worth it which is true. Next time we do this trip we will try economy class. It was a good experience though.
This video is well done! I enjoyed watching every minute of it! I look forward to one day riding this route to and from NYC! Keep up the great work! 👍🏾👍🏾
p.s. What’s the name of the second song in this video, if you don’t mind me asking? It was also playing the conclusion of the video. I love it and it puts me in the mood for travelling, lol! 🚂😄
Hi! Thanks alot for watching we appreciate the comments and compliments. The song is called Bamboo. The link to the song is in the video description you can check it out if u want. Thanks again !! 💯
Hi Jerri, So sorry you got a bus part way. My wife and I have done every railway in Canada (except Churchill) including the whole of GO Transit network, West Coast Express, AMT Montreal, Ontario Northland (Toronto to Moosonee), White Pass & Yukon (Skagway to Carcross), Tshiuetin (Sept Iles to Schefferville), four Rocky Mountaineer routes including Calgary, VIA Rail from Vancouver and Prince Rupert to Halifax, Sarnia, Windsor, Senneterre, Jonquiere etc. We did the AMTRAK Maple Leaf for my wife's 50th birthday, and the AMTRAK Vermonter (between New York and St Albans, Vermont) for my 50th birthday - both in COACH class (perfectly alright, half the price, comfy seats, no heat and no disturbance from the café section of business class either. Trains are a great way to see the scenery, meet the people and dine on the train). Also done every railway in Britain, Ireland, Norway, Portugal and most of Europe, and all five railways in Alaska. If you have any questions on rail travel, just ask. Always happy to help. Best regards, from London, England.
Hey thanks for watching, wow that's a milestone right there! That was my 1st ever trip on Amtrak, I've done a few GO routes, but nothing else. We wana try to do the Amtrak Cascades from Vancouver to Seattle and the new Bright line rapid transit in Florida next !!
@@jerrivlogs Rocky Mountaineer's "Coastal Passage" also runs from Vancouver to Seattle, but it is a luxury fine dining train. Hope you enjoy both trips. Sadly, we did not do the train when we flew to Seattle, as we were flying onto Fairbanks, Alaska to start a 12 day holiday covering the Alaska Railroad and the White Pass & Yukon Route. I like GO, and I am glad there are more services nowadays. Originally, only the Lakeshore route had a full service (as opposed to unidirectional trains in peak hours only). Safe travels, my friend.
I've rode that route a few times before and have never any delay like that. Just a hour late at the most. Plus business class is not worth it. The coach class is very good on this train
We just had some bad luck on that specific trip I guess
They ended up being just 1 hr late. I guess the train was allowed to go a bit faster than usual after the delays
@@nataliajimenez1870 yep I think so, we dont ride trains much but in the end we were pretty happy it was only the 1 hour.
Thanks for the review bro, I was thinking of taking the Amtrak train to New York, but now, I have to rethink.❤
Any time man! I will say the experience may be worth it at least once but we found out Amtrak is known for being delayed
@@jerrivlogs Hi Jen-there's nothing to see after dark!😄
I literally dunno why your subscribers are too low! You deserve a million man! Lover from Bangladesh-US both 😄
I appreciate that!
Thanks for sharing this informative video.... It helps in planning to do the same.... Cheers!
Hi Tina! Glad it was helpful! We appreciate you for watching ✌🏽
Omg this is such a cool video! I’ve always wanted to travel by train!!
Glad you liked it!! You def should!! (expect delays though)
What a great trip and you made it completely train-centric with starting on the GO train in Port Credit. If the fare-prices you quoted are in Canadian $'s, then $335 for business class and $220 for economy class for both of you (return?) is reasonable in my opinion. But...WOW! You paid for a business class train trip and you got a combination bus ride and undependable train ride. Brings back memories of my first and only Amtrak experience on the same route.
Hey John, thanks for watching. The price quoted was only for one way. We Flew back from NY a few days later. The experience was bittersweet. It was our 1st cross country train ride ever but the issues along spoilt it a bit. Would we do it again? ....not sure, at least def not that route. We later found that Amtrak is pretty renown for issues like that so we learnt our lesson.
Yes I will deffo be doing this journey when I'm over in May TFS. Blessings from UK.
Wonderful! Hoping it'll be a great trip, the experience will be worth it !!
Nice report. Even though it uses Amtrak equipment all the way, between Toronto and Niagara Falls it is staffed by VIA crews and operated as a VIA train, picking up and dropping off passengers between the two cities. This is different from the Amtrak Cascades between Vancouver and Seattle, where passengers go through customs in Vancouver and can only board or leave the train once you are in the US. The Adirondack from Montreal to New York is planning to add border pre-clearance as well.
Yes, you are right. Did some research on the Amtrak Cascades, we hope to take it soon from Vancouver to Seattle and back.
You've trademarked your name? Didn’t know you could do that!
I will go to visit this places! Thank you again for your video men God bless u 😁👍🏽
Hey Ciwane, NP thanks for watching !!
Thanks for sharing. Amtrak is notorious for being late.
Yeah that's what we realized after
Thank you for your video men! I see there’s good places to visit over there! Maybe I will meet you one day men! I watch your video from Canada 😁👍🏽
Heyy, Thanks much for checking out the channel. We're from Canada as well.
did this same trip february, except i took a bus from toronto to niagara NY and stayed for a night, then took the maple leaf from there to NYC. but on the way back from NYC i took the maple leaf the whole way
Oh nice, hopefully your trip went better than mine.
WOW excellent video brother i always drive but it seems nice to just take the train god bless
Thanks for watching, respect fam!
Great video…Soon the service to Montreal will be restored as well. That means Amtrak will have three entrees into Canada….Yea!
Hey Rodney, Can't wait! We hope to try those other routes as well
Thanks for sharing! we are taking the same trip this week but boarding at Aldershot. Did you find not having a seat assignment to be any issue at all?
Not at all, In fact when we boarded at Union station we thought seats would be assigned to us but the Via Rail rep said its first come first serve. And its the same when you cross the border. Keep in mind that if you go through customs at the border 1st you get to re-board the train first and choose the best seats since you will be at or near the front of the line. Hope this helps.
We are going to give the Maple Leaf a try. Any hotel recommendations on NYC?
Hey! In my opinion I'd say it's definitely worth a try at least once. Hotels in NYC are quite expensive as you probably already know. It all depends on your budget and your itinerary. If you are looking to do a lot of exploring like we did and wont be in the hotel much you could try something lower end like Hampton Inn, OYO or Doubletree Times Square BUT if you plan to spend time in the hotel itself and want something more luxurious then you could try Motto by Hilton, AC Hotel or The New Yorker. Also try groupon.com/newyorkcity for potential discounts. Cheers!
excellent video brother it almost make me if to do that trip
Glad you enjoyed man !! Thx 4 watching
awesome video .. no way ima sit on a train that long though
Thanks!! 😁
Thank you very much for the video how much is it the ticket from Toronto to New York
So we bought tickets back in July and it costed us 335$ CAD for 2 people for Business class seats. The regular economy seats cost 220$ CAD for 2 persons. You can check Amtrak's website at www.amtrak.com/home for additional details.
Too bad it was not a smooth trip but from my point of you I loved your video
I would like to do that trip very soon. Do you have any recommendations for hotels right outside Penn station?
Thank you so much for posting. I’ll look forward to more videos from you.
Hey Sandra, the trip didn't go as smoothly as we would've liked but we were happy to get the experience as it was a 1st for us taking a train across an international border and also our 1st time on Amtrak. The scenery was quite nice nevertheless I'm not sure if we will take that trip again but we want to try out some other Via Rail routes across Canada. Thanks for checking out the channel. Cheers!
Here are some discount options for lodging right in the heart of Manhattan. 2 to 10 minute walk from Pennsylvania station and Times Square.
1. Hilton Garden Inn - www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-hilton-garden-inn-ny-ts-central-4
2. M-Social Hotel NY - www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-m-social-hotel-times-square-n-y-1
3. Park Central NY - www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-park-central-hotel-new-york-12
4. The Westin NY - www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-the-westin-ny-grand-central-3
5. Citadines 5th Ave - www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-top-secret-new-york-city-hotel
6. Double Tree by Hilton - www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-doubletree-hilton-new-york-dt-1
You can also book directly on the hotel's website. Those are all 3.5 to 4 stars and less than 150 USD per night.
The New York State thruway links both Toronto and Montreal from new York city
Good to know !! Thanks for watching !! ✌🏽
Did you need to show proof of a vaccine when you were going through the customs on the train? At the border check, or was it just passport and stuff?
Hey Stewart, They did not ask us for any Covid vaccines when I was boarding in Toronto nor did they ask us when we were passing through customs at the border at Niagara
Do you purchase the tickets from via rail or Amtrak site? Did customs ask for vax cert?
Hey Romar, Customs didn't ask us for vaccination details. Also we purchased our tickets directly from Amtrak's website
Business class is worth it for Me just for the single seats , tons of leg room
Heyy! Definitely agree, my wife slept soundly and comfortably for three quarters of the trip.
Nice video! Quick question - how is the internet connection in train. If wifi is bad, is data usage ok?
Hey! It's pretty good actually, I had a stable connection the entire trip. No complaints at all
@@jerrivlogs do you think i can work on train using data? Thanks in advance
Honestly, I would say yes based on the experience we had. The internet was pretty fast and didn't drop for us at all except when we left the train to go through US customs at the border obviously. Also we're from Canada and we didn't have roaming while in the US so we were only using the Wi-Fi the entire time so it really is pretty good.
Hi, did you have to show proof of vaccination when crossing the border to enter into the states?
Hey Crystal, No we didn't get asked.
We would like to travel Via Rail from Toronto to Vancouver someday but think we’ll fly to Toronto to save time. It would have been nice if Amtrak had their own rail line and didn’t have to share with freight trains.
Wow, that'd be a great trip !! yeah unfortunately the freight train companies (CP and CN) own the majority of the lines and gets priority over passenger traffic 😪🙁
I took the Maple Leaf from Toronto many years ago...I understand why people fly or drive.
Yep, cant blame them at all.
is there custom and border check point at toronto side when leaving ?
No you only get checked when you get off the train at Niagara on the US side. They check your luggage and your documents.
If you are a permenent resident in canada can you travel without Us visa going to new york?
Hey Ramil, As a permanent resident I believe you will require a visitors visa to cross into the U.S. at the border
@@jerrivlogs thanks, how long it take to get a visitor visa?
@@ramilgarcia6950 prior to Covid it was pretty quick but now due to backlogs it may take a while... you can check the website for the US Embassy in Toronto to see the expected waiting period for an interview after applying. I think you can also apply online.
@@jerrivlogs thank you
Can you let me know what questions were asked on the border by customs?
Hey, they just check your bags and ask you where your headed. They may ask for address of your destination. Also ask what you are bringing into the country.. typical questions like what they ask at the airport at customs
A word to the wise: Outside of the Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington), Amtrak is NOT the way to go, especially in upstate, New York. We had to wait for a passing freight train, for an hour, in upstate New York to get to Syracuse.
wow...damn. We're pretty new to it so we didn't really know what we were in for.
My daughter and I really enjoyed your journey on VIA RAIL but AMTRAK phase was not delightful at all...reason why we do not take AMTRAK instead we fly. The new VIA RAIL business rail cars are awesome compared the VIA RAIL trip from QUEBEC CITY to VANCOUVER May, 2004...took 7 weeks, but the journey was spectacular and of course memorable...we are beginning to plan our next trip to the Canadian Eastern townships by rail from Montreal to beyond Malbaie, not certain what the train route is at the moment...what a fantastic video!
We miss traveling to CANADA! ☺
Can you do a Flix bus trip across the border ??
Yes I believe you can
Where did you purchase Business Class tickets?
Hey Bella, I purchased it from Amtrak's website. I believe you also have the option of purchasing from Via Rail's website but it was a bit more expensive at the time we checked.
How did you like Toronto? VIA business class is much better value
Was a pretty good experience in my opinion ✌🏽
Would you ever live in the states? I have noticed Canadians will visit the states but Americans don't go to Canada as much, why is that?
We definitely would in certain states/cities. Our fave states from our visits so far are FL, GA, NV. We've realized as well that Americans are less likely to take the trip north, but tbh they aren't missing much. I would however recommend Banff, AB for a great authentic Canadian experience for any Americans looking to visit. The truth is there is alot more to do, see, eat, experience in the states so maybe Americans are caught up with that lol. Anyways thx for watching !! 😉
@@jerrivlogs you are welcome, I'm English based in Spain, I am also a Degrassi fan, have you heard of Degrassi? I recommend you visit Spain such as Madrid, Torrevieja, Alicante and La Mata, check them out and let me know what you think please
No food on business class ? What extra are you paying for ? The drinks??
Yeah they only give drinks for free. And the business class seats and legroom are much better than economy. You also get access to the Cafe car before Economy riders.
@@jerrivlogs doesn't seem worth it ... economy seats can't be that bad ( plus you can always walk the aisles)...in Europe most business class includes meals and lounge access at stations
Fair enough, It was literally our 1st time. For the money, not sure if we would do it again. I have heard from others as well that the economy seats are quite comfy
@@ranjitb68on Via Rail in Canada business class includes table service, full meal, alcoholic beverages… it’s great
Please much did this ride cost and how long did it take you to arrive?
Hey, it actually cost us $335 CAD for the 2 business class seats from Toronto to NYC. The cost of regular economy seats were $220 CAD for 2 persons. The train from Union station in Toronto leaves at 820 am and arrives in NYC Penn station at 930 pm if there are no delays
@@jerrivlogs Thanks!!
@@jerrivlogs220 for 2 person… one way or return ticket bro ?
hey bro, it was one way from Toronto to NYC @@pranaysingh3950
@@jerrivlogs I was just wondering how much would that be for 1 person for 1 way and what for return.
Dude - sorry for your hellish experience with Amtrak...
Yeah thanks, definitely a learning experience 👍🏽
So sad to hear that 😢
O NO that is the best i hate when it gets to that might be driving instead
yah it was a bit of a headache to be honest.
I wanna make this trip someday
I am in Toronto
You should! Make it happen if you can. Definitely worth the experience at least once.
Jr has the best video it's the full trip but this is ok lol
I’ll just hop on the plane thanks. It’s stuff like this which turns people off of traveling on trains (Amtrak) in North America. To add insult its expensive. Totally not worth it.
Hey TJ, yeah can't say I don't feel u.
The problem with the Maple Leaf is that there are no connections at either end, except for commuter trains. End up sitting in Penn Station all night.
Hotel in NYC? Uh, my name is NOT Sam Walton, Bill Gates or Elon Musk.
Hey Tom, yeah can't say I don't feel u. A lot of ppl dont take the Maple Leaf for that very reason.
Thank you very much still they ask about mask
Hey ! Yes they asked us to put it on, but this was back in August. I believe you now have the choice to decide if you want to wear it on board the train
🤲🍊🍋🤲🍊🍋🤲🍊🍋🤲
Promounced Allbany
Oh good to know, did not realize that. Thanks for watching, cheers !!
thas a long as train ride !! 😴
It sure was!! 😅
wow dude hope you guys got a refund or something
Nope didn't get a refund, apparently Amtrak can be pretty unreliable from what we've been hearing, it was our 1st time, so we didn't know
The video doesn't make the journey seem worth it. I woukd understand if it was much cheaper, but it's not much cheaper either
I don't blame you, I'm told Amtrak is renown for not being on time and also having a lot of delays unfortunately
very inconvenient way of travel..by the time u factor in the cost of food -which is quite expensive on the train- the delays, the frequent stops,.it is not worth it...i took the train a few years ago and it took 24 hours ...and there is no Wifi on the train...it is better to fly or take the bus.....flying is also not painless endeavor ....
Hey, thanks for watching, yeah those are good points !!