Friday, August 2, 2019: Plans

During our Tauck Switzerland trip, Maria and I decided we would do a Trans-Siberian Rail trip in the Summer of 2020. We looked at two different trains, the Tzar's Gold and the Golden Eagle.

Both trains were in the category of Rail Journey by Private Train. The trip on the Tzar's Gold was a 16 day trip which crossed through Mongolia and ended in Beijing. The itinerary looked great. The had an east bound trip running from August 20 to September 4, 2020.

The best suite available on the Tzar's Gold is the Bolshoi Platinum Class. It is only 54 sq ft and has a bunk bed style sleeping arrangement. The train is described as:

"The Tsar’s Gold train is a comfortable, though not luxurious, private train, which can accommodate up to 200 passengers."

Night Configuration

Day Configuration

The trip on the Golden Eagle is a 15 day trip and ends in Vladivostok with a side trip into Mongolia. They offer a trip between August 23 to September 6.

This is a much higher class train and is essentially the same one that Gavin and I took during our New Year's trip to Vienna. This train is described as:

"The exclusive Golden Eagle private train furnishes the dream of Old World rail travel with modern comforts and amenities that make the journey as pleasant as the destination. The luxurious Golden Eagle is a fully en suite train and a restful and satisfying way to experience legendary rail routes."

The best suite is the Imperial, which is 120 sq ft. 

Day Configuration

Night Configuration

They also have a Gold Suite which is 77 sq ft which has a bunk bed style sleeping arrangement.

Day Configuration

Night Configuration

While the itinerary of the Tzar's Gold was more enticing, the comfort offered by the Golden Eagle was compelling. We decided to book the Imperial Suite for Maria and a Gold Suite for me.

MIR is the US booking agent for these trips. Maxine contacted them and confirmed the cabins we wanted were available on the trip we wanted. She put down the necessary deposit and when I got home from the Baltic cruise, I sent them the registration forms for both Maria and myself. We got a confirmation and, as was the case with the Vienna trip, acknowledgement that, at this time, the trip does not have enough travels to guarantee the trip will take place. 

We will need to discuss what, if anything we are going to do before and after the train trip. We talked about St. Petersburg, Moscow and possibly Hong Kong.