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Anyone been on a Viewliner lately? I'll be traveling in a viewliner standard bedroom in a couple of weeks; my first time. What is the in-room audio/video entertainment like? Are the Viewliners still in good shape/working order? Please share your experiences in Viewliners.
Thanks.
[This message has been edited by 20thCenturyLimited (edited 10-20-2001).]
Posts: 134 | From: New York, New York USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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We just recently took a trip to FL - traveled in Viewliner Deluxe rooms both ways (needed the space for the whole family.) I have traveled in Viewliners numerous times, and they seem to be making some changes to the rooms. If you have a room without the changes, expect some rattles from doors and other sources I can't seem to pinpoint. The ones that have been reworked have replaced the latches that were original with the arrangement used in Superliner IIs. This has fixed the rattling door problem. (I've never traveled in a Superliner I, so I don't know what the latch arrangement was used there.) Also, the reworked ones have replaced the window shade in the door with a curtain - the shades used to jam, but they were more effective at keeping corridor light out. Video system still works in the ones I traveled in; two channels, although on one trip only one of the video channels was working. There are also three channels of music (elevator music, in my opinion.) Pluses of the Viewliners: TONS of storage space. Each room has a little alcove above the corridor which can fit a couple of medium-sized duffel bags, plus there is a place to hang a garmet bag plus you can store bags under each seat. (Not recommended for bags you need in the middle of the night.) And that's the standard room; the deluxe rooms have additional storage space above the toilet / shower compartment. Another plus: LOTS of light. The second row of windows is absolutely fantastic! (Downside: on a sunny day, they turn the rooms into greenhouses, and the air conditioners are not strong enough to keep the car very cool during the day down south.) At night, there are lights all over - reading lights, wall lights, mirror lights, and overhead lights. A very nice feature is a "night light" - a blue overhead light for use at night. They have a shower at the end of the car for use by the standard room passengers; I've used it on previous trips, but it doesn't appear to be used very frequently, and the car attendants often use the room for storage. By the way, next to the shower is an area which has a coffee maker, ice, juice and soft drinks for the occupants. There are also cookies, apples, and chocolates. If you are traveling alone, sleep on the upper bunk at night. You'll be even with the upper window, you'll have a double mattress (the "mattresses" are nothing more than thin slabs of foam rubber covered in heavy cloth - two are better than one) and it will be easier to move around should you need to get up in the middle of the night. (Or change in the morning prior to the room being made up.) Hope this information is what you are looking for.
Posts: 72 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Thank you, that was perfect! It indeed was exactly what I was looking for! I plan on using that shower so the attendant better not be using it for "storage". I'm going to sleep in the upper berth on my trip down and plan on sleeping in the lower berth on my way back (unless the upper berth experience turns out to be too enjoyable :-) ). Have traveled in Superliner II standard bedroom and napped in upper berth (long day trip) but no windows up there! One other question though: What is the situation with the toilet like? I assume it must work out okay but I am wary of any possible "unpleasantness" in any form....
Thanks
[This message has been edited by 20thCenturyLimited (edited 10-21-2001).]
Posts: 134 | From: New York, New York USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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The toilets in Viewliners are the "vacuum" kind that a lot of new airliners have. It does a great job of sucking out all of the "unpleasantness" and the accompanying odor. Never had any problems, but if you are wary, you can always go back to the lounge car and use the facilities there. The standard rooms have beds that are wider at the top (the "head end") than the bottom to allow for use of the toilet when the beds are made up, so your head isn't right next to it anyway. With regard to the shower at the end of the car, every time I've seen the room used for storage the stuff is out of the way enough to allow use of the shower; I've never seen the shower itself being used for storage. (Usually they stack boxes on the seat.) A good car attendant will assure that it can be used by all passengers who desire.
Posts: 72 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Thanks Much. You are a fountain of information for what I wanted to know.
Posts: 134 | From: New York, New York USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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Hello everybody, I have another question pertaining: Is it proper/expected to tip the attendant and/or housekeeper? Common amount?
Also, am I the only one who considers the "room rates" to be rather exorbitant? I guess if it was too value-friendly then there would not be enough cars...but, still..........
Posts: 5 | From: Avon, IN USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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I would say that yes, you should tip the attendant for good service.
As far as the rates go, I would say that yes, it is expensive, but that is what it costs. Private accomodations on a train with meals included of course are going to cost you. They don't call it first class for nothing.
What they should consider bringing back are the sleeping sections such as what Via Rail Canada has. Two open seats facing each other in a section that covert to two berths at night, with curtains for sleeping privacy. You share the section with another person. These could be less expensive, and sans included meals. I'd go for it if the private rooms were out of my budget for a particular trip.
Posts: 134 | From: New York, New York USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Jim: With regard to the shower at the end of the car, every time I've seen the room used for storage the stuff is out of the way enough to allow use of the shower; I've never seen the shower itself being used for storage. (Usually they stack boxes on the seat.) A good car attendant will assure that it can be used by all passengers who desire.
Got a question for you, Jim.. you said that "any" passenger may use the shower if they desire? That doesn't include coach passengers, does it? I thought they weren't allowed in the sleeping cars. I want to go across country this spring, but I doubt I can afford a room.. it would be a real pain to go 3 days without a shower!
-Tim
[This message has been edited by lakeshorelimited (edited 10-22-2001).]
Posts: 140 | From: Albany, NY | Registered: Mar 2001
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The Viewliner is far and away the best sleeper in the AMTRAK fleet. Obviously designed by someone who regularly took the train overnite, valued privacy, and knew the shortcomings of the old Pullman roomettes and double bedrooms and modified the accomodations to overcome these shortcomings.
Posts: 62 | Registered: Jul 2000
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The showers on both Superliners and Viewliners are for sleeping car passengers only. Coach passengers are not allowed back in the sleeping cars.
[This message has been edited by 20thCenturyLimited (edited 10-22-2001).]
Posts: 134 | From: New York, New York USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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quote:Originally posted by MLC: The Viewliner is far and away the best sleeper in the AMTRAK fleet. Obviously designed by someone who regularly took the train overnite, valued privacy, and knew the shortcomings of the old Pullman roomettes and double bedrooms and modified the accomodations to overcome these shortcomings.
You've GOT to be kidding! In my opinion they were designed by someone who NEVER rode a "10-6". -The roomettes had REAL mattresses. -The better ones had tapered berths so you could use the toilet without raising the bed. -You could sit up in bed in a roomette without a "void" behind your back! -You had complete privacy, no windows or curtains in the aisle. -The ride quality was far superior.
Of course, there was nothing in terms of ride quality as good as the heavyweight 12-wheel Pullmans of the 1920-1940 era. "rides like a Pullman" used to be a true compliment.
Posts: 75 | From: Somerville, NJ USA | Registered: Jun 2001
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Well Kent, I'm not sure what 10-6's you have in mind. I've been in roomettes on both Amtrak & VIA Rail & have never seen one you could use the toilet in with the bed down. The slumbercoaches had toilets that could be used with the bed down. Reggie
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I agree with Reggie: I have never seen a roomette in which the toilet could be used with the bed down. The ones with the tapered beds (like the roomettes in Via's Manor series sleepers) allow the passenger to stand inside the room to raise and lower the bed, as opposed to the roomettes with the full-width beds which necessitates sticking one's bum outside the room. The Manor roomettes also have a sink that does not have to be folded away at night-time.
Posts: 216 | From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 2000
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"You've GOT to be kidding! In my opinion they were designed by someone who NEVER rode a "10-6"."
Access to the toilet without lifting your bed and the installation of a shower are real improvments over the roomettes that were in the old 10&6.
Kent Loudon continued:
"-The roomettes had REAL mattresses."
The matresses may have been thicker, but the're just as real in a Viewliner as they were in a 10&^.
Kent Loudon continued:
"-The better ones had tapered berths so you could use the toilet without raising the bed."
I think this mis-assertion has been addressed by others in this thread.
Kent Loudon continued:
"-You could sit up in bed in a roomette without a "void" behind your back!"
I'm not sure what this statement means.
Kent Loudon continued:
"-You had complete privacy, no windows or curtains in the aisle."
Complete privacy can be attained on the aisle side simply by pulling down the shade. Unlike a 10&6, you have the best of all possible worlds - privacy, or the ability to look into the aisle.
Kent Loudon continued:
"-The ride quality was far superior."
This may or may not be true. It is more a personal opinion and a function of just where the roomette or viewliner bedroom is located. Neither one provides much comfort if it is located over truck.
posted
Don't know much about Viewliners and 10&6s, except I'll be in a Viewliner bedroom in a couple of weeks (and Superliners: LA - Boston in a few stages - yippee!).
As for ride quality, you can definitely have a better ride in different types of car. For example, over here in the UK, the Intercity MkII bogies (trucks) are designed differently to the MkIIIs, and give a far superior ride, despite being several years older. And the vast majority of people agree that that is the case.
Mostly the variations are suspension, dampers, and weight. Air suspension is different to metal springs, dampers can reduce sway, weight can counteract bumps, but I'm sure some engineer can give lots of reasons why.
However, ride quality can vary according to where you are in the car. Top bunk of a Superliner on the top deck can sway a lot, especially over staggered jointed track. But being close to the trucks can give a noisy, vibrating experience.
Geoff Mayo.
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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