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I'm looking to travel on the Coast Starlight in December. Never traveled on a sleeper car before. Have a question about baggage. Do you still have to check your bags like you do with coach baggage?
Posts: 23 | From: Spokane, WA | Registered: Jun 2007
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Rick, you don't HAVE to check your bags in either coach or sleeper. Many times it is more convenient to do so but you can keep them with you if you want to. In a sleeper you can take a small bag in your room but it if you also have a large one it can be kept on the baggage rack(at the bottom of the stairs) on the lower level.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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I loved the fact that we had access to our bags during our trip. The only restriction is the number of bags. You are only allowed two carry ons. So if you have three bags, once is supposed to be checked. However, I noticed that the sleeping car attendants tended to "turn a blind" eye to those who carried on 3 and 4 bags each. I doubt the same would be true if you traveled coach.
-------------------- Chuck
“Adventure is just bad planning.” - Roald Amundsen Posts: 80 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Feb 2007
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Things like diaper bags, laptops, camera bags, etc do not count towards the two-item carry-on limit, which may account for the "blind eye." In my experience, some Amtrak employees are fairly lenient, while others are strictly by the book, so its best to plan for the latter.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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Thanks all for the great info about baggage. I'm thinking of going by doggie bus to Seattle and taking the CS to Sacramento. Would love to take the full route and experience it all someday.
Posts: 23 | From: Spokane, WA | Registered: Jun 2007
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Mr. Toy, these were large bags, which surprised me a bit. I saw at least three passengers do this, two to three large bags and one small one. The sleepers weren't full. Maybe they are stricter when they have a fuller passenger manifest. My camera bag is actually a backpack made for camera equipment and is quite large. I wonder if I could discount that one as a carry on and still take another carry on...
Naw, too much crap to carry around.
-------------------- Chuck
“Adventure is just bad planning.” - Roald Amundsen Posts: 80 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Feb 2007
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What has ever happened to "If you can't carry it, don't bring it"?
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: What has ever happened to "If you can't carry it, don't bring it"?
That rule still applies for kids on drum corps tour!
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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It has been my experience that Amtrak is more lenient with passengers boarding or detraining at stops that have no baggage service. As for me I check one medium bag through. I have a small carry on that contains a change of clothes, laptop, medicines, toiletries and a very small purse.I do have one stop I make on trips that lacks baggage service - so I pack that medium size bag light. In these days of laundry facilities in hotels (and relatives homes) there is no need for scads of luggage. Dee
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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I pack the same way you do, Dee. I also carry some snacks, a small book,a deck of cards( we like to play Gin at night)and my travel journal and camera in my carry on.And a medium bottle of water.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Just returned from my round trip journey from MD to WA state on the Capitol Limited and Empire Builder and we took 4 bags. Two small carry on type bags for in the sleeper with the things we really needed for on the train.....and we had one big suitcase just under size limitations and a big duffle bag. (We were going for 2 weeks).
My departing station didn't offer checked luggage so we put the big suitcase in the luggage storage area on the bottom of our sleeper car.....My husband rearranged them a tad so ours were at the back, and we had locks on ALL of our bags....you just never know...can't be too careful. Even the 2 bags in our train were locked because we left our room often and the rooms didn't lock from the outside.
Posts: 28 | From: Western Maryland | Registered: Jun 2007
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