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We are planning a CS trip in November: LAX-SEA-PDX-LAX. Do you have any suggestions/comments on deluxe cabins: preferences, any to avoid, how to make it more enjoyable, etc?
Mike Smith Member # 447
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Deluxe Rooms E, D, and C are preferred.
Room B is right over the trucks (train wheels) and can be noisy if the wheel has a flat spot. Room A is smaller than the rest and right beside the door to the other cars in the train set. In Room A you will hear the door every time it opens.
dilly Member # 1427
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It's worth choosing your own room when you book your trip. Otherwise you'll be leaving it up to fate.
However, if you want to request a specific room (i.e. C, D, or E) you can't do it via Amtrak's website.
Instead, book your trip with a live Amtrak agent at 1-800-872-7245. When "Julie," the automated Amtrak lady, comes on the line, just say "agent." You'll be connected to a presumably flesh-and-blood human being.
Note: occasionally, a clueless agent will insist you can't request a specific room. Which is untrue. If he/she won't do it, hang up, and call again until you connect with someone more enlightened. Book as early as you can, otherwise your room(s) of choice might be already spoken for.
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Well I guess I just became a vicitm of Room A. Argh! Will bring the sleeping pills! Don't plan on spending too much time in the room except for sleeping. No other Deluxe bedrooms left on the CA Zephyr for the day I was travelling. Scheduled a last minute trip from LA to Chicago in November. Cashed in some Guest Reward points. Anyone know whether the Zephyr has been running with Superliner II or renovated Superliner I sleepers? How about the Sightseer Lounge Car? Last time I was on the Zephyr I got stuck with a horrible old Suplerliner I sleeper, but the Sightseer Lounge was renovated/new.
Will be on the Coast Starlight from LA to San Fran as well - took a standard bedroom on that for the day to take advantage of the Parlor Car and free meals. Starlight usually runs with Supleriner II equipment right?
Southwest Chief Member # 1227
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jp1822
My guess would be an old Superliner I
The Zephyr seems to have an abundance of Superliner I's. With the Coast Starlight and Auto train taking a huge supply of Superliner II's there are few left for the other trains. And with the Superliner II sleeper, "New York" basically scrap, that's one less for the pool.
I ride the Chief most often (hence my user name ) and this train rarely has a Superliner II sleeper anymore. I used to be able to count on a 50:50 chance of a II sleeper on the Chief. But recently this hasn't been the case.
Kind of a shame when there seem to be more busy night stops on the Chief as compared to other trains. If the II's were on the Chief, maybe those cool platform lights on the sleepers might actually be used.
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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What are platform lights?
Also, what is it about Superliner I cars that people despise so? Is it just that many are showing their age, or is there something inherently inferior about the design? What about the ones that have been refurbished?
I rode in one Superliner I sleeper, the one named George M. Pullman. It was showing a few minor signs of wear and tear, but nothing I couldn't live with. Only problem was the A/C crapped out in the middle of the desert in most rooms. It still worked in the hallways, so it was tolerable.
But, as many of you may already know, I much prefer the Superliner I for its more spacious upstairs rest room. I'll take that over a Superliner II any day. Other than that, and a few cosmetic details, I don't recall the S-I was any less comfortable.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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JP1822: Sleep with your head by the window and your feet by the door. That should help a little....
rmiller Member # 341
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Platform lights are built into the car body with one on each side of the door opening....they shine down onto the platform.
Bedroom A is smaller than the others and I think should be priced lower, but it is OK for one. I also believe it is the last deluxe sold by the res. bureau.
dilly Member # 1427
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quote:Originally posted by Mr. Toy: what is it about Superliner I cars that people despise so?
Some Superliner I sleeping cars still sport the faintly nauseating orange-ish/brown-ish upholstery and curtains that were (if memory serves me) installed at the dawn of the 1980s. It was an era when good taste (among Amtrak's upper management at least) seemed to be in short supply.
I'd say it's that color scheme -- plus the fact that the fabric is typically frayed and grungy from more than two decades of use -- that makes many passengers' hearts sink when they first board one.
Fortunately, I've always landed in the more recently refurbished, blue-ish/purple-ish Superliner I cars. Most people seem to find the color scheme much more restful.
Although I haven't really made an in-depth study of the toilet situation, I do prefer the skinny closet in Superliner I standard rooms. It's a far less sloppy way to hang your stuff than the mere coat hooks Amtrak provides in the Superliner II.
[This message has been edited by dilly (edited 10-23-2003).]
jp1822 Member # 2596
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I am just opposed to some of the unrefurbished Superliner I's. Some Superliner I's are in good condition, including those that have been refurbished. But I've been on some real lemmons. For me, more concerned about the items that may not work well (i.e. sink, shower, toilet facilities) and the delapidated interiors (i.e. lack of comfortable seat cushions, bedding, interior worn rugs and walls) than the color schemes of some unrefurbished Superliner I's. You pay a lot of money for a deluxe room and to get stuck with some of the Superliner I's that are out there can make your head spin. My experiences on the Empire Builder have been in renovated Superliner I's. Nice. Coast Starlight trips -my only experience in a Superliner II sleeper. Southwest Chief, I had a nice, but unrefurbished Superliner I. However, on some Texas Eagle, CA Zephyr, and Capitol Limited trips, I got a horrible old Superliner I sleeper. It's a mixed bag, but I have seen more renovated Superliner I's out there.
dilly Member # 1427
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quote:Originally posted by jp1822: more concerned about the items that may not work well (i.e. sink, shower, toilet facilities) and the delapidated interiors (i.e. lack of comfortable seat cushions, bedding, interior worn rugs and walls) than the color schemes of some unrefurbished Superliner I's.
Even in a newer car, it's not uncommon to find stuff that's worn out, barely works, or doesn't work at all.
A while back, I traveled in a Viewliner standard room that was looking pretty shabby -- semi-flat seat cushions, stained carpet, worn seat fabric, frayed curtains, semi-functioning video unit, and several broken lights and switches. God knows what that car will look like once it has logged the number of passenger miles that the average Superliner I car has logged.
Mr. Toy has a thing about properly proportioned toilets. For me, it's the color of a car's interior. I find the 1980's orange-brown scheme depressing -- so much so that whenever I encounter it in an Amfleet coach, I move to one of the newer "bluer" cars.
ChrisJ Member # 320
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I have occupied all 5 Superliner Deluxe rooms, and in terms of comfort/noise/sleep, I could not tell the difference. (And my hearing is just fine!) As far as room A is concerned, in a way, it's almost roomier, in that you can park a suitcase alongside the chair, and not have to move it to get into the toilet stall, since the door to the toilet is on the aisle end of the room.
Fumes5 Member # 1437
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It realy depends on your taste in style, both models have problems and design flaws. I have worked with both Superliner I and II equipment and have found that the referbished I's are nicer than some II, especialy in coach, where you get the luxary of power outlets at each seat. I personaly like the PA systems in the Superliner I's better, they have a crisper sound and work almost all the time, or at least in my experiences. The toilets in the I's also seem to clog less than those on a II. oh well that is just my 2 cents worth.
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) and this train rarely has a Superliner II sleeper anymore. I used to be able to count on a 50:50 chance of a II sleeper on the Chief. But recently this hasn't been the case.