First, allow me to note that there is no intention of starting an elitist topic on this point, but it has come to my attention, there are Amtrak LD travelers out there who could well-afford to travel Sleeper yet CHOOSE to travel overnight Coach.
Obviously to me, who has often noted that if it is "no dough', then it is "no go", the matter is open and shut. But let's direct any discussion to either personal choices or reliable anecdotes where travelers have chosen to use overnight Coach for other than economic reasons.
Some from my "files":
---A lady who prides herself as a "people person' rode overnight Coach because if she were "cooped up' in a room, she would not be able to "sit out and josh' with others.
---A Scoutmaster (attorney in real life; "Mrs" an educator) I know was doing a "hitch" out at Philmont (Raton NM). When I learned he and son were traveling Coach and I had 'strongly' suggested an upgrade, the response I got was "if it's good enough for the Scouts, it's good enough for me".
---A family (Civil Engineer; Author) that prides themselves as 'rugged individualists' - nuff said!
---A lady (retired) that 'just can't be bothered with the fol-d-rol'; Coach it is just show up, buy a ticket, and go (I guess you can still buy a ticket on day of travel if space is open).
---I once heard after a "less than rave reviews' trip: "Sleeper, you mean they had little beds on the train???"
That pretty much exhausts my "non-economic catalog'.
Posted by abefroman329 (Member # 3986) on :
quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman:
---A lady who prides herself as a "people person' rode overnight Coach because if she were "cooped up' in a room, she would not be able to "sit out and josh' with others.
This makes sense; on my first sleeper trip, I was expecting somewhat of a dorm room atmosphere in the sleeping car. However, most if not all of my neighbors closed their doors and the curtains upon boarding in Washington DC. My guess is that there is some element of camaraderie in the coaches on long-distance trains (certainly not on the Regionals, though). Which isn't to say that I'd swap a bed in a quiet compartment for said camaraderie, but I can certainly see her position.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
My neighbor,who is quite well off, always went to NO by coach. She went often to visit her daughter. When I asked her why she didn't go sleeper her answer was that she didn't want to sleep where others had slept,didn't know how clean it was and was afraid of bed bugs. I was afraid to ask what she does in hotels as they do travel a lot here and overseas. "to each his own"
Posted by Geoff M (Member # 153) on :
Agreed with abefroman329 - it's more social in the coach cars, and sleeper people do tend to keep their doors closed. Indeed, having the door open seems to invite glances from passing traffic, which might put some people off!
While I like my creature comforts, and can well afford a sleeper on all but the most expensive trains (or fare buckets), I would still choose a coach for a single overnighter if the fare was more than a 4-star hotel (let's say $150+ but it depends on meals and distance as well). I'd rather spend it on a posh hotel at my destination instead!
Geoff M.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
I agree there is a certain camaraderie in coach that is lacking in sleepers.
I think I mentioned this in another thread recently, about meeting a casting director from the German film industry. He said he never rode sleepers because you don't meet anybody. This guy was on a 15 day pass, and had ridden three trains in coach with hardly any stop overs.
Posted by dilly (Member # 1427) on :
For single-night trips that will (according to the timetable anyway) see me reach my destination before 6AM, I always travel in coach. I don't feel the cost of a sleeper is justified if I can't sleep until then and get a relatively leisurely breakfast out of the deal.
On the other hand, I do meet far more people in coach. And because coach travel keeps me in a restless "wake up-doze off-wake up-doze off" sleep pattern all night long, I end up seeing all sorts of strange and mysterious things outside the window as the train rolls through the darkness -- sights I'd miss if I was in a roomette with the curtains closed.
With that said, I find coach travel truly bearable for only one night, provided the car isn't filled to capacity and I have two seats to myself. Unfortunately, that's often impossible to gauge ahead of time, especially during the warmer months. But I've been lucky; more often than not, the coach doesn't begin to fill up until a stop or two before I reach my destination.
Posted by JONATHON (Member # 2899) on :
Because its funer in Coach, You meet lots of people, and you have more freedom!
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
I still prefer sleeper. If you are interested in meeting people, it is just as easy to meet up with people in the lounge car, especially in the Sightseer Lounges on those trains which have them. Sorry, but I just can't sleep in coach.... If you are in a sleeper, you certainly don't have to sit in your room for the entire trip.
Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :
As much as I love sleepers which I take often, the coaches are more fun as stated above and when I write I find far more stories when sitting there than I do in my room.
I also prefer the sleepers. If I'm in the mood to socialize, I can go to the lounge car. Otherwise, I sit in my room and enjoy the passing scenery (and the quiet). Coach would work for a short day trip, but I couldn't manage it for more than five hours or so.
Posted by CoastStarlight99 (Member # 2734) on :
For night travel, sleeping on a bed is obviouslty much more relaxing then a coach seat.
You can also meet people in the lounge regardless of the class you are traveling.
The most negative reason I personally have for travleling coach however is the people you MIGHT meet. I have met some very nice people traveling coach in the dining car, but when I did travel coach a few years ago...seated behind us were probably the two most rude people you will ever here. They would not stop talking about drugs, etc. They even went to a lavatory and smoked after the conductor told they could not detrain to smoke at a short stop.
Posted by MontanaJim (Member # 2323) on :
i mainly travel coach because i cant afford sleepers. i wish they offered something like dorm style sleeping like many international trains have. for a single traveler like me, two hundred bucks a night is ridiculous.
also, if i have a sleeper, id be tempted to sleep more. when i am on the train, i stay up for about 20 hours a day. i like looking out the window and moving about.
i traveled coach on my trip back to montana in december-january, and had a blast.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Jim, your post reminded me that they used to have slumber coaches. They were between the roomette and coach. Meals were not included and they were small but comfortable. You could get a single or double but the doubles were so small we always got 2 singles across the hall from each other. It cost very little more than coach and was perfect for a single nighter. I have often wondered why the discontinued them. To my knowledge they seemed to be only west to Chicago.
Posted by CN 6060 Fan (Member # 3093) on :
I haven’t traveled overnight in coach since I could afford a sleeper. But that changed a few days ago: I had to go from Ottawa to Bathurst, New Brunswick and it was the start of Spring Break. All sleeper space on VIA’s OCEAN was sold out so my only option was a coach seat on one of the new Renaissance trains. At least I would have a seat to myself as seating is a single on one side of the aisle and a double seat on the other. The train was jammed packed with mostly university students and I thought to myself “this is going to be a long night”. But what a great group of kids and I certainly wasn’t excluded from any of the conversations (or a card game) going on around me. Things did quiet down around 11:30 and I got an good sleep on this new very smooth riding equipment. The diner opened at 6:30am and we arrived in Bathurst OT at 9am. I returned by sleeper but certainly won’t rule out riding overnight coach again. It brought back memories of all the fun times riding coach back in my college days!
Posted by MontanaJim (Member # 2323) on :
"To my knowledge they seemed to be only west to Chicago"
--trainlady, i think you mean east of chicago. I rode in a slumbercoach once, in 94, on the silver meteor from dc to jacksonville.
In china, i enjoyed traveling in the dormitory style sleepers. They have 6 beds per compartment, 3 beds on each side, stacked like bunk beds. i liked sleeping on the top bunk, because i could sleep in late in the morning (chinese people like to get up early and talk and socialize).
I also took a number of trips in china that lasted 10-12 hours in what is called hard seat, which is really a soft seat but the seat doesnt recline. When you compare that to the coach seats on amtrak, amtrak's seats are luxurious!
Posted by David (Member # 3) on :
quote:Originally posted by JONATHON: Because its funer in Coach, You meet lots of people, and you have more freedom!
This same cliche was used in the days when ocean liners offered first and tourist class (and in some cases a third class.) As one who has travelled the seas in both first and tourist class, I say piffle. First class was more dignified - and the food and cabins better - but there was as much fun as one wanted.
Of course, tourist class on a ship provided beds in reasonably comfortable cabins and often excellent food. I haven't travelled overnight in coach for over 35 years. I strongly agree with Mr Norman on that subject! But I wonder how many of us (yes, I include myself) have travelled overnight on an overseas-bound airplane in conditions that could only be described as absolutely disgusting? I must admit that overnight on a long-distance Amtrak or VIA coach must be far better than steerage in the air.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Jim, you are right. I was thinking west to Chicago from DC and naturally my computer is at fault!!! Thanks for catching the mistake
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Agter reading a more recent thread, I think this question can be answered with "Because they're now charging $500 for a roomette!"
Posted by Vicki (Member # 3410) on :
Mr. Toy, You beat me to it!
Posted by royaltrain (Member # 622) on :
Sleeper is the only way to go. I always book a sleeper on trains that offer that service--no matter how short the trip. I once used a sleeper for only going one stop, and in that instance the sleeping car attendant said she won her wager with the conductor as he bet her that my booking had to be a mistake on the manifest.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
quote:Originally posted by royaltrain: Sleeper is the only way to go. I always book a sleeper on trains that offer that service--no matter how short the trip. I once used a sleeper for only going one stop, and in that instance the sleeping car attendant said she won her wager with the conductor as he bet her that my booking had to be a mistake on the manifest.
I am about to buck up a pay to ride in a sleeper next month. (Train and destination to be announced soon!!!)
Generally though I stopped paying to ride in Amtrak sleepers in 2003. Instead I horde my 'Guest Reward' points and cash those in for first class travel. I use my Guest Rewards credit card for ALL of my travel expenses......ie: Amtrak coach tickets, hotels, oil changes, new tires, gasoline, etc. Where I once earned a free roomette about every 11 months I now do it in about 8 months......due mostly to skyrocketing gas prices!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
The following captioned comment is certainly within the scope of this topic's title.
Posting at another site and at an unrelated topic, the member, who represents to be an Amtrak Conductor, shares thoughts on who travels by Coach:
For those of you who may have noticed (or not noticed) Amtrak is becoming the new Greyhound, our fares are lower and more people are unable to afford the gas to go anywhere. Most people that have the money fly, and Amtrak scrapes the bottom of the barrel. There are those such as yourself who have the time and the money but PREFER the train, but you are a select minority. I wish that wasn't the case but it is. MOST COACH PASSENGERS RIDE AMTRAK BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS...not all but most.
How much more of a recommendation is needed to stay on the other side of the Diner, especially since 99% of the trips reported on here are what could be called "discretionary"?
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
He speaks the truth. Although I would add that Coach was this way before gas prices went sky high. It's always fun to play "pick the Coach passenger" before the train arrives. I know, that's probably a snobbish thing to say---however, it is accurate.
Posted by Iron Mountain (Member # 12411) on :
Lots of good and interesting points made about the ads and disads of coach vs. sleeper. When I travel overnight on Amtrak I always travel by sleeper. I enjoy it immensely. When I am in my room I like to mix myself a bourbon and water, watch the scenery and call people I know on my cell phone to tell them how much fun I am having. I am not a cell phone fan but that is one of the few times I enjoy the technology. I agree with others that if you desire to "mix with the folk" the lounge is a fair option. And I have always, with one exception, enjoyed my dinner mates. I have had some very pleasant conversations with travelers in the lounge car too. My main objection to modern day coach travel is the CELL PHONE curse. The last trip I took on the coach leg of my journey I wore ear plugs to blot out the irritating cell phone chatter. None of it interesting. Most too personal. Most of it totally superfluous. Along with the cell phone business is the music playing devices. On one trip on the TE from St. Louis to Chicago in coach the young ladies behing me were playing with some kind of laptop that was generating music to which they were singing. I politely reminded them that they should use their ear phones. They were not pleased with my suggestion. So I appealed to the conductor,a physically imposing gentleman, who addressed the issue with the ladies. He was quite perceptive as he kept an eye on us and percieved that the young ladies and myself were not inclined to give ground. So, to avoid a more serious situation, he told my wife and me that there were some empty seats in the forward car and that we were welcome to relocate. We did so. Enjoyed the trip sans the music. And when I arrived home I contacted Amtrak commending the conductor's performance.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
My main objection to coach travel of any distance is that it is just plain uncomfortable. I think even our Train Granny might have wished for a roomette at times. I suspect most travelers find this is the case except perhaps for those of college age who are impervious to most annoyances older people find.
The mix of passengers only aggravates what, after a few hours of travel, is already an unpleasant experience. I will say, that while many coach passengers are unobtrusive, it takes only one or two to make the experience unbearable, as in Iron Mountain's case. Certainly this was not always the case. An overnight trip to Florida as a child I recall as being very enjoyable. The car was comfortable (44 seat coach), and passengers making the long trip from the northeast tended to be more polite and quiet than today's generation (and of course were without electronic gadgets). Intermediate passengers were on the secondary trains resulting in less commotion at stops.
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
If you want a roomette/bedroom on the Empire Builder most days in the next month you are out of luck, even though it has typically been running 4-6 hours late. Sometimes we do not have a choice.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Reminds me of a trip I took many years ago. I was traveling in sleeper, as I always do, but I was sitting in the lounge of the Crescent, I believe, and a couple young guys were also in the lounge with a boom box, which continually played the same 4 or 5 rap songs over and over and over again for several hours!