Hi! I have only ridden the train once before last November from Sacramento to Tacoma I had a coach seat and was traveling with my 1yo daughter it was a little crazy to say the least but we made it and did have a pretty good time. In April we (me, my husband and daughter(she'll be 18mo)) are planning to take the train from Seattle to Grand Junction and we are planning reserve a Superliner Roomette.
1.My husband and I are quite tall (I'm 6' and he's 6'3") I will have to sleep on the bottom with our daughter and My husband will be sleeping on the top. Will my husband be cramped in the smaller bed?
2.When I was in coach I wasn't allowed in the dining car after it had closed for the night(I was trying to get my daughter to sleep and someone was having a loud conversation in the observation car so since it was 1am I decided to sit in the dining car but someone came through 15min later and told me I had to leave) can you walk from the sleeping cars through the dining room to get to the observation car late at night or is that a "no-no"
3. Will the 3 of us fit in general in the roomette with 2 backpacks and a laptop?
Posted by Geoff M (Member # 153) on :
Roomette for 3? No, you definitely need something bigger. Even with just a baby, you're going to be extremely cramped on the lower bed as they are not particularly wide. Add to that your height (or length once in bed) and you'll certainly be cramped. The backpacks *could* go downstairs though, but keep the laptop with you.
A family room would be ideal if you can afford the cost. A deluxe (or whatever they're called this week) would be adequate I guess. At the very least, two roomettes.
I guess they're not keen on having unattended visitors in the diner as it's a food service area. I've never tried walking through at night, only during the day which is not a problem.
Geoff M.
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
www.amtrak.com has detailed info on superliner sleeping accomodations. Click on "Traveling With Amtrak" > scroll down to (Onboard) "Sleeping Accomodations" , then click on the choices under "Superliner".
The roomette lists the upper berth as 6'2" x 2'0" with steps, the lower as 6'6" x 2'4". The bedroom is upper 6'2" x 2'4" and lower is 6'3" x 3'4".
My twins at the age of about 8 shared a lower roomette bed and slept fine, while I used the upper. It's possible, but not ideal. Amtrak does not allow 3 adults to be ticketed for a roomette, so the 3rd person has to be ticketed in coach and does not get free meals.
An advantage to the family bedroom is that you have windows on both sides in the lower level. If it is affordable, it would suit you fine and may be cheaper than a bedroom. It does not have a private toilet, but bathrooms and shower are just out the door.
You can always walk through the diner at night as a sleeping car passenger. You will also have a Pacific Parlour Car or extra lounge for first class pax only on the Starlight.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Totally concur with Mr. Geoff M's thoughts; a Bedroom should be your accommodation for this journey.
The reason a Coach passenger is not allowed in the Diner after it has closed is that there is no reason for the passenger to be in the car or for that matter any car forward of such.
Even though Amtrak is one class, save the Boston-Wash Acela where First Class is offered, you will find with sleeper passengers there is more impetus for the staff to say "good morning/evening sir/madam" than there is "you can't be in here". I guess it is human nature to "put on the nices' to those paying the stiff premium to ride Sleeper, which possibly you have noted from reviewing this Forum is where 95% of those here making overnight journeys will be traveling.
In short you can walk from the Sleepers to the Lounge at your pleasure.
Finally, Ms. Treqi, here is a discussion topic which is related "of sorts" to your inquiry and which you may find of interest:
Another thing to consider is daytime. Unless you plan to hold your daughter on your lap there is really no room for her in a roomette. It would seem to be wiser to get either a bedroom or family bedroom. You will definitely be cramped at night.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
A bedroom will work for a couple with a toddler. The lower bed in a bedroom is wide enough for one parent and the toddler, while the upper is OK for the other parent, even a 6-footer.
My wife and I rode roomettes for many years but since we became geezers, we've decided to take two roomettes rather than a bedroom so we both have lower bunks -- except on the VIA Rail Western trains, which have very thick mattresses up and down and are fine for us.
Posted by Printman2000 (Member # 4338) on :
If money is an issue, I have found many times that two roomettes are cheaper than one family room or one bedroom.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
I concur with all previous posts. Many people, when they first see a roomette, say that it is smaller than they pictured it. Take a look at your bathtub, add about a foot to the width, and try to picture three of you in there at once. That will give you a realistic picture of a Roomette. The lower bed is adequate for one person, but it is narrower than a standard twin bed, so there's no way you'll cram a toddler in there with you and be comfortable enough to sleep.
Your best bet is a family room. A bedroom would work well, too. Two roomettes would work.
But to be frank, if you can't afford more than one roomette, you'd probably be better off in coach each with your own seat.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
I will add my opinion on the roomette also----you will NOT be happy with a roomette on your journey. You will need a Bedroom, or ideally, the Family Bedroom. Mr. Toy's description of a bathtub is pretty good---that gives you a very good idea of what you're looking at. It is NOT big. I travel solo on Amtrak quite frequently, and a roomette sometimes seems small even for me. I would NEVER want to share a roomette with another adult, although I know it happens all the time. It's just too cramped.
Regarding your other question about walking through the diner at night, it will not be a problem for you to walk through there if you are coming from a sleeping car. Besides the fact that the car was closed when you and your daughter went in there, you were also told to leave because coach passengers are not allowed into the sleeping cars----and getting to the sleepers from coach requires a walk through the diner, so this is just one way that they "monitor" things on-board, to keep coach and sleeper passengers in their proper locations.
As a final thought, if cost is what is preventing you from getting a larger sleeping accommodation, maybe you could do something like this: Reserve coach seats for your daytime travel, and then make a different reservation in a sleeper for night travel. In other words, you could be ticketed in coach from Point A to Point B during the day, and then be ticketed in a sleeper from Point B to Point C. Does this make sense? It would save money, and all you would have to do is transfer from coach to sleeper at the station stop that you are ticketed for. If this doesn't make sense, just ask and I'll try to clarify this option for you.