I've heard of people using the child-size bunks in the Family Bedroom to extend the length of the adult-size bunks. I'd still recommend that your son take the top bunk (assuming that he's a bit nimbler than you), but you should both have enough length in extended Family Bedroom bunks. Sounds...
If you were to book 1 roomette for the 2 of you, you'd probably want your son to take the top bunk, as he would doubtless be a bit more agile than you. He would have to scrunch up a bit, though, as he's taller at 6'6" than the length of the top bunk at 6'2".
Lunch was by reservation on the Texas Eagle earlier this month, too. (We could have had lunch about 1-1 1/2 hours before we got back to our local station, but were getting tired of the Flex Dining meals by then.) CZ riders, of course, choose meals from the Traditional Dining menu -- lucky you!
That was certainly the case for the hubby and me on the Texas Eagle earlier this month! It's kind of like slithering up (or down) a chute, even if your carryons are all backpacks or duffels with shoulder straps, as ours were. You won't be hauling luggage to get off & on the train at fresh air...
We had the ladder, but the hubby found it to be a bit unstable when the train was moving, and he didn't trust his ability to climb into the top bunk safely. (And he didn't want to risk my safety by having me attempt to climb into the top bunk.)
Heads-at-opposite-ends (like the "Pushmi-pullu" from Doctor Dolittle) wouldn't have worked well in a regular bedroom, as the lower berth is only 78"/2 meters long, I think. So we were in an L shape instead at night. Southbound, the hubby had his head on the backrest of the jumpseat and his...
We did this year's Texas Eagle trip as 2 one-ways. We booked the tickets before "points + cash" was an option, and had hoped to use points for at least 1 person's 1-way fare, but didn't have enough points at the time for even that, and ended up putting the entire fare on my AGR credit card...
I was just reading the Points + Cash FAQ, and it seemed to indicate that Points + Cash could NOT be used for ticket purchases via telephone, and that ticket reservations paid for with Points + Case could not be changed. This could be a problem for me when I try to book next year's California...
After looking at the latest email from Amtrak Guest Rewards this morning, I read through the FAQ on the Points + Cash method of purchasing tickets, and apparently Points + Cash can not be used when ordering Amtrak tickets by phone (only via the website or app instead). That could be a problem...
Any time there's a hotel next to the train station, that town moves up my list of "towns I'd like to visit someday"! Unfortunately, Dwight's motels are geared more towards Interstate and US Route 66 traffic, so train visitors would need to be picked up by a friend/relative/taxi/Uber(?).
That would be like how the Lincoln Service (which has a stop in my hometown) functions as an extension of the Missouri River Runner twice a day (1 south & westbound/1 east & northbound).
Thanks for linking the floor plans! I had guessed that the AGR number would be the best place to call, but having the floor plans at hand as a visual aid when making the call hadn't occurred to me.
I tried a search for a trip we're considering for next year, (mostly) on the California Zephyr, and connecting from/to our hometown via the Lincoln Service. The results were good enough for a rough estimate, although I'd need to search again with the month next year when we wish to travel as...