# "Viewliner Roomette" - Awkward with a stranger?



## wliwlCindy (Sep 7, 2007)

I see an upgrade called the Viewliner Roomette on Amtrak Lakeshore Limited. How is this configured? Would it be awkward to share it with a stranger? Is it better than just a regular seat? (The upgrade costs $68). Thanks!


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## George Harris (Sep 7, 2007)

Normally roomettes are not shared with a stranger. My impression is that they usually do not sell any space in pieces. If you are upgrading to roomette, then you should be getting the whole space to yourself. Has something changed that I don't know about? Why, if you are doing this as an upgrade, do you think it will be shared? Particularly being female, unless the other person is also female, I would consider this a very bad idea.


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## Guest (Sep 7, 2007)

George Harris said:


> Normally roomettes are not shared with a stranger. My impression is that they usually do not sell any space in pieces. If you are upgrading to roomette, then you should be getting the whole space to yourself. Has something changed that I don't know about? Why, if you are doing this as an upgrade, do you think it will be shared? Particularly being female, unless the other person is also female, I would consider this a very bad idea.


It sounds as though the poster is thinking more of a European train situation, where you actually do share sleeping space with strangers - male/female/young/old.


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## AlanB (Sep 7, 2007)

The roomette is indeed an upgrade from coach, since you have a private compartment with two seats in it. You can close the door and curtain for privacy if you want, and of course at night there are two beds to sleep in. Additionally, all meals are free when taken in the dining car.

Now that said, first, Amtrak does not have any provisions for sharing with a stranger. If you happen to meet one or can find one somehow, then you are welcome to share the room, Amtrak won't stop you. However, I would consider sharing the Viewliner Roomette to be quite awkward, since the toilet is not within a closet or curtain area. You'd be sitting/standing there in all of your glory, unless the stranger steps out into the hall. And there really is no place to stand in the hall.

The only other option is to walk back to the coaches and use the facilities there.

And if you do plan to sleep, then I would expect that a certain amount of trust would need to be established, since again you are both within the same little room.


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## MrFSS (Sep 7, 2007)

wliwlCindy said:


> I see an upgrade called the Viewliner Roomette on Amtrak Lakeshore Limited. How is this configured? Would it be awkward to share it with a stranger? Is it better than just a regular seat? (The upgrade costs $68). Thanks!


What I'd like to know is what itinerary has a $68 roomette upgrade. Must be a very short distance.


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## The Metropolitan (Sep 7, 2007)

Schenectady, NY to NYP is $63 on the date next week I looked at (9/15) - a scheduled 3 hr 50 minute trip. Albany to New York was $48. Would be a steal if the LSL was more dependable and two people wanted dinner and the share the space.


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## denmarks (Sep 7, 2007)

The upgrade price is for the room, the entire room. If you are traveling with another person then you can share it at the same price. They will never assign another person to your room. You make that decision.


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## wkaemena (Sep 8, 2007)

Guest said:


> George Harris said:
> 
> 
> > Normally roomettes are not shared with a stranger. My impression is that they usually do not sell any space in pieces. If you are upgrading to roomette, then you should be getting the whole space to yourself. Has something changed that I don't know about? Why, if you are doing this as an upgrade, do you think it will be shared? Particularly being female, unless the other person is also female, I would consider this a very bad idea.
> ...


To put things in right perspective: European Sleeper rooms can have up to 3 beds ( Talgo up to 4) which are ONLY shared by passengers of same gender. There are cheap couchettes available with 6 bunks where genders are mixed, sometimes female only couchettes are available.


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## opaque (Sep 8, 2007)

This is the type of question that might be useful to have on a FAQ for tourists.

My question to Amtrak when I was researching the CZ was slightly different. It was: Can you book a bedroom if you are only one person, or do you have to be a couple/2 people?

The answer of course is you can have one to yourself


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## Amtrak Traveller Steve (Sep 13, 2007)

Amtrak Roomettes are for one or two passengers (they are plenty roomy and comfortable for one). Roomettes are not shared with other passengers (other than those might choose to travel together).

They are not shared with strangers as they are on British and European trains. Another thing, sleeping car accomodations include meals in the dining car at meal times making them a fairly reasonable buy and you also have access to a shower. All sleeping car accomodations are considered "first class" on Amtrak.


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## Amtrak Traveller Steve (Sep 13, 2007)

As far as configuration of Amtrak roomettes, the seats fold down and are converted to a bed for overnight travel (this is made up for you by an attendant just like in those old movies). For two people travelling together there is also an upper berth, something like a bunk bed. There are sliding doors and curtains for privacy. There are electric outlets, reading lights, and temperture controls in the compartment. There is a folding table in the roomette.

Viewliner roomettes are a little larger and have private toilets and an upper window for the upper berth. Superliner roomettes are slightly smaller and don't inlcude a toilet or upper window on the upper berth.


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## BobWeaver (Sep 13, 2007)

MrFSS said:


> wliwlCindy said:
> 
> 
> > I see an upgrade called the Viewliner Roomette on Amtrak Lakeshore Limited. How is this configured? Would it be awkward to share it with a stranger? Is it better than just a regular seat? (The upgrade costs $68). Thanks!
> ...


You can go from Atlanta all the way to New Orleans on #19 and the upgrade for a roomette would only cost you $45, and the bedroom only $68. And you could probably get 3 meals out of that too, since Crescent leaves Atlanta southbound at 8:30 AM and doesn't get into New Orleans until around 7:30 that evening. The $45 minus the cost of meals would actually make the cost of the upgrade about $10-$20, quite the deal I think.


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## Guest_Gingee_* (Sep 13, 2007)

Where is this upgrade? We are looking at the Lakeshore Limited but not until next summer.


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