# Upgrade from Roomette to Bedroom Onboard & Public restrooms in sleeper cars?



## dande (Sep 9, 2019)

Taking the Silver Star and Meteor from Florida to NY in a few weeks. Cost between roomette for 2 and bedroom is several hundred dollars. Can you upgrade if there are any left once on board and if so are there any discounts? I thought these sold out months ago but apparently that is not the case so far. Got our tickets months ago

Second are there public restrooms in the sleeper cars?


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## pennyk (Sep 9, 2019)

The procedure for upgrading is to phone Amtrak, and there is no discount.
No, there are no public restrooms in the Viewliner (Silver Star and Silver Meteor) sleeper cars. The closest public restroom is the last coach car.


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## Brian Battuello (Sep 9, 2019)

If you can afford a bedroom, by all means get it. Far more room than a roomette, especially for two people. And a decent private toilet (and shower) with a door. In a roomette, unless you know each other really well, one of you is going to have to step outside while the other uses the facilities, and in some cases you might not want to rush back in. I travel solo a lot, and will miss the individual toilets in the roomettes, but the one silver lining is that every car will have public toilets.

I've done that long walk to the first coach toilet many times. My co-traveller appreciated it. But I always felt guilty opening the coach end doors in the middle of the night and waking up whoever got stuck with the coach seat nearest the door and toilet. 

Re upgrades, in the old days an upgrade could often be "arranged" by a small fee to the SCA. On a recent LSL trip, I noticed some bedrooms available for only a few dollars more than I had paid for my roomette (has to do with bucket pricing), and the conductor was helpful in arranging it but it took him about 15 minutes to change my ticket, and he had to make a phone call to reservations. He even asked for my Amtrak telephone pin number (different than password) so he could make the change for me. 

p.s. This is talking about east coast roomettes with individual toilets. On west coast trains roomettes don't have toilets, and everyone goes down the hall. Unless you're by yourself and have a bottle...


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## Brian Battuello (Sep 9, 2019)

p.p.s. Missing the toilets refers to the proposed new eastern Viewliner cars which will not have toilets in the roomettes. But that's assuming we ever see such a car.


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## dande (Sep 9, 2019)

It will be my husband and I. The price difference is almost $500 on the northbound and almost $300 on the return for a bedroom. Can't justify that for a 20hr trip. Guess we better not eat or drink all day


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## dande (Sep 9, 2019)

pennyk said:


> The procedure for upgrading is to phone Amtrak, and there is no discount.
> No, there are no public restrooms in the Viewliner (Silver Star and Silver Meteor) sleeper cars. The closest public restroom is the last coach car.


Thanks How many cars back from the sleepers is that?


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## pennyk (Sep 9, 2019)

dande said:


> Thanks How many cars back from the sleepers is that?


On the Meteor, the closest coach will be on the other side of the dining car and cafe car from the 10 sleeper. On the Star, the closest coach will be on the other side of the cafe car, which is in between the last coach and 10 sleeper.


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## Palmetto (Sep 10, 2019)

pennyk said:


> On the Meteor, the closest coach will be on the other side of the dining car and cafe car from the 10 sleeper. On the Star, the closest coach will be on the other side of the cafe car, which is in between the last coach and 10 sleeper.




So how many cars? I haven't a clue where the 10 sleeper is in the consist, for example.


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## pennyk (Sep 10, 2019)

Palmetto said:


> So how many cars? I haven't a clue where the 10 sleeper is in the consist, for example.


There are generally 3 sleepers in the Meteor consist, the 10, the 11 and the 12. The 10 sleeper is next to the dining car (the first sleeper). In the Star, there are generally 2 sleepers, the 10 and the 11. The 10 car is next to the cafe car.

It is difficult to say how many cars one would have to walk through to get to the closest coach since it will depend on which sleeper car one is traveling. If you are traveling in the 10 car on the Meteor, you will walk through 2 cars from your sleeper (dining car and cafe car) to reach the closest coach car. If you are traveling in the 10 car on the Star, you will walk through 1 car (cafe car) from your sleeper to reach the closest coach car.


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## dande (Sep 10, 2019)

There must also be a 9 sleeper as our sleeper car numbers in both direction are 98xx


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## pennyk (Sep 10, 2019)

dande said:


> There must also be a 9 sleeper as our sleeper car numbers in both direction are 98xx


The xx will be either 10 for the 10 car, 11 for the 11 car and 12 for the 12 car.
Northbound 10 car on the Silver Meteor will be 9810; Southbound 10 car on the Silver Meteor will be 9710.

Nortbound 10 car on the Silver Star will be 9210 and Southbound will be 9110.


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## dande (Sep 10, 2019)

pennyk said:


> The xx will be either 10 for the 10 car, 11 for the 11 car and 12 for the 12 car.
> Northbound 10 car on the Silver Meteor will be 9810; Southbound 10 car on the Silver Meteor will be 9710.
> 
> Nortbound 10 car on the Silver Star will be 9210 and Southbound will be 9110.


Thanks Now I get it. the 98 is the train number. Can you request to change cars? We are in car 11. Is 10 preferable for any reason other than being closer to the public restrooms. Appreciate your help.


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## pennyk (Sep 10, 2019)

dande said:


> Thanks Now I get it. the 98 is the train number. Can you request to change cars? We are in car 11. Is 10 preferable for any reason other than being closer to the public restrooms. Appreciate your help.


Yes, you may be able to change cars. You would need to phone Amtrak and ask to modify your reservation. Some agents are unable (or unwilling) to make the change at all or may charge an upcharge. If that is the case, either ask to speak to a supervisor or phone again.

I was just in 9711 and I thought it was fine. However, I used the in room restroom and did not walk to coach. The 10 car is closer to the dining car and coach restrooms. Generally, there is less foot traffic (and possibly more quiet) in the 11 car.

Edit to add: I almost always call and attempt to choose my rooms. On this trip, I had a choice between room 9 in the 10 car or room 5 in the 11 car. I like the 10 car, but I also like being in the middle of the car. (I also know and very much like the attendant in the 11 car for that day). Based on the attendant and location of the room, I chose the 11 car.


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## Brian Battuello (Sep 11, 2019)

And don't fret about the distance to the nearest public toilet. 90% of the time I or we find some way to use the in-roomette facility successfully. But nice to know what the options are.

I'm getting older, grumpier and slightly more affluent. I did my time in the coaches and remember when a roomette seemed the peak of luxury. To have a private room with flat beds! Now I skim through train dates looking for deals on bedrooms.


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## dande (Sep 11, 2019)

Brian Battuello said:


> And don't fret about the distance to the nearest public toilet. 90% of the time I or we find some way to use the in-roomette facility successfully. But nice to know what the options are.
> 
> I'm getting older, grumpier and slightly more affluent. I did my time in the coaches and remember when a roomette seemed the peak of luxury. To have a private room with flat beds! Now I skim through train dates looking for deals on bedrooms.


Going up to NY for a wedding, husband won't fly anymore hence the train ride up. Would love to have a bedroom but the cost for both legs is over $800, way over my budget for a 20 hour trip.


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## Pat Harper (Sep 12, 2019)

If the cost of a bedroom is two much, check out the price of two roomettes. That might be easier on the wallet.


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