# Showers on Amtrak Sleepers - What are they like?



## Chessie (Oct 16, 2016)

How is like using the showers on Amtrak sleepers, either Viewliner or Superliner?

Is there a long line waiting? Because I see up to 30 people sharing one shower.

Cleanliness? I don't expect spotless luxury, as long as it's clean and no molds.

Reliability? Broken often? Hot water enough? Water pressure?


----------



## wjh2 (Oct 16, 2016)

I have used them and have never had to wait in line. I found them very clean overall, but always wore shower shoes anyway. There are no time limits or anything, just take you time. Most importantly, be aware the train moves and you need to have a solid footing.


----------



## Seaboard92 (Oct 16, 2016)

And to quote my boss when we are living in the dorm car. Remember that water is not unlimited and there are other passengers as well who want a shower.


----------



## KauaiJohn (Oct 16, 2016)

I have always found the showers spotlessly clean with plenty of towels. Don't recall ever running out of hot water. I miss the old days when you could see the tracks through the drain.


----------



## DoB (Oct 16, 2016)

My first time taking a shower on a Superliner, the water pressure dropped to almost nothing, but I think that's because we were at a service stop and the car was being rewatered. Since then, I've taken six Superliner showers and two Viewliner showers with no issues.

Only once was the shower in use when I wanted to use it, so rather than wait I simply went to the next car, which according to the SCA was mostly empty, so she didn't mind. Remember, bedrooms have showers included, so you're mostly only competing with other roomette occupants.


----------



## oregon pioneer (Oct 16, 2016)

I think in all my trips, I've had to come back once and use the shower later because someone was already in it. It's always been reasonably clean -- starts the trip very clean, and I've never felt like the person right before me was a pig. It's part of the SCA's job to check it and clean up if necessary. Shower consists of a lockable suite -- small dressing room and medium size shower stall (actually both about the same size). The dressing room has a shelf, mirror, hook for your clothes, and bench. The shelf and bench are often piled high with the clean towel supply. There are often personal-sized soaps in the shower, but I always bring my own because I prefer it. There is a laundry bag for the used towels, and a small trash can. The shower is the type where you have to keep pushing the button, but the length of spray you get from each push varies quite a bit. They only ask that you leave the shower reasonably clean when you are done, so please clean your hair out of the drain, and use your damp towel to wipe the floor before putting it in the laundry bag. :hi:


----------



## snvboy (Oct 16, 2016)

If you are unsure of foot, shower during a longer station stop when the train isn't moving.

Bring your own shampoo - it's no longer provided.

If there wasn't a person in the shower before you, pop the water button once and let it run while you undress to get the hot water going.

The water supply IS limited, so don't just stand there letting the water run. This is why you have to press the button for water.

Be a good citizen, and clean up after yourself. Toss your used soap and wrapper in the trash. Wipe up any stray puddles with your used towel. If anything needs attention, just let the attendant know.

The only times that I have had a wait has been in the mornings. This IS an advantage of being on the lower level of a Superliner - you can keep an ear out for when the shower is available.

The times I have had a full bedroom I have usually still used the 'public' shower since it's a little roomier.

If the shower is locked at the very beginning of your train, it may be that the attendant hasn't set it up yet. I had this happen on the Capitol Limited once when I REALLY wanted a shower before dinner coming out of D.C. after an afternoon of hiking around in the D.C. humidity.


----------



## willem (Oct 16, 2016)

"Never" is a long time. I have had to wait for a shower, but rarely, and I believe not since I learned DoB's trick of visiting another sleeper.

I ran out of hot water and pressure once, and it is misleading to say I ran out, since I never had hot water or pressure. This was in the winter on the California Zephyr, and I later learned a line had frozen. (Why it didn't thaw from the trickle that the shower delivered to me is a mystery.) Aside from that, no problems with quantity, pressure, or temperature.

The was shampoo in two showers on the trip to this year's Gathering. One was on the Empire Builder, and the other was the California Zephyr or maybe the Coast Starlight. It does happen, infrequently.


----------



## StriderGDM (Oct 16, 2016)

I can't recall ever waiting for a shower. And like others, I have found them to be clean and plenty of towels. The only issue I've ever had is sometimes a bit cold if the outside temp is cold. But I just turn up the heat and I'm good when I get out.

It's the highlight of my trip sometimes.


----------



## Asher (Oct 17, 2016)

They are great. I've never had to wait. Just make sure that their are fresh towels in the shower room before showering. Some times they are outside


----------



## caravanman (Oct 17, 2016)

I agree that there are no "waiting" issues for the showers, 99% of the time. They are a "prefabricated" pod and pretty clean too. A real asset to train travel, but for the sleeper passengers only.

Ed.


----------



## KmH (Oct 17, 2016)

Face/wash cloths are in the sleeper berth.


----------



## Chey (Oct 17, 2016)

I've had to wait a couple of times, not for long. Sometimes it takes a while for the water to warm up. I've taken several showers where I thought the whole thing would be in cold water, only to have the water warm up during the rinse. But for me, even a cold shower is better than no shower.


----------



## Devil's Advocate (Oct 17, 2016)

KauaiJohn said:


> I have always found the showers spotlessly clean with plenty of towels. Don't recall ever running out of hot water. I miss the old days when you could see the tracks through the drain.


 Always? Spotless? Ever? I've seen enough moldy curtain edges, rough/sticky floors, broken shower fixtures, and empty towel packs to know this is not a realistic representation of _actual_ Amtrak travel.


----------



## KauaiJohn (Oct 17, 2016)

Sorry you have had such awful experience. I guess I just manage to get lucky moat of the time.


----------



## the_traveler (Oct 17, 2016)

The longest "line" I've had was 1 person. Most of the time (99.7%) the line is -0-. And I usually shower in the morning.


----------



## Cho Cho Charlie (Oct 17, 2016)

I, too, have never had to wait to take a shower on the Silvers (Viewliners). However, I am a morning person, and take my shower even before the dining car (remember those?) opened for breakfast. Honestly, I try to time my shower with a stop at a station because I find it easier with the car not bouncing and swaying.

A couple of times, I had to move stuff out of the shower, when the SA was using the space for storage (probably because they rarely see anyone using it).

In the "dressing" area, there is a stack of clean bath towels, and a laundry bag for used towels.


----------



## alang (Oct 17, 2016)

Always clean, I never have to wait, and had all the hot water I wanted. I am tall and must admit that the shower area is a bit cramped but for an averaged sized person there would be plenty of room. Always pleased with the amount of towels available. Enjoy!


----------



## willem (Oct 17, 2016)

Cho Cho Charlie said:


> I, too, have never had to wait to take a shower on the Silvers (Viewliners).


I have had to wait for the car attendant to relocate the luggage that he had stored in the shower area before I could shower on a Viewliner.


----------



## Devil's Advocate (Oct 18, 2016)

alang said:


> Always clean, I never have to wait, and had all the hot water I wanted. Always pleased with the amount of towels available. Enjoy!


Always? Never? Do you realize that's really no different than claiming the showers are _always_ dirty, there's _always_ a wait, and they _never_ have any hot water or clean towels? I've been from one side of this planet to the other and if there is one lesson I've learned it's that there is no such thing as "always" or "never" when it comes to travel.


----------



## Asher (Oct 18, 2016)

It "never" fails, someone "always" finds fault.


----------



## Cho Cho Charlie (Oct 18, 2016)

willem said:


> Cho Cho Charlie said:
> 
> 
> > I, too, have never had to wait to take a shower on the Silvers (Viewliners).
> ...


If you were going to quote only one of my sentences, this one might have been the more appropriate one: 



Cho Cho Charlie said:


> A couple of times, I had to move stuff out of the shower, when the SA was using the space for storage (probably because they rarely see anyone using it).


----------



## JayPea (Oct 18, 2016)

I can't say I've always found the showers to be clean but they have been a very high percentage of the time. The main reason for this, probably, is because I tend to take my shower early...like 3am early. I've worked the graveyard shift for nearly 20 years and am used to being awake at those hours. My first experience taking a shower I had a thin trickle of lukewarm at best water and assumed wrongly that all Amshowers were that way. Turns out that was the only one I've had so far to be like that.


----------



## Devil's Advocate (Oct 18, 2016)

JayPea said:


> I can't say I've always found the showers to be clean but they have been a very high percentage of the time. The main reason for this, probably, is because I tend to take my shower early...like 3am early. I've worked the graveyard shift for nearly 20 years and am used to being awake at those hours. My first experience taking a shower I had a thin trickle of lukewarm at best water and assumed wrongly that all Amshowers were that way. Turns out that was the only one I've had so far to be like that.


----------



## willem (Oct 18, 2016)

Cho Cho Charlie said:


> If you were going to quote only one of my sentences, this one might have been the more appropriate one:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You are correct that that would have been a better quote, and I apologize for the lack of context. I have developed trouble maintaining concentration, and probably did not read your original post as far as I should.

I'm not sure I'd have the nerve to move stuff out of the shower on my own. Where did you put it? Did either the owners or the attendant question your action?


----------



## Chessie (Oct 20, 2016)

I think I will take from the overall consensus that the shower is for the most part clean and readily available.


----------



## unitedstatesfan (Oct 21, 2016)

LOnghai, yes, on the northbound number 14 'Coast Starlight' in August, I found my sleeper's shower to be fine: the hot water was copious, although compared to Australian and some other foreign trains, it was just ever so slightly peeving having to press the button for more water.

I kept it short, conscious that the supply is finite.

Towels were in good condition.


----------



## zephyr17 (Oct 21, 2016)

To be courteous to my fellow passengers, being aware of the finite supply of water, I take what I have heard called "Navy showers" (I was never in the Navy, so I don't know if that is accurate).

Press the button, or turn on the water (the showers are not all the same, not all of them have the button), let it get warm enough, wet down, shut off the shower if it doesn't have the button that runs down, lather up without the water running, then turn on the water and rinse.


----------



## lthanlon (Oct 21, 2016)

I've had pretty good experiences. Be aware that if you shower while your train is in motion, you might end up recreating Lucy's cooking-dinner scene in "The Long, Long Trailer."


----------



## ehbowen (Oct 21, 2016)

zephyr17 said:


> To be courteous to my fellow passengers, being aware of the finite supply of water, I take what I have heard called "Navy showers" (I was never in the Navy, so I don't know if that is accurate).
> 
> Press the button, or turn on the water (the showers are not all the same, not all of them have the button), let it get warm enough, wet down, shut off the shower if it doesn't have the button that runs down, lather up without the water running, then turn on the water and rinse.


That is indeed a Navy shower, speaking from six years' experience. Where you let the water just run and run is termed a "Hollywood shower" in the service. I was fortunate enough to be assigned to a ship with ample fresh water making capacity, so the strict water rationing guidelines known as "water hours" were never something I personally experienced.

I take Hollywood showers at home, but when I'm on the train I do still use the Navy technique to save water for fellow passengers.


----------



## Train2104 (Oct 21, 2016)

Of the couple trains I've ridden, the shower was clean and worked well. Once they were all taken; so I had to go to the next car. Don't count on there being soap available.

The much more annoying thing was carrying everything (toiletries, change of clothes, towel, etc.) to the shower and back. It sometimes took multiple trips, thankfully the Superliner luggage rack is right there. Bring a caddy!



zephyr17 said:


> To be courteous to my fellow passengers, being aware of the finite supply of water, I take what I have heard called "Navy showers" (I was never in the Navy, so I don't know if that is accurate).
> 
> Press the button, or turn on the water (the showers are not all the same, not all of them have the button), let it get warm enough, wet down, shut off the shower if it doesn't have the button that runs down, lather up without the water running, then turn on the water and rinse.


The small space somewhat forces this, in my opinion.


----------



## PVD (Oct 21, 2016)

In the VL roomettes, because they have a sink, you are likely to find washcloths and a couple of little soaps in addition to the squirt bottle. I've been lucky and had ample supplies in SL showers, including one SCA who had a little box set up with extra soaps, along with what looked like shampoo and conditioners from hotel/motel stays. I'm sure not all attendants are as diligent, and some passengers chiseling extra soaps wouldn't shock me either.


----------



## Chessie (Oct 22, 2016)

I had no idea there would be towels. To someone who is used to camp site showers that qualifies as luxury. 

I am not familiar with Navy showers but my own shower is quick, usually in and out within 5 min unless there has been some extra strenuous activities which I do not expect on a train.


----------



## me_little_me (Oct 22, 2016)

ehbowen said:


> zephyr17 said:
> 
> 
> > To be courteous to my fellow passengers, being aware of the finite supply of water, I take what I have heard called "Navy showers" (I was never in the Navy, so I don't know if that is accurate).
> ...


Navy showers are much better than Air Force fighter showers where you sit in the pilot's seat and the only way to get the water flowing is to try and land on a Navy carrier - and miss!


----------

