# Hard to get a bedroom



## retired teacher (Sep 3, 2010)

Does Amtrack ever add more sleeper cars? I am taking the Southwest Chief from Chicago on 9/28 to LAX and there are only those roomettes. It seems that whenever I book Amtrack bedrooms are always sold out even booking many months in advance. I was told I am next on the waiting list for a bedroom but no luck yet.

Thanks


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## MrFSS (Sep 3, 2010)

retired teacher said:


> Does Amtrak ever add more sleeper cars? I am taking the Southwest Chief from Chicago on 9/28 to LAX and there are only those roomettes. It seems that whenever I book Amtrak bedrooms are always sold out even booking many months in advance. I was told I am next on the waiting list for a bedroom but no luck yet.
> 
> Thanks


Normally they don't add additional cars. Primarily because they don't have additional cars to add.


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## rrdude (Sep 3, 2010)

retired teacher said:


> Does Amtrack ever add more sleeper cars? I am taking the Southwest Chief from Chicago on 9/28 to LAX and there are only those roomettes. It seems that whenever I book Amtrack bedrooms are always sold out even booking many months in advance. I was told I am next on the waiting list for a bedroom but no luck yet.
> 
> Thanks


Law of supply and demand, and the demand for full bedrooms almost always exceeds the supply. Everyone who posts on this site will give you the same advice: Book as EARLY AS YOU CAN!, (I know, this isn't always possible) You can book about 11 months in advance, but often travel agencies or charter groups will have taken the full bedrooms then too.

What next? Check other days, and do what you have done, reserve a roomette, ask to get on a waiting list, and CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY.

Partly because of Amtrak's generous cancellation policy, (basically a full refund, if you advise them at lease a week before your scheduled trip) a lot of sleeping accommodations do come up as available again, nearer actual departure dates you desire. Also, once on board, remember to ask the conductor if there are any "no-shows", and that you would like to upgrade to a full bedroom if there are.

Lastly, and you will REALLY hate this, call or write a snail-mail letter to your elected officials who represent you in DC. Just tell them that you'd like them to support more funding for Amtrak. Can't hurt, might even allow Amtrak to get more sleepers............


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## pennyk (Sep 3, 2010)

I made my reservations 11 months in advance for my cross country trip (where I am right now) and I was able to get a bedroom on every train where I wanted a bedroom. On all trains, except one, all the bedrooms were occupied.


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## dlagrua (Sep 4, 2010)

On most Amtrak Superliner routes each train only offers about 12 bedrooms. On Eastern Viewliner routes the trains only have four bedrooms and two handicapped rooms. One, (the Cardinal) has only one sleeper ( 2 bedrooms + 1 HC) car. Only the AutoTrain has more with 25 or so bedrooms. Booking 11 months out usually results in getting a bedroom but at the currect growth rate, demand may exceed supply.


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## Reservations (Sep 4, 2010)

Some dates fill up faster than others. For example, around the holidays the rooms are taken sometimes a long time in advance. Go to the website, www.amtrak.com and try to find open rooms. You will see how many there are actually available by trying diffent dates. It helps to be flexible in your schedule. By changing your travel date by one date, it might make all the difference in the world. And yes, there are cancellations and no shows all the time, leaving the fancy rooms takes. The sleeping cars have 1 handicap room, 1 family bedroom, 5 delux rooms, and 14 roomettes. Amtrak won't put an extra sleeping car on until all the rooms are sold and only if they have an extra car, which they often do not.


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## Oldsmoboi (Feb 4, 2011)

Is there any discount for last minute upgrades from coach to a bedroom?


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## Devil's Advocate (Feb 4, 2011)

rrdude said:


> Book as EARLY AS YOU CAN!, (I know, this isn't always possible)


Hmm. When precisely would it _not_ be possible to book as early as you _can_?  (get it?)



Oldsmoboi said:


> Is there any discount for last minute upgrades from coach to a bedroom?


Only when you wait until the train is moving, at which point all rooms still available drop to the lowest bucket allowed for that room type. Any time before that there is no discount that I'm aware of.


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## dlagrua (Feb 4, 2011)

Try the Amsnag utility website put together by a member on this forum. Plug in the month and see what is available. Bedrooms on most routes sell out but Amtrak is very limited in both equipment and in capital improvement funds so they cannot take advantage of the extra demand. On one hand the government complains that Amtrak loses money but on the other they won't provide the funding to enable the railroad to grow. Our government prefers givng our tax money to deepen the pockets of evil dictators like Hosni Murbarek.

You regularly hear complaints that Amtrak costs $1.5 billion in subisidies to support, but there is silence when you point out the $1.6 bilion that we give to Hosni Mubarek or other unstable and questionable "allies". We have our priorities all mixed up in this country.


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## the_traveler (Feb 4, 2011)

dlagrua said:


> On most Amtrak Superliner routes each train only offers about 12 bedrooms.


If you count "Regular" Bedrooms, there would be 10. (A-E times 2 cars.) If you include the Family Bedroom in each car, that would make it 12. If you also include the H-Bedroom in each car, that would make it 14.


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## D.P. Roberts (Feb 4, 2011)

The frustrating part of this is that on a cost-per-square foot basis, bedrooms shouldn't be that much. They're basically twice the size of a roomette. Well, they're one foot longer, and they do have bathrooms, and I'm sure that costs Amtrak more money in maintenance. On the other hand, two roomettes should technically include meals for 4 instead of 2, so you'd think a bedroom would roughly cost twice what a roomette does.

It doesn't. At least in my experience, a bedroom is usually three times the cost of a roomette. As other posters have said, that's just supply and demand. If we ever take a cross country trip and want a bedroom, my wife and I have seriously considered getting two roomettes instead of a bedroom. It would be cheaper, we'd have views out both sides of the train, sit facing any direction we'd like, have two good berths with window views, etc. I'm not sure we'd ever really do that, but we'd pay for 2 roomettes before we paid for 1 bedroom.

And interestingly enough, the Amtrak Guest Rewards chart usually indicates a 50% premium for a bedroom. For example, a 2-zone roomette costs 20,000 points, but a 2-zone bedroom costs 30,000 points - not 60,000, as it would if it were "real money".


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## Oldsmoboi (Feb 4, 2011)

Can someone point me to the map of which bedroom is which on the car?


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## JayPea (Feb 4, 2011)

Here is a sleeping car map.


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## sunchaser (Feb 4, 2011)

retired teacher said:


> Does Amtrack ever add more sleeper cars? I am taking the Southwest Chief from Chicago on 9/28 to LAX and there are only those roomettes. It seems that whenever I book Amtrack bedrooms are always sold out even booking many months in advance. I was told I am next on the waiting list for a bedroom but no luck yet.
> 
> Thanks


Try this website. Try different dates. You may be able to find a bedroom that way. Sometimes people will cancel, so keep looking. In the meantime, get a roomette. There is also a slim chance of an on board upgrade to a bedroom if one is available. Check with your Sleeping Car Attendant or the Conductor after boarding. Have a great trip!


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## hello (Feb 4, 2011)

_As D.P. Roberts suggests, we always get 2 roomettes opposite each other -- rather than a bedroom -- and that is correct -- being able to look out of both sides of the train is wonderful!_

_ _

_No one has to climb into the top bunk either!!_


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## Oldsmoboi (Feb 4, 2011)

JayPea said:


> Here is a sleeping car map.


Much thanks. I got room C for my trip to Chicago on tuesday


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## the_traveler (Feb 4, 2011)

D.P. Roberts said:


> The frustrating part of this is that on a cost-per-square foot basis, bedrooms shouldn't be that much. They're basically twice the size of a roomette. Well, they're one foot longer. ... On the other hand, two roomettes should technically include meals for 4 instead of 2, so you'd think a bedroom would roughly cost twice what a roomette does.
> 
> It doesn't. At least in my experience, a bedroom is usually three times the cost of a roomette. As other posters have said, that's just supply and demand. ... It would be cheaper, we'd have views out both sides of the train, sit facing any direction we'd like, have two good berths with window views, etc. I'm not sure we'd ever really do that, but we'd pay for 2 roomettes before we paid for 1 bedroom.
> 
> And interestingly enough, the Amtrak Guest Rewards chart usually indicates a 50% premium for a bedroom. For example, a 2-zone roomette costs 20,000 points, but a 2-zone bedroom costs 30,000 points - not 60,000, as it would if it were "real money".


I just picked a random date for 2 random cities - and picked Spokane to Portland for Aug 10. OK, true it is not a full night, but with boarding at 2:45 AM, you may want to get a room.

A roomette is $228, so 2 roomettes would be $456. A bedroom is $518. OK, that is more. However a Family Bedroom is only $164!



Thus is is not only less than 2 roomettes - it is even less than 1 roomette!



And you do have windows on both sides! (The Family Bedroom is the full width of the car.)

So you would not mind paying 60,000 points?



Tell you what - why not just send me the "extra" 30K you saved?



Also remember that those same 30,000 points can be used for a bedroom that is low bucket (say $259) or high bucket (say $1,057)!


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## rtabern (Feb 5, 2011)

Getting a bedroom seems harder and harder...

My friend (and fellow AU'er) and I have been wanting to do a cross-country trip together while going with the "Bedroom Suite" (2 bedrooms with the adjoining wall that can be open during the day and closed at night) for part of the journey - atleast on the Builder and Coast Starlight.

We had to book almost a year out so that could be possible!! The biggest worry was that there are only 5 bedrooms on #28... and only 2 combos of rooms for the "suite" (B/C) & (D/E).

It should be fun though... never did the "Bedroom Suite" thing before with anyone... LOTS OF ROOM!!!


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## Ryan (Feb 5, 2011)

D.P. Roberts said:


> you'd think a bedroom would roughly cost twice what a roomette does.
> 
> It doesn't. At least in my experience, a bedroom is usually three times the cost of a roomette.


Fortunately, due to the work that has been detailed in this thread, we can take a quantitative look at that claim. For trains 97/98, a bedroom is almost exactly twice the cost of a roomette in nearly all cases. (at low bucket, at high bucket, the multiple is more like 1.7) It's a little more variable on the Cardinal, since Amtrak prices those 2 bedrooms a little more aggressively, but even in that case the cost of a bedroom never exceeds 2.4 times the cost of a roomette.


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## dlagrua (Feb 5, 2011)

An average Amtrak LD train can carry upwards of 150-200 passengers. On Viewliner trains only four bedrooms are available (except for the Cardinal at 2). On Superliners (except for the A/T) the number is around 10. The roomettes are more plentiful but still not in great numbers. Point is that only a small percentage of passengers can be accomodated in the sleepers. Demand almost always exceeds the supply. Its unfortunately not a formula for inexpensive travel. You can always try booking 11 months out for the best prices but on some routes like the Cardinal, CZ and EB the low buckets seem to be unavailable. Amtrak understands the peak periods, the high demand routes and prices its accomodations accordingly.


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## the_traveler (Feb 5, 2011)

dlagrua said:


> On Viewliner trains only four bedrooms are available (except for the Cardinal at 2).


You're mostly right. The LSL leaving NYP has (IIIRC) 3 sleepers, so 6 Bedrooms. In ALB, it connects with the BOS section, which has another sleeper with 2 more bedrooms. So west of ALB to CHI, there are 8 bedrooms on the LSL!


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## AlanB (Feb 5, 2011)

the_traveler said:


> dlagrua said:
> 
> 
> > On Viewliner trains only four bedrooms are available (except for the Cardinal at 2).
> ...


At one point the LSL used to trade off an extra sleeper during the winter months to the Silver Star, running with only 2 out of NY in the winter, but 3 in the summer. That no longer happens, the LSL remains fixed with 2 sleepers out of NYP and 1 out of Boston at present.

Of course things could always change in the future, especially if and when the Viewliner II's arrive.


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## Shawn Ryu (Feb 5, 2011)

I find that bedrooms on Sunset limited is very affordable, but on Empire Builder or Silver Series, they are very expensive.


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## MikeM (Feb 5, 2011)

hello said:


> _As D.P. Roberts suggests, we always get 2 roomettes opposite each other -- rather than a bedroom -- and that is correct -- being able to look out of both sides of the train is wonderful!_
> 
> _ _
> 
> _No one has to climb into the top bunk either!!_


I've pulled that stunt when traveling with the family. One kid and one parent per roomette at night, then in the day the rodents get one room and we take the other across the hall. Works really well on the lower level since there's less hallway traffic. Far more humane than wedging into the family bedroom, the kids don't seem to annoy each other as much as they do when when there's an adult with them...


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## ThayerATM (Feb 5, 2011)

Ryan said:


> D.P. Roberts said:
> 
> 
> > you'd think a bedroom would roughly cost twice what a roomette does.
> ...


My wife and were on our way from ROC to FMD, and we'd arrived (in a bedroomon on the Lake Shore Limited) in CHI, about on-time [10:10 AM]. The Southwest Chief was scheduled out at 2:45 PM, and we were sitting around in the Metropolitan Lounge for a spell. On this particular trip we had booked a *roomette* from CHI to FMD and back a few days later.

At about 2:15 PM I turned to my wife and asked: "What would you think about upgrading to a *bedroom* on the Southwest Chief?" She looked at me and said: "I thought you'd never ask."

We schlepped over to the Amtrak desk and proffered our tickets, then asked if there were any bedrooms available on our dates of travel. She looked into the computer and said "YES." I asked the difference in price. The agent looked at me and grinned. She said: "it's almost even-up." We grabbed the *bedrooms* for the whole trip [$16 upgrade] from CHI to FMD (both ways) for that price. The naps were certainly worth it. :lol: We don't do well napping in a roomette. hboy:


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## the_traveler (Feb 6, 2011)

ThayerATM said:


> My wife and were on our way from ROC to FMD, and we'd arrived (in a bedroomon on the Lake Shore Limited) in CHI, about on-time [10:10 AM]. The Southwest Chief was scheduled out at 2:45 PM, and we were sitting around in the Metropolitan Lounge for a spell. On this particular trip we had booked a *roomette* from CHI to FMD and back a few days later.
> 
> At about 2:15 PM I turned to my wife and asked: "What would you think about upgrading to a *bedroom* on the Southwest Chief?" She looked at me and said: "I thought you'd never ask."
> 
> *We schlepped over to the Amtrak desk and proffered our tickets, then asked if there were any bedrooms available* on our dates of travel. She looked into the computer and said "YES." I asked the difference in price. The agent looked at me and grinned. She said: "it's almost even-up." We grabbed the *bedrooms* for the whole trip [$16 upgrade] from CHI to FMD (both ways) for that price. The naps were certainly worth it. :lol: We don't do well napping in a roomette. hboy:


Unless the bedrooms were low bucket, you could have done better waiting a few more minutes!






When you ask inside the station - even if the train is sitting outside - the agent must sell the bedroom at the current bucket. However once you step aboard the train, that same room drops to the lowest bucket!


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## rrdude (Feb 6, 2011)

the_traveler said:


> ThayerATM said:
> 
> 
> > My wife and were on our way from ROC to FMD, and we'd arrived (in a bedroomon on the Lake Shore Limited) in CHI, about on-time [10:10 AM]. The Southwest Chief was scheduled out at 2:45 PM, and we were sitting around in the Metropolitan Lounge for a spell. On this particular trip we had booked a *roomette* from CHI to FMD and back a few days later.
> ...


Dave, it's $16 dollars, for the whole RT, how much "better" could they have done? I gladly paid $50 to upgrade on the Cardinal, while in the Club Acela, knowing that I wouldn't have to deal with the whole issue on board, with the [unkonwn] conductor........


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## the_traveler (Feb 6, 2011)

You're right! I missed the $16!


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## Sbaitso (Feb 6, 2011)

Shawn Ryu said:


> I find that bedrooms on Sunset limited is very affordable, but on Empire Builder or Silver Series, they are very expensive.


I have to say that the prices are incredibly consistent on the Silver Star from what I've seen watching them on Amsnag. I haven't compared them to other lines because I don't use them, but I'm always hoping to be able to catch one of the deals that I see mentioned for other lines and so far have yet to see any sign of them. My hope is that somehow it means the line is doing well and they have enough riders without pushing to attract more, but that's mainly cold comfort for myself.


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## D.P. Roberts (Feb 6, 2011)

Ryan said:


> D.P. Roberts said:
> 
> 
> > you'd think a bedroom would roughly cost twice what a roomette does.
> ...




I'm just going by the actual trains I've tried to book - (cross country on the Southwest Chief or California Zephyr, during peak summer travel season). For example, Train 3 in early August (the date I'm looking at is 8/8/11) currently costs $307 for a roomette but $1025 for a bedroom! So, it would cost us $614 for 2 roomettes (assuming I could get two at that bucket price) vs. $1025 for 1 bedroom - a savings of over $400 EACH WAY for essentially the same amount of space.

I checked several other dates (July and August on Train 3)

6/17: $417 vs. $1421

6/27: $417 vs. $1223

7/11: $417 vs. $1223

7/18: $417 vs. $1223

7/25: $417 vs. $1223

8/1: $307 vs. $1223

8/08: $307 vs. $1025

The differences drop in value before and after the summer traveling season. I didn't check the return trips - it could be that the discrepancies aren't as big then. Either way, it looks like I'm going to pay roughly three times more for a bedroom than for a roomette.



the_traveler said:


> D.P. Roberts said:
> 
> 
> > The frustrating part of this is that on a cost-per-square foot basis, bedrooms shouldn't be that much. They're basically twice the size of a roomette. Well, they're one foot longer. ... On the other hand, two roomettes should technically include meals for 4 instead of 2, so you'd think a bedroom would roughly cost twice what a roomette does.
> ...



I'm sorry, I guess my post didn't make sense. When paying cash, it's usually a lot cheaper (for my trips anyway) to get two roomettes than to get one bedroom. When paying with AGR points, it's the other way around.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're paying with AGR points, a bedroom is 1.5 times the price of a roomette. If the research in that other thread is correct, and a bedroom (when paying cash) is normally twice the price of a roomette (and varies between 1.7 and 2.4), then Amtrak is undervaluing bedrooms in AGR points - or overcharging for roomettes.

So here's a thought - perhaps the reason that bedrooms are so popular is because Amtrak's frequent travelers are hogging the bedrooms when redeeming points? If railfans normally accumulate points when riding coach or paying for roomettes, and then redeeming their points for the exorbitantly priced bedrooms, then the AGR system is causing (or at least contributing) to the problem. So, it's all of YOU PEOPLE WHO ARE RUINING THINGS!

Not that I wouldn't do the same. I just got my AGR Mastercard a few weeks ago, and all my bonus points kicked in! By next summer, I should have enough points to hog a 2-zone bedroom on the Zephyr for myself, booked as late as possible.


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## ThayerATM (Feb 6, 2011)

the_traveler said:


> You're right! I missed the $16!


For $16, I wasn't about to ask.  I figured she might look at her numbers again and find a higher figure. :lol:


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