2 Roomettes or Bedroom

[Nick Farr]

Or book Bedroom 'A'....it has no adjoining room door.

Is there a way to do this without calling?

 

[Exvalley]

Is there a way to do this without calling?

Nope. It is one of the great frustrations of booking online.

 

[railiner]

Is there a way to do this without calling?

Nope. It is one of the great frustrations of booking online.

I was wondering...do travel agents still have a way of booking directly thru Arrow? If so, they might be able to select particular rooms.
And if anyone was so determined, they could become an independent 'travel agent', and have that ability, also. This would take some time, and some expense (not sure of how much), but they could also get additional 'perks' like agent's 'familiarization trips', and other goodies. This would include air and cruise travel as well. Not a bad choice for someone who is retired, and has the time. Could make a nice supplemental income, too.

 

[Shanghai]

We are both elderly and prefer not to use the upper bunk, so we get two rooms and
we both have lower beds.

 

[gwolfdog]

We are both elderly and prefer not to use the upper bunk, so we get two rooms and
we both have lower beds.

We are also young at heart and I would never ask my wife to use that upper bunk again. This time on the Auto Train I am going to get a Bedroom instead of WC roomette, leave the Wheelchair in the Van, and use their transfer chair service to get on and off the train.

 

[ja5151]

I was considering a trip with one adult (myself) and two teenage brothers, and was wondering if we'd prefer a bedroom or two roomettes. If we had 3 in a bedroom (and assuming no one wanted to share a bed), would there be enough room on the floor for a sleeping bag or small air mattress?

 

[Maglev]

would there be enough room on the floor for a sleeping bag or small air mattress?

No, there is not enough room for a sleeping bag or small air mattress. With the lower berth down, there is barely enough floor space to crouch in a fetal position.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I was considering a trip with one adult (myself) and two teenage brothers, and was wondering if we'd prefer a bedroom or two roomettes.

Two roomettes seems preferable to me. Everybody gets their own bed, one person can get space from the others, and you could request windows on both sides of the train.

 

[tricia]

Two roomettes seems preferable to me. Everybody gets their own bed, one person can get space from the others, and you could request windows on both sides of the train.

Also, two roomettes are often less expensive than one bedroom.

To book two roomettes directly across the hallway from each other, you'll need to phone in your reservation, or make it online and call to alter the roomette assignments.

 

[Steve4031]

Two roomettes ensures that everybody has a window to see the scenery. If you can get two roomettes in the same car ask the agent if one room can be an even number room and the other an odd number. This ensures that they are on opposite sides of the train and if anyone is really interested in seeing all of the scenery, then they can move back and forth. A bedroom, IMHO is going to be an issue because only 2 people can sit by the window. Now if some of the people traveling are not interested in the scenery at all and will be on their phone the entire time, then the bedroom could work. I still think its unpleasant to have that many people in a small space.

 

[Chris I]

What are the thoughts here on family bedroom vs. (2) Romettes? We're looking at taking the Coast Starlight from Portland to LA next year. 2 adults and 2 kids (5 and 6). The roomette option looks a bit cheaper, but it seems like the family bedroom has more overall space than (2) Roomettes. I'd rather be on the 2nd level, but if we can't guarantee that we get a room on each side of the train, it seems we would miss out on some scenery.

 

[niemi24s]

The roomette option looks a bit cheaper, . . .

Looks can be deceiving because it depends on the date of travel. Each sleeping accommodation has five different price levels at which it can be offered and the part of the total fare for passengers only remains constant. The portion of the total fare that can change from day to day is the upcharge the the sleeping accommodation(s). For the Coast Starlight between Portland and Los Angeles two Roomettes (R) can be cheaper than a Family Bedroom (FB) provided the FB is being offer at two price levels above the R.

All that blabber means if your travel dates are flexible it pays to shop around for a day when two Roomettes are indeed cheaper than a Family Bedroom. Be advised that if you find such a travel date and then look again on the next day - those two R's may be more than a FB !

 

[fdaley]

What are the thoughts here on family bedroom vs. (2) Romettes? We're looking at taking the Coast Starlight from Portland to LA next year. 2 adults and 2 kids (5 and 6). The roomette option looks a bit cheaper, but it seems like the family bedroom has more overall space than (2) Roomettes. I'd rather be on the 2nd level, but if we can't guarantee that we get a room on each side of the train, it seems we would miss out on some scenery.

I have had both arrangements with two adults and one child. Which is better may depend a bit on your individual preferences and family dynamics.

For two roomettes, if you book reasonably far in advance by phone, you can request two rooms across the hall from each other, which is what we always get. (For the upper level, you want rooms 1&2, 3&4, 5&6, 7&8 or 9&10. Numbers 11-14 are on the lower level and to me are less desirable.) Two rooms across the hall gives you windows on both sides, and in the daytime there's enough room that both kids could squeeze in with one of the adults for a time if the other adult wants some quiet time or privacy, though it would be a tight fit. Or the kids can do an activity together at the fold-out table in one room while the adults admire the view from the other room.

The family bedroom runs the full width of the car, which means it has windows on both sides, although the windows are smaller than those in the roomettes. Also, because it's on the lower level, the view never seems quite as commanding as from upstairs. But when the beds are folded up, it has by far the most floor space of any accommodation, which can be nice for stretching out with games/puzzles, etc., and there's a large sofa as well. So it's a great space for all being together. Besides being on the lower level, though, it's over the wheels at one end of the car, so particularly on a rough stretch of track, the ride can seem a lot louder and bumpier than it would from upstairs.

There typically are only two family bedrooms per departure on most of the Superliner trains (at least this was true pre-Covid), and after the first one is booked, the price for the remaining one will go from high to astronomical. So book early or be flexible about your travel dates if you want the family room. The roomettes are more plentiful and therefore more likely to remain available at a better price for longer.

 

[me_little_me]

Also, two roomettes are often less expensive than one bedroom.

To book two roomettes directly across the hallway from each other, you'll need to phone in your reservation, or make it online and call to alter the roomette assignments.

I'd suggest checking online but booking by phone. I've had to argue with agents when making an online reservation then immediately calling because they said to change rooms would mean I'd have to pay a higher price. I often had to ask for a supervisor.

 

[niemi24s]

To help select a travel date (if you have some flexibility), here's what appears to be the fares for your family from PDX to LAX in:

• Two Roomettes: $974, 1132, 1285, 1434 or 1592
• One Family Bedroom: $897, 1054, 1206, 1358 or 1515

The underlined ones are estimates.