Alternative sleeping configuration in roomette?

[FormerOBS]

My crew room on Superliners was always an economy (nowadays incorrectly called a roomette). I always set up the lower berth with the mattress, and lowered the upper. If the upper was made up as a bed, I would cover it with a clean sheet. Then I put my personal items on the upper berth: travel bag to the left; personal snacks, reading materials, etc. to the right. If you don't use the lower mattress, it needs to be put someplace out of the way, and there isn't any space in the room for that. The mattress doesn't take up any significant additional space when it's laid out, and the flattened seats make a more comfortable bed with the mattress than without. I know that because I've had to give up my mattress when a passenger's mattress has been soiled or missing. As usual, Sarah has it right.

I always recommended that passengers let the SCA reset the position of the seats. There's a bar that has to be manipulated, and the seats don't always move easily. The attendant knows how it's supposed to work. If extra exertion is needed, the attendant knows which direction to throw his/her weight to do it. I can imagine back strain for those who push too hard in the wrong direction.

For that matter, I never liked to have passengers open or close their beds in bedrooms for the same reasons, plus the presence of potential pinch points on the uppers.

Tom

 

[SarahZ]

When I tried to slide the seats together, they only got as far as the vertically-stored table/chess board. That left a gap in the middle. Other than not asking the attendant to help me, what did I do wrong?

As FormerOBS mentioned, sometimes you just have to know where and how to throw your weight.

I've had stubborn seats in the past, and I'd end up trying to push the bar with one foot while slamming my arms and upper body down on the back of the seat until it moved into place. It's a bit like playing Twister, and the moving train makes it extra-super fun.

Sometimes it would slide into place inch by inch, and sometimes it would finally "give" and I'd end up nearly slamming my head into the wall.

 

[FormerOBS]

When I was first introduced to Superliners about 20 years ago, I was appalled to see that:

1. Signage referred to the berths as "bunks".

2. The passenger could open and close berths without a berth key.

3. Instructions for doing so were clearly posted.

I am still amazed that Amtrak does not have more claims for passenger injuries arising from this.

Tom

 

[Guest]

Our experiences with a Roomette has been limited to the Viewliners.

Upon entering our Roomette, I pull the top buck down, and flatten out the two mattresses up there. That area becomes my kid's loft area (or playroom) for the deration of our journey. I leave the two seats in their day-time configuration. Even with the top buck down, there is more than enough headroom for me to sit. Plus, when my kid gets a bit lonely, he can come downstairs, and join me in our living room to watch a movie or something in the second seat.

At night, long after my kid is asleep, and I am ready for bed myself, I slide the seats inward, and make my bed up myself.

While the SCA always offers to provide this service, I do it myself; at whatever time I want it.

 

[crescent2]

On my last trip, the SCAs specifically asked us to not do this ourselves. We complied.

If I were traveling alone, I'd probably sleep in the upper berth on a Viewliner and leave the lower one in daytime configuration. On a Superliner the upper is too close to the ceiling and there is no upper window, so I'd use the lower.

 

[jis]

When I was first introduced to Superliners about 20 years ago, I was appalled to see that:

1. Signage referred to the berths as "bunks".

2. The passenger could open and close berths without a berth key.

3. Instructions for doing so were clearly posted.

I am still amazed that Amtrak does not have more claims for passenger injuries arising from this.

Tom

Yup. These were designed in a day and age when they were not quite expected to be operated by the passengers. Hence there are several places where one can injure oneself. More modern convertible seats are designed for passenger operation by just pressing switches, and naturally those are designed with that in mind and there are very few, if any, opportunities in operating those to get oneself injured. Indeed, you don;t even have to get off the seat to convert!

Having said that, on Amtrak Sleepers I have often converted the lower seats into a "bunk" or "berth" and back. I never handle the bedding. That is left to the SCA, and no SCA has ever complained about this arrangement so far. I do change the setting of the bottom seats several times during the day depending on my mood.

But then again, I have been brought up handling the various sleeping berths on Indian Railways, so I guess I have seen much worse as far as possibility of injuring oneself goes. but also considering how few people injure themselves in India, it suggests to me that most passengers are way more capable than they are given credit for, since I do not believe that an average person in US is dumber than an average person in India (they are pretty much the same in my experience). Though the fact that in the US everyone likes to sue everyone else and then some at the drop of a hat also needs to be taken into consideration.