Alternative sleeping configuration in roomette?

[crabby_appleton1950]

On a non-AU web site, a poster said when traveling alone in an Amtrak roomette he/she prefers to just have the two seats slid

together without the mattress being put on.
Said there is more room to stand, dress, etc, and that the seat cushions were adequate padding.

Has anyone here done that?

How do you slide the two seats together?

Is that something a passenger can do, or would it require the help of an Amtrak employee?
Thanks

 

[SarahZ]

On a non-AU web site, a poster said when traveling alone in an Amtrak roomette he/she prefers to just have the two seats slid

together without the mattress being put on.

Said there is more room to stand, dress, etc, and that the seat cushions were adequate padding.

Has anyone here done that?

How do you slide the two seats together?

Is that something a passenger can do, or would it require the help of an Amtrak employee?

Thanks

Sliding the seats together puts the room into "nighttime" mode. You would simply ask the SCA to leave the mattress on the top bunk.

It's easy enough to slide the seats together, but if you haven't done it before, it's pretty easy to catch a finger. Sometimes you have to kneel on the seat and really push to get it to move. It just takes practice.

I'm not sure how skipping a mattress that's approximately 2" thick "saves space", though. All I can think is that they mean it's easier to push the seats back to "daytime" mode before getting dressed. When you have the mattress on them, you have to roll the mattress up and shove it somewhere to keep it out of the way. Keeping it in the top bunk means you could just slide the seats back to "daytime" without worrying about the mattress getting in the way.

 

[StriderGDM]

I personally prefer to sleep on the top bunk when travelling alone and leave the "downstairs" in the daytime configuration. From the reaction I get from SCAs while this is is a bit uncommon it's not unheard of.

Then I get up in the morning go "downstairs" push the upper bunk up and have plenty of room.

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

I'm not sure how skipping a mattress that's approximately 2" thick "saves space", though.

The poster said it gave more space in the roomette to undress, etc?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I personally prefer to sleep on the top bunk when travelling alone and leave the "downstairs" in the daytime configuration. From the reaction I get from SCAs while this is is a bit uncommon it's not unheard of.

Then I get up in the morning go "downstairs" push the upper bunk up and have plenty of room.

I do this on a Viewliner, but not a Superliner. Then I tell my non-rail friends my on board Suite had the Bedroom and Storage Closet upstairs and downstairs was my Lounge and Restroom. That usually amazes the life out of them.

 

[oregon pioneer]

I personally prefer to sleep on the top bunk when travelling alone and leave the "downstairs" in the daytime configuration. From the reaction I get from SCAs while this is is a bit uncommon it's not unheard of.

Then I get up in the morning go "downstairs" push the upper bunk up and have plenty of room.

I do this on a Viewliner, but not a Superliner. Then I tell my non-rail friends my on board Suite had the Bedroom and Storage Closet upstairs and downstairs was my Lounge and Restroom. That usually amazes the life out of them.

:giggle:

I did that as well when traveling alone. Great way to describe it to your friends!

 

[Big Iron]

On a non-AU web site, a poster said when traveling alone in an Amtrak roomette he/she prefers to just have the two seats slid

together without the mattress being put on.

Said there is more room to stand, dress, etc, and that the seat cushions were adequate padding.

Has anyone here done that?

How do you slide the two seats together?

Is that something a passenger can do, or would it require the help of an Amtrak employee?

Thanks

I'm note sure what the poster means about having more room without the mattress which is only about an inch high. Would they be standing on the seats to dress?

A passenger can slide the two seats together. There is a bar under each seat that if lifted up can allow the seat to recline, then pull up again and push down on the seat and it will flatten out.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I'm not sure how skipping a mattress that's approximately 2" thick "saves space", though.

The poster said it gave more space in the roomette to undress, etc?

As Sarah stated, this would only give more room in that the person would not have to roll up the mattress to push the seats back into daytime mode.

 

[Steve4031]

I have pushed the seats together to take a nap during the day. It works well enough for a nap. At night I prefer the mattress.

 

[SarahZ]

Yeah, I'm still not seeing how not having the mattress on the seats gives them more room to "stand". The mattress is the same width as the seats, and it's not very thick at all. I can feel the seat cushion through the mattress when I sit or lay on it. It's really just glorified padding. Those who are used to a firm mattress at home could probably go without it.

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

Would they be standing on the seats to dress?

No, of course not.

They meant the amount of space between the door and the bed is tighter with the bed and mattress down, as opposed to just the seats being down.

Having never been in a roomette, I have no personal knowledge of the configuration.

Is the space available to stand, dress/undress/ more or the same in either the daytime or night time configuration?

 

[Ryan]

They meant the amount of space between the door and the bed is tighter with the bed and mattress down, as opposed to just the seats being down.

That's the part that doesn't make sense - the mattress is only 2" thick and doesn't extend past the edge of the seats.

Is the space available to stand, dress/undress/ more or the same in either the daytime or night time configuration?

There's tons more in the daytime configuration, you can sit in either seat and have all the space between the seats to take care of things. That's got to be what they're talking about - easy to put one of the seats up to give you the space without having to worry about the mattress.

 

[KmH]

Look at some 'video tours' of a roomette to gain some personal knowledge:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=amtrak+superliner+roomette

 

[SarahZ]

Would they be standing on the seats to dress?

No, of course not.

They meant the amount of space between the door and the bed is tighter with the bed and mattress down, as opposed to just the seats being down.

Having never been in a roomette, I have no personal knowledge of the configuration.

Is the space available to stand, dress/undress/ more or the same in either the daytime or night time configuration?

That poster is high or drunk. The mattress is the same width as the seats. There are times it might stick out a tiny bit, but I'm talking maybe, MAYBE a half-inch.

There is more space to stand and dress/undress when the roomette is in the daytime configuration. The top bunk is pushed up, and the bottom seats are in "seat" positions. When the roomette switches to nighttime, the top bunk comes down, and the bottom seats are pushed together into a bed.

I'm 5'5", and I still have to duck if the top bunk is down while I'm standing between the seats. This happens frequently, as I wake up before my boyfriend. I put the bottom seats in daytime mode so I can get dressed, but he's still sleeping in the top bunk, so I can't exactly shove it back up toward the ceiling.

If I'm traveling alone, I leave the top bunk pushed up. It allows for more air circulation and space to move around.

Getting dressed/undressed in a roomette is sort of like camping. Add in the train rocking and rolling, and it's an adventure. I prefer to get dressed before the top bunk comes down, as it gives me more room to "sway". I usually put my pajamas on as soon as we get back from dinner.

 

[niemi24s]

Floor space is greater in the daytime configuration because of the area between the seat bottom cushions (where your feet go when seated) is available. There's also a little table between the facing seats, but it can easily be lifted up and slid out of the way. The Amtrak booking site has diagrams of all the rooms in the day and night configurations. For the roomette, the space between the seat bottoms is about 18" X 18 " as I recall. http://www.amtrak.com/VirtualTour/Superliner/SL_roomette.html

 

[the_traveler]

I personally prefer to sleep on the top bunk when travelling alone and leave the "downstairs" in the daytime configuration. From the reaction I get from SCAs while this is is a bit uncommon it's not unheard of.

Then I get up in the morning go "downstairs" push the upper bunk up and have plenty of room.

I do this on a Viewliner, but not a Superliner. Then I tell my non-rail friends my on board Suite had the Bedroom and Storage Closet upstairs and downstairs was my Lounge and Restroom. That usually amazes the life out of them.

Just like TPS! But I've also have a pool, sauna, hot tub, kitchen, dining room, ...! :giggle:

 

[TinCan782]

IIRC, when the top bunk is "down", it interferes with the standing space (unless you are really short) regardless of the position of the seats/lower bed.

Let me add, the SCA will (or should) put the room in any configuration you want and if you know how, will let you "do it your self". We do that, especially in the evening because the SCA usually wants to switch the room/roomette to night configuration at a time earlier than we would like.

 

[TVRM610]

I've had attendants (one as recently as this month) ask me specifically not to convert the room myself in order to "be safe." Not sure what official policy on that Is. I prefer they do it anyways but just an fyi.

 

[Big Iron]

I've had attendants (one as recently as this month) ask me specifically not to convert the room myself in order to "be safe." Not sure what official policy on that Is. I prefer they do it anyways but just an fyi.

I've been told the same thing on a few occasions when I said I wouldn't need help with the changeover. One time i did cut my finger on something under the seat. Got an "I told you so" from the SCA when I sought out a band-aid.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The Viewliner Roomettes are a lot easier to change from Day time to night time configuration! It's especial easy to just slide the top bunk up or down! I always sleep up top in View liners Roomettes and when by myself leave the seats in daytime configuration!

Most of the Superliners Sleepers are run hard and put up wet, so the seats are often hard to put up or down, and it' s easy to hurt your hands reaching under the seats when they hang up! Using your foot can also be tricky so be careful if you do it yourself! Safety is Job #1 on the Railroads!

 

[Big Iron]

The Viewliner Roomettes are a lot easier to change from Day time to night time configuration! It's especial easy to just slide the top bunk up or down! I always sleep up top in View liners Roomettes and when by myself leave the seats in daytime configuration!

Most of the Superliners Sleepers are run hard and put up wet, so the seats are often hard to put up or down, and it' s easy to hurt your hands reaching under the seats when they hang up! Using your foot can also be tricky so be careful if you do it yourself! Safety is Job #1 on the Railroads!

I'm going to add a can of WD-40 to my "stuff to bring" list. It was one of those rode hard and put up wet superliners that got me. The seat refused to slide down flat. Now I hope I'm not starting a "blood in sleepers" thread

 

[Mike]

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?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

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?

Did you use the release bar under each seat? I know I've had trouble connecting them and putting them back up, but can't remember all the steps.

 

[fillyjonk]

Yeah, like other posters I'm not sure I see how leaving the mattress - which is equal in width to the seats - saves any room. Yes, it would make it easier to put the room back to "daytime" configuration but I have found enough roomettes with difficult-to-budge seats, so I prefer to have the SCA do it for me. (Also, I value having 10 fingers and I figure the SCA knows how to do it without risking injury).

I'm claustrophobic and like lying in bed and looking out the window, so the upper bunk in the Superliner is not appealing to me.

(Once, the SCA could NOT get the lower berth to flatten out - one of the seats was stuck. He offered me a choice - move to the unoccupied H room (I was already on a lower level roomette) or sleep in the top berth. After verifying that YES FOR SURE no one would need the H room, I took that, because of the whole claustrophobic feel of the top berth. (Also the H room has its own bathroom facility, which is nice....but of course I wanted to be sure there was no one getting on that I would be "taking" the H room from....)

 

[andersone]

A roomette is intimate, not cozy