Bedroom Luggage Capacity

[jfrupp]

Hello everyone. I am new here and next week we do our first Amtrak from Needles, Calif to Kissimmee, Florida. My question is that we booked a bedroom on the complete round-trip. My husband has a duffle bag and I have an oversize carry-on 25x19x9. Will these fit in the bedroom. I really can not leave them downstairs. They will have everything we need including pills and clothes, kindles and toiletries. We will be gone for two weeks so I think I scaled down pretty good considering we usually cruise on long cruises and I then take 4 huge luggage and two small carry-ons, lol. Thanks in advance everyone,
Janet
p.s I really don't mind if I can keep my luggage at the end of my bed if allowed. I am only 4'11"... again .....lol

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hello everyone. I am new here and next week we do our first Amtrak from Needles, Calif to Kissimmee, Florida. My question is that we booked a bedroom on the complete round-trip. My husband has a duffle bag and I have an oversize carry-on 25x19x9. Will these fit in the bedroom. I really can not leave them downstairs. They will have everything we need including pills and clothes, kindles and toiletries. We will be gone for two weeks so I think I scaled down pretty good considering we usually cruise on long cruises and I then take 4 huge luggage and two small carry-ons, lol. Thanks in advance everyone,
Janet
p.s I really don't mind if I can keep my luggage at the end of my bed if allowed. I am only 4'11"... again .....lol

Plenty of room in the Bedrooms to keep your stuff. You may want to take a day pack to carry your valuables, Meds etc. when you leave your Bedroom to eat, take a Fresh Air Break @ stops etc.

Nice trip, please stay Safe and give us a Trip report!

 

[TinCan782]

Plenty of room on the lower level storage area of a Superliner. We just take our backpacks and a small tote with essentials and valuables up to the bedroom.
Your baggage on the lower level is accessible during the trip to retrieve/exchange clothes, etc. as needed while on the train.

 

[Asher]

Plenty of room on the lower level storage area of a Superliner. We just take our backpacks and a small tote with essentials and valuables up to the bedroom.
Your baggage on the lower level is accessible during the trip to retrieve/exchange clothes, etc. as needed while on the train.

I also find that arrangement handy on a train, although we travel in a roomette. One has plenty of time during the day to replenish what you may need from your luggage downstairs and out of your way. You won't have the privilege of dining at the Captans table on a train so you can maybe do without some of the dining attire. Sounds like great trip, have fun and post some photos.

 

[me_little_me]

I guess you pack separately. My wife and I pack jointly i.e. one bag has everything we need for x number of days and the other(s) have the rest intermixed in case a bag gets misrouted or damaged.
Joint packing allows you to check bags (less hand carry) or leave downstairs (less to carry up and down) or open while on the train (one can be under everything and one conveniently placed).
Years ago when we didn't have to take the medical equipment, electronics store and the computer, we would each have an approximately equal sized bag that had to fit everything we needed. Then we repacked stuff we needed for as many days as possible in one bag so as to minimize bags. Now we take one big bag to fit the clothes and a smaller bag for the essentials and enough for the train (or as many nights at the hotel as possible if driving or flying). For trains, we try and check the big one. Otherwise, it gets left in the car until we need to change out the dirty clothes for clean ones or checked on the plane.

 

[caravanman]

You will have enough space to keep your luggage with you in an Amtrak bedroom. Note that bedrooms can only be secured while someone is within the room, they cannot be locked from outside. As mentioned above, a small "day sack" would be sensible to keep your valuables with you when you leave the room.

 

[Barb Stout]

As a 4'11' person, I was indeed able to sleep with a small suitcase at the foot of my bed (I was in a roomette and will assume that roomette beds are not longer than bedroom beds).

 

[Barb Stout]

Plenty of room on the lower level storage area of a Superliner. We just take our backpacks and a small tote with essentials and valuables up to the bedroom.
Your baggage on the lower level is accessible during the trip to retrieve/exchange clothes, etc. as needed while on the train.

There will be plenty of room in those lower storage areas now during Covid19 and sometimes there was prior to Covid19, but I did run into a number of occasions pre-Covid where it was quite difficult to access my suitcase because other suitcases had been piled on top of mine or the suitcases are jam-packed tight on the shelves or there wasn't enough room on the lower shelves and being short and lacking upper body strength, I can't lift my suitcase to those upper shelves and have to rely on others to do so. So once my suitcase ends up more than say 4 1/2 feet above ground, I can't get into it. I also can't use the overhead bins on either planes or trains for the same reasons.

 

[jfrupp]

As a 4'11' person, I was indeed able to sleep with a small suitcase at the foot of my bed (I was in a roomette and will assume that roomette beds are not longer than bedroom beds).

Thanks, that helps a lot since I want to keep our pieces in the bedroom with us

 

[PVD]

Assuming Southwest Chief to Chicago, Cap Limited to Washington, and Silver to Kissimmee, you could check some bags Chicago to Kissimmee since Needles doesn't have checked baggage... Obviously, one would have to pack so that must haves or valuables were carried on, but you can usually separate a few bags worth....

 

[Larry H.]

The problem with luggage today in your bedroom is that the cars were designed for luggage that was far thinner than the big bulky pieces today. Knowing that and having ridden in quite a few bedrooms now, we purposely drug out old 50s still hard side cases, they slide right under the lower birth. On one trip when my mom wanted more clothing she took her new large suitcase on wheels as so many are now. That had to sit out in the room in the corner outside near the bath room door. I have used the roomettes frequently and in those you just have to keep with you the essentials and leave the rest in the storage areas each car has . So far as theft goes I have been riding the rails in sleepers since the early 60s and so far nothing has been bothered.

 

[Dakota 400]

There will be plenty of room in those lower storage areas now during Covid19 and sometimes there was prior to Covid19, but I did run into a number of occasions pre-Covid where it was quite difficult to access my suitcase because other suitcases had been piled on top of mine or the suitcases are jam-packed tight on the shelves or there wasn't enough room on the lower shelves and being short and lacking upper body strength, I can't lift my suitcase to those upper shelves and have to rely on others to do so. So once my suitcase ends up more than say 4 1/2 feet above ground, I can't get into it. I also can't use the overhead bins on either planes or trains for the same reasons.

I have had the same experiences with the luggage storage on the Superliner lower level. Shelves packed tight; I just don't count on taking a piece of luggage onto the train that won't fit comfortably in my Roomette. Baggage check service is very important for me when I travel on Amtrak.

Regarding overhead bins on planes, as I become more "senior" my upper body strength isn't what it once was and getting even a carry-on bag into those bins can be quite a challenge at times.

 

[pennyk]

I pack light and am able to place my rolling duffle on the chair in the bedroom. Besides the limited space, another downside to packing "heavy" is that one has to carry their luggage up the narrow stairway in order to access a superliner bedroom.

 

[gregg_vw]

I've never heard of any instances of theft in the years I've been traveling in a sleeper car. I store whatever we bring downstairs, except for what I may need in the night. We limit ourselves to a carry-on each, plus a back pack if we are bringing gifts or some equipment that doesn't fit. If you must travel "heavy," for example needing formal clothing at your destination, you can always check another bag you won't need to monitor for the duration. If you have 2 peoplein a roomette, adding a piece of luggage makes it a more awkward ride.

 

[caravanman]

There are all sorts of options to luggage, but these folks should be fine to put their 2 cases in their Amtrak bedroom. I try to travel light, most trips to America for several weeks just involve a carry on size bag and a small laptop size bag. With the current even more reduced personal "free/included" carry on baggage allowances, that may be more problematic on future visits. One can often buy most essential items when abroad. If I suddenly get an unexpected invite to a posh dinner with an Ambassador or Royalty instead of my usual KFC, I will just have to pass the invite up...

 

[jfrupp]

These pieces are not huge but do have all essentials. Our clothes are the least amount. With electronics, medications etc ,I just do not want to be running up and down the stairs. I prefer to keep them with us.
Thank you all for all your responses. I am new here and new to Amtrak so I do appreciate all the answers. Maybe next trip I can scale down a little more if I need to but right now this is what it is for a trip a little over 2 weeks

 

[me_little_me]

Maybe next trip I can scale down a little more if I need to but right now this is what it is for a trip a little over 2 weeks

Your trip length is not the problem. All that counts is what you need while on board. You don't have a lot but before you return, you might think about repacking it for eturn ride convenience. We always found that on board the train, having to open only one bag, irrespective of size, was a lot simpler than taking some stuff out of each of multiple bags.
Enjoy. We envy you.

 

[flitcraft]

Things you will want to have handy in your room on the train--whatever you like to wear for sleeping, whatever you want to wear the next day, a sweater or jacket in case the train is chilly or to wear if you like to duck out for the brief 'fresh air' breaks, your preferred electronica (phone, tablet, Kindle, etc. and chargers), some reading matter and/or cards for entertainment in the evening when there isn't anything to see out the window, something to take pictures with (assuming you aren't using your phone for that), medicines including optional items like antacids, over the counter pain relievers, etc., a few snacks in case the much maligned 'contemporary dining' is not to your liking in quality or amount, some adult beverages if you are so inclined (you are allowed to bring your own alcohol and consume it in your bedroom if you like; we tote along a bottle of screwtop wine, but you can adapt to what you like), and your preferred toiletries (toothpaste, shampoo, moisturizer, etc--soap is provided in the bedroom). A flashlight (or flashlight app on your phone) is handy to have in case you drop something or mislay something in the room, and a multi-plug adapter that plugs into the one and only outlet in the room will help with charging your electronica. It is handy to put all of these 'must have right now' things in one smallish bag--when we travel, the person who gets the bottom bunk keeps the 'handy stuff' bag at the foot of the bed!

 

[jfrupp]

Things you will want to have handy in your room on the train--whatever you like to wear for sleeping, whatever you want to wear the next day, a sweater or jacket in case the train is chilly or to wear if you like to duck out for the brief 'fresh air' breaks, your preferred electronica (phone, tablet, Kindle, etc. and chargers), some reading matter and/or cards for entertainment in the evening when there isn't anything to see out the window, something to take pictures with (assuming you aren't using your phone for that), medicines including optional items like antacids, over the counter pain relievers, etc., a few snacks in case the much maligned 'contemporary dining' is not to your liking in quality or amount, some adult beverages if you are so inclined (you are allowed to bring your own alcohol and consume it in your bedroom if you like; we tote along a bottle of screwtop wine, but you can adapt to what you like), and your preferred toiletries (toothpaste, shampoo, moisturizer, etc--soap is provided in the bedroom). A flashlight (or flashlight app on your phone) is handy to have in case you drop something or mislay something in the room, and a multi-plug adapter that plugs into the one and only outlet in the room will help with charging your electronica. It is handy to put all of these 'must have right now' things in one smallish bag--when we travel, the person who gets the bottom bunk keeps the 'handy stuff' bag at the foot of the bed!

Thanks for this. I am the lucky one in the bottom bunk. I won't even get on a foot stool (hate heights of any kind). Should not be a problem with luggage at my feet since I am only 4'11". lol

 

[niemi24s]

If you've never been in a Superliner Bedroom, here's what they look like:

There may be some usable space underneath the bench/lower bunk, but if so don't recall how much. Floor plans of all the Amtrak cars are available here: Amtrak Car Diagrams @ CraigMashburn.com There's even space for things in the commode/shower area, but it's not very wide.

 

[TRoberts]

I've kept a rollerboard carry-on and a duffle bag with me in a roomette before so I'm certain you will be able to keep them in a bedroom no problem. However... in another thread, you mentioned boarding the Chief at midnight. When you board, your beds will already be lowered which means it will be a bit tricky maneuvering your suitcase inside the room, there is very little space when the bed is down.

 

[flitcraft]

I am 5 foot even, and when I get the bottom bunk, I can easily store an airline carryon sized bag at the foot of the bed, so you can probably count on that when getting to your room that night. We have found that a carryon size bag fits under the couch during the day, and there is a rack where you can store an additional bag of similar size. During the day, we store our "handy items" bag in the narrow little closet so that it's easily accessible for whatever bits we need. A couple items I forgot (because I don't bother with them, but my husband does) are earplugs and a sleep mask to block out sound and light when it gets daylight, if you prefer to sleep with them.

 

[Lonestar648]

I place my roller bag in the luggage rack, pulling out my toiletry bag when I take my shower. I generally have my backpack with what I need in the room, like power strip, notebooks, iPad, relaxing clothes, etc. if on the train two nights, I just pull out extra clothes before I shower, then put worn clothes in after showering. The luggage rack is very convenient to the shower.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The problem with luggage today in your bedroom is that the cars were designed for luggage that was far thinner than the big bulky pieces today.

This has not been my experience. Every time I've replaced my luggage the new version of the same piece was always smaller than before because the airline rules had changed and become more restrictive. The largest universally accepted no fee luggage size is now so tiny you can barely fit a weekend's worth of clothes if you're lucky.

I have used the roomettes frequently and in those you just have to keep with you the essentials and leave the rest in the storage areas each car has . So far as theft goes I have been riding the rails in sleepers since the early 60s and so far nothing has been bothered.

My roll-a-board luggage fits on the shelf at the top of the steps. It can also fit along the bar of the open-closet version.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Knowing that and having ridden in quite a few bedrooms now, we purposely drug out old 50s still hard side cases, they slide right under the lower birth.

Hadn't thought much of it, but I use a pair of older, hard-side, "weekend" size suitcases, which slide under the chairs in a roomette (one under each).