Whoops. Not sure how I got there, but I thought that the Cabin for 2 was smaller, had an in-room instead of a full en suite, and had bunks parallel to the direction of travel. I guess I mentally merged it with the Cabin for 1, then. Still, for two passengers traveling, don't two Cabin for 1s cost the same as one Cabin for 2?
But is it more than twice as good? Like, do you think we would really prefer to take the Canadian one-way, than to take Amtrak cross country round-trip and still have a couple hundred bucks left over?
For any meaningfull comparisons, I would strongly suggest that you compare the price of an Amtrak Roomette with that of Upper/Lower berths as the preferred option of cost-conscious Sleeper passengers, while the price of a Cabin for 2 should be compared with that of an Amtrak bedroom as the preferred choice of more comfort-oriented Sleeper travellers...
I'm not comparing it to a berth since berths don't have outlets or walls, and a Roomette does. Do you disagree that comparing it to two Cabins for 1 makes sense, considering its literally the same thing as a Heritage Roomette?
For a single traveller, a Roomette and a Cabin for 1 seem indeed to be equivalent. However, for 2 passengers willing to share a Roomette, I don’t see any reason why they would opt for two separate Cabins for 1, as Upper and Lower Berths are significantly cheaper, while a Cabin for 2 offers much more space for the same price as 2 Cabins for 1 (as you correctly noted)...
I had seen a similar thing. If memory serves, the reason was that the Cabin for 2 has movable chairs which aren't nearly as comfortable as the fixed seat in each Cabin for 1 (and yes, you can only fit one person), and the fact that you can only fit one seat next to the window in a Cf2, so one person is always a few feet away from the window. I guess it also doesn't hurt that each person has a toilet with two Cf1s, even if it is an in-room instead of an en suite.
According to the posting example I saw on facebook, it was 20% lower....maybe need a promo code?
A "Cabin for 1" IS a roomette. Roomettes having been designed as a private accommodation for 1, introduced early in the streamlined era and intended for business travelers desiring privacy but not wanting to pay for the extra berth of a Double Bedroom or Compartment. Via just renamed all their accommodations to more cruise ship-like names. You can call Via and ask for a roomette and they know precisely what you are talking about.
It is. The Sleeper Plus deal page is typically 40% and sometimes even 50% off. The advantage of the promotion is it is MUCH more flexible than the very restricted options on the Sleeper Plus deal page. You can book any departure with inventory remaining in the "discount" inventory, whereas the deals on the deals on the deal page are only for the specific departures, accommodations, and travel points that are listed on the page, and they are also usually available only about 6 weeks before departure.
I learned from this video that at least in 1994, Amtrak referred to them as Roomettes on the Heritage sleepers (accurately), and as Economy Bedrooms on Superliners. Something odd I noticed is that though "Jim" states later in the video that the then-upcoming Viewliners "will have Bedrooms and Roomettes", all Viewliner Roomettes actually still have a sticker on the table listing it as an "Economy Bedroom".
