Roomette vs Family Bedroom

[CTANut]

I am planning to travel on the Capitol Limited and Southwest Chief. I have a couple of questions.
We currently have 1 Superliner bedroom booked and 1 coach seat for 4 people. There are 2 adults, and 2 teens aged 14/16.
1. Would you recommend getting a 2nd roomette, bedroom, or upgrade to a Family Bedroom?
2. How can I check to see whether I have an upper level or lower level Superliner seat? If I want to change from lower to upper level, what is the best way? This would be on the Capitol Limited from TOL to Chicago.

 

[Maglev]

The teenagers are likely too tall for the short berths in the Family Bedroom. I would recommend getting two Roomettes.

The best, if not only, way to get downstairs seats is to book them and then ask the conductor when you get on for lower level seats. It seems to be the conductor's discretion where people actually sit, regardless of the reservation.

 

[CTANut]

Would you recommend lower or upper level seats on the Capitol Limited? Both teenagers are around 5'6''/5'8'' in height.

 

[Maglev]

From what I have heard, the conductor may seat only elderly and handicapped in the lower-level seats. I guess the view is a little better upstairs...

As far as the kids' heights go, the short berths in a Family Bedroom are less than 5' 2" long (I think they're 4' 5"). The ceiling is the same height upstairs and downstairs.

 

[Maglev]

Here's a thread with some more opinions:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/bedroom-vs-family-room.77751/

 

[AmtrakFlyer]

Your situation I’d do two roomettes side by side downstairs.

 

[gwolfdog]

Here's a thread with some more opinions:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/bedroom-vs-family-room.77751/

Great thread, thanks. Unfortunately I can't climb stairs for a Bedroom with Bathroom. With Muscular Dystrophy outside Bathrooms on a moving train doesn't work and eliminates the Family Room (unless I can hold it for 27 hours). WC roomette and regular roomette seem like only viable choice, as an upper bunk won't do for my wife. Am I right on with this assessment? Just looked out, it's snowing.

 

[PVD]

Based on your medical condition, perhaps the H room and a downstairs roomette, and ask for the H discount on the H bedroom, which would keep the pricing down by a lot.

 

[caravanman]

I am a bit confused about the upper or lower level coach seat question?
When booking online, one can just select either lower or upper level seating. The lower level is mainly intended for those who cannot climb stairs, folk in wheelchairs, elderly, etc. Anyone can book a lower level coach seat, but more able bodied folk may be asked to move upstairs. (There are far fewer lower level seats than upper on each train.)
If you book through an agent, then I guess you would need to call them up to state your requirements.
The views are better upstairs, the track noise less, and one moves between cars upstairs, so it tends to be the usual choice for most able bodied folk, IMHO...

 

[jpakala]

Only the handicap bedroom on the lower level and the bedrooms on the upper level have their own lavatory & toilet facilities. In the since-level Viewliner sleeping cars the handicap bedroom has a sizeable enclosed bathroom and a sofa by day but the Superliner has only a curtain for the facilities (and no shower either) and no ladder for the upper berth and both berths are narrow as in a roomette. When my wife broke her leg we fortunately had the Viewliner from NY to Chicago but the Superliner from there to St. Louis and I had to sit in her wheelchair because she had one of the narrow facing seats and needed the other to put her leg onto.

 

[jpakala]

Sorry, somehow "single-level" became "since-level"!