Sleeper accommodation discussion

[rickb]

After lots of roomettes, in November I sprung for a bedroom on the Empire Builder Chicago to Seattle. Yes, the extra space was nice, such as when changing clothes, but unless I get another really good deal, I'll stick to roomettes. Some of the negatives of the bedroom, for me:

• The more comfortable sofa seat was facing the wrong way (I like to face in the direction of travel), and the other, fold-up bedroom seat facing the right way was just not nearly as comfortable as a roomette seat. In a roomette, you get "good" seats facing in either direction.
• The removable partition to the adjacent linkable bedroom was too sound permeable, and I could hear every word from normal conversation in the neighboring bedroom, as well as the noise from their toilet flushes. Roomettes have better sound insulation from neighbors.
• I didn't even use the in-room shower, I still went downstairs because it is more roomy and I didn't get my own room all steamy and wet.

 

[Asher]

My wife and I travel fine in a roomette.

 

[John Santos]

After lots of roomettes, in November I sprung for a bedroom on the Empire Builder Chicago to Seattle. Yes, the extra space was nice, such as when changing clothes, but unless I get another really good deal, I'll stick to roomettes. Some of the negatives of the bedroom, for me:

• The more comfortable sofa seat was facing the wrong way (I like to face in the direction of travel), and the other, fold-up bedroom seat facing the right way was just not nearly as comfortable as a roomette seat. In a roomette, you get "good" seats facing in either direction.

FYI for the people who don't already know this... I think Amtrak attempts to make the coaches face forward, but they make no such attempt for sleepers. There might not even be a "forward" for sleepers. Furthermore, in Superliners. the pairs of rooms that can be combined to make a double room (B&C, D&E) face in opposite directions, so one of each pair will face the "wrong" way. A faces the same way as C & E. The family bedroom faces the same way as A, C & E. I'm not sure about the H room; it has two seats facing each other, but I don't know if they are the same or if one is wider or otherwise more comfortable. In Viewliners, A&B face opposite directions and the H room faces the same way as B.

So randomly and unpredictably, about half the time the sofa seat would face forward and half the time backwards. It is completely unpredictable.

I've always traveled in roomettes, so I'm not an expert on Bedrooms, but I've always found, in both Viewliners and Superliners, the two seats equally comfortable, though the one at the "head" end (as opposed to the "head" end!) is a few inches wider. (The first "head" refers to where your head goes when the bed is made up, and the second "head" refers to the nautical meaning of head, i.e. toilet, which would normally be next to your feet. Jokes are always much funnier when you explain them completely. )

 

[PaTrainFan]

• The more comfortable sofa seat was facing the wrong way (I like to face in the direction of travel), and the other, fold-up bedroom seat facing the right way was just not nearly as comfortable as a roomette seat. In a roomette, you get "good" seats facing in either direction.

The last three times I have been in a bedroom, the sofa was facing he "wrong way." I'm not inclined to splurge if odds are the sofa doesn't face forward. Then again, maybe the odds are in my favor for the next one.

 

[Carolyn Bryat]

If you are travelling alone, then a roomette is fine unless you really need the ensuite.

A roomette is fine for one person for one night. I generally go for a bedroom (E is my pick if possible) when traveling 2 nights. The cost is crazy these days compared to even a year ago. Try booking a roomette then doing a bidup to a bedroom to save a few dollars. I'm currently on the CZ..leaving Denver in 3 minutes. The train is far from fully booked. Several empty roomettes and bedrooms. The minimum Bidup from roomette to bedroom price for CHI to GSC was $275 each way. I took a pass. Roomette is fine

 

[Hepcat66]

A roomette is fine for one person for one night. I generally go for a bedroom (E is my pick if possible) when traveling 2 nights. The cost is crazy these days compared to even a year ago. Try booking a roomette then doing a BIDUP to a bedroom to save a few dollars. I'm currently on the CZ..leaving Denver in 3 minutes. The train is far from fully booked. Several empty roomettes and bedrooms. The minimum Bidup from roomette to bedroom price for CHI to GSC was $275 each way. I took a pass. ROOMETTE is fine

For the last two summers we've taken the Empire Builder from Portland to Wis. Dells. We were in a bedroom the first trip, and a roomette on the second. The ladder couldn't be located on the first night in the bedroom so I had to use the sink as a foothold to get into the upper berth. The ladder was found for the second night, but honestly, the sink worked way better for me. I suppose I should say that at 80 I had lost some of my "spryness". On our second trip we were in a roomette where it was much easier to get into the upper bunk (with no ladder). The lack of a toilet and shower in the roomette turned out to be not a big deal. But what was a very big deal was the persistent rattling of the sliding door. On the one trip, I was able to cram a piece of cardboard in the track to stop it. On the other trip I resorted to holding my foot against the door so at least my wife got some sleep (needless to say, I got very little). We're planning another trip this summer, and we'll come prepared with a couple of tapered plastic shims like what's use to install doors and windows.

 

[joelkfla]

But what was a very big deal was the persistent rattling of the sliding door. On the one trip, I was able to cram a piece of cardboard in the track to stop it. On the other trip I resorted to holding my foot against the door so at least my wife got some sleep (needless to say, I got very little). We're planning another trip this summer, and we'll come prepared with a couple of tapered plastic shims like what's use to install doors and windows.

An Amtrak washcloth or towel sometimes works well.

 

[PVD]

FYI for the people who don't already know this... I think Amtrak attempts to make the coaches face forward, but they make no such attempt for sleepers. There might not even be a "forward" for sleepers. Furthermore, in Superliners. the pairs of rooms that can be combined to make a double room (B&C, D&E) face in opposite directions, so one of each pair will face the "wrong" way. A faces the same way as C & E. The family bedroom faces the same way as A, C & E. I'm not sure about the H room; it has two seats facing each other, but I don't know if they are the same or if one is wider or otherwise more comfortable. In Viewliners, A&B face opposite directions and the H room faces the same way as B.

So randomly and unpredictably, about half the time the sofa seat would face forward and half the time backwards. It is completely unpredictable.

I've always traveled in roomettes, so I'm not an expert on Bedrooms, but I've always found, in both Viewliners and Superliners, the two seats equally comfortable, though the one at the "head" end (as opposed to the "head" end!) is a few inches wider. (The first "head" refers to where your head goes when the bed is made up, and the second "head" refers to the nautical meaning of head, i.e. toilet, which would normally be next to your feet. Jokes are always much funnier when you explain them completely. )

In a Viewliner consist, typically the vestibule of the first sleeper also serves the dining car,

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

For the last two summers we've taken the Empire Builder from Portland to Wis. Dells. We were in a bedroom the first trip, and a roomette on the second. The ladder couldn't be located on the first night in the bedroom so I had to use the sink as a foothold to get into the upper berth. The ladder was found for the second night, but honestly, the sink worked way better for me. I suppose I should say that at 80 I had lost some of my "spryness". On our second trip we were in a roomette where it was much easier to get into the upper bunk (with no ladder). The lack of a toilet and shower in the roomette turned out to be not a big deal. But what was a very big deal was the persistent rattling of the sliding door. On the one trip, I was able to cram a piece of cardboard in the track to stop it. On the other trip I resorted to holding my foot against the door so at least my wife got some sleep (needless to say, I got very little). We're planning another trip this summer, and we'll come prepared with a couple of tapered plastic shims like what's use to install doors and windows.

I jam my luggage next to the door. It’s a bit tricky get up in the morning especially with two people in the room, but the door does not rattle.

 

[AAARGH!]

On my current long distance Superliner train, the sleeping car attendant has roomette #1. They used to take the roomette closest to the end of the car, #9 or #10 or even stayed in the transition sleeper car.

I think #1 is the best for less road noise and a smoother ride.

 

[desertflyer]

On my current long distance Superliner train, the sleeping car attendant has roomette #1. They used to take the roomette closest to the end of the car, #9 or #10 or even stayed in the transition sleeper car.

In all my years on Amtrak travel, most of it in Superliners, I've never seen the attendant in any room except for #1. Personally, Roomette #2 is my least favorite in the entire car because of the proximity to the upstairs bathroom, but even then I don't mind it too much, but I don't think I'd like room 1 for the same reason.

 

[AAARGH!]

In all my years on Amtrak travel, most of it in Superliners, I've never seen the attendant in any room except for #1. Personally, Roomette #2 is my least favorite in the entire car because of the proximity to the upstairs bathroom, but even then I don't mind it too much, but I don't think I'd like room 1 for the same reason.

I'm in #2 right now. It's not bad.

 

[Rasputin]

In all my years on Amtrak travel, most of it in Superliners, I've never seen the attendant in any room except for #1. Personally, Roomette #2 is my least favorite in the entire car because of the proximity to the upstairs bathroom, but even then I don't mind it too much, but I don't think I'd like room 1 for the same reason.

In all of my travels in a Superliner, the attendant has always been in roomette 1. Roomette 2 is not my favorite because it is near the coffee station and the restroom and I have been concerned about noise. However in reality I have never had a problem with noise when I have been in 2.

I also recall being concerned on one trip about being in roomette 10 at the end of the car because of fear of noise but it turned out to be fine

 

[desertflyer]

Yeah, 2 is generally fine, I'm booked in it for two upcoming trips with no intention of changing. I really don't mind rooms 9 or 10 at all and have never noticed the door noise some people complain about. In reality, they're all pretty much fine IMO!

 

[dlagrua]

On our trip West in May on the California Zephyr, I noticed that our reservation came up as being in the Dreaded Bedroom A from CHI to WLO. In 21 years of Amtrak trips we never had that room. Is bedroom A as bad as some say it is?

 

[desertflyer]

Is bedroom A as bad as some say it is?

It is slightly narrower, but you only have a neighbor on one side and no sliding door to rattle during the trip. The biggest issue for me is the space between the bottom bed and the sink was tight. I personally like bedroom A! Edit: updated the photos, sorry for the confusion.

 

[jpakala]

These photos are great. Thank you. They remind me of why we prefer single-level cars much more than double, such as the greater distance between the upper bed and the ceiling. But why bedrooms leave so little space between the lower bed and sink is a mystery. If one person is using the sink, the other person cannot reach the closet or door and (if outside the room) cannot enter.

 

[user 14106]

One potential disadvantage of bedroom A for lighter sleepers is that it’s on the far end of the car. I’ve noticed i tend to get the best sleep when I’m in a room towards the middle and away from the trucks - for both Viewliners and Superliners.

 

[UserNameRequired]

It is slightly narrower, but you only have a neighbor on one side and no sliding door to rattle during the trip. The biggest issue for me is the space between the bottom bed and the sink was tight. I personally like bedroom A! ...

I have never been in an A, but those pictures don't seem to match the floor plan of the A (toilet door position mostly), did the A room get reoriented to be more similar to BCDE?

 

[desertflyer]

I have never been in an A, but those pictures don't seem to match the floor plan of the A (toilet door position mostly), did the A room get reoriented to be more similar to BCDE?

Thank you for catching this. I did two bedrooms on the same trip and mixed them up. I've updated the photos. Unfortunately I didn't get any with the lower bunk down in the A room.

These photos are great. Thank you.

Please see the updated photos. Embarrassingly I had uploaded the wrong photos originally.

 

[dlagrua]

Bedroom A looks a bit smaller by about a square foot but I guess that we will get by. The two beds and the bathroom are essential at this point in life. The only concern is that the bathroom door appears not to swing open fully but probably at about 70%. This is our first bedroom A trip ever. Thanks for the photos.

 

[Bonser]

How does Bedroom B on the EB compare to A,C,D or E?? I've never been in B before.

 

[TinCan782]

B and D are the same (mirror image of C and E).
C and E are the same (mirror image of B and D).
A is slightly smaller and a modified layout.

Look here at Superliner Sleeper and you can see the layouts.
https://www.craigmashburn.com/amtrakcardiagrams.html

 

[Bonser]

B and D are the same (mirror image of C and E).
C and E are the same (mirror image of B and D).
A is slightly smaller and a modified layout.

Look here at Superliner Sleeper and you can see the layouts.
https://www.craigmashburn.com/amtrakcardiagrams.html

I thought E was slightly larger and had a non shared wall.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

I thought E was slightly larger and had a non shared wall.

No. Nothing is slightly larger on Amtrak. Only the non shared wall room is the Superliner A.

VIA has different set up, so you might be thinking of there sleepers.