Viewliner vs Superliner Roomettes

[PaulM]

The European and US markets are different with regard to passenger expectations. I don't think just transplanting European style sleeping accommodations would work here.

Sounds like you are talking about couchettes, which are like a bunk house, not sleeping cars.

 

[spacecadet]

The European and US markets are different with regard to passenger expectations. I don't think just transplanting European style sleeping accommodations would work here.

Sounds like you are talking about couchettes, which are like a bunk house, not sleeping cars.

No, I was talking about what the original poster that I was answering was talking about. I didn't feel I needed to go into a lot of detail because to me it's self-evident that different markets and cultures have different requirements. But others did go into detail after my post, and covered all of the main points.

 

[CHANGEATJAMAICA]

Caveat: When traveling alone I book a roomette. When traveling with the bride of some 46 years (and counting) we book a bedroom. That said: I prefer a Viewliner roomette to a Superliner. I prefer to sleep in the upper and there is beau coup vertical room between the mattress and the ceiling in the Viewliner. In a Superliner I get claustophobic. And I enjoy having the toilet in the Viewliner roomette. For those who don't want the toilet next to their faces may I suggest sleeping with your feet at that end of the lower berth.

As to the bedroom on Viewliner vs Superliner; the drawback of the Supeliner is the same as that noted in the roomette; i.e. limited vertical room in the upper berth between the mattress and the ceiling. Trying to get to and then down the ladder with very little vertical room to maneuver for this septagenarian is difficult. The positive side of the Superliner over the Viewliner in both categories is the luggage space downstairs.

And as some wise sage once intoned: That's one man's opinion.

Best regards,

Rodger

 

[hello]

BillyJo, thank you for the comparisons of the 2 roomettes on your recent trip.

 

[AlanB]

And I enjoy having the toilet in the Viewliner roomette. For those who don't want the toilet next to their faces may I suggest sleeping with your feet at that end of the lower berth.

Actually the bed is tapered at the toilet end such that only your feet actually comfortably fit at that end of the bed. The beds are always made/setup with the head at the far end from the toilet.

 

[Guest]

And I enjoy having the toilet in the Viewliner roomette. For those who don't want the toilet next to their faces may I suggest sleeping with your feet at that end of the lower berth.

Actually the bed is tapered at the toilet end such that only your feet actually comfortably fit at that end of the bed. The beds are always made/setup with the head at the far end from the toilet.

Alan is correct about the Viewliner roomettes but if you are bothered by the toliet sleeping up top is even better, it actually has more room and with the windows it's like your own mini-lounge! Im pretty sure the new Viewliners wont have the toliets but the sinks are nice IMO!!

 

[colobok]

And the most important thing - instead of showers in the Bedroom they would better put 4 people in the Bedroom

like in European trains.

Taking out the shower wouldn't give you any more room. You'd have to take out the shower, toilet, & sink to gain enough room for 2 more beds, and then just barely. Additionally, it would then prevent you from opening the connecting door to the next room to create a Bedroom Suite.

Bedroom room is the same size as the standard room for 4 people in Europe so remove shower with sink and 4 people will perfectly fit.

First, they would have more capacity and the Second - it would give more options for large groups of travelers.For example, we have a family of 4. How can we travel by train in a sleeper?

Only in Family Bedroom that is limited to Western trains only and moreover - there is only 1 (one!) Family Bedroom available in the Superliner car. On the Eastern trains we have no other options rather then buying 2 rooms.

Do you really think somebody will buy 2 rooms to split the family and pay huge cost? Of course, people will prefer to drive or to fly.

It would only be marginally cheaper, as Amtrak would simply charge you more for a 4 bedded room, just like they do know with a family room.

In fact, there are times that it's actually cheaper to book 2 roomettes over a family room.

Not really. 1 bedroom (not family bedroom!) is cheaper than 2 roommettes both in money and in AGR costs.

Plus I don't really want to split the family.

Family bedroom is so expensive because there is only 1 family bedroom on the train.

For Dec 24 Empire Builder

2 roommettes - $526

family room $1005

We will go with 2 roommettes, we have 2 boys, one will sleap with me, the other with my husband.

And i don't mind to separate them, will be less noise this way

Price will be different on any different date, depending on how many rooms are sold, so you can't simply compare.

Sometimes roommettes are more expensive than bedrooms!

If you compare AGR costs - family bedroom is 20000 points, 2 roommettes - 30000 points (50% more!).

 

[the_traveler]

And I enjoy having the toilet in the Viewliner roomette. For those who don't want the toilet next to their faces may I suggest sleeping with your feet at that end of the lower berth.

Actually the bed is tapered at the toilet end such that only your feet actually comfortably fit at that end of the bed. The beds are always made/setup with the head at the far end from the toilet.

Alan is correct about the Viewliner roomettes but if you are bothered by the toliet sleeping up top is even better, it actually has more room and with the windows it's like your own mini-lounge! Im pretty sure the new Viewliners wont have the toliets but the sinks are nice IMO!!

The above 2 posters answered it exactly correct. The sheets on the (pre-made) mattress ALWAYS are made with the open end of the sheet/blanket AWAY from the toilet. The only ways that you could have your head next to the toilet is if you take off all the sheets and blankets and then remake the bed, or if you sleep on top of the blankets with your head next to the toilet!

 

[guest etiquette]

And I enjoy having the toilet in the Viewliner roomette. For those who don't want the toilet next to their faces may I suggest sleeping with your feet at that end of the lower berth.

Actually the bed is tapered at the toilet end such that only your feet actually comfortably fit at that end of the bed. The beds are always made/setup with the head at the far end from the toilet.

Alan is correct about the Viewliner roomettes but if you are bothered by the toliet sleeping up top is even better, it actually has more room and with the windows it's like your own mini-lounge! Im pretty sure the new Viewliners wont have the toliets but the sinks are nice IMO!!

The above 2 posters answered it exactly correct. The sheets on the (pre-made) mattress ALWAYS are made with the open end of the sheet/blanket AWAY from the toilet. The only ways that you could have your head next to the toilet is if you take off all the sheets and blankets and then remake the bed, or if you sleep on top of the blankets with your head next to the toilet!

To do so sounds like you'd have to be pretty dumb or out-of-it, almost as if you had your head up your...well, let's not go there! hboy:

 

[Chatter163]

I STRONGLY prefer having the toilets in the roomettes. I take a roomette when traveling alone, and a bedroom when with my wife. Therefore I appreciate it when I need the bathroom for more than a moment; there is no issue with trying to rush because someone else is waiting. I am amazed by comments about having the toilet next to one's head; they seem to be made by people who do not frequent the Viewliners, because as has been pointed out, one really does not even notice that it is there, with the heavy boxtop lid on it, and the bed is made up the opposite way. I find that most people unfamiliar with the roomette accomodations do not even immediately realize that there is a toilet under there. I always travel with air freshener spray and Lysol wipes, anyway.

As for oversized bags, I wish the bags could be gate-checked, as people should not be so thoughtless about that issue. However, other than service stops and points of origin, most station stops simply are not long enough to facilitate that sort of unexpected activity. Then there is the issue of luggage tags marking the luggage's destination, and being placed in the correct location to ensure that the luggage is unloaded where it should be.

 

[dlagrua]

We normally travel in a bedroom on the overnight LD runs. My wife is 6' tall and I'm 5'11" so we are not small people and enjoy the extra space. If we could not find a bedroom our preference would be the Viewliner Roomette for the higher ceiling, extra baggage space, the convenince of a sink and toilet (especially for those middle of the night piddle breaks!) and for the windows for the person in the top bunk. If I were traveling alone I would definitely go in a roomette but thats never the issue. My wife loves to ride the trains and is as against air travel as I am. I won't get into why as thats outlined very passionately in another thread-LOL.

 

[teresa_a]

I am new to train travel and have yet to take my first trip.

In another thread I was asking tons of questions about accommodations and somehow the

subject of toilets came up; roomettes or bedroom.

THEN I happened to read some posts of dirty hall toilets: one of the genders is not that neat....just a fact.

And I see that most of the posters in favor of hall toilets and roomettes with a 'bedside commode' are men.

Women of a certain age like myself want a bedroom with a separate area for a toilet I would dare to say.

I must confess it gives me the shudders to think of sleeping next to a toilet(covered though it may be) or being locked in

such a small area with a covered pot looking me in the face for hours while reading a book or munching a small carry-on snack at the table next to the thing?. ( Just think of the floor area or area next to the bunk near the toilet from previous travelers...a mopping isn't all that thorough)

Would YOU take a box of popcorn or cheez-its into a stall in the movies and feel comfortable eating next to a toilet even if you were the first user for the day? Not too many women would, I dare say.

In considering my first long Amtrak trip I would definitely go for a Bedroom with an enclosed shower/toilet area .

My conclusion from reading this forum in general?: Roomettes are a 'GUY THING'.

(don't shoot .....JMO)

For those like me yet to choose and book the trip: watch these 2 videos by travelers in their rooms.

Roomette

 

[NETrainfan]

This is a very helpful thread. We will be in a Viewliner roomette for the first time soon and appreciate all of the comparisons and opinions.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

I prefer the Viewliner design over the Superliner. I always end up in the top bunk, which is quite tight for me at 6' 2" and 200 pounds. The Viewliner gives me more space and I can still look out the window

 

[retired teacher]

I finally took my first cross country trip on Amtrak last December, Cleveland to L.A. on the Lakeshore Ltd connecting to the Zephyr. I've taken lots of trips out of Cleveland to Chicago, NYC and Washington, DC, but finally got to do my trip home to L.A. It was also my first time in a Superliner Roomette, versus a Viewliner Roomette. I have to say, I really didn't like it and had wished I'd gotten a Bedroom. Once the bed was down, I could not turn around in the approximately 1' x 2' space next to the berth, which made changing clothes VERY difficult to say the least (keep in mind I am 6' 2"). While having a toilet in the room is very nice on the Viewliner, it wasn't absolutely necessary to me. But I notice on the Amtrak website it claims that both Viewliner and Superliner Roomettes are 3' 6" wide. This is NOT possible since it also says the lower berths in both cars are 2' 4" wide. In the Viewliner, I have room to turn around when standing next to the berth, because the toilet is at least a foot and a 1/2 wide, while the Superliner had a MUCH narrower little shelf where the toilet would be in the Viewliner, which made for a much narrower space next to the berth. When I asked the SCA why there are no Viewliners on the Western routes, he said he thought it had to do with the tunnels, but the Viewliner is single level, whereas the Superliner is two levels, so how could that be?

Anyone else notice the difference in space? (perhaps I'll have to bring a tape measure when I take the SC home this year!)

 

[retired teacher]

Hello,

I am taking the LSL and SWC cross country to SanDiego later this month. I had to get a roomette on both trains. I to find the roomette very very uncomfortable and when the bed is down you are right there is no room to change. I have been deperately trying to get a room on the Southwest Chief for my Sept. 28th trip from Chicago but they say they are all booked and I am next to be called for one.

It doesn't seem to promising. I would rather just sit in the coach seat, but my wife wants a room. For the money the roomette is in my opinion not worth it, except meals are included.

 

[NETrainfan]

We will be taking the same trains in a few months. Look forward to your review.

What is your opinion of the seating in the roomettes?

Hello,

I am taking the LSL and SWC cross country to SanDiego later this month. I had to get a roomette on both trains. I to find the roomette very very uncomfortable and when the bed is down you are right there is no room to change. I have been deperately trying to get a room on the Southwest Chief for my Sept. 28th trip from Chicago but they say they are all booked and I am next to be called for one.

It doesn't seem to promising. I would rather just sit in the coach seat, but my wife wants a room. For the money the roomette is in my opinion not worth it, except meals are included.

 

[BillyJo]

I prefer the Viewliner design over the Superliner. I always end up in the top bunk, which is quite tight for me at 6' 2" and 200 pounds. The Viewliner gives me more space and I can still look out the window

I'm 5'7", 150 and had a tough time getting in to the upper bunk in the Superliner roomette! Once I was able to lay down, it was fine, but it was quite strange getting stuck trying to get in to bed. Plenty of room in the viewliner top bunk, though.

 

[dlagrua]

Although we always travel in bedrooms, I would prefer the Viewliner roomette over the Superliner Rommette. Viewliner sleepers are noiser though as they are closer to the tracks than the Superliner bedrooms are. On the Superliner you sleep on the second story that is farther from the wheels and tracks so there is less noise.

As for the reason for the Viewliners; they cannot run Superliners on the Eastern routes as the height would not clear the overhead gantry power cables that run the electric locomotives on the NE corridor. However, NJT and MARC are running double decker commuter cars on it but I believe that the lower level on these cars runs very close to the tracks to provide more clearance for the upper level. Its a good question on how they can run one double decker passenger car design while not being able to run the other.

 

[Ryan]

How is it "a good question" when you answered it in the previous sentence?

Superliner height:16'2"

MARC K-car height: 15'6.5"

 

[MattW]

Just for the record, they do run Superliners under wire at least a bit. The Capitol Limited uses Superliner equipment and I think all revenue tracks at WAS are under wire. Which begs the question though, do the Superliners fit under neath the Capitol (1st street) tunnels, or do cars coming from the Autotrain have to take a different route to Ivy City, or do they even go to Ivy City?

 

[Ryan]

Not all revenue tracks are under the wire (7-9 are unpowered, I think), but the tracks that the Cap usually uses (16 departing and low 20's arriving) are under the wire. I'm pretty sure that Superliners will fit through the 1st street tunnel, but they won't fit through Baltimore.

 

[jis]

Not all revenue tracks are under the wire (7-9 are unpowered, I think), but the tracks that the Cap usually uses (16 departing and low 20's arriving) are under the wire. I'm pretty sure that Superliners will fit through the 1st street tunnel, but they won't fit through Baltimore.

Yes, Supers fit through 1st St. Tunnel. The Cardinal in Superliner form used to run through there. Wire gantries have nothing to do with Superliners not being able to run on NEC. It is a popular railfan urban legend. Indeed even double stacks and triple auto racks can run under the wire in some parts of NEC. Nominally, lacking other vertical restrictions, NEC catenary is at 21' above rail, which is high enough to clear Plate H and Plate K. The problem areas are Baltimore tunnels New York tunnels and a few other stations like Philadelphia, Newark, and a few overpasses say in Trenton for example.

The NJT and LIRR multi-levels are much less tall compared to Superliners. Superliners are around 16'. The LIRR and NJT ones are 14'6". The lower level in all of them is at about the same height above rails. Incidentally Plate H and Plate K are around 20'.

 

[TVRM610]

Regardless of weather the toilets should or should not be in the roomettes, I firmly believe the Viewliner cars need a public restroom, if i wake up in the middle of the night and I'm traveling with ANYONE, I'm not going to use the restroom in the room. ha. When your in the FIRST sleeper on the LSL or the Silver Meteor and you must walk out of your car, through 2 more sleepers, through the diner, then through the lounge into the first coach (which always has occupied restrooms due to Murphy) in the middle of the night, you begin to think "maybe coach would have been a good idea" - joking of course. But I've had to that... and it's not fun. So i'm all for a public restroom in the new design!

 

[AlanB]

Which begs the question though, do the Superliners fit under neath the Capitol (1st street) tunnels, or do cars coming from the Autotrain have to take a different route to Ivy City, or do they even go to Ivy City?

Auto Train cars are serviced in Sanford, which can handle most tasks. They never go to Ivy City. If Sanford can't handle something, then the car goes to Beech Grove. That might mean that the car sits in Ivy City awaiting the Cardinal, but otherwise that's it. In fact, Sanford can do things that Ivy City can't when it comes to the Superliners.