What is it like sleeping in the Coach car?

[retiredincary]

As mentioned in another thread we are taking the Silver Star from Cary, NC to Orlando, FL in Sept. We board around 10pm in Cary and arrive around 10am in Orlando. How is it sleeping in the Coach seats? Do they give you a pillow or anything? Is there a lot of noise at night? What about the next morning - do people do things like brush their teeth, etc. in the rest room? Is there anything we should take to make the night more comfortable? Finally, I understand the SS no longer has a dining car, are their breakfast items available? Thanks for any and all advice. Wife and I are hoping this really works out because we go to WDW at least once a year and Amtrak was by far the cheapest way to get there.

 

[ainamkartma]

In my experience, it is not bad at all while the train is moving, because the motion and the train sounds lull me to sleep. But when the train is stopped, one is trying to sleep in a big room with 60 other people in it... not so easy (snore snore, cough cough).

Have a great trip!

Cheers,

Ainamkartma

 

[Palmetto]

No pillow, no nothing. There used to be, though. Most people advise to bring a blanket and an inflatable pillow. Amtrak sells "comfort kits" in some stations and in the lounge car on board the train. I believe there's earplugs in the kit. I'm sure others here will chime in

 

[AmtrakBlue]

1) if you haven't already, sign up for Guest Rewards (AGR) and you may earn enough points eventually to get a "free" trip. Just one of you sign up initially, then refer the other so you both get bonus points.

2) I take a small travel pillow and thin blanket when I travel coach. To make it easier to pack the pillow, I put it in a large ziplock bag and sit on it, to squeeze the air out, while I zip it close. Flattened for packing but fluffs right up when taken out of the bag.

3) I use the restroom to sponge bathe, chg clothes & brush my teeth.

4) Look on the Amtrak's website for the National Cafe Menu (I'm on my phone so can't give you a link).

 

[fillyjonk]

I find it depends tremendously on how sound a sleeper you normally are. I don't sleep well in coach because noise, not being able to lie flat, and light keep me from sleeping.

Earplugs help SOME with the noise but if there's an extremely loud snorer in the car they can bust through earplugs. A sleep mask also helps. It's also useful to bring a light blanket or something, sometimes it's cold in coach. And yeah, some pillow-like object helps.

If you can sleep comfortably in a recliner in the living room with the tv on, you should be able to sleep in coach.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

What is like in the morning when 60+ passengers are attempting to use the car's rest room?

 

[BCL]

Depends on the equipment and the state of the rails I suppose.

I recently took my first overnight trip on Amtrak, and I rode coach. It was actually quite quiet, although I happened to be in the last car in the consist. Even so, the amount of noise from the equipment was very low. A typical jet plane is a much louder environment.

I don't know about Amfleet cars, but the Superliner seats lean back pretty far without affecting the passenger behind you. There's no center armrest. I found that it was spacious, but my back was a bit sore from the triangular section. I think it would be helpful to bring a small pillow and wedge it there. I tried using a rolled up T-shirt, but that wasn't enough volume to provide adequate support. Other than that, the seat wasn't too bad. I had a seat mate who never said a word the entire trip. When I got to and from my seat, he was either asleep or I made eye contact and pointed to establish that I was leaving the seat or just getting something. It also can get odd if you don't know your seat mate and he or she moves when sleeping. Oh - the other thing was that my seat mate forget his Samsung power adapter and a specialty cable (wasn't a standard micro-USB). I tried tracking him down at EMY, but he was well ahead of me.

The only thing that was annoying was one guy who came into the car to talk to someone else. I don't believe they knew each other before the trip, but it was after 10 PM and they just kept on talking and talking (and not in whispers) while the majority of the passengers in coach were trying to sleep. That could be the worst thing.

 

[BCL]

What is like in the morning when 60+ passengers are attempting to use the car's rest room?

I can't imagine it ever happens all at once. Most people will have staggered wake up times. I was on the Coast Starlight in a car filled with passengers destined for EMY and OKJ. They typically try to bunch everyone together getting off at the same stop(s) to make it easier to notify or wake up passengers who need to get off. Some passengers woke up before 6 AM, but people were gradually waking up. Some passengers just kept on sleeping - even through breakfast time. During my entire trip I never had to wait to use a lavatory, and typically the big one.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If you can sleep comfortably in a recliner in the living room with the tv on, you should be able to sleep in coach.

I can sleep in a recliner with no problem, I can even sleep in coach on an airplane without much issue, but I simply cannot sleep in coach on Amtrak. It feels like I'm sliding all over the place and bumping into whoever is next to me and that keeps waking me up. Despite providing a relatively large seat with plenty of legroom Amtrak chose an amazingly poor design that struggles to be practical or comfortable for long overnight journeys. To this day Amtrak fails to provide so much as an armrest between random strangers stuck sleeping together in the same oversize chair.

 

[SarahZ]

I absolutely cannot sleep in coach, for all of the reasons mentioned, and I refuse to book coach for an overnight trip. If I can't afford a roomette (or none are available), I fly.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

What is like in the morning when 60+ passengers are attempting to use the car's rest room?

I'm an early riser (5-6 am), so no problem for me.

 

[zepherdude]

I was never able to sleep on the Lake Shore Limited. Once I had a window seat and got some rack then another time on an aisle seat no sleep at all. Another time they took my seatmate dude away in Buffalo. We all showed our passports and they didn't like his and he was wisked away quickly, never to return! But, I generally do not sleep well in coach. Never been on a bus trip, so I imagine its about the same.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

What is like in the morning when 60+ passengers are attempting to use the car's rest room?

It is going to be worse on an Amfleet than a Superliner simply because the Amfleet has fewer cans. If you are on Superliner Coach, head to the end of the lower corridor and into what use to be the Ladies Lounge; they are now unisex though some of the placards have not been changed. There you have 2 basins, seating, a large mirror and a separate toilet through the door to your right. Most pax never wander that far back.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Since the OP is riding on a Silver train the Superliner info doesn't apply!

Note that there are only 2_Restrooms on Amfleet Coach cars and they can get very funky quickly if the attendant is lazy and other riders are pigs!

Try to sit in the middle of the car if possible, it has the smoothest ride and the doors won't be opening and closing all night long like seats by the front or rear!

Since there is no Diner on the Star, only a Cafe/Lounge, the lines will probably be long, so I'd suggest bringing your own food and drink aboard!

The tips about a light blanket and travel pillow are spot on, it can get COLD @ night in the cars!

Dress comfortably for travel too, Sweat or Yoga pants (or shorts)and a T-shirt would be ideal for lounging and sleeping, and wear comfortable shoes, you're required to wear them on the train when walking around!

 

[PVD]

I posted a Comfort Pack description. Best to be prepared, they are very often not available.

 

[StriderGDM]

Can't comment on the Star, but in over a dozen coach trips on the Crescent, in most cases the bathroom isn't too bad come morning.

I suspect that's because most folks are getting off at Atlanta and figure they'll just take care of stuff there. But I could be wrong.

 

[rrdude]

" How is it sleeping in the Coach seats?"

Hell

 

[Chey]

You can buy the comfort kit in the Amtrak Store, same price ($8), plus whatever they charge for shipping

 

[Pooh2]

We've taken the autotrain to Disney in coach. We maybe slept about 4 hours.

One of the big drawbacks was not having access to a shower. We did not want to hit the parks in our grungy overnight attire and feeling grubby but our room was not ready until 3pm.

We've done Boston to Orlando in a bedroom (got the bedroom in NY) and had a much better experience.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Depends on the equipment and the state of the rails I suppose.

I recently took my first overnight trip on Amtrak, and I rode coach. It was actually quite quiet, although I happened to be in the last car in the consist. Even so, the amount of noise from the equipment was very low. A typical jet plane is a much louder environment.

I don't know about Amfleet cars, but the Superliner seats lean back pretty far without affecting the passenger behind you. T

They AM2s have a decent enough pitch, but the state of the rails is a big factor. In my opinion, the Amfleets have a lot of "bounce" to them. When I think of long distance trips, I think back to the Heritage fleet, which had an excellent pitch (roughly 40 seats per car towards the end) and rode like a new car on a new rode. They were quite heavy and didn't have the "bounce" of an Amfleet.

That being said, try to get seats in the middle of the car, away from the wheels and doors. Bring ear plugs in case of snoring.

 

[Karl1459]

The times I have slept in coach Amtrak has considered a blanket and pillow as "personal items" exempt from the 2 carry on rule (likely subject to change at a whim). My wife has found that with a full length "body pillow" she can sleep OK in a coach seat, without not well.

Note to Amtrak: For a REAL business class overnight coach... have showers!

 

[GG-1]

The times I slept in coach it was about the same as sleeping in a comfortable chair with the TV on.

Aloha

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

The times I slept in coach it was about the same as sleeping in a comfortable chair with the TV on.

Aloha

Sounds about right. I did that once round trip ABQ~SAN a few years ago. Enjoyed the roomette much more on my last trip this May.

 

[KmH]

If the train is Superliner cars, join the 'lounge lizards' and sleep in the Sightseer Lounge car.

I sleep well enough in coach, but I don't sleep as well as I do laying down.

I've not yet slept lying on the floor in the SSL car, so I can't tell ya how that is.

 

[como]

Sleeping in coach is much, much better than sleeping on Megabus, Greyhound, or any coach seat on an overnight international flight. Restrooms depend on the character of the other passengers and the work ethic of the attendant.