My brother-in-law and his wife are taking #11 from Seattle to LA in Feb. and wanted to know if when they are already on the train can they purchase sleeping car space?
They are travelling in coach. He finds the upper berth in an economy bedroom too small and doesn’t know how expensive the first class bedrooms are, he thinks one night in coach will be OK for him but maybe not for his wife. He is 78 and she is 75.
They also asks what meals are available outside the dining car. Are Amtrak Superliner coach seats as good as coach seats on the Canadian or better? Are all washrooms downstairs? Are there showers available for coach?
Sorry for all the questions but we are not very familiar with Amtrak. Any help appreciated.
Talk to the Conductor on board. He will quote you a price for any sleeping space you might want. I don’t think there are showers for coach. I haven’t traveled Superliner coach in years but I think all washrooms are downstairs. The “deluxe” bedrooms and handicapped bedrooms have showers in the room. Showers downstairs for economy. One washroom upstairs in Superliner sleeper. Snacks including some sandwiches available in Lounge car. Hope this helps.
Yes, talk to the conductor about the availability of a room for overnight.
The only rooms that have showers in them are the bedrooms (A-E) upstairs. The Family room (15) does not have a shower, nor does the room for handicapped (H) have a shower; H does have a washbasin and a commode; the berths are like those in the roomettes.
The shower has a space with a seat you can use while undressing and dressing (if you look at the Superliner or Viewliner diagrams on Amtrak’s website, do not believe them as each shows a dressing room across the aisle from the shower itself; you do NOT have to go across an aisle between the dressing area and the shower itself).
I write from experience in all of the rooms except the family room.
I have seen several times people upgrade from coach class to sleeper class on the Texas Eagle. I assume upgrades get be purchased on all Amtrak trqins, but it is dependent on space available.
According to Amtrak.com, the sleeping car accommodations on the Starlight are tight for February 11th. While I was typing this post the fare for a Superliner Roomette jumped from $655 to $1,062. The same space on the February 12th train is available for $581.
The fares are for adults; they would be would be slightly less for two seniors, but I am not sure whether Canadians qualify for the senior fares. I have lived in several overseas countries that will not sell a pensioner fare to a U.S. citizen.
It does not appear that any lower level rooms are available, which probably would be a better bet for a 78 and 75-year-old, especially if they have any mobility issues.
I would not bank on getting space on the train. Your brother-in-law should decide now whether wants a roomette and book it in advance.
Now, for a sensitive item. If your brother-in-law and/or his partner are full figured, they may be very uncomfortable in a roomette. It is tight for two people irrespective of their size. Moreover, it they have any mobility issues, getting into the
For two passengers, 78 and 75, I’d suggest flying rather than taking the train. I’m 70 and I have given up on overnight train travel because it is too uncomfortable and stressful. Two people even younger than 78 & 75 just do not fit in a Superliner roomette. Someone is going to have to climb into that upper bunk unless you just try and sleep in the seats. A bedroom is better, way better, but you still have to climb upstairs if mobility is a problem. Walking to the diner and lounge can be challenging for people with mobility problems. If you fly, you can still see the scenery by taking a surfliner south down to San Diego and/or north to Santa Barbara for day trips. Unless you’re fit traveling by train can be difficult. And definitely don’t risk buying you’re upgrade ticket on the train. You might get lucky but you will definitely pay a premium for your fare with no negotiating power.
You are correct. I too gave up on overnight trains more than 30 years ago. I was going to suggest that they fly, but since it appears they have already booked a reservation on the train, it did not seem appropriate. But in retrospect, I agree with your recommendation.
They have booked a Bedroom, he said it was expensive but they really want to take a train trip and the roomette as was stated was to small. They are flying to Seattle to catch this train.
I am 71, and I quit flying in favor of trains because flying is too uncomfortable and stressful. Planes go everywhere, trains only a few places. That is the only reason I would ever fly - only way to get there.
Roomettes are cramped, but I can still climb into the top bunk. The main problem in a roomette is the tiny floor space when the bunks are down. To put my trousers on I have to open my compartment door and stick my feet under the curtain. Only one person at a time could stand in the roomette with the beds down. Take turns to dress.
Just a tip, the bedroom at the end of the car is smaller, the aisle heading to the end door carves off part of the room.
I’m the opposite. I’m older than you and I quit using the train for LD travel some years ago for various reasons but one was the stress that comes from using Amtrak.
As to age, I am older than most of the posters (Dave Klepper has me beat on that matter–and a few others)–and I prefer train travel. I do not have to take my laptop out of its case; I am not subjected to the possibility of being frisked; I can move around when I want/need to; I can talk with other paseengers without shouting.
Traveling by train vs. plane is clearly a personal choice but for the elderly I can’t understand my any would choose the train. About a year ago I needed to finish off my last piece of the Amtrak map and so I took the Maple Leaf from Albany, NY to Toronto. On the return trip I noted an elderly couple boarding at Toronto Union Station. The place was under renovation and there was noise and dust everywhere near the gate. The woman apparently had mobility issues because she was in a wheelchair. A problem arose when it was discovered that the elevator to the platforms was not working. A number of workers were summoned and she was physically carried up the stairs followed by her chair and companion. Then she had to be carried up the steps into the business class section of the cafe car. Now things were OK for awhile but at Niagra Falls she had to get off the train (high level platforms made this easier) with all her luggage and go through customs and reboard the train. From there I heard that they were going to Florida. That meant the Maple Leaf to NYP an overnight in a nearby hotel (hopefully for them not the Hotel Pennsylvania) and then board one of the Florida trains the next day for an overnight trip in a sleeper to their destination.
Now my question is, why didn’t she simply fly direct? She could have cleared customs in Toronto and boarded her plane from the sky bridge in her wheel chair. She could barely walk so she wasn’t going to move around anyway. At her destination she could have just gotten off the plane in her wheelchair via the skybridge and been pushed to the luggage claim and ground transportation. Her trip would have been maybe 3 1/2 hours instead of three days. All I can imagine is that she has an irational fear of flying.
Other than the bureaucratic mess of boarding an airplane, it is much more comfortable for the amount of time spent on the plane.
It appears that what matters most while traveling on any train is a person’s agility. I, for one, cannot imagine having to climb into a bunk in a roomette! And, I had been in roomettes ever since I started going to college! For one person, it’s just OK but a bedroom would have been preferable. I am speaking of the trips on Southern’s Crescent before AMTRAK entered the scene in 1970’s.
It’s now over 50 years since then and my spouse and I returned in October from a trip on VIA Rail’s Canadian in its deluxe Prestige Class. In these cabins (not bedrooms) on our car, the Chateau Cadillac, the bed is a “full” (sometimes called a “double”) and positioned transverse to direct of travel. We would always have to remember to visit the our fully-equipped bathroom (with shower, no tub) before we went to sleep so as to not wake the other during the night. And, he is no longer as agile (74) as me (68); one-level bedding worked well for us.
As most of the Canadian’s cars are single level, the only problem would be having to climb a short set of stairs in the dome cars to reach the upper seating in the dome area (we both were able to do that). Still, much of the car is still on a single level; in Prestige Class, our Park obesrvation/dome car (Laurentide Park) had its highly desirable bullet-nosed end at the single-car level except for about two/three steps within the bar area.
As compared to flying, this is, of course, promoted as more of a “land-cruise” product and not a speedy way to cross t