I recently took the Coast Starlight and slept in coach. It was not that comfortable and I didn’t get much sleep, although I did get some sleep. I think most of my fellow passengers had the same experience. Now I need to take another trip on the Coast Starlight and need to decide between the roomette or coach. It’s $256 round trip for coach and $636 for the roomette. What to do? Leaning towards coach as I think I can put up with a lack of sleep to save $400.
I have taken four or five long distance train trips a year on Amtrak for many years. I just came back from a trip on the California Zephyr. I had a roomette from Emeryville to Denver. If I am going to be on the train overnight, which is usually the case, I book a roomette.
Privacy is the biggest advantage of a roomette. You can close the door and dwell in your own world as the countryside passes by your window. The seats in the roomette, however, are not comfortable, and moving around in your compartment when the beds are down is tricky. Getting up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, which is frequently a necessity for us older folks, is a challenge. Moreover, the mattresses are thin, which is to say they are not very comfortable. The roomettes in the 10 and 6 cars were much more comfortable.
I find the Superliner coach seats to be more comfortable than the roomette seats. But in a coach you run the risk of being forced to sit with or near someone who you would never invite to the house. Screaming kids are my biggest concern. In addition, I like to read into the wee hours of the morning and then sleep late. In a coach, if you leave the reading light on late at night, you run the risk of disturbing the other passengers who want to grab some shut eye.
First class (roomette)
My family always travel in the Sleeping Car on LD trains, we been riding the sleeping car 25 years plus. I always sleep like a baby in sleeping car plus all of meals include. We love the privacy the sleeping car gives people. I am travel on Capitol Limited from Cov, Pa to Chicago and then on Southwest Chief to Kingman, AZ then to Las Vegas, NV all in sleeping car. leave June 7.[8D]
Although you start with a complaint about the comfort in Coach, it sounds like you’ve already made up your mind to save the money and forego a couple good nights’ sleep. My wife and I have travelled several times by Amtak on their long distance trains. The first trip was broken up so we could compare the different accomodations. With the Roomette, you’ll get some privacy, you’ll be able to lay down to sleep, and your meals in the Diner are included. With the two of us, we currently opt for the Bedroom. If you had someone travelling with you, the extra charge for sharing the Roomette (or Bedroom) would only be charged to one of you, the other pays standard Coach fare.
The thing about upgrading to a sleeper on the Coast Starlight is that in addition to a private room (and all meals are included), you also get access to the Pacific Parlor car.
So it is almost a no brainer to spend the extra money on the Starlight.
If this was another long distance train, well then the extra price may not be worth it to you.
If you need more info on the Pacific Parlor car, check out this link:
At the risk of being a heretic why not fly and save money over both methods?
Good point! If getting there quickly and cheaply is the objective, especially for one person, flying is the best bet in most instances. However, if I want to see the countryside, which is most often my primary motive for taking the train, it is a good option. It allows me to avoid the hassles of driving.
Long distance trains don’t make much sense. They are used by less than one per cent of Americans for intercity travel. As I have noted in previous posts, I believe they should be discontinued, but as long as Amtrak runs them, I’ll ride them under certain conditions. And I will book a roomette for overnight travel. Trains make sense in relatively short, high density corridors where the cost to expand the airways and highways is prohibitive.
Last week I drove from my home in Georgetown, Texas to Dallas. I-35 is a mess. If we had quick, frequent rail service from Georgetown or Round Rock to DFW, I would have been happy to take a train. We will some day, I am convinced, but it is a long way off.
In this case, it is in fact cheaper to take the train and time is not critical. If I were to book a roomette, however, it would obviously be more expensive. I’m traveling from Vancouver, WA to San Jose, CA. I think my current plan will be to book the coach and then see about an upgrade once I’m on board.
Very sensible approach. I would do the same.
I will be travelling roomettes Empire Bldr CHI to Seattle leaving CHIi on Sept 26…Coast Star SEA to Sacramento Leaving SEA on Sept 28…Zephy Emeryville to CHI leaving Emeryville on Oct 6 with coach the rest of the trip Detroit to Detroit. Cost is $1,200 which I booked in January. If I booked the same trip in September it would have cost me over $3,000. My wife and I always took a cruise along with an Amtrak trip and always with a roomette. On one trip, booked late and even checking daily at 4am (when the computer of cancellations were purged) was unable to upgrade. Will never go coach again. Noisy babies, Talkative psgrs, Noise of psgrs getting on and off enroute (Philadelphia-Ft.Lauderdale) Cost of meals. Lack of sleep etc. One problem I have with roomettes is that the person/s in room opposite often keeps their door and blinds shut, so you can only see one view of the country. Unfortunately my wife passed away just before Christmas, so I will be now be travelling solo.
I have been traveling in sleepers since 1968 and don’t regret a single penny it has cost. In late October I will be flying from Jacksonville to San Francisco to participate in an eleven day stay in China as part of The People to People Citizen Ambassador program. When I return to San Francisco, I will spend the night, then the California Zephyr to Chicago, overnight in Chicago, then the Capitol Limited overnight to Washington and the Silver Meteor overnight to Jacksoville. I figure this will help me to get over some of the jet lag.
You know, the problem is not that I can’t afford the roomette, I’m just too cheap when I see how much I can save by going coach. It’s driving me crazy because one day I’m thinking coach and the next I’m thinking roomette.
In May 1971 myself, wife and son (then 4 years old) took AMTRAK from Yakima, Wash. to Chicago on the former NP/GN route. We chose coach to save money to. On our 2nd night we were asked to wake up and move to a different coach because the one we were in was not continuing to Chicago. We chose to get a roomette on the return trip and it was worth the extra money. It’s great when traveling with kids (naps, etc.) and for the extra privacy as already stated. That was our last overnight trip by train. If we ever do it again we’ll get a roomette. I don’t know about today, but the service staff and food back then was excellent.
The Viewliner sleepers are nicer for several reasons. One is that the ceilings are higher. That does make a difference. Another is that all rooms have lavatory & toilet. The wheelchair-accessible rooms in the Viewliners are many times better, owing to large enclosed bathroom, wider beds, a ladder to reach the upper berth, plenty of windows, etc.
In my experience, roomette is definitely worth the extra cost. Factor in the meals, and ability to utilize first class lounge if changing trains in Chicago, and I feel it’s worth the money.
My wife and I discussed planning a trip by Amtrak around the US sometime in the near future. We may first do an eastern circle from DC to Chicago to New Orleans to Atlanta and back up to DC. Another trip would add the West coast loop. We talked about riding coach vs. roomette and at our age the roomette would win out. This will be a big dream for me since I missed out on the “Golden Years” of passenger service and will take Amtrak for the best it can do. Of course the premier way if you were rich would do a private railcar, but who has that kind of money?
Jim
Mike, it sounds as if you’ve never given yourself the First Class experience. If money is not the issue, please choose the roomette. I guarantee, you’ll never look back.
Comments previously made about the discomforts by traveling in Coach are all valid, though one does thereby get to meet new and occasionally interesting people (usually those traveling alone without distractions). If one is uncomfortable with the people, noise, lights, distractions, etc. in Coach, there is no place to escape at night, though many Coach passengers often leave their assigned seats and flake out in the Observation Car. During the day, the Observation Car is a good place to quietly read or chat with folks that you yourself can select, rather than those assigned near your Coach seat.
Roomettes are not appealing either, because (as also stated earlier) one is really boxed in, especially with the bed made up. I have seen folks having to put their shoes (or more) on in the aisle since there is no inside room to do otherwise. Inconvenience of having to grope down the car to the head facility is awkward, requiring proper attire (footwear mandatory), plus lugging all of one’s toiletries (shaving, etc.). Plus, as was said, one cannot see but out one side of the train, and your “neighbor” across the aisle may constantly observe you unless you entirely close up your doorway, making the Roomette even more claustrophobic.
If one is not “faint of heart” financially, I definitely suggest a Bedroom. It is well worth the admittedly considerable-extra money, what with one’s own private head including shower, sink (w/mirror, plugs, and light), many towels, large couch becoming a “double-bed,” considerable storage, and available overhead bunk. There can also be special attention by the Car Attendant (newspaper delivery, beverages, pastries, in-room meal service upon request, wake-up calls, etc.), all worthy of tipping, of course. Dining car meal service (free) is rather good, though on multi-day routes, one can get tired of the same entrees. Fort
To travelingengineer and vermonter
I want to be the first to welcome you two folks to this forum and to vermonter I agree with you about using the first class lounges when going first class You would be surprised that so many people I have travelled with going first class in bedrooms or roomettes are unaware of these lounges where you can read the papers, get light refreshments, relax in easy chairs use the clean washrooms and take a stroll thru the station all in a relaxed atmosphere
I totally agree with you re: Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounges (unfortunately at only a few selected passenger stations nationally so far). They are a “calm in the storm” amidst the cacophany of noise, et al. of a typical big-city station. I have only been in the Chicago lounge so far, though will be in the Washington DC one in the near future. I wish they were open 24/7, so that one needn’t go to a hotel for just a few hours of sleep before boarding a morning train for a subsequent leg; but, these rooms must be cleaned sometime, for them to be so nice.
For those unaware, these Amtrak Metropolitan Lounges are available ONLY for Sleeping Car passengers, and are usually located discretely off the beaten path in a station complex.
On other nicety is that one can check baggage right in the lounge.