Amtrak: a partial trip report

[Mirielle]

For a mere $200 you can avoid coach? Grab it and don't let go!!! I could tell you 100 reasons why this is a steal! Rode AMTRAK from FL to NC for nearly 30 years and the miserable tales I could tell.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I've only taken Amtrak once -- this past summer from Washington, DC to Chicago (had an abscessed tooth and wasn't allowed to fly).

I had a roomette, which was VERY small, so know what room you have and be prepared. It was about 4' X 7'. Fine for me, but if my husband had been there, it would have been really, really tight, with our knees hitting each other's (seats face each other). And the bathroom was NOT in the room; it was down the hall.

That said, it included dinner and breakfast, and I found a whole subculture of people who only traveled by train. It was really very interesting talking to them in the dining car (more interesting than I thought it would be). I might be willing to do it again if I reserved a bedroom instead of a roomette.

 

[aprilgail]

I did not know we could have our meals brought to us! Does that include breakfast on the last morning? Thanks.

honestly I don't remember if we got breakfast or not but probably not simply because neither my daughter nor myself are breakfast eaters. And our cabin guy was more than happy to bring us our meals- we tipped him very well each time!

 

[bcla]

I've only taken Amtrak once -- this past summer from Washington, DC to Chicago (had an abscessed tooth and wasn't allowed to fly).

I had a roomette, which was VERY small, so know what room you have and be prepared. It was about 4' X 7'. Fine for me, but if my husband had been there, it would have been really, really tight, with our knees hitting each other's (seats face each other). And the bathroom was NOT in the room; it was down the hall.

That said, it included dinner and breakfast, and I found a whole subculture of people who only traveled by train. It was really very interesting talking to them in the dining car (more interesting than I thought it would be). I might be willing to do it again if I reserved a bedroom instead of a roomette.

If you're in a roomette and you find it too cramped there's always the lounge car. At least on the West Coast they tend to be these cars with big windows although I'm not sure about the single-level equipment. And on the Coast Starlight they have the Pacific Parlour Car, where one can optionally have dinner with a special menu.

Another benefit of being in the roomette is that as sleeper car passengers you're allowed to access Club Acela on any day where one is traveling. For the OP that would just be in Philadelphia. They have snacks and beverages.

https://www.amtrak.com/station-lounges

I actually had Amtrak club access as a loyalty member for getting enough points in one year. However, there's barely any lounges on the West Coast - just Portland, OR and Los Angeles so I basically didn't get to use that privilege. I mean - if I worked in a downtown that had an Amtrak station with a lounge I could have theoretically gone there every day as it didn't require any train travel. I did take advantage of their reciprocal agreement with United Airlines once, but I had to make sure I could get to the terminal with their club location at SeaTac.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Booked a coach seat for a NYC-Williamsburg, VA and back. Immediately headed for the quiet car and it was just that. Now that was about a 7 maybe 8 hour trip.
Going any further and I'd want a roomette so I can have some privacy getting dressed and washing up. We booked a roomette for our DW Christmas trip but since it only sleeps two and three of us are going someone will spend a nice amount of time in the quiet car, LOL.

 

[Nancyg56]

I found coach seats to be very uncomfortable to sleep in. Plus if it's a busy train it will be full of other people. Once it gets to "lights out", everyone is pretty much quiet, but before that you can run into bad luck and end up with a four year old who kicks your chair and uses foul language. Plus you can have the bad luck of getting a chair that doesn't recline correctly.

(That was the auto train, but a coach seat is a coach seat, regardless).

I took the autotrain just one time. Going to Florida was a novelty and the train was not full, so even the overnight was not bad. Coming home that novelty wore off quickly. I will never do it again. The train was filled with families and kids, which normally would not bother me, but by morning I was over it. Completely over it.

 

[aprilgail]

I had a roomette, which was VERY small, so know what room you have and be prepared. It was about 4' X 7'. Fine for me, but if my husband had been there, it would have been really, really tight, with our knees hitting each other's (seats face each other). And the bathroom was NOT in the room; it was down the hall.
.

The good thing was that you could leave the door of the roomette open if you felt to closed in- we had it open half the time. We also made sure the bathroom was IN the roomette not in the hall LOL- that would have been a deal breaker for me! You do sit facing each other and there is a drop down table in between. When we were tired of sitting we had the 2 bottom seats made into a bed and we hung out on the bed (without the top bed lowered) and watched movies on the ipad.

 

[Miffy]

I've taken the train from NYC to Orlando several times, always in a roomette. A few years ago my sister decided to go Philly to Orlando in coach, and between an unstoppably talkative person sitting next to her and the noise in the car, she got zero sleep. She bought a roomette for the return trip! Yes, the roomette is small, but it's yours, it's quiet, and you get a bed and a toilet. And there's a shower room down the hall. Well worth the extra bucks.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

We also made sure the bathroom was IN the roomette not in the hall LOL- that would have been a deal breaker for me!

I kind-of disgusted by the toilets in the viewliner roomette. Seems like a bad idea for such a small place to be the place you rest/sleep and 'eliminate'.

The toilet is just too close to the regular seat:

 

[RedSox68]

honestly I don't remember if we got breakfast or not but probably not simply because neither my daughter nor myself are breakfast eaters. And our cabin guy was more than happy to bring us our meals- we tipped him very well each time!

That was my next question -- what do you tip your steward at the end?

I kind-of disgusted by the toilets in the viewliner roomette. Seems like a bad idea for such a small place to be the place you rest/sleep and 'eliminate'.

The toilet is just too close to the regular seat:

From what I've read on some trip reports, no one ever got odors from the toilet, and they make your bed so your feet are on that end. I've even seen You Tube videos where people use the toilet lid as a laptop desk LOL

And also thanks, bcla, for the tip about the lounge!

 

[NYCgrrl]

The good thing was that you could leave the door of the roomette open if you felt to closed in- we had it open half the time. We also made sure the bathroom was IN the roomette not in the hall LOL- that would have been a deal breaker for me! You do sit facing each other and there is a drop down table in between. When we were tired of sitting we had the 2 bottom seats made into a bed and we hung out on the bed (without the top bed lowered) and watched movies on the ipad.

It would be good for anyone trying to decide between coach seat vs roomette and the comfort of any type of seat to hot foot it to youtube. There you can see the difference in layout and seat types on US Western and Eastern train lines and Canadian too prolly Mexican as well. Train enthusiasts are deep into their hobby and enjoy sharing their knowledge.

My last longish train trip not only did I seek out the quiet car (no loud talking, music, telephones, etc; parents with small children tend to leave when they realise where they are so no more kiddos kicking seats) but I zoomed over to the car ends where seating is located for the physically disabled and the space is big enough to rest your feet on your luggage and use it as a hassock. Per train regulations (and the conductor tells you) you will be required to switch seats if a disabled person needs it but that hasn't happened to date.

 

[Mirielle]

I kind-of disgusted by the toilets in the viewliner roomette. Seems like a bad idea for such a small place to be the place you rest/sleep and 'eliminate'.

The toilet is just too close to the regular seat:
View attachment 280727

Disgusted by this? Then you'll be deathly horrified when you see the restrooms used by all the other passengers. No joke...urine splashing from the vanity top onto the floor. Many people (usually intoxicated men) won't flush after urinating and as the toilet becomes full, the train rocks and urine is splashed onto the top of the closely located vanity. I've had to throw paper towels into the floor to walk on, attempting to keep the bottoms of my jeans dry when entering the public bathroom. THAT'S DISGUSTING!

 

[Mirielle]

Double post

 

[RedAngie]

On a trip that long I'd gladly spend the extra couple hundred for a roomette.
I took Amtrack from NY to VA once, and I will never do that again. Ever.

Yep, the longest train trip I ever took was from Wilmington, DE to Richmond, VA, and even that bordered on the unbearable.

 

[RedSox68]

Disgusted by this? Then you'll be deathly horrified when you see the restrooms used by all the other passengers. No joke...urine splashing from the vanity top onto the floor. Many people (usually intoxicated men) won't flush after urinating and as the toilet becomes full, the train rocks and urine is splashed onto the top of the closely located vanity. I've had to throw paper towels into the floor to walk on, attempting to keep the bottoms of my jeans dry when entering the public bathroom. THAT'S DISGUSTING!

Yep, I am now totally convinced we made the right decision to keep our roomettes round trip!

 

[monica9]

I took a train from ct to Florida once in coach seats and it was absolute torture. People were sleeping on the disgusting grounds. I would NEVER again do coach seats that far of a trip. I’d stick with the room.
But if you are able to sleep sitting up then go for it.

 

[monica9]

I've only ever had coach seats. My trip was from Spokane, WA to Chicago, IL by myself with two toddlers, ages 1 and 3. The seats were fine, but if it wasn't a last minute trip I would have sprung for a roomette. Thankfully the girls were well behaved (for their ages) during our 40 hour trip...it was a bit longer than the 36 predicted. But it would have given them more room to move and me more comfort with taking a nap while monitoring them and our belongings. Ultimately, it was not the end of the world. The seats were fine for the trip and amount that we paid. Plus the outlets were a huge plus.

My God you are a saint!

 

[Spencer Wright]

My mother has done the Philadelphia to Kissimee trip quite a few times and finds the sleeper car absolutely worth the extra money.

This is partially due to having a little more security as woman traveling alone; and also having a lot more quiet, and ability to get some work done. She has said for the first about 3/4's of the ride the coach seat is fine, but it gets really difficulty to tolerate as time progresses. The sleeper car provides the opportunity to be separate from possibly unruly, or has happened to myself as well; people who are either extremely smelly or have stinky foods.

 

[bcla]

And also thanks, bcla, for the tip about the lounge!

The station lounge? Honestly I haven't actually been to one. The times I've used a station with a lounge I didn't have status, although it would have been possible to use points to get passes. I'm a big Amtrak geek so I've thought about it and have given away the passes that I got for making Amtrak status levels. The one in Philadelphia is kind of small (the one in NYC is really nice/updated) but you can get complimentary coffee and basic snacks, and it's a more comfortable environment to wait in than the rest of the station. You can also ask to be informed when to leave for the platform. Here's a picture someone posted to Yelp:

They should have a refrigerator stocked with stuff like yogurt and juices, as well as beverage fountain (I think it's Pepsi beverages). Nothing fancy, but access is included with your sleeper fare.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

all the other passengers

I guess its the design: and all the fabric and carpet next to the 'bowl'....who knows how careful that previous roomette occupant was.