First trip coming up - roomette questions

[majolie]

My family is taking it's first Amtrak trip on the 17th - the LSL from CLE to CHI, then the SWC to ABQ. I've been reading everything I can find online but have a few unanswered questions. I'm hoping you all can help!

First, we've booked 2 roomettes on every leg round-trip. I really debated the necessity on the first leg since we are getting on in Cleveland at 3:30 in the am (if the train's on time! ), but my kids can be noisy and besides worries about disturbing other passengers, I don't think they'll get back to sleep at all unless in a quiet, private space.

Anyway, on the way out we have rooms 9&10 on the Viewliner which looks okay, and 9&10 again on the Superliner - also good. On the way home, we were only able to get 12 & 9 on the Superliner (two different levels) and 2 & 9 on the Viewliner (opposite ends of the car). I tried calling to see if they can move one of the roms in either case to put us closer together, and was told they would have to charge more. But when I looked online it loked like they had 1-2 roomettes left on each train at the same price I paid. Should I keep trying or is it not that big a deal?

Second, the top berths sound pretty cramped, so I am hoping to put the kids up there, but I am worried about them falling out. My 8yo son would probably be fine, but my 3yo daughter still sleeps in a crib at home. Somewhere online I read some kids travel stories and one mentioned some kind of net to keep him from falling out of the upper berth that was put up by the attendant. I asked when I called Amtrak, but the agent did not know anything about this. Anyone else with experience?

This is a last minute trip and we are all really excited. Any other general advice from all of you would be much appreciated. I have already read the pinned thread of tips and tricks.

 

[AlanB]

Majolie,

Amtrak assigns specific prices to specific rooms, so while there may be rooms left at a lower price, they may not be next to one another. I would try calling again, or perhaps if convienent, even try visiting the station in Cleveland. I'm not sure if it is protocol or not, but a good agent knows how to swap a high priced room for a lower priced room, so as to get two next to each other. Again, I'm not sure what Amtrak's official policy is on this, but I have heard many stories where a good agent swapped rooms to accomodate a passenger.

As for the upper bunk, there is indeed a safety strap that keeps the occupant from falling out of the bunk should the car sway. Your 8 year old should be just fine up top. However, unless the 3 year old is exceptionally tall for her age, I'm not sure that the strap could be relied upon to keep her in the bunk. You'll have to see the strap once you get onboard and decide for yourself if she's tall enough to not be able to fall through the gaps in the strap.

 

[Mark Gregory]

I booked two roomettes for a trip from RNO-CHI several weeks ago. I called beforehand and was told that, since we'd be traveling with kids, we would be assigned rooms directly across from each other. When I completed the online reservation they weren't together. I phoned and was told, like you, that it would cost more money to get the rooms together. I sent an e-mail through the website and a nice man named Lou called me back and straightened the whole thing out without additional cost. He went so far as to say that the agent should have been able to handle the issue when I called. You might try sending an e-mail.

Mark

 

[daveyb99]

First, we've booked 2 roomettes on every leg round-trip. I really debated the necessity on the first leg since we are getting on in Cleveland at 3:30 in the am (if the train's on time! ), but my kids can be noisy and besides worries about disturbing other passengers, I don't think they'll get back to sleep at all unless in a quiet, private space.

I like the idea. Be comfortable. Be rested. Remember, you have to wait in Chicago for a number of hours. How miserable would that be if you had not a good sleep. Plus you get a hot breakfast before arrival, so that will start the day right. You should be ready to store the bags in the Metro Lounge and head off on a great tour - there are some great museums for the kids in Chicago.

On the way home, we were only able to get 12 & 9 on the Superliner (two different levels) and 2 & 9 on the Viewliner (opposite ends of the car). I tried calling to see if they can move one of the rooms in either case to put us closer together

Keep trying until you find someone who can make those changes. As AlanB said, AMTRAK prices by the room, which is a terrible way in my opinion. Make the appeal you are traveling with very young kids.

Second, the top berths sound pretty cramped, so I am hoping to put the kids up there, but I am worried about them falling out. My 8yo son would probably be fine, but my 3yo daughter still sleeps in a crib at home. Somewhere online I read some kids travel stories and one mentioned some kind of net to keep him from falling out of the upper berth that was put up by the attendant. I asked when I called Amtrak, but the agent did not know anything about this. Anyone else with experience?

Kinda cramped on the Superliners, but not terrible after you figure it out. Just remember the floor space will be almost nil with the beds deployed.

As for the upper for the 3-year old. Might want to put Mom and Kid on the lower. That 'netting' is not really designed for younger ones (like 3) in my opinion. But you can certainly make that decision when onboard - nothing to worry about now.

Any other general advice from all of you would be much appreciated.

I would take an inflatable beach ball and when you have time, get off and play some at train side. We always take a football and play catch for a while. You will have ample warning to reboard. The kids will really enjoy the fresh air.

 

[daveyb99]

Amtrak assigns specific prices to specific rooms, so while there may be rooms left at a lower price, they may not be next to one another.

I would figure that AMTRAK could do something like the airlines, and price by fare codes. They have lots of them at AMTRAK, seem to do it for Coach, so why not Sleepers. Give people a choice of what to pick rather than force them into one.

 

[AlanB]

Amtrak assigns specific prices to specific rooms, so while there may be rooms left at a lower price, they may not be next to one another.

I would figure that AMTRAK could do something like the airlines, and price by fare codes. They have lots of them at AMTRAK, seem to do it for Coach, so why not Sleepers. Give people a choice of what to pick rather than force them into one.

Well each bucket does indeed have a fare code, and technically it is that fare code that is attached to each room. But I figured that the OP would better understand things with the way I originally stated it. As for why they do attach a code to a room, I assume that's a limitation of Arrow. Most likely and I'm guessing here, if Amtrak just told Arrow X rooms at the low bucket D, it would sell all those rooms in the first car and none in the second car. That could potentially leave the first attendant with plenty of work and the second attendant with no work. So instead Amtrak assigns each room in each car with a bucket, be it S, A, B, C, or D.

 

[AlanB]

As for the upper bunk, there is indeed a safety strap that keeps the occupant from falling out of the bunk should the car sway. Your 8 year old should be just fine up top. However, unless the 3 year old is exceptionally tall for her age, I'm not sure that the strap could be relied upon to keep her in the bunk. You'll have to see the strap once you get onboard and decide for yourself if she's tall enough to not be able to fall through the gaps in the strap.

Majolie,

Here's a photo of the type of safety strap you'll find in the sleeping cars.

Note: This photo with two of my nieces in a starring role, was taken in the Family room of the Superliner sleeping car. This room has 2 adult sized beds and 2 child sized beds, so the strap that you see is smaller in width than the one you'll find in the roomettes, since it was designed for the child sized bed. The big yellow turtle pillow of course won't be there, just the grey straps, unless of course you happen to have one of those pillows for your daughter. :lol:

 

[majolie]

Wow - thanks for all the great fast responses and tips. And especially for the cute photo AlanB! My daughter does not have a large turtle pillow, but does have another large pillow - that photo makes me think that would help a lot.

The beach ball hint will be helpful too - we are going to Albuquerque to visit an elderly unt and it would come in handle while we are there as well, since she won't have any toys.

 

[AKA]

Station agents in Cleveland are great and have done some amazing thing in the past for my wife andI. Call and ask about a good time to come in if you can get to Cleveland easily. Hours 9:30 PM to 1: 00 PM the next day. Good luck

 

[AlanB]

Wow - thanks for all the great fast responses and tips. And especially for the cute photo AlanB! My daughter does not have a large turtle pillow, but does have another large pillow - that photo makes me think that would help a lot.
The beach ball hint will be helpful too - we are going to Albuquerque to visit an elderly unt and it would come in handle while we are there as well, since she won't have any toys.

Just remember that the spacing between the two vertical straps may be a bit wider than what you see in my photo, since again that is a child sized bed, whereas you'll have an adult sized bed in your rooms.

Regarding toys, may I suggest the following? Buy her a small backpack, then help her to select a few toys that fit in the backpack. Odss are she'll start out carrying it, but eventually hand it over to you. But at least it will make her feel like she helped to plan the trip a bit, and it will give her at least a few toys to play with while on the train and while you're at your Aunt's house.

 

[Walt]

Second, the top berths sound pretty cramped, so I am hoping to put the kids up there, but I am worried about them falling out. My 8yo son would probably be fine, but my 3yo daughter still sleeps in a crib at home. Somewhere online I read some kids travel stories and one mentioned some kind of net to keep him from falling out of the upper berth that was put up by the attendant. I asked when I called Amtrak, but the agent did not know anything about this. Anyone else with experience?

We have been traveling on Amtrak for years, and we get a roomette (aka sleeper or compartment).

My boy, now 9, just loves the upper berth. I usually pull it down as soon as we get on-board. My kid uses it during the day as a "tree fort" or play area. He can stay up there, move and twist around, and not be bothering me all that much. Plus, there is still more than enough head-room for me, while seated.

 

[Railroad Bill]

I will second AKA's response. We have had a great experience working with the agents at the Cleveland station. They have switched rooms for us, figured out a better travel day, and generally been super helpful. Explain your situation with the children and I am sure they will try to work out a closer room situation. My experiences have shown that most families traveling in roommettes have had their kids across the aisle from them or next door. So agents must be making efforts to accomodate families. I do not like talking to someone on the phone if I can avoid it. In person at the station has usually attained the desired result.

Have a great trip. The kids will love it!!

 

[rile42]

I want to show my agreement with AKA about the people working at Cleveland. I start all of my trips there and have always had outstanding help and service from the station personnel. If all of Amtrak's personnel where like those at Cleveland, there would never be any complaints.

 

[RailFanLNK]

We have an agent in LNK that is tops! His name is "Mike" and he's just a gem. He's had to put up with my learning curves and has taught me things. He has also swapped the roomette prices for me even though its taken some time to do. He has two "underlings" and one is getting up to speed and is very courteous and one has a long LONG way to go. But that guy is new so I have given him a break. The last guy talked to me in a condescending voice about something that I knew I was correct on and he was incorrect. So the agent in stations can be valuable if they are knowledgeable.

Al

 

[majolie]

I have more questions before we leave. Wasn't sure whether to add to this thread or start a new one, I went with posting here and will see if you all respond so well again!

I have found some good posts about the amount of space for carry on luggage on the Viewliners, but am less clear about what we can take on the Superliner that will still fit in our room, rather than the luggage area. In a roomette will we be able to fit an avg sized pilot case type bag under the seat? And where else in the room is there space for the other smaller bags?

Next, the westbound Lake Shore Limited (49) seems to be fairly consistently late getting into CLE. I dread getting the 2 little ones up in the middle of the night (we'll have to leave home about 2:15am to get to the station in Cleveland at 3) just to sit for a couple hours there. If we check status with Julie about 2am and it's running an hour or two behind schedule, how risky is it to aim to get to the station later as well? I'm thinking if it's running 1.5 hours late, we might delay enough to get to the station 1 hour behind schedule, still allowing a cushion in my reasoning, but maybe the train can really make up time quickly. Obviously we don't want to miss it!

Along those same lines, how comfortable is the CLE station? I know some of you advised me to go up there before the trip to work with the agents there but during the day it's over an hour from my work and it opens too late at night for me. So I am hoping someone who knows, can tell me about it.

Also, I plan on just getting my tickets when we get there - is there any reason to go get them prior to that?

Lastly, I think, I am considering bringing my laptop. Is there WiFi or DSL hookups in the CHI metropolitan lounge? And how often can you pick up a signal and connect en route on the Southwest Chief?

Thank you all again for all the advice you have posted on my thread, as well as the great info I have found throughout this forum.

 

[MrFSS]

I have more questions before we leave. Wasn't sure whether to add to this thread or start a new one, I went with posting here and will see if you all respond so well again!
Lastly, I think, I am considering bringing my laptop. Is there WiFi or DSL hookups in the CHI metropolitan lounge? And how often can you pick up a signal and connect en route on the Southwest Chief?

I can answer the above quoted questions - someone else will have to answer the others.

There is WiFi in the lounge in Chicago, but it is erratic. Last time I was there a few weeks ago, 4-5 people said they couldn't get it to work. I couldn't either. However, there is a restaurant upstairs that has WiFi and their signal was good in the lounge. You had to complete a short survey about the service they were providing and then it hooked right up. Remember these are all open connections - have your firewall turned on.

I also just rode the SWC from LAX to CHI. I was never able to get a connection along the way. But, if you have a phone card in your laptop for Internet connecting, you might get something that way in/around the larger cities.

 

[the_traveler]

I have more questions before we leave. Wasn't sure whether to add to this thread or start a new one, I went with posting here and will see if you all respond so well again!
I have found some good posts about the amount of space for carry on luggage on the Viewliners, but am less clear about what we can take on the Superliner that will still fit in our room, rather than the luggage area. In a roomette will we be able to fit an avg sized pilot case type bag under the seat? And where else in the room is there space for the other smaller bags?

Next, the westbound Lake Shore Limited (49) seems to be fairly consistently late getting into CLE. I dread getting the 2 little ones up in the middle of the night (we'll have to leave home about 2:15am to get to the station in Cleveland at 3) just to sit for a couple hours there. If we check status with Julie about 2am and it's running an hour or two behind schedule, how risky is it to aim to get to the station later as well? I'm thinking if it's running 1.5 hours late, we might delay enough to get to the station 1 hour behind schedule, still allowing a cushion in my reasoning, but maybe the train can really make up time quickly. Obviously we don't want to miss it!

On the Superliners, there is a large (common shared) area on the lower level where you can place and luggage that will not fit into your room.

My advice is before you wake the kids up, and certainly before you leave home, to call Amtrak and see what "Julie" or an agent says about the status. If the train is still in ROC or left BUF 2 hours late - you can probably assume it is going to arrive in CLE late! True, it may make up some time, but I wouldn't expect it to make up 2 hours in that stretch!

At least, you'll have some idea of the status.

I'll leave the CLE station question to others.

 

[Railroad Bill]

The Cleveland Amtrak station is fairly large, has plenty of seats, although the plastic molded bottoms aren't too comfortable. The restrooms are not very good, usually clean, but twice have been out of order due to plumbing problems so plan ahead. The place is starting to show its age.

The staff will answer questions and keep you informed on train status. Make sure if you decide to check luggage you are at least a half hour ahead of the train. A gentleman tried to check his luggage with ten minutes left and the agent and his cart were already on the platform. He did not get to check those bags.

I would definitely call Julie and continually check on train status. It is correct that the LSL usually only makes up 20-30 minutes between Buffalo and CLE if it is running late. But it is always better to be a little early in case of traffic problems in Cleveland (accidents, etc) or detours that spring up. But at 2am in the morning, it is a pleasant drive on I-71/90 in downtown. Everyone in town is sleeping

Have a great trip!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

There are cities that sleep? *too much time living in the NYMA*

 

[AlanB]

I would also add in at least an extra 15 minutes to pick up your tickets.

 

[majolie]

Thank you again for all the tips and ideas. Getting crazy now trying to get all the packing done. Have to get everything ready to celebrate Easter when we return as well.

 

[Acela150]

Your 8 year old son will love sleeping on the top bunk on the viewliners since their is a window for the top bunk. I don't know what to say for your three year old except for find a bed rail that would prevent the child from falling out of the bunk but the child would have to sleep on the bottom bunk cause the bottom bunk is folded from the chairs that are used for day time and the upper bunk is customized for shape.

I will agree that the Superliner roomettes are very tight the viewliner is much less cramped. When you arrive to your roomettes on the Lake Shore the beds will be made up for your sleeping needs. Their is a small cubie above the toliet and sink to store such things as a camara bag or backpack. When I took the Cardinal last june I was able to fit 2 camara bags and a very full backpack.

I Wish You The Best Of Amtrak Travels,

Acela150