I'd love to take Coach on an Amtrak train BUT...

[Kbyrdleroydogg]

I've never taken it before and would like to know...
Are there places I can go around the train rather than be stuck in a seat for 18hrs but only one night?
How do you sleep? Has anyone slept comfortably in Coach?
Do people talk into the night?

 

[Qapla]

I have ridden coach from JAX to NWK and JAX to NYP - both times on the Silvar Meteor in Viewliner cars.

You can get up and walk around. There is a cafe car with tables ... you do NOT have to buy food to be able to sit there.

At night, they turn off the main lights and announce "quiet time" and discourage loud talking. If you can sleep in a recliner, you can sleep in a coach seat.

You are supposed to use headset/earbuds if you are watching/listening to your electronic device.

If you want to "talk into the night", the cafe car is the place to go as it stays well lit and there is no "quiet time" in that area. If you do not want talking, the coach area is quite quiet during the sleeping hours. I had no problem sleeping in coach.

 

[Barb Stout]

Yes, depending on the train, one can wander into the lounge car, the dining car, and cafe car, climb up and down the steps on the Superliner trains, between the cars, etc. I have seen (and did myself) people doing rounds of this as exercise. The lounge car is typically open 24 hrs a day.

I found out recently that my days of sleeping comfortably in coach are over, but it can be done (especially if you're not old). The seats recline nicely and there is plenty of room to stretch the feet out. It can get cold in the cars, especially in the summer, so wear layers. In previous years, the lights in the coach were dimmed, but in my last 2 trips, they were left on and if you're near the front of a coach, the lights between the cars is quite bright and bothersome. I highly recommend an eye mask. Amtrak sells in the cafe cars a "comfort kit" for $10 which consists of a blanket (airline style), eye mask, neck pillow, and ear plugs.

In my experience, people stop talking somewhere around 10 pm and it's pretty quiet. The exception is in the lounge where sometimes people will play cards, drink, and visit until the wee hours of the morning. I also observed some people sleeping on the booth seats in the lounge car. If you're lucky and don't have a seat mate in coach, you can curl up over 2 seats, but don't count on it.

 

[Willbridge]

I've never taken it before and would like to know...
Are there places I can go around the train rather than be stuck in a seat for 18hrs but only one night?
How do you sleep? Has anyone slept comfortably in Coach?
Do people talk into the night?

You'll get varying reports, but be wary of comments based on a single trip. I find the Superliner coach seats more comfortable than a Superliner roomette, but find the Viewliner roomettes more comfortable than Amfleet coaches. You may get better help here if you specify the stations you'll be using or which train you plan on riding.

You've touched on a touchy subject. As of this writing, you are welcome to take a break from your coach seat by visiting the lounge/cafe car or dining car. Amtrak's new leadership likes Eastern-style class segregation and the rules are evolving.

For sleep, I take a neck pillow, same as on a long flight. It helps deal with undesirable motion caused by swaying. I take a hat with a wide brim that can be pulled down in case I'm seated beneath an emergency light, or in a draft. I have a jacket or an overcoat in case the car cools down in the night. At 10 p.m. it's usually lights out and passengers are asked to move conversations to the lounge; most go along with the curfew, but there's no guarantee among 40 or 50 people that one or two of them may be unaware of the fact that everyone else is snickering at their loud "urgent" subject matter.

One other long coach trip tip: take advantage for a stretch walk during the "smoke breaks" as longer station stops are nicknamed. My favorite if the California Zephyr is on time is the opportunity to watch passengers from the train throwing snowballs in Winter Park or Glenwood Springs.

 

[pennyk]

I would not take coach if I could afford a sleeper. Your experience sleeping in coach may depend on your age, your size, how well you sleep, the actions of the passengers surrounding you, etc.

 

[Asher]

It's been layed out pretty well here, folks do it everyday, it all depends on you.

 

[SarahZ]

I've done it multiple times and hate it. The seats recline, but it's nothing like an actual recliner. People will talk/whisper, snore, and open snack packages at all hours of the night. There's noise every time people board or detrain. I have the hearing of a bat, so earplugs aren't enough to drown out the noise.

If you're by the stairway, you'll have bright lights and foot traffic to deal with all night. You can try to rest your pillow against the window, but the rattling/jerking motion of the train is like a jackhammer. Oh, and you get to sleep next to a stranger, which I find incredibly awkward. I wouldn't even sleep that close to my very best friends.

If you can afford a roomette, you will not regret spending the extra cash.

 

[Qapla]

If you can afford a roomette

And that is the crux of it ...Sleepers cost quite a bit more than coach.

It's been laid out pretty well here, folks do it everyday, it all depends on you.

I've done it multiple times and hate it.

Depending on who you ask, you will get a highly subjective answer ...

Since the original question was:

How do you sleep? Has anyone slept comfortably in Coach?

How do I sleep - I sleep like a rock! Have I slept comfortably ... guess it depends in your definition of comfort - I sleep just fine.

Would I rather sleep in a Roomette or Bedroom - sure. Can I afford it every time I ride the train overnight? No.

I guess it may depend on age ... I am in my mid 60's. Yes, I might wake up when the train stops ... most likely not. I can sleep in broad daylight so the lights don't bother me. I can often out-snore almost anyone - so, snoring doesn't keep me awake (now, I might keep others awake).

As to sleeping next to a stranger ... I will admit, this is the real question - and I will agree, it can be odd, to say the least ... especially if they lean/lay in your direction. Now, if you travel with a friend/family/spouse, it is not so much of a concern since the person in the seat next to you is not a stranger

 

[Asher]

Well Sarah makes it pretty clear, you better be able to sleep or you may have a miserable night.

 

[MARC Rider]

I would say that it's no worse rhan a long intercontinental flight, and coach seats on a train are roomier and recline more than coach seats on a plane. You can also get up and walk through the train and hang out in the lounge/cafe car, even step outside at smoke stops and get some fresh air.

I would definitely recommend eye shades, a blanket, and earplugs, though. Although I managed a flight to Beijing using my fleece jacket as a blanket. I manage ok without a pillow, but others may have different ideas.

 

[Skyline]

When I was younger and all I could afford was coach, I found having a drink before trying to sleep helped a lot to make me drowsy. Experiences varied a lot trip to trip, depending on if I got lucky and was in a double seat, the behaviors of those nearby, etc.

One thing that tended to wake me up was station stops if pax in my car had to exit, or new pax had to be accommodated. The shuffling of them, the attendant, luggage, and possible rearranging of existing pax to make room for the new pax can get noisy. Sometimes lights might even be turned on for a few minutes.

Earplugs and face masks were something I eventually made friends with. They helped some.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I would say that it's no worse rhan a long intercontinental flight, and coach seats on a train are roomier and recline more than coach seats on a plane. You can also get up and walk through the train and hang out in the lounge/cafe car, even step outside at smoke stops and get some fresh air.

I find Amtrak coach to be far worse for sleeping than an intercontinental flight. I can sleep on a coach flight about 50% of the time but only around 5% of the time in Amtrak coach. Amtrak has larger seats but they're surprisingly uncomfortable for sleeping and the lack of even the most minimal of dividers between you and your seatmate is unnerving. Amtrak moves slower but also experiences more sudden movement. Amtrak is quieter than an aircraft, but that also means the interior sounds around you more difficult to ignore and tune out, not to mention aircraft don't suffer from loud phone calls. Unlike most long haul aircraft Amtrak coach has no AVOD which means people who didn't bring their own distractions have very little to keep them focused and quiet during the duller periods.

 

[Qapla]

I can sleep sitting in the passenger seat of a car with the seat not reclined in the middle of the day with the radio on ... so, sleeping in a reclined Amtrak coach seat with the lights dimmed and most of the other passengers also trying to sleep, along with the rocking motion of the train - I find it quite easy to sleep on the train.


So, you will have to decide what you will do - only you know how easy/hard it is for you to sleep. As you can see, I am on one end of the spectrum while DA (above post) is on the other ... some who have commented in this thread seem to be somewhere in between.

 

[jebr]

It's been about 4 years since I've last attempted to do an overnight in coach. I could do it okay (slept most of the night,) but I was quite tired already and my seat mate was my partner. However, my partner was unable to get a decent amount of sleep, and so we upgraded to a roomette on the way back simply to have a more pleasant trip back home.

If I was traveling alone, I'd do it before taking an overnight bus ride, or if it was significantly cheaper than a flight or a roomette. But if it wasn't terribly more expensive to fly, or if there was a daytime bus route instead, I'd opt for those over an overnight Amtrak coach ride.

 

[Chey]

When I was a lot younger, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I took my first Amtrak trip, it was on the SL from Phoenix to NOL in coach. I loved the train but had a very hard time sleeping. My ex was with me and whined the whole trip. I didn't ride again until twenty years later - then single and generally unable to afford a sleeper, I saved up my money to get one.

This time the trip was heaven. I could've lived on the train. So I joined AGR to get those points and budgeted and saved. I normally am able to take one trip a year (didn't last year but circumstances intervened), usually two trains each way, a sleeper all the way. I dread approaching my destination because I'd like to ride and ride and ride. Riding the train is good; riding while having a sleeper is ***wonderful*** if you can find a way to have a sleeper, it's worth every cent.

 

[Chey]

Maybe 5 years ago I managed to snag a trip on the CZ but couldn't get a sleeper until we got to Denver (boarded at Ft Morgan so it was no big deal, maybe an hour or two). The train was late but people were still sleeping when I boarded in coach. Most of them were sleeping comfortably, lots of mamas with kids, lots of couples, One older guy was awake but he was going to be met in Denver, said he'd slept a little bit, was anxious to get home to Boulder. So I know some people can sleep in coach without problems. But not all of us can. Quoting our own Bob Dylan, YMMV.

 

[Ryan]

Done it a handful of times. Was able to sleep, but it hasn't been great quality sleep. Wouldn't do it again unless I was totally out of options. Flight + free Marriott night would be vastly preferable.

I have ridden coach from JAX to NWK and JAX to NYP - both times on the Silvar Meteor in Viewliner cars.

A neat trick, since there are no Viewliner coaches.

 

[Qapla]

A neat trick, since there are no Viewliner coaches.

OK - OK ... Amfleet II Coaches (I am sure some knew what I meant)

 

[ms garrison]

I've never taken it before and would like to know...
Are there places I can go around the train rather than be stuck in a seat for 18hrs but only one night?
How do you sleep? Has anyone slept comfortably in Coach?
Do people talk into the night?

If there's a lower level on the train you're going to be on, sign up for it. The car is smaller-seats probably 20+ people, so there's less talking; it's designated for "handicapped", so most of the riders will be people who dont want to or cant climb the stairs; there's 3 bathrooms down there,and a very compact, combination bathroom/lounge; conductor will bring food if it's available. You don't have to be obviously disabled, maybe (like me), you have bad knees and want to avoid stairs as much as possible. But of course you can go upstairs if you wish, and enjoy the viewing car.

One thing to keep in mind,though. The space in front of the first 2 seats is purposely larger in order to accommodate a wheel chair, walker, etc. If you are sitting there you will have to move if someone who needs it gets on.

That said, I prefer a sleeper for any trip that involves overnight travel, but if I couldn't afford one I would definitely go for the lower level (your ticket must specify lower level or you will be sent upstairs by the train attendant).

 

[Skyline]

Whether one simply doesn't "like" to fly, or someone is "afraid" to fly -- it's not something to warrant shaming. Especially on a train-centric site like this.

 

[Ryan]

I’m not sure I see that happening anywhere here.

 

[railiner]

Sleeping in an Amtrak coach, whether Amfleet, Horizon, Acela, or Superliner, is not nearly as comfortable as it was on some of the transcontinental trains prior to Amtrak...
Most of them had either Karpen or Heywood-Wakefield "Sleepy Hollow" seats, which were supremely comfortable, and reclined much further than any Amtrak seat. Those seats were not encumbered with tray tables, either. And the porter would bring you a pillow, and in some cases a blanket for further comfort. Some of these cars only contained 40 or 44 seats, with large rest/dressing rooms at the ends of the car, insulating noise from end door traffic, as well...And the pull-down shades did a much better job than the flimsy curtains now used...

 

[Skyline]

Sleeping in an Amtrak coach, whether Amfleet, Horizon, Acela, or Superliner, is not nearly as comfortable as it was on some of the transcontinental trains prior to Amtrak...
Most of them had either Karpen or Heywood-Wakefield "Sleepy Hollow" seats, which were supremely comfortable, and reclined much further than any Amtrak seat. Those seats were not encumbered with tray tables, either. And the porter would bring you a pillow, and in some cases a blanket for further comfort. Some of these cars only contained 40 or 44 seats, with large rest/dressing rooms at the ends of the car, insulating noise from end door traffic, as well...And the pull-down shades did a much better job than the flimsy curtains now used...

So true. The men's and women's facilities had actual seating lounges, multiple padded seats, often more than one sink, and at least two private toilet stalls. A good place to get away from your coach seat to read a book at night if you couldn't sleep and didn't want to bother those sitting nearby.

On the downside they were also used as smoking lounges. But it was a different era. Smokers used to smoke while shopping at the A&P, even in some movie theaters.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Sigh. I remember. Comfort and convenience were valued. People smoked everywhere those days including inside the coaches and sleeping compartments (We morphed then to smoking "sections" as though smoke did disperse throughout the car and then to smoking car so that was a baseline in what people were expected to tolerate. However, nothing beat being able to wash up a bit and to change clothing in a dedicated dressing room.The considerate among us would never dream of tying up the coach toilet so long. I normally travel by sleeper for long distance, but I recently had no flexibility options and had to book a coach seat. I was able to get comfortable enough to sleep, but what's different is that there is more regimentation and the need to accommodate the vagaries of a group experience: lights out at a certain time so you have to listen to books on tape or podcasts rather than using anything lighted; competition for the toilet; being prepared enough to pack antibacterial wipes, etc. to clean after thoughtless toilet users; loud and ceaseless talkers when you're still sleepy; cranky kinds (I don't blame them, kids like to move around); etc. All of these things don't happen simultaneously, but you do have to be able to tolerate the loss of control over your environment.

 

[Qapla]

Sigh. I remember. Comfort and convenience were valued. People smoked everywhere those days ... The considerate among us would never dream of tying up the coach toilet so long

Somehow, I don't think people "smoking everywhere" has anything to do with "comfort and convenience" ... but, I have been on a train where someone basically took a shower in the restroom on a coach car.