Roomette legroom

[Bobalski]

Hi guys, new member from Australia.

Just found the forums due to an upcoming Feb ski trip to Big White, Canada and Heavenly, Nevada. We have 12 days in between ski jaunts and didn't want to do the Vegas/Disneyland thing with our travelling/skiing partners (my wifes sister and her husband and their children and grandkids).

We then decided to see a bit of countryside. My wife is an airline employee, so the 3 times we have visited the US previously we have just flown all the way to NY and taken domestic flights from there.

This is the plan

17th Feb: LAX - CHI - BOS arriving on the 20th.

22nd: BOS - NOL

25th: NOL -CHI

27th: CHI - RNO

It appears that a USA railpass will be a good option, but it will probably need me to make a phonecall because I don't want to buy the pass online and then find out there are no seats available for 'Railpass' customers because the schedule is fairly tight and not particularly flexible.

We intend getting a roomette for all overnight legs, which brings me to my question. I have read thru many many pages of threads which has broadened my knowledge massively, but was unable to find any specifics about the legroom issue in the daytime config of the roomette.

Put simply, can two adults (5'11 and 5'4) sit opposite each other in the daytime without banging knees???

 

[rrdude]

Hi guys, new member from Australia.

Just found the forums due to an upcoming Feb ski trip to Big White, Canada and Heavenly, Nevada. We have 12 days in between ski jaunts and didn't want to do the Vegas/Disneyland thing with our travelling/skiing partners (my wifes sister and her husband and their children and grandkids).

We then decided to see a bit of countryside. My wife is an airline employee, so the 3 times we have visited the US previously we have just flown all the way to NY and taken domestic flights from there.

This is the plan

17th Feb: LAX - CHI - BOS arriving on the 20th.

22nd: BOS - NOL

25th: NOL -CHI

27th: CHI - RNO

It appears that a USA railpass will be a good option, but it will probably need me to make a phonecall because I don't want to buy the pass online and then find out there are no seats available for 'Railpass' customers because the schedule is fairly tight and not particularly flexible.

We intend getting a roomette for all overnight legs, which brings me to my question. I have read thru many many pages of threads which has broadened my knowledge massively, but was unable to find any specifics about the legroom issue in the daytime config of the roomette.

Put simply, can two adults (5'11 and 5'4) sit opposite each other in the daytime without banging knees???

You will likely get a variety of responses here, some technical with roomette specifications, etc., but I'll throw in my opinion and give you the answer you prolly don't want to hear: "Sort of".

How's that for a "no answer". There's not a lot of room, and if one party puts their legs to one side, and the opposite party puts their legs to the other side, it's OK. Is it "uncomfortable"? No. Is it "tight"? Yes.

Often, if traveling with a family member, both passengers will take off their shoes, and stretch their legs out length-side, resting their feet on the seat cushion of the other chair.

In summary. Don't worry about it, but don't think that you will be able to stand up and dance around either.

Have fun!

 

[Bobalski]

.... Is it "uncomfortable"? No. Is it "tight"? Yes.

That's good enough for me. Cheers

 

[Guest]

How's that for a "no answer". There's not a lot of room, and if one party puts their legs to one side, and the opposite party puts their legs to the other side, it's OK. Is it "uncomfortable"? No. Is it "tight"? Yes.

We usually stretch out, and put our legs on what ever is between the opposite side chair and the door. What's there, depends on if its a Superliner or a Viewliner, but there is always something.

 

[RailFanLNK]

You will have enough room but I would do this. Take the measurements of the roomette found at the Amtrak site and tape them out on your floor and wall at home. Put two kitchen chairs in the "space" and then remove the chairs and roll out a sleeping bag with a pillow. EVERY SINGLE person that has done this has said to me, "man..the roomettes are small" but when they board and see it the first time, they are very happy that I had them tape the size of the roomette with duct tape etc before leaving home. The one couple that thought this was a "waste" of time, their first reaction after getting on the train was , "OMG, this is SO small". So thats what I would do. Also, remember, if you want to "upgrade" to a roomette, there has to be availability. If the sleeper part of train is sold out, you are stuck in coach overnight.

 

[Shanghai]

My answer is NO!! It is a tight fit for two people in a roomette.

In a viewliner (East Coast trains), when the top bunk is down, it is

very difficult to do anything on the lower portion of the roomette.

As for daytime riding, you can move your knees to one side and fit

reasonably comfortably in the seats. Depending on the train, you

may be able to go to the lounge car and be more comfortable.

I hope you have an enjoyable visit and good skiing.

 

[abcnews]

Here are my thoughts.... *and we just completed an 8 day odyssey across America and back....

The Roomette seems so perfect to us, one of the best designs in travel that we have experienced - when you consider actual cost, and that it also includes meals for two, bottled water, coffee, use of a shower, etc... Keep in mind, you will spend much of the daylight hours in the Diner and the Sightseer Lounge. Once and awhile you can retreat to your Roomette and the window alone is so large - you have a stunning view. The window is big, much like a giant HD TV set (like 60" or larger), and it is centered with the exterior walls. Great for reading too, plenty of natural light. At night you can turn off the lights and enjoy a drink looking out along the countryside, towns, rivers, highways, ,etc...

If you have ever travelled in a small yacht or sailboat, or a private jet, or for that matter a train, space is certainly at a premium. We felt like the Roomette just uses the small space so well. But here are a few tips...

1. Keep all of your luggage on the downstairs racks in a two level Superliner. Just bring what you need to your "cabin" to change or sleep, etc...

2. Spend most of the daylight hours in the Sightseer Lounge on the Superliner trains. And the Diner too. I would actually take a cooler, book bag, and a camera with me to the Sightseer Lounge, early in the morning, just after breakfast, and I would remain there most of the day (until dark). For the most part, I would only depart for lunch in the diner - and also to use the bathroom back in our car. There is no bathroom in the Sightseer. The only other option is the bathroom in the coach car that is just beyond the Sightseer. Either is fine...

3. If you have more than 3 or 4 people (sounds like you have a big party traveling) try to get Roomettes that are opposite each other, and on the upper level. You can then open the glass doors - pull back your curtains and enjoy seeing out of both sides of the train. Also, you have the option to use one of them at night for folks to do a quick change (one at a time) - if their beds are already down. Hard to standup and change with the beds down, but regardless - you can always sit on the side of the bed to change.

4. If you take the California Zephyr or Empire Builder - or any Superliner train with the Sleepers on the rear - I recommend the last car - if possible. Seems so much quieter. On our recent trip we had Roomette #10 in the last car - and the car was flipped so that Roomette #10 was on the very end. Also #9 was open and empty. We had both sides - I would use #9 to change at night (after the beds were down). Perhaps there might be a bit more sway on the end, but it was so soft and quiet - not pulling any weight - just rolling along the rails. When we saw #9 and #10 were both open - and at the end of the car, on the very last car, we requested with our porter for a change to that room. It also had a nice view looking back - out the rear door too. The rear door is just outside the Roomette door - if you have Roomette #9 or #10.

5. If you have a large party - and it is an "odd number, maybe consider a Bedroom, if the price is right. Amtrak will allow three in a room, so if there are 7 people, you could get two Roomettes (4 people) and a bedroom for 3.

*And BTW - it appears that the actual legroom between the two chairs - is actually the same in the larger bedroom as it is in the Roomette. The bedroom is just wider - with a private bath and a nice little sink. However - the actual legroom in the Family Bedroom is not good for two people - if you try to sit at the two chiars that face each other.... Also the Family Room is only on the lower level, with smaller windows (no giant window). But it can sleep 3 adults and 2 children in a pinch. The lower bunk in the Family room is the same bed as the lower bunk in the bedroom - can sleep two. But you are quite close together in that bed. My wife and I fit well on the lower bunk in a bedroom or Family Bedroom.

 

[had8ley]

Al's idea of laying out the roomette before you travel is a novel one and it works! Just remember the roomette was originally designed, on older equipment, for one person. My son is 6'3" and I'm 5'7" and it seems we can never get comfortable. You're probably going to lot of opinions but my suggestion would be to book a bedroom. It costs more but the space is very livable for two passengers.

 

[pennyk]

I will agree with rrdude and say "sort of." I am 5'3" and my ex-husband is 6'3". He always seemed to have enough room in a roomette and I never did. I think he hogged all the space. I quite often would spend a lot of time in the lounge car where I could stretch my legs.

I am much more comfortable traveling alone these days (for many reasons). :lol:

 

[Green Maned Lion]

A long time ago, back when cruise ships were still ships and built to cross oceans (rather than just large floating Hilton resort hotels!) cabins were quite small. But that was just fine because all you did in them was sleep and (in some cases) shower.

View the train in the same way. The roomette is a place to sleep or, if you seek some solitude, a place to be alone. Otherwise, all of the trains you are taking, except perhaps the NOL-CHI run, run with a designated lounge car- and in the case of the NOL-CHI run, it usually runs with one. If you are spending all your time alone in your room, you are missing the entire point of American long distance travel.

The Crescent, which is the train from NY to NOL, runs with this kind of lounge car:

The Amfleet II DinerLounge, more commonly referred to as a "Diner Lite". It is the least ideal of the various lounge cars in the Amtrak LD system, because it was designed as a potential replacement for the aging (60+ years) Heritage Diner fleet. Now that the Heritage cars are in good enough shape to hold out until the new Viewliner diners are delivered, the DinerLites are being used as lounge cars on all single level long distance trains bar the Cardinal, which still uses it partly as a diner.

Its not ideal for sightseeing, but it is a good place to enjoy yourself and meet new people- which as I said, is sort of the point of American train travel. You will meet interesting people in the Dining car as meals are done on a community basis.

The City of New Orleans (NOL-CHI) has three potential lounge car configurations. The first, and the one Amtrak tries to do, is running with two cars, one is a called a Superliner DinerLounge, known as the Cross Country Cafe, and is intended to serve as a dining car. It is a rare train that does not have at least one of these cars. The other car is called a Sightseer Lounge, and they try to put one on many CONO trains.

This is the Cross Country Cafe:

It is not the ideal lounge, but it is a lounge and it is nicer than the Amfleet DinerLite because it is nicer inside and it has larger windows. Your CONO will run with either one of these and a sightseer, two of these, or in some circumstances, one of these serving as both a diner and a lounge. Barring that last one, you should spend much of your time in here.

The California Zephyr is, generally, considered one of the most beautiful train rides on earth. And you will ride right through its nicest section, between Denver and Salt Lake City. Almost without fail, the California Zephyr will feature the crown jewel of Amtrak's regular operational fleet, the Sightseer Lounge car. If you are not in this car between Denver and Salt Lake City, you have wasted your money and time.

The Sightseer lounge was designed to replace three types of cars- the Cafe, the lounge, and the dome car. And it does so with a car that, in many ways, is superior to all three. It is, like all Superliners, a bi-level car. In the lower level is a snack-cafe-lounge, with a snack bar and some relatively comfortable seating, fairly large windows, and a generally quiet atmosphere. In the upper level of the car, however, is the nicest place to be. The upper level of the car is equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows, skylights, and seats that face the spectacular view you will see before you. There are also some booth seating in recently refurbished cars.

Picture:

Is the roomette a bit too small to spend the day with another adult. Answer: its close. Should you be spending your day with another adult in your roomette? Answer: If you are wearing clothes, absolutely not.

 

[Pastor Dave]

A few thoughts on the topic: I've only travelled in a Superliner Roomette as a solo act and used the opposite seat as a hassock when I wanted to stretch my legs out.

On the Viewliner Roomette, the seat opposite the toilet can use the toilet as a hassock. It certainly isn't that comfortable, but better than nothing. I know when my wife (6' 3") and I (5' 10") travelled in a Viewliner Roomette leg room was limited.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

It is a tight fit for two people in a roomette.

In a viewliner (East Coast trains), when the top bunk is down, it is

very difficult to do anything on the lower portion of the roomette.

Our experience is quite different.

The roomettes on a Viewliner have lots of ceiling height. One might as well make full use of it.

We can pull the top bunk down, and there is still more than enough headroom to comfortably sit in the seats. With the top bunk down, my kid uses the top bunk as a play/fort area.

Matter of fact, one of the first things we do after boarding, is to pull the top bunk down.

 

[Tracktwentynine]

I'd like to second Green Maned Lion.

Regardless of whether I'm in coach or sleeper, I spend much of my time in the lounge or sightseer lounge. It's great for meeting people, and it's great for sightseeing. The roomette is cozy, and it makes a great bedroom. I'm not sure what else one would desire to use it for.

 

[had8ley]

Hi guys, new member from Australia.

Just found the forums due to an upcoming Feb ski trip to Big White, Canada and Heavenly, Nevada. We have 12 days in between ski jaunts and didn't want to do the Vegas/Disneyland thing with our travelling/skiing partners (my wifes sister and her husband and their children and grandkids).

We then decided to see a bit of countryside. My wife is an airline employee, so the 3 times we have visited the US previously we have just flown all the way to NY and taken domestic flights from there.

This is the plan

17th Feb: LAX - CHI - BOS arriving on the 20th.

22nd: BOS - NOL

25th: NOL -CHI

27th: CHI - RNO

It appears that a USA railpass will be a good option, but it will probably need me to make a phonecall because I don't want to buy the pass online and then find out there are no seats available for 'Railpass' customers because the schedule is fairly tight and not particularly flexible.

We intend getting a roomette for all overnight legs, which brings me to my question. I have read thru many many pages of threads which has broadened my knowledge massively, but was unable to find any specifics about the legroom issue in the daytime config of the roomette.

Put simply, can two adults (5'11 and 5'4) sit opposite each other in the daytime without banging knees???

I see you have a couple of days layover in Boston. If you really want to see America by train take the Downeaster from Boston To Portland. The train hugs the rugged shore line on the north end and business class for $8 is a big bargain. From Portland you can catch a cab and see the Portland docks. It's quite impressive as cruise ships, ferries and seafood markets are all entwined on the piers. There's even a narrow gauge railroad on the east end of the docks with a small, but interesting, musuem. Word of caution; the Downeaster leaves from Boston North Station and there is NO Amtrak connection between Boston South Station (the main terminal in Boston)and Boston North Station home to the only Amtrak run train that departs from there. It's either taxi or subway.Happy traveling!

 

[Shanghai]

the_traveler told me that when he travels in a roomette with another person,

he has to step out into the aisle to change his mind!!

 

[Sam31452]

It appears that a USA railpass will be a good option, but it will probably need me to make a phonecall because I don't want to buy the pass online and then find out there are no seats available for 'Railpass' customers because the schedule is fairly tight and not particularly flexible.
We intend getting a roomette for all overnight legs, which brings me to my question. I have read thru many many pages of threads which has broadened my knowledge massively, but was unable to find any specifics about the legroom issue in the daytime config of the roomette.

Put simply, can two adults (5'11 and 5'4) sit opposite each other in the daytime without banging knees???

Try to contact the International Sales departement by E-mail: [email protected]

A roomette fits two normal people. I'd say that there's really enough space for people who know each other.

My Girlfriend and I spent about 20 nights in a roomette (including 4 days on the Texas Eagle) and never felt that the roomette was to small.

=> I love to hog a seat in the Lounge Car for most of the day too.

Please check also if you might be detoured through Wyoming when travelling on the California Zephyr.

 

[AlanB]

There is no bathroom in the Sightseer. The only other option is the bathroom in the coach car that is just beyond the Sightseer. Either is fine...

Actually there is a bathroom on the lower level of every Sightseer Lounge.

Whether or not it's open is another question. Many attendants seem to mysteriously have an out of order sign on the door, or just lock the door. Seems that they don't like to have to clean it, which is part of their job, so they pretend that it's not working to keep people from using it.

 

[LA Resident]

There is no bathroom in the Sightseer. The only other option is the bathroom in the coach car that is just beyond the Sightseer. Either is fine...

Actually there is a bathroom on the lower level of every Sightseer Lounge.

Whether or not it's open is another question. Many attendants seem to mysteriously have an out of order sign on the door, or just lock the door. Seems that they don't like to have to clean it, which is part of their job, so they pretend that it's not working to keep people from using it.

A perfect starting point for a discussion, perhaps continued elsewhere depending on the system administrator, of the difficulty in achieving a modicum of consistency in Amtrak service.

To wit:

If Amtrak's management scheme is so deficient to the point of inability to insure, over the idiosyncransies of workers, that something so basic as a restroom is always available in Sightseer Lounges, then how can we expect the many other issues of inconsistent service to ever be addressed?

 

[AlanB]

There is no bathroom in the Sightseer. The only other option is the bathroom in the coach car that is just beyond the Sightseer. Either is fine...

Actually there is a bathroom on the lower level of every Sightseer Lounge.

Whether or not it's open is another question. Many attendants seem to mysteriously have an out of order sign on the door, or just lock the door. Seems that they don't like to have to clean it, which is part of their job, so they pretend that it's not working to keep people from using it.

A perfect starting point for a discussion, perhaps continued elsewhere depending on the system administrator, of the difficulty in achieving a modicum of consistency in Amtrak service.

To wit:

If Amtrak's management scheme is so deficient to the point of inability to insure, over the idiosyncransies of workers, that something so basic as a restroom is always available in Sightseer Lounges, then how can we expect the many other issues of inconsistent service to ever be addressed?

Well since there are other bathrooms on the train, most people don't bother to complain about this situation. That assumes that they even know that there was a bathroom there; ABC didn't know. If that was the only bathroom, or if they were in short supply in the rest of the train, people would be making noise.

And Amtrak can't hire enough managers to ride the trains to always ensure that employee's aren't locking the room when there isn't a real problem with the bathroom. People already complain now that Amtrak has too many managers. They'd have to add a few hundred more in order to ensure that the employee wasn't pulling a fast one. Not to mention that paying a manager's salary just to have someone on each and every train to ensure that the bathroom isn't locked, isn't practical from a costs point of view.

Walk into a McDonalds and find that the bathroom is locked, the manager is right there to both complain to and to ensure that the employee doesn't pull that stunt again. Those logistics don't apply to Amtrak.

Yes, there are managers who do ride the trains. But they simply can't be on every train. And if no one reports the problem, then it cannot be fixed. And again, my money is on no one reporting the problem. Only a regular rider would start to see a pattern and quickly realize that there can't be that many deffective bathrooms in the Sightseer Lounges. Most just accept that the attendant is telling them the truth.

 

[LA Resident]

There is no bathroom in the Sightseer. The only other option is the bathroom in the coach car that is just beyond the Sightseer. Either is fine...

Actually there is a bathroom on the lower level of every Sightseer Lounge.

Whether or not it's open is another question. Many attendants seem to mysteriously have an out of order sign on the door, or just lock the door. Seems that they don't like to have to clean it, which is part of their job, so they pretend that it's not working to keep people from using it.

A perfect starting point for a discussion, perhaps continued elsewhere depending on the system administrator, of the difficulty in achieving a modicum of consistency in Amtrak service.

To wit:

If Amtrak's management scheme is so deficient to the point of inability to insure, over the idiosyncransies of workers, that something so basic as a restroom is always available in Sightseer Lounges, then how can we expect the many other issues of inconsistent service to ever be addressed?

Well since there are other bathrooms on the train, most people don't bother to complain about this situation. That assumes that they even know that there was a bathroom there; ABC didn't know. If that was the only bathroom, or if they were in short supply in the rest of the train, people would be making noise.

And Amtrak can't hire enough managers to ride the trains to always ensure that employee's aren't locking the room when there isn't a real problem with the bathroom. People already complain now that Amtrak has too many managers. They'd have to add a few hundred more in order to ensure that the employee wasn't pulling a fast one. Not to mention that paying a manager's salary just to have someone on each and every train to ensure that the bathroom isn't locked, isn't practical from a costs point of view.

Walk into a McDonalds and find that the bathroom is locked, the manager is right there to both complain to and to ensure that the employee doesn't pull that stunt again. Those logistics don't apply to Amtrak.

Yes, there are managers who do ride the trains. But they simply can't be on every train. And if no one reports the problem, then it cannot be fixed. And again, my money is on no one reporting the problem. Only a regular rider would start to see a pattern and quickly realize that there can't be that many deffective bathrooms in the Sightseer Lounges. Most just accept that the attendant is telling them the truth.

What about the conductor watching for these things? Or is that not a solution because we have more than a few observations that more than a few conductors set up shop in the booth area of the cafe downstairs and dare any paying passenger to step into the officer's "Castle"?

Maybe it takes some really pissed-off passenger, literally, to do his or her thing in the Sightseer Car, before such an elementary situation can be rectified?

And if the bathroom issue is seemingly so insulated from proper management, what stops the cafe attendant from saying that the microwave is broken or the coffee machine is on the fritz because he or she just feels lazy and not up to dealing with hot sandwiches for a couple of hours?

I mean, where does the inconsistency end???

 

[AlanB]

A perfect starting point for a discussion, perhaps continued elsewhere depending on the system administrator, of the difficulty in achieving a modicum of consistency in Amtrak service.

To wit:

If Amtrak's management scheme is so deficient to the point of inability to insure, over the idiosyncransies of workers, that something so basic as a restroom is always available in Sightseer Lounges, then how can we expect the many other issues of inconsistent service to ever be addressed?

Well since there are other bathrooms on the train, most people don't bother to complain about this situation. That assumes that they even know that there was a bathroom there; ABC didn't know. If that was the only bathroom, or if they were in short supply in the rest of the train, people would be making noise.

And Amtrak can't hire enough managers to ride the trains to always ensure that employee's aren't locking the room when there isn't a real problem with the bathroom. People already complain now that Amtrak has too many managers. They'd have to add a few hundred more in order to ensure that the employee wasn't pulling a fast one. Not to mention that paying a manager's salary just to have someone on each and every train to ensure that the bathroom isn't locked, isn't practical from a costs point of view.

Walk into a McDonalds and find that the bathroom is locked, the manager is right there to both complain to and to ensure that the employee doesn't pull that stunt again. Those logistics don't apply to Amtrak.

Yes, there are managers who do ride the trains. But they simply can't be on every train. And if no one reports the problem, then it cannot be fixed. And again, my money is on no one reporting the problem. Only a regular rider would start to see a pattern and quickly realize that there can't be that many deffective bathrooms in the Sightseer Lounges. Most just accept that the attendant is telling them the truth.

What about the conductor watching for these things? Or is that not a solution because we have more than a few observations that more than a few conductors set up shop in the booth area of the cafe downstairs and dare any paying passenger to step into the officer's "Castle"?

Maybe it takes some really pissed-off passenger, literally, to do his or her thing in the Sightseer Car, before such an elementary situation can be rectified?

And if the bathroom issue is seemingly so insulated from proper management, what stops the cafe attendant from saying that the microwave is broken or the coffee machine is on the fritz because he or she just feels lazy and not up to dealing with hot sandwiches for a couple of hours?

I mean, where does the inconsistency end???

Most conductors don't setup shop in the SSL, they have a special room in the Trans/Dorm that they use. Late at night, they setup in the dining car so that a passenger with a problem can find them.

That said, the conductor does have the authority to order the LSA to open the bathroom, heck the conductor has the key to unlock it too so they could do it themselves. But most conductors are probably never aware that the room is locked.

As for doing your "thing" in the car, that would probably get you thrown off the train, long before you could ever explain why you did it.

Finally, what stops an attendant from claiming the microwave is broken is the complaints and howls of protest that would occur if they tried that. So it had better be true if they say it's broken.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Also, management would pick up a pattern in that particular buffoons lack of cafe receipts. They're lazy, but not stupid.

 

[LA Resident]

Good Point. It's just so frustrating that there really seems to be little that can be done in trying to get Amtrak employees across-the-board to realize that consistently good service is in THEIR interest as well as that of the customer. It's especially important when you hear that even in states like California--a strong support of passenger rail service--budgets for Amtrak California could be in line for large reductions as the new/old Governor Brown confronts a $28 billion budget gap. And this is a governor who in 1980 in his previous incarnation forcefully began pouring state funds into augmenting Amtrak service. Across the nation, Amtrak will need all the public support it can get. Indifferent or even hostile employees don't help the cause. Just think what a field day some of the Tea Party types in the new Congress can have pumping up an example of poor Amtrak service to serve as a template for targeting a "government monopoly service." There is a rule of thumb that for each complaint officially registered at a firm, multiply it by 10 to get the true number of individuals upset. Amtrak can ill afford any alienation.

 

[had8ley]

There is no bathroom in the Sightseer. The only other option is the bathroom in the coach car that is just beyond the Sightseer. Either is fine...

Actually there is a bathroom on the lower level of every Sightseer Lounge.

Whether or not it's open is another question. Many attendants seem to mysteriously have an out of order sign on the door, or just lock the door. Seems that they don't like to have to clean it, which is part of their job, so they pretend that it's not working to keep people from using it.

A perfect starting point for a discussion, perhaps continued elsewhere depending on the system administrator, of the difficulty in achieving a modicum of consistency in Amtrak service.

To wit:

If Amtrak's management scheme is so deficient to the point of inability to insure, over the idiosyncransies of workers, that something so basic as a restroom is always available in Sightseer Lounges, then how can we expect the many other issues of inconsistent service to ever be addressed?

Well since there are other bathrooms on the train, most people don't bother to complain about this situation. That assumes that they even know that there was a bathroom there; ABC didn't know. If that was the only bathroom, or if they were in short supply in the rest of the train, people would be making noise.

And Amtrak can't hire enough managers to ride the trains to always ensure that employee's aren't locking the room when there isn't a real problem with the bathroom. People already complain now that Amtrak has too many managers. They'd have to add a few hundred more in order to ensure that the employee wasn't pulling a fast one. Not to mention that paying a manager's salary just to have someone on each and every train to ensure that the bathroom isn't locked, isn't practical from a costs point of view.

Walk into a McDonalds and find that the bathroom is locked, the manager is right there to both complain to and to ensure that the employee doesn't pull that stunt again. Those logistics don't apply to Amtrak.

Yes, there are managers who do ride the trains. But they simply can't be on every train. And if no one reports the problem, then it cannot be fixed. And again, my money is on no one reporting the problem. Only a regular rider would start to see a pattern and quickly realize that there can't be that many deffective bathrooms in the Sightseer Lounges. Most just accept that the attendant is telling them the truth.

More fuel for the fire~ the SSL potty is ADA compliant and any disabled person who wants to eat out of his/her room can be wheeled to the SSL at a station stop. What to do when the LSA locks the potty out of laziness in not wanting to keep things tidy ??? Sounds like another class action black eye for Amtrak...

 

[oldtimer]

There is no bathroom in the Sightseer. The only other option is the bathroom in the coach car that is just beyond the Sightseer. Either is fine...

Actually there is a bathroom on the lower level of every Sightseer Lounge.

Whether or not it's open is another question. Many attendants seem to mysteriously have an out of order sign on the door, or just lock the door. Seems that they don't like to have to clean it, which is part of their job, so they pretend that it's not working to keep people from using it.

A perfect starting point for a discussion, perhaps continued elsewhere depending on the system administrator, of the difficulty in achieving a modicum of consistency in Amtrak service.

To wit:

If Amtrak's management scheme is so deficient to the point of inability to insure, over the idiosyncransies of workers, that something so basic as a restroom is always available in Sightseer Lounges, then how can we expect the many other issues of inconsistent service to ever be addressed?

Well since there are other bathrooms on the train, most people don't bother to complain about this situation. That assumes that they even know that there was a bathroom there; ABC didn't know. If that was the only bathroom, or if they were in short supply in the rest of the train, people would be making noise.

And Amtrak can't hire enough managers to ride the trains to always ensure that employee's aren't locking the room when there isn't a real problem with the bathroom. People already complain now that Amtrak has too many managers. They'd have to add a few hundred more in order to ensure that the employee wasn't pulling a fast one. Not to mention that paying a manager's salary just to have someone on each and every train to ensure that the bathroom isn't locked, isn't practical from a costs point of view.

Walk into a McDonalds and find that the bathroom is locked, the manager is right there to both complain to and to ensure that the employee doesn't pull that stunt again. Those logistics don't apply to Amtrak.

Yes, there are managers who do ride the trains. But they simply can't be on every train. And if no one reports the problem, then it cannot be fixed. And again, my money is on no one reporting the problem. Only a regular rider would start to see a pattern and quickly realize that there can't be that many deffective bathrooms in the Sightseer Lounges. Most just accept that the attendant is telling them the truth.

More fuel for the fire~ the SSL potty is ADA compliant and any disabled person who wants to eat out of his/her room can be wheeled to the SSL at a station stop. What to do when the LSA locks the potty out of laziness in not wanting to keep things tidy ??? Sounds like another class action black eye for Amtrak...

The SSL washroom is ADA compliant only on the Superliner II's.