This spring we spent two nights on the CZ & CS from Denver to Seattle. Mom and Dad got the Bedroom, and the teenager had her own Roomette to herself. It was my first ride in a Bedroom, so it set a new standard of luxury for me. There was room for three (or four) of us to sit together, and rooms to be apart. If you have any little hint of claustrophobia, the Bedroom is your friend. That tiny water closet, not so much. And if your claustrophobia is as strong as mine, the low-ceilinged, coffin-llke upper bunk is a real challenge. I couldn't sleep up there -- I tried -- but my wife and I could fit comfortably on the lower bunk, when arranged north to south.
Good luck gave us forward-facing sofas on booth trains, but we usually sat facing each other beside the window, so one of us was facing backwards anyhow. The jump seat facing the sofa isn't bad. You might get a remodeled Superliner interior, with retro-deco styled sink and mirror, or the original, shared-off '80's style, but that won't affect your comfort. The older sleeper on the Starlight was a much better ride, mostly because the AC was set 15 degrees cooler. Sorry to say, but the CZ sleeper was a stuffy sweat lodge, with only a wheeze of air from the ceiling vent. I brought a 4-inch battery fan, but that wasn't nearly enough. I had to take several cool showers to get through the night, so I guess that in-room shower really was handy!
Big or small, Amtrak bedrooms are the essential amenity. The value of a quiet night's sleep is obvious, and knowing that you will get a fair chance to do that is very reassuring. The long days go faster when you have a choice of three places, lounge, diner, or room, to spend your time. And so we burned through three years worth of credit card points in three days--but there was no better way I would have spent them. The face value was about $350, but I bought closer to $300 worth of travel for them.
