First Timer- Roomette Question

Planning a trip this summer with the family- 2 adults and 3 kids ages 7, 5, and 2. I have no problem sleeping overnight in coach, but we'd like a roomette so if one of the kids gets fussy, we have a place to go.

My question is...if we purchased the 5 coach seats plus one roomette, could we "rotate" the kids to the roomette for a nap or as needed? 3 seats in coach and the two in the roomette...so could I take one kid to the roomette and then my wife take the 2 year old, etc? Trying to avoid having to purchase two roomettes for budget reasons, but want to make sure all 3 kids could use it if they needed to at different times.

We'll be going from New Orleans to Tucson on the Sunset Limited.

Thanks!

Only passengers with a Sleeper ticket, are allowed in the Sleeper cars. Typically, there is a staffed car, like a Diner Car, between the Sleeper and Coach cars. Be prepared to show to any Amtrak staff, a Sleeper ticket for everyone/anyone, regardless of age. Remember, tickets are issued by name, and therefore, only the named person has paid for the accommodation.

It would be very similar to you buying just one First Class ticket for a flight, and inviting the rest of your family from coach, up to First Class. Even if there are empty seats, coach ticketed passengers are not allowed to make use of First Class.

CM said:

Planning a trip this summer with the family- 2 adults and 3 kids ages 7, 5, and 2. I have no problem sleeping overnight in coach, but we'd like a roomette so if one of the kids gets fussy, we have a place to go.

My question is...if we purchased the 5 coach seats plus one roomette, could we "rotate" the kids to the roomette for a nap or as needed? 3 seats in coach and the two in the roomette...so could I take one kid to the roomette and then my wife take the 2 year old, etc? Trying to avoid having to purchase two roomettes for budget reasons, but want to make sure all 3 kids could use it if they needed to at different times.

We'll be going from New Orleans to Tucson on the Sunset Limited.

Thanks!

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It depends. By rule, only the passengers whose names are on the ticket for the Roomette can occupy the room. Also, only the passengers whose names are on the tickets for coach can occupy a coach seat. In practice, many crews will permit a room to be used on a rotating basis. The problem is that you can't be sure how fussy the crew may be until you board. It is unlikely that the crew will object, but it could happen.

In considering the cost of a second Roomette, have you considered some of the savings? Having two roomettes will entitle all five of you to free meals throughout the trip. For NOL-TUS, that is one breakfast, two lunches, and two dinners each. Also, if coach seats are selling above the lowest price, when booking the Roomette, the rail fare is repriced down to the lowest coach price. For a day I checked in July, the coach fare of $170 was reduced $34 each if a Roomette was added. That effectively reduces the additional cost of the Roomette.

Right now, Roomettes NOL-TUS are going for $241. Five meals for two passengers probably cuts the net additional cost of a second room to something like $140. If the rail fare is not at the lowest price, that drop will cut the cost more. That could be money well spent to allow everyone to be together and avoid any issues with a crew that goes by the book.

I have 5 kids and we have done that without any problem at all. I would encourage you to give it try. Just use discretion, and consider a nice tip to your car attendant.

If the kids run up and down the hall or misbehave - well, forget it. But I have always found that the Amtrak crews like seeing families that travel together and they will bend over backwards to accommodate. Our kids enjoy rail travel and they were pretty much older than your ages that you mentioned - so that really helped in our case.

On one trip they actually allowed me to have 4 of my kids in a bedroom (5 people, me and the oldest 4 children took a trip to NYC). But my oldest decided to go back to coach. Just too crowded to sleep, but at least they did not interfere. They did not make me purchase a second Roomette.

Like I said - be courteous and polite to the crew, and keep the kids quiet. I have also seen others have two kids in a roomette - with a mom or a dad. I have also seen 3 adults in a Roomette and the crew knew about it - so no one was overly concerned. I'm sure they only get the two meals in the dinner too.

I don't think that the "First Class Airline example is quite the same as traveling on Amtrak. On a plane any movement from coach to First Class is so noticeable. But I have had coach travelers - traveling with me on a plane, join me in first class for a short visit. Again, it has to do with the way you handle it.

On My first LD trip I had my room with my mom and me . and my bro was on coach ,,way and we cycled out day/ night ( he worked nights so the timeing was great anyways )

I suspect IF you are nice and explain the staff will do what they can .

I gave my TIx to my bro and Vis a vis .. we all have the same last name so its not such a big deal I think .. BUT its a risk . some crews are VERY controling and would have a coronary if they were asked to cycle a room .

Thanks for the info. How strict have they been in checking tickets in your experiences as far as going to your roomette? Is there a "guard" checking at the entry or something? If, for example, my wife and youngest had the "sleeping car" tickets, do you think her coming to get the other kids would be closely scrutinized if it wasn't another adult (myself) going to the sleeping car? I'm thinking we could all be together in the observation or dining cars the majority of the time...would just like the roomette for the kids to sleep in and we obviously don't want them to be alone when in there. I'm not trying to pile all 5 of us in there at one time or anything.

PRR 60 said:

... the problem is that you can't be sure how fussy the crew may be until you board. It is unlikely that the crew will object, but it could happen.

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No, but other passengers might. I know if I saw this parade of people to/from with kids cause commotion - well, I would say something to the crew.

Not to be rude to our guests: but why do people think they can get something for free. You paid for 3 in coach and 2 in sleeper. end of story.....

and the airline example IS the same. buying 1 First Class and 2 coach, then "rotating through to sleep" will not be tolerated by the crew.

CM said:

Thanks for the info. How strict have they been in checking tickets in your experiences as far as going to your roomette? Is there a "guard" checking at the entry or something? If, for example, my wife and youngest had the "sleeping car" tickets, do you think her coming to get the other kids would be closely scrutinized if it wasn't another adult (myself) going to the sleeping car? I'm thinking we could all be together in the observation or dining cars the majority of the time...would just like the roomette for the kids to sleep in and we obviously don't want them to be alone when in there. I'm not trying to pile all 5 of us in there at one time or anything.

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The dining car workers and sleeping car attendants know who is supposed to be there and who isn't and will question you. It's entirely up to their discretion, something I wouldn't depend on.

There is no one actually to check for tickets, so just keep the traffic down, and appear like you are just going to your room. Acting a bit sheepish about it could draw unnecessary attention.

daveyb99 said:

PRR 60 said:

... the problem is that you can't be sure how fussy the crew may be until you board. It is unlikely that the crew will object, but it could happen.

Click to expand...

Not to be rude to our guests: but why do people think they can get something for free. You paid for 3 in coach and 2 in sleeper. end of story.....

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Actually, it isn't something for "free." I'd be paying for the room...people have already posted that more than 2 people can be accomodated in a roomette...so it's basically Amtrak forcing people to buy multiple rooms when one would suffice...esp when you're talking about small kids.

So one adult apparently could never travel with two small children on Amtrak and have just one roomette...which makes absolutely no sense. End of story.

Thanks for the replies guys.

CM said:

Actually, it isn't something for "free." I'd be paying for the room...people have already posted that more than 2 people can be accomodated in a roomette...so it's basically Amtrak forcing people to buy multiple rooms when one would suffice...esp when you're talking about small kids.

So one adult apparently could never travel with two small children on Amtrak and have just one roomette...which makes absolutely no sense. End of story.

Thanks for the replies guys.

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No, TWO passengers paid the for room, THREE paid for coach. A "rotational sleeping schedule" is not part of that deal - and that concept makes it Something For Free.

And yes, there could be three in a room overnight. It does become very crowded for one adult + two small kids. Beyond that, TWO is the max.

Maybe more can sardine in during the day. But your question was 'can we get more than the two with tickets into the sleeper'. And by rule, NO.

(Ready for the next question? "what if Mom and Kid#1 eat one meal, then swap the next to Dad and Kid #2.)

Whatever the crew allows is fine by me, but do not expect it.

Sorry, but just my opinion.

CM said:

Actually, it isn't something for "free." I'd be paying for the room...

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No, you are paying for Sleeper service for two very specific people who's names are on the sleeper tickets. That's it.

You can attempt to rationalize your stealing of service, but the bottom line is always, you are stealing.

CM said:

Actually, it isn't something for "free." I'd be paying for the room...people have already posted that more than 2 people can be accomodated in a roomette...so it's basically Amtrak forcing people to buy multiple rooms when one would suffice...esp when you're talking about small kids. So one adult apparently could never travel with two small children on Amtrak and have just one roomette...which makes absolutely no sense.

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Don't worry, this isn't the huge deal that some contributors make it out to be. As a family with young kids you'll probably be allowed to do exactly as you're intending. If you were a group of adults they would probably be less accepting of this. Try to get two kids and an adult reserved in the sleeper by speaking with the reservations desk over the phone. That should allow those three to be in there at a minimum. If one or two of the kids gets swapped I don't think they'll make a big deal about it so long as you're not making a big deal about it. Once the adult in the sleeper has a chance to get a feel for the sleeper attendant's demeanor they can decide if it looks like they'd allow the other adult to swap with them or not.

Try checking the price on the family bedroom. During the daytime configuration, the kids would have a little more floor space than coach. And all the meals are included...that alone would probably convince me that sleeper(s) for the whole family would be worth it. For me, breakfast usually runs about $10, lunch $15 & dinner $25 - plus tips. Actually that's a guess, because I'm always in the sleeper So just a rough guess for a family of 2 adults & 3 young children, multiply by 4 for each meal should get a reasonable estimate: $40 x 1 breakfast + $60 x 2 Lunches + $100 x 2 dinners = $360. The sleepers also have coffee & a boxed "juice like" drink - for free!

A sleeper would be, IMHO, easier & less stress (what if you get a crew that won't let you rotate?) and possibly cheaper overall, than coach.