Coast Starlight Trip

Hi!

Im planning on taking a trip up the coast from LA with my girlfriend next month and I was wondering if it was possible to pre-book specific roomettes on the train? The reason I ask is that I really want a room on the ocean side for the amazing views and this would be a really big bonus for us!

Also, with dining, as a sleeper customer, do you just go to the dining car, show your ticket and order what you want? And does it include drinks?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

James

You can select which roomette you want, but you won't know till you board if it's on the Ocean side or the other side. If you're on the other side, try to grab a seat in the Pacific Parlor Car.

Dinner is by reservation. Someone will come to your room (and the PPC) to tell you what times are available and ask you which one you want. You can chose between the dining car and the PPC, though the PPC has limited seating.

Alcholic drinks are not included.

Nope, cannot book specific rooms, well, you "can", but there is no guarantee if that room will be ocean-view or inland-view.

HOWEVER, there are usually two lounge cars on the Starlight, one of them specifically for sleeper guests, and often it is a car called the "Pacific Parlor Car".

This is a "one-off" for Amtrak Long Distance trains, as this car has stuffed swivel chairs, tables, and you can even take your meals in this car. The last of it's kind in regular service on Amtrak. Pray your trip has the PPC on it. If the PPC is not on it, they usually sub a Sightseer Lounge, or Cross Country Cafe car, again, for exclusive use of sleepers......

Dinner is usually by reservation, (about 90%+ of the time, but Breakfast and Lunch are usually come when you want. Alcoholic drinks are not included, but, you may also bring your own stock, and consume in your room, since you are in sleeper class. (note I wrote "sleeper class" vs. "first class". Don't expect "first class" service)

Well DAMN, look what one minute gets you! I'm too slow I guess Blue...........

(correct me if I'm wrong)

I've been told that you can't request a specific roomette for your ride. Actually, from what I understand, you never know the orientation of that specific car until it's put into the train. So, it's 50-50.

That said, the guy who was across the aisle from us on the EB last month said that he specifically wanted to be on the north side of the car when he booked - and he was.

Dinner reservations are made in advance. They tell you what times the seatings are, and give you a ticket for that time.

Enjoy your trip!

We rode the CS last month and ate in the Pacific Parlor Car - different menu, smaller, and it seemed less rushed.

You CAN request a specific room, but you need to call Reservations to do so.

However, you are correct, no way to know "which side of the track" that said room will be..............

Here's a shot I took of the Pacific Parlor Car:

It is not known which side is the "ocean side" until you board. Sleepers can be attached either direction - bedrooms first or roomettes first. In fact, I've been on many trains where 11 sleeper had bedrooms first and the next had roomettes first. Thus one car had "odd" number rooms on the "ocean side", while the next was "even" number rooms!

You can get specific roomettes, although the website does not show that. I never book sleepers on the website but always with an agent because I am somewhat picky about roomette location (don't like downstairs, don't like the transdorm). The way I do it, instead of asking for a specific one, I ask which roomette it will be during the booking process and ask it to be changed if I do not like it.

However, as to ocean views, Superliners can and do run oriented in either direction, often sleepers in the same train are not oriented the same way. So there is no way to know if the odd or even roomettes have the view until you see the actual consist.

Wow! Thanks for all the replies!

Really helpful stuff. Does anyone happen to know if once you're onboard the train, and it turns out you are on the 'wrong' side, if their a roomettes free on the other side would it be possible to swap? I ask as we'll be going on a Tuesday in November, so I'm presuming the train wont be that busy.

Thanks again!

James

Again, depends on occupancy of train. My TA-S let my wife and I stay in our room, one stop further than planned, as we had only bought sleeper to RGH, and were really getting off in CARY, ten minutes later.

I told her this when we boarded, and instead of putting us in 3, she put in in 5 which was unoccupied the whole way. While 3, was sold to someone else at RGH.

What they try to avoid is someone getting on later, who has booked in "X" and having them throw a fit, because you are in "X" now. And that person boarding later on, would be entitled to "X", since "X" was on their rezzy.

Here's the chairs I luv on the PPC.

For what its worth, my two trips on the CS, my particular sleeper was oriented with bedrooms on the coast side for the northbound trip and opposite for the southbound trip. YMMV!

In my opinion, the side opposite the coast provides a better view when you get up into Oregon and head over the Cascades into Eugene.

James said:

Wow! Thanks for all the replies!

Really helpful stuff. Does anyone happen to know if once you're onboard the train, and it turns out you are on the 'wrong' side, if their a roomettes free on the other side would it be possible to swap? I ask as we'll be going on a Tuesday in November, so I'm presuming the train wont be that busy.

Thanks again!

James

Click to expand...

It would be up to the SCA and the conductor. Remember, even if it is empty when you board, it may very be occupied at a later station. If that is the case, the answer would likely be no. If you were checking in late to a hotel room would you like if the hotel allowed someone else to occupy the room before you showed up because it had a better view than the one they had? Same thing.

The Coast Starlight generally runs with a pretty good load, and they take the 3rd sleeper off in the lower demand months, so I would not count on a super light load. An indicator of how busy it might be would be to run an Amsnag search for dates around your day of travel and see what the fares look like. If they are in a high bucket on your day of travel, it is a good bet the roomettes are fairly full.

Short answer, the likelihood of switching room is not high. If you don't have a room on the "ocean" side, just go to the Parlour car or the Sightseer Lounge. Recommendation is that you head there before Oxnard to score a seat.

As others have said, you can always go to the Pacific Parlour Car to see the ocean side during the first several hours of the trip. Once you've passed San Luis Obispo, more than half of the good views are on the right side of the train. My particular favorite (as mentioned by John, above) is when you wake up in Oregon and snow-capped Mt Shasta is gleaming in the dawn colors out the right-hand side.

And as others have said, alcoholic beverages are not included with meals, but water, soda pop, milk, juice, and tea/coffee are included. Members of this group often mention enjoying their pre-dinner and after-dinner beverages in the privacy of their accommodations. So feel free to bring along whatever you wish, and ask your sleeper car attendant (SCA) for ice or plastic cups as needed. You should also find some varieties of juice near the coffee urn on your sleeper.