Hello everybody! I am currently on deployment to Iraq, but headed home soon and am thinking of taking a trip on the CS from San Diego to Albany, OR to see family. I have never ridden on Amtrak before, so this will be a first for me. But the thought of fighting to get through another plane trip is more than I can handle, especially when the Starlight goes directly to where I want to be, and I am in no hurry!
I have a few (probably dumb) questions, I can't seem to find the answers on either the surfliner or coast starlight pages online...
1) One of my friends is coming with me to make a road trip of the whole thing (I am going to Oregon to pick up my vehicle from my family who has been watching it while I am gone). I am thinking of getting a "Bedroom" sleeper car on the CS. We are both late 20's broad shouldered military guys both over six feet tall, are we going to have enough room in there, or are the beds too small? Same question goes for the shower... how big is it really? I read on one of the pages that the shower downstairs with the Roomettes is larger than the one in the rooms, is this true?
2) Second question is baggage. Each of us will have a regular suitcase in addition to a backpack. I am trying to figure out if we should check the suitcases, since we will be on the Surfliner in the morning and I am not sure how that would work trying to roll those on as "carry ons". If I do check it, I am assuming that Amtrak will handle getting the bags from the PS to the Starlight at LAUS? Since Albany seems to be just a quick stop, they will in fact get the bags out of the baggage car for us, correct?
Again, sorry for the probably dumb questions. I am really looking forward to this trip... and considering I have Family in Albany, San Jose and Sacramento, this may become my new main mode of transport instead of "slabbing it" up I-5 every time!
I have a few (probably dumb) questions, I can't seem to find the answers on either the surfliner or coast starlight pages online...
1) One of my friends is coming with me to make a road trip of the whole thing (I am going to Oregon to pick up my vehicle from my family who has been watching it while I am gone). I am thinking of getting a "Bedroom" sleeper car on the CS. We are both late 20's broad shouldered military guys both over six feet tall, are we going to have enough room in there, or are the beds too small? Same question goes for the shower... how big is it really? I read on one of the pages that the shower downstairs with the Roomettes is larger than the one in the rooms, is this true?
2) Second question is baggage. Each of us will have a regular suitcase in addition to a backpack. I am trying to figure out if we should check the suitcases, since we will be on the Surfliner in the morning and I am not sure how that would work trying to roll those on as "carry ons". If I do check it, I am assuming that Amtrak will handle getting the bags from the PS to the Starlight at LAUS? Since Albany seems to be just a quick stop, they will in fact get the bags out of the baggage car for us, correct?
Again, sorry for the probably dumb questions. I am really looking forward to this trip... and considering I have Family in Albany, San Jose and Sacramento, this may become my new main mode of transport instead of "slabbing it" up I-5 every time!