California Zephyr sleeper

[bulldog]

We are taking the CZ out of Chicago in late september and going to S.F. We have a few questions.

1. Is deluxe bedroom D better because it is in the middle of the car or are others better?

2. What kind of door is on the room? just a curtain or is it a regular door?

3. I noticed that we are above the restrooms that are below will that be a problem?

4. How crowded will the observation car be at various times of the day?

5. Does it make sense to bring a laptop for watching movies at night in our room?

 

[AlanB]

1. Is deluxe bedroom D better because it is in the middle of the car or are others better?

Any room IMHO but A is a good room. The A room is slightly smaller because the corner is cut to allow people to reach the door to the next car. This forced them to move the bathroom a bit further into the room, cutting down on the overal space of the room. Some people also don't like the E room, because its wall is also the wall of the stairs up and down, so occasionally people do bang into it. Personally it's never bothered me though.

2. What kind of door is on the room? just a curtain or is it a regular door?

It's a sliding glass door that can be locked when you are in the room. There is also a curtain that can be pulled across the doorway for privacy and to block out the light from the window.

3. I noticed that we are above the restrooms that are below will that be a problem?

I've never noticed a problem.

4. How crowded will the observation car be at various times of the day?

Your first day out of Chicago it might not be too crowded, but I'd expect it to be pretty full for the climb out of Denver into the Rockies.

5. Does it make sense to bring a laptop for watching movies at night in our room?

That's really up to you. I always have my laptop with me both for work and movies if I feel like one. Others however prefer to read, while still others turn off the lights in the room and watch things go by outside.

 

[RailFanLNK]

1.I had room E going to EMY from LNK and really liked it cuz the coffee and juice was right out the door. I never heard anyone "bumping" into the stairwell wall either.

2. We always shut the door and pulled the curtain closed when we left the room. We also took any bag that had any "valuables" in it and either "hid" it or put a blanket on it and moved it away from the door. If that was to be borrowed, they were really going to have to spend some time rifling around in our room.

3. The restrooms being right below gives you another option if the bathroom you are sharing is "busy".

4. I would go to breakfast in the diner before Denver if its not too early for you. Get out in Denver and stretch your legs and get some fresh air. They have about a 25 minute layover to wash the windows and change the crew members. Then proceed directly to the observation car cuz its gonna get real pretty real quick. Don't hog a seat either. I usually sit for an hour and then get up and move around so someone else can enjoy a seat. Sometimes sitting in the lower level (lounge car) can be nice to and sometimes kinda quieter than the observation car.

5. I'm not a big movie guy, the thing I like about the train is the ability to sleep, scratch, belch (sorry) doze, read, laugh, relax, smile, snuggle etc. I can watch a movie anytime. A movie in coach might be ok but not if you have a sleeper IMHO.