amtrakwolverine
Engineer
what are the roomettes like on the superliners. i know thee small but if $$$$ providing im going to go sleeper both ways when i take the empire builder to SEA and back next year
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superliner roomettes
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Tony
Guest
They are small, but not all that small. There are, unfortunately, too many posts which exaggerate on the smallness of their size.
They give you a private space where you, and possibly a fellow traveler, can stretch out very comfortably. You will not be bothered by others, and you will not have to worry if you are bothering them.
Over coach, you still get all the "first class" treatment.
The negative aspect that bothers me, is that unlike the Viewliner roomettes, the Superliner roomettes don't have a private toilet and sink. Which means if you have to go in the middle of the night, you will need to get dressed first so that you can walk the hallway to the common bathroom.
They give you a private space where you, and possibly a fellow traveler, can stretch out very comfortably. You will not be bothered by others, and you will not have to worry if you are bothering them.
Over coach, you still get all the "first class" treatment.
The negative aspect that bothers me, is that unlike the Viewliner roomettes, the Superliner roomettes don't have a private toilet and sink. Which means if you have to go in the middle of the night, you will need to get dressed first so that you can walk the hallway to the common bathroom.
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Ed
Guest
The roomettes are small for two people if they are above average size. I am 6'4" and my wife 5"7". Our knees nearly touch each other when we sit in the day configuration. Now, we only sat in one when our bedroom was being converted to a day configuration, but I felt the roomette would be too small for us for a long trip. Probably OK for small people or one person.
the_traveler
Engineer
They can be small for sitting during the day for 2 people, yes. But for much of the day, you may not even be in the roomette at all! (I'd be in the Sightseer! 
) But, you do have the privacy (both during the day and at night), you have a work table (such as for your laptop), your meals are included and (most importantly) you will have a power outlet in your room!
The bad things are the upper berth on a Superliner does not have their own window (like on a Viewliner) and the seats do not recline as far as coach seats.
) But, you do have the privacy (both during the day and at night), you have a work table (such as for your laptop), your meals are included and (most importantly) you will have a power outlet in your room! The bad things are the upper berth on a Superliner does not have their own window (like on a Viewliner) and the seats do not recline as far as coach seats.
p&sr
OBS Chief
That's why you bring along a bathrobe and a pair of sandals.
sky12065
Conductor
If you compare the price between the roomette and the bedroom I think you'll agree that the price you'll save per the short night time potty walk ( :wacko: ) will be more than substantial enough to make it worth while!
Good thing that each roomette provided two regular pillows, not travel-sized. It's a big bonus for single traveler because I can use one of them to make a good reclining position during daytime configuration.The bad things are the upper berth on a Superliner does not have their own window (like on a Viewliner) and the seats do not recline as far as coach seats.
PetalumaLoco
Conductor
Take a look here for some 3d views of roomettes and other car features.
Here's youtube videos made by riders;
youtube roomette
Just search youtube for "roomette" if you want to find more.
Here's youtube videos made by riders;
youtube roomette
Just search youtube for "roomette" if you want to find more.
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I too find the Superliner (and Viewliner) roomettes comfortable for one. One minor inconvenience that the roomette only affords a view out one side of the train. A bedroom has some view of the opposite side of the train through the door and across the corridor. For the most part, that is not a big deal.
spot1181
Lead Service Attendant
Hasn't anybody heard of a "peebottle". Saves a lot of time and hassle when in the upper bunk. I use one in the back of my mail truck at least twice a day.
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Tony
Guest
PetalumaLoco
Conductor
Ewe, I'm sterilizing all my mail! :blink:
Ispolkom
Engineer
They don't make up the beds with the heads on the same end as the toilet, as shown on this web page: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...e&c=am2Copy That's not the way I remember, but it's been a long time since I was in a viewliner roomette.
I don't think my wife would appreciate me using the toilet if she had the lower berth with her face a foot from the toilet.
In general, I'm quite happy to have the plumbing down the hall, especially when it goes wrong. That's why you don't want roomette #2 on a Superliner, and why I'll now always take the family bedroom over a deluxe. On our last trip, our Sleeping Car Attendant earned her tip by making them empty the upstairs restroom in our sleeper at Havre, even if it delayed the train.
Me, I sleep in a t-shirt and shorts, hence no problem with trips to the head in the night.
sky12065
Conductor
May be a great idea on a train if a leak proof bottle is used. The "peebottle" is usually called a "male or female urinal" and they usually come with a snapon or twist on cap. I've used the snapon type a few time following operations!
The bottles can be obtained through your drug store, online or a few other type of stores. You can find more information and pricing through Google searches.
sky12065
Conductor
The attendant should be making the bed with the pillow end facing the direction that the train came from and the foot of the bed toward the direction the train is traveling.
This is to prevent sprained or even worse broken necks in case the train stops suddenly in an emergency or accident. So the relative position of the commode to the pillow end depends on the directional orentation of the sleeper car itself! :huh:access bob
Lead Service Attendant
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I just returned 2 weeks ago off the Zepher from Emeryville. My sister and I traveled in a roomette although we were in the transition car (crew car). We are both LARGE women with big bellys. I slept in the upper berth and had no problem. The only problem was getting up and down and not because i was large, it was that the "steps" were not out far enough and when you "felt" for the step you didnt always touch it. I get up often in the night. If you do not, it should not be a problem. My sis guided me down. The upper bed does not has as much padding in the mattress but it was fine. When the lower bed is out for sleep, yes it is tight, but that is usually after 9pm or so and made when you get back from breakfast. I really enjoyed my trip, would do a sleeper again.
sky12065
Conductor
You just described the same exact experience/problem my wife has had in an H room a number of times! :lol: I could tell you more but I don't want to get clobbered! :wacko:
I don't think that Tony was saying that it was a negative aspect to have the bed made up in any direction in the Viewliner room. He was saying that the negative was not having a toilet in the Superliner room. He wasn't commenting on the orientation of the toilet to your head in a Viewliner.
That said, the attendant can't make up the beds with your head next to the toilet in a Viewliner roomette. The beds are tapered at the foot end to fit the toilet into the room. The mattress is likewise tapered at one end. So if you drop it down the wrong way, it won't fit.
That taper is one of the best features of the Viewliner roomette as it makes it much easier to climb into the upper bunk. If Amtrak ever does get new Superliner replacements, even if they don't put toilets into the rooms I hope that they'll use the taper idea.
All the bathrooms use the same central waste storage tank. It's not possible to just empty one bathroom.
As for not wanting room #2, consider that it's always priced in the lowest bucket.
As I mentioned above, it's not possible to orientate the pillow end based upon direction of travel. Because of the taper, half the beds always face feet first, half always face head first in a Viewliner.The attendant should be making the bed with the pillow end facing the direction that the train came from and the foot of the bed toward the direction the train is traveling.
Even in a Superliner, technically half face head first because of how the steps are placed in the room. You can turn it around, but it gets far more interesting to get into bed when you do that.
Even when it is the only room left in the car and the last one sold before it went at top bucket price???
On a Superliner room #2 is always the first one sold. So if you saw anything beyond that, then there must have been a cancellation, which of course changes things since it would go back into inventory at it's original bucket price.
sky12065
Conductor
When I made the post I was under the belief that the roomette had the same chair, bed, step and bunk size and orientation as the H room does. So I'll have to qualify my statement as referring to the H room only.As I mentioned above, it's not possible to orientate the pillow end based upon direction of travel. Because of the taper, half the beds always face feet first, half always face head first in a Viewliner.The attendant should be making the bed with the pillow end facing the direction that the train came from and the foot of the bed toward the direction the train is traveling.
Even in a Superliner, technically half face head first because of how the steps are placed in the room. You can turn it around, but it gets far more interesting to get into bed when you do that.
If both room types were of the same measurements etc. then I would then have to disagree with you. I have slept at both ends of the bed many times (either head or feet near the step) and had no problem getting in and out of the bed, and I'm probably bigger than the vast majority of those using either the H room or the roomette.
BTW, having heard a number of times from car attendants about the danger of laying down in the wrong direction, it was during this last trip when I was finally convinced to lay down feet first toward the direction of the train's movement despite my sometimes having breathing difficulty when laying on my right side or on my back!
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