Hello all,
I'm thinking of inviting my girlfriend to join me for a trip from Emeryville to Boston, via the California Zephyr and Lakeshore Limited. It would be about 3 days, and we'd have a roomette for the Zephyr up to Chicago (2 days), and then a coach seat down to Boston (1 day).
Anyone do anything like that with a romantic partner before? And if so, did you have a great time, or did the small space drive you guys nuts?
Multiple times. We're both small, so the space was not an issue. Roomettes even have room for romance if you're small. They certainly have plenty of room to sleep if you're small. I'd volunteer to sleep in the upper bunk unless she takes a fancy to it, though, since it's a bit of an exercise in gymnastics to get in and out of it. I actually prefer the Viewliner roomettes to the Superliner roomettes, despite the odd toilet arrangements; the Viewliner roomettes are larger and have windows for the upper bunk.
I've also done overnights in coach, and I do *not* recommend it if your girlfriend is anything less than a very heavy sleeper; even though people are supposed to be quiet at night, they aren't, and it's hard to get a good night's sleep. One tip: if you do go overnight in coach on the LSL, make absolutely sure you're in an Amfleet II with the big seats; if the neighboring coach has bigger seats than yours, move seats. I got stuck in an Amfleet I overnight once and that was truly miserable. But I'd strongly recommend a roomette if you don't want her to be cranky and sleep-deprived on the morning of arrival. When budgeting it, remember that the roomette comes with included meals, which for two people often makes the price look a lot more justifiable. (I believe Chicago to Boston would have breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I've never done it so someone may correct me.)
If you don't have a strong reason to go to Boston and can't afford roomettes for both legs of the trip, you might consider making a shorter trip (to Chicago, for instance, or to Denver, or to Portland, or to Seattle) so that you can make it all-roomette. Being able to sleep lying down makes a huge difference.
Of course, my fiancee took to train travel immediately because she has arthritis, which means that the cramped conditions of planes, buses, and cars are very bad for her, and being able to stretch her legs on the train makes all the difference; if your girlfriend enjoys 20-hour plane flights or 18-hour drives, she probably won't take to train travel as quickly.
I hope to hear back how the trip goes too.