Goonie -Did you spend any nights on the train, or did you do hotels? I'm curious how easy it is to sleep on a train.
I always spent the nights (2 each way) onboard the Southwest Chief (Chi-LA & LA-Chi). Most trips I just stayed in Coach.....the seats were quite comfortable and reclined and had leg/foot rests......the seats were very similar to Lazy-boys. I slept very well every time, although you might want to take a blanket to cover up with, as sometimes the A/C is set pretty low. I like it cool or even cold when I sleep, but one trip even completely wrapped in a wool blanket, I about froze.....in the summer!
Several trips I had a sleeper roomette.......with 2 seats that face each other like a restaurant booth. The roomette is just slightly bigger than those 2 seats....enough extra room for about 2 airliner-allowed size carry-on bags. The roomettes are located on the upper level of the bi-level cars. At night, the car attendant comes in and turns the 2 seats into a lower berth, and unlatches and lowers the upper berth. Since I always traveled alone, I asked him to make up the upper berth for me, and leave the seats in normal position because I like to stay up late and read and watch the lights pass by outside. The restrooms are located on the lower level of the bi-level cars.......they're tiny....except for the women's restroom/dressing room which is a nice size, and although the handicap restroom is small, it's twice as big as the regular crappers!
One trip they were out of roomettes, and gave me a handicap room instead. I told them that I wasn't handicapped, but they said
ALL sleeper accommodations were sold "1st come 1st served" irregardless of handicap or lack thereof. Anyway the handicap cabin is at one end of the bi-level cars on the lower level, and is the full width of the train car (roughly 10' wide) and about 8' long. It has the same seat/berth layout on one side of the room as the roomette does, and on the other side of the room is the private restroom with sink and toilet with a privacy curtain and a window curtain that can be pulled closed if your traveling with another person.
You paid the same standard fare whether you were traveling Coach or Sleeper, then you paid an
additional fee for the Sleeper. I don't know how things are now, but back then (80's & 90's) the Sleeper fare included 3 meals per day in the diner.....anything on the menu. You could either eat in the diner, or the car attendant would bring it to your room......no extra charge. Also included were morning wake-up calls (if desired), and the daily newspaper and coffee and/or juice delivered to your room each morning. When the attendant prepared your bed at night, they also left a chocolate or mint on the pillow.
I always left in evening, so I'd go to the diner and have a nice steak dinner with all of the trimmings, then it was off to the lounge/snack car for the nightly movie, then to the snack bar for a late evening snack, then back to my seat or room for a good night's sleep. In the morning it was to the diner for a nice breakfast, then to the lounge/snack car to listen to a step-on-guide if they had one come onboard, otherwise I'd just watch America pass by my window. At lunch time I went to the diner (especially if I was traveling in the Sleeper) for a nice lunch, or, if I was traveling Coach, I might just grab a couple of hot dogs and chips in the snack car. Then it was nap, read, watch scenery, etc. until dinner time.
I found it very easy to sleep on the train, whether in Coach or Sleeper. YMMV.
