I love taking trains and seek to do so whenever I get an opportunity. But even me, I would not consider economy class for an overnight train ride since I can't sleep upright and one can't count on having two seats next to each other to get some shut-eye. Some people seem to manage and not mind, but I would recommend the sleeper if one can afford it. (Be warned, some people can't even seem to tolerate the sleeper for an overnight journey and even though it's a good bit more cozy than coach, not everyone is able to sleep on a train.) As for me, the sleeping compartment offers a bed & privacy and I find there I *can* sleep and am perfectly content for days reading, looking out at the scenery, etc...

Best wishes, Daniel

Daniel, thank you. That is just the kind of advice I was looking for.

What station are you leaving from? I have slept many nights in coach on many cross country trips. Ask the kids if they can sleep in coach. Conductors always try to seat families together.
They will on occasion ask a person who is alone to sit with another solo passenger to seat a couple together.

tomfuller - We are leaving from TPA - Tampa. The kids definitely will be sleeping coach. But I'm thinking I may get my parents a sleeping compartment.

Does anyone know if we wait until the day of travel can we try for an upgrade and could it be less than the pay ahead of time price?

My best advice would be to take the #6098 bus to Orlando and take the Meteor instead of the Star. You get to Washington before 8AM instead of missing half a day of sightseeing.
If you do buy 2 Viewliner Roomettes (4 beds) the cost will be over $1200 plus the coach fare for those sleeping in coach.
If there will be an empty sleeper all the way to WAS the Conductor can sell it to you on board the train. Usually all the sleepers are booked before the train leaves TPA.
Your other option would be to drive to Sanford and load your car on the Auto Train to Lorton VA. That way you could drive back to Florida to complete your trip.

tomfuller - I appreciate the suggestion about taking the Meteor I see it does arrive much earlier. Viewliners are not an option as they are sold out.

We chose to leave from Tampa because it's a shorter trip for the car service from our home. We are going to be in DC for 8 days, so losing a half day is not that huge of deal, but I do see the value in taking the Meteor.

I'll have to discuss with my husband and see what he thinks. There are still viewliner rooms available Silver Star, I just am having trouble wrapping my brain around the $1,200 as that is almost as much as we paid for the all 7 of our regular tickets.

I think the auto train is a non-option for us.

Thank you for taking the time to share the information.

The bus that I mentioned leaves Tampa 10:40AM and takes you to Orlando to catch the Meteor. The people riding coach anyway could take the bus to ride the Meteor. They could meet the Star later in the day at Union Station.
The Capitol Building is within walking distance of Union Station.