Auto Train Roomette
 

I was wondering if anyone has ever stayed in a roomette on the auto train. We have been in the coach seats once before, where sleeping was almost impossible (unless you are a very good sleeper). I have seen very little about the roomette (seats two) online. Is it too small even for two people? Are the seats there the same size as in coach, which are pretty big. Feel claustrophobic? Any comments, pictures,etc. would be very appreciated! Thanks!

Also, read that there are frequent delays? Is this true?

Never rode the autotrain but have traveled between Washington an Florida on Amtrak a few times. The roomette will cost you an extra $265. Cost for 2 adults, 1 vehicle and the roomette will be $681.
The on time performance on the autotrain for the past 12 months is 87.1%. It may be cheaper to ship the car on a car carrier and fly to Florida.

They are very cosy, but with a huge window and glassed-in doors to the central corridor, I wouldn't call them claustrophobic. Seats are comfy, beds too. Sleeping in a safely locked room on a flat bed on a moving train is wonderful - and it includes your meals, too, of course.

Thank you for replying. To first respondent - I really don't want to fly, so I know it's going to cost more this way, but I wasn't sure if the roomette is the way to go or tolerate a coach seat like we did last time.

To second respondent - thank you for your description. I actually talked to someone who has travelled in a roomette - she said that with the two seats facing each other, she and her husband , who's 6' tall, were touching knees and found it confining. Did you have the same experience? I am now looking at the next sleeper size up, the bedroom, which is $100 more, which I really don't want to do. Tell me if you had any knee problems :)

Hello- not sure if this thread is still being viewed but I have the same question. What did you wind up doing and how was your experience?

I'm traveling alone to South Florida from the NE. I will be driving about 5-6 hours to get to VA and then another 3-4 once I arrive in Florida. I'm not a great sleeper when traveling so if/when I do sleep it will probably be due to exhaustion intermittently and I'm not sure whether it will matter if I'm sleeping in a sleeper or a coach/business class seat. But since I'll be alone I'm inclined to pay the addition $400 to be safe rather than sorry. But it's a lot of money. Is it worth the up charge?

I've done the trip several times in both a bedroom and the so-called "economy" bedroom. The original "roomette" on trains was made for one person, not two.

The AMTRAK Superliner version is a snug fit for two during the day as you face one another; sleeping is fine. The facilities are down the hall.

These are not the same as the same sort of accommodation in Viewliner coaches which have their own toilet and are, in that regard, much more similar to the original "roomette."
Bottom line: it is certainly, IMO, a much better situation that traveling in the basic coach seats; much quieter, more privacy, and a flat surface to sleep on.

rbaci1, here is my second Auto Train TR. It refers to the first one which you can find by clicking on my namme and scrolling to trip reports:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-revisited.cfm

Durkey1, good to read about Superliner. The roomette on my 2 trips didn't have its own loo.

We went from Sacramento, CA to Santa Barbara on Amtrak in a roomette--a 12-hour trip that was comfortable only for the first hour or so. There's really very little room in the compartment, and we are not tall people. On the way back we upgraded to a bedroom so one of us could stretch out at a time. Good luck.

DW and I did the autotrain roomette last year. It was very tight and we are not big people but found it uncomfortable. There were a lot of delays and the trip took a full 24 hours from the time we dropped our car off to the time we picked it up. The food was OK but not better than that. - the days of free wine are gone. Also, the bathrooms became dirty at night. We had a RT ticket but we just took an AMTRAK credit, good for a year, on the return and drove back which was far better. A couple of nights along the way in comfortable beds and decent meals plus the cost was not more than the train. Having said all that, we were in an upper level roomette and the ones on the first level looked to be a tad larger but I don't think it would make a difference. The larger rooms seem far better.