Amtrak Coast Starlight’s 16-hour Portland-Sacramento ride was in a roomette.
My first long-haul train excursion was a roomette.
Molly
The Coast Starlight took me from Portland, Oregon, to Sacramento, California, for the first time.
My first long-haul train travel was mostly overnight, so I rented a 6’6″ x 3’6″ Superliner roomette.
Here’s my entry-level private accommodation experience.
The Portland Amtrak lounge was accessible with my sleeper car ticket.
I waited 45 minutes in the Amtrak lounge before boarding.
Molly
Portland’s Union Station has one of seven US Amtrak lounges.
The lounge was reserved for business class, roomette, and bedroom passengers. I did since I booked a sleeping car room.
A lounge staff met me at the front desk and gave me my boarding ticket and time.
I appreciated the Amtrak lounge at Union Station.
I enjoyed the lounge’s tranquility despite Union Station’s beauty.
Molly
Portland’s Union Station opened in 1896 with gorgeous architecture. I was grateful for the Amtrak lounge while waiting 45 minutes to board my train.
The lounge was a wonderful break from the crowded station. Inside was cooler than the train station. The lounge also has a nicer washroom and a secure luggage area.
Amtrak lounges include drinks, food, and free Wi-Fi, according to its website. The lounge had coffee, tiny bottled water, and no snacks. I’m glad I brought enough food.
Wi-Fi was weak in the lounge.
Sleeping car passengers boarded first and entered separately.
Coast Starlight had two levels.
Molly
I boarded the Coast Starlight from the lounge. Priority boarding. I and the other sleeping vehicle passengers settled swiftly and effortlessly.
Luis, my car attendant, helped me board the train, handled my bags, and showed me my roomette.
Coach passengers boarded later.
A small hallway led to second-floor roomettes.
My roomette had a narrow stairs and hallway.
Molly
I took the lower-level train and climbed the stairs to my accommodation.
The tiny aisle and stairway startled me.
My tiny bag fit through, but my suitcase and another bag wouldn’t. Passing other passengers in the aisle was difficult.
A little folding table separated two seats in the roomette.
My roomette featured two seats facing each other.
Molly
The roomette shocked me with its spaciousness. As a 5-foot-2-inch solo traveler, it felt spacious. My journey was never cramped, and I was able to stand up often.
A little collapsible table separated two comfy seats inside. The table was good for drinks and nibbles, but it was too small for my laptop, making typing difficult.
I also found two bottles of water and two pillows in my room.
If I were traveling with someone, my cabin only had one outlet.
My roomette should have multiple outlets.
Molly
A reading light, cabin temperature, and outlet console was next to one seat. A reading lamp, conductor volume dial, and car attendant call button were next to the other seat.
The roomette’s one outlet startled me, but I didn’t need more. The outlet just charged my phone.
I might have wanted extra USB ports if I was traveling with someone.
The roomette contained a closet, mirror, and extra storage.
My roomette had a little mirror.
Molly
The roomette had a 4-inch closet. I couldn’t fit my baggage inside, but I could hang jackets or gowns if I was traveling with them.
One of the room’s two coat hooks held my purse.
A little wall mirror also startled me.
My luggage was always in my roomette.
My luggage was in my roomette for the 16-hour trip.
Molly
I brought everything I needed on the train in a bag small enough to fit under an aircraft seat because I knew the roomette wouldn’t be big.
I packed my carry-on with clothes I wouldn’t need until I got off the train because I expected I’d have to stow it downstairs in the luggage shelving.
I carried my luggage throughout. It was on my roomette’s inside shelves, which were steps to the top bunk, during the day. As a bed, it fit under the two seats at night.
I used a public bathroom even though the roomette was private.
I could use the bathroom on my floor or one downstairs.
Molly
The Coast Starlight’s larger bedrooms had private toilets, basins, and showers, but the roomettes didn’t.
My automobile had a common bathroom three doors down and multiple bathrooms and showers on the lower floor.
Like airline restrooms, the bathrooms were small. Though tidy, I wanted my own bathroom.
The roomette’s huge windows let me enjoy the views without the congestion.
My room’s huge windows let me enjoy the surroundings.
Molly
I went to the train’s observation car to see the sights. However, the train was full, making the car oppressive.
I was grateful to have my own area with huge windows to appreciate the scenery. The individual accommodation’s large windows were a highlight.
My ticket included dining car meals.
My ticket included dining car meals.
Molly
Sleeping car rooms included food.
My car attendant told me I could make lunch if I went to the dining car after boarding the Coast Starlight in Portland at 2 p.m.
After a salad, I had a three-course supper (it included an appetizer, main dish, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks, and dessert).
You could get room service instead of dining in the dining car.
My roomette’s two seats made a bed for me.
My roomette’s two seats became beds.
Molly
After supper, I contacted my attendant to assist me turn my room seats into a bed.
The roomette’s upper bunk and two seats made a lower bed for two persons. I took the bottom bed because I was alone.
He made a bed by laying a cot from the top bunk across the seats. A warm Amtrak blanket and bottom and top sheets were provided.
After reading Amtrak’s pillows were bad, I took my own blanket and little pillow. However, the pillows were large. The linens were comfy too.
My pillow and blanket were lovely, but I could’ve flown without them.
I slept safely because the roomette door latched from the inside.
My roomette’s interior lock.
Molly
The roomette’s door didn’t lock. I carried my phone and wallet on the train during the day, but several passengers brought padlocks to secure their doors.
I closed my roomette’s sliding door and thick, dark blue curtains at night. Velcro secured them for privacy.
I could lock the roomette from the inside with a latch.
After cleaning my room, I watched some TV and went to sleep.
Since the train didn’t have WiFi, I downloaded “Schitt’s Creek” episodes before leaving.
Molly
Before leaving home, I downloaded a few Netflix episodes and movies because the train wouldn’t have WiFi.
In bed, I watched one of my favorite shows.
The bed was pleasant, however the roomette was hard to sleep in.
I woke up numerous times because the moving train upset me more while I was horizontal than when I sat. Lying down made the rocky ride feel faster.
Nonetheless, I rested.
The roomette’s increased price was worth the privacy on a packed train.
Books and TV shows made up for the lack of Wi-Fi.
Molly
Since it was my first Amtrak ride, the Coast Starlight was unfamiliar to me.
I felt safer in a little room than in coach or business class. I was glad I didn’t have to share a car.
However, the common restrooms were clean and convenient. Despite the crowded train, I never had to wait to use one.
Luis, my sleeping car attendant, made the trip enjoyable and addressed my queries. He also made sure I was awake and ready in the morning to make my 6:20 a.m. stop in Sacramento.
The roomette was larger than expected.
Booking a roomette was worth it for the privacy and care.
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