On my first cross-country trip on Amtrak, I chose coach class to save money and experience train travel. The following year, I upgraded to one of my first Amtrak rooms: a roomette. Like many new travelers, I had plenty of questions. I found online forums helpful, though I encountered some trolls in 2014.
Sadly, trolls still exist today and spread negativity and misinformation. That’s one reason I wrote this post: to help you make informed decisions and clarify any confusion you might encounter during your research.
Amtrak rooms are an excellent way to explore the country. In this article, I’ll cover the most frequently asked questions about reserving and enjoying Amtrak sleeping accommodations on long-distance trains.
Whether I book a roomette or a bedroom, I now love traveling across the USA with Amtrak. I especially appreciated the privacy, complimentary meals, comfortable sleeping arrangements, and the chance to feel refreshed after each shower.
Top 21 Questions About Amtrak Rooms
1) My favorite things about Amtrak Rooms
Over the years, these rooms have become my happy place. While I usually enjoy roomettes, I have booked a bedroom for the extra space and all the amenities those rooms provide.
Amtrak rooms offer several things that I love.
I value the privacy the rooms provide. You can lock the door from the inside, and privacy curtains cover both sides of the windows.
Rooms provide comfortable seating during the day, but their main benefit is sleeping horizontally at night. I find this particularly advantageous for stomach and side sleepers like myself. However, if you’re traveling with a friend, one of you will need to climb into the upper bunk.
Passengers traveling in Amtrak sleeper cars can use the showers available in their accommodations. Amtrak provides soap and towels, but passengers are also welcome to bring personal items, such as hair dryers. Guests staying in a bedroom will find a shower in the en suite bathroom.
Some train stations offer lounges that you can use while waiting for your first or next train. These lounges provide a peaceful retreat from the station’s hustle and bustle. I have visited several lounges, but my top choices are Chicago and New York.
2) Amtrak Rooms: Reservation Options
Amtrak offers several booking options, so you can choose what best suits your comfort level.
Call Amtrak
If you need assistance booking or modifying a reservation, contact Amtrak’s agents at 1-800-USA-RAIL or 1-877-SKIP-I-95 for the Auto Train. They can also provide updates and help with special requests.
I contacted them to book adjacent roomettes or change reservations during the trip.
Staffed stations
Not all stations have staff, and many are unstaffed, so this option isn’t available to everyone. However, if you have access to a staffed station, they can help you just as you would if you called.
Do it on your own: Amtrak.com and its App.
Online tickets offer a convenient way to book your next adventure, available anytime and anywhere. You can also modify your trip.
I book 99% of my own trips using the app or website. I switch between the two, and each has advantages and disadvantages.
Amtrak offers a mobile-optimized website for phones and tablets.
Let someone book your trip.
You could also use a travel agent. Authorized Amtrak travel agents and others specializing in rail travel are available.
3) Are room prices quoted per person on Amtrak?
When you search for room prices on Amtrak, the amount shown for two passengers reflects the total cost for both travelers, not a per-person rate. If you want to split the cost, you will need to divide the total amount equally among all parties after booking, since Amtrak cannot do this for you.
In contrast, coach class fares display the per-person price.
Booking tickets for both passengers at the same time can save money and simplify the process. While you can add someone to your reservation later, you’ll need to contact Amtrak directly or visit a staffed station.
If you prefer separate accommodations, such as a roomette, you can book individual tickets on Amtrak.com or in the app. This approach may also help with budgeting.
However, if you’d like rooms in the same car or near each other, call Amtrak when booking. Please note that room placement is subject to availability, and proximity can’t be guaranteed, especially when booking near the travel date.
Even in different cars, you can still visit each other’s rooms during the journey. It’s fun to enjoy the trip together while having your own space.
If you’re unsure how to proceed, don’t hesitate to contact Amtrak directly or visit a staffed station—they’ll be happy to help.
4) Discounts on Amtrak
Here are the types of Amtrak discounts; see if you qualify! If eligible, the percentage applies only to the base or rail fares, not the total room price.
5) Amtrak Room Assignment
Amtrak assigns rooms after processing your payment and then emails you a ticket. As shown in the ticket photo, the number indicates your car and room, as well as the type of equipment assigned to your room.
If you want a particular room, call 1-800-USA-Rail or visit a station. Tickets purchased at stations look different, but the information stays the same.
6) What’s Included With Your Amtrak Room
The rooms offer comfortable seating during the day and convert into cozy sleeping spaces at night.
Each room has seating and a fold-out table for daytime activities. In the evening, the seating converts into a lower bunk, and your attendant provides turndown service to ensure a restful night’s sleep.
Your room includes all scheduled meals for your train journey, and your attendant will start your morning with coffee and juice.
For added convenience, you can hang clothes in a small closet or on a wall hook using the provided hangers.
Both interior and exterior windows feature curtains for privacy, and additional lighting options, such as nightlights and reading lamps, are available to suit your needs.
All rooms have at least one 120V grounded three-prong outlet, making it easy to charge your devices during the trip.
Each bedroom has its own bathroom and shower, while roomettes and family rooms share bathroom facilities.
7) Do you share Amtrak rooms with strangers?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions!
No, only the people on your ticket can share your room; solo travelers have the rooms all to themselves.
8) The Sizes of Amtrak Rooms
Amtrak rooms are small and cozy, like RV spaces on rails.
Roomettes
A Superliner roomette measures approximately 3’6” by 6’6”, while a Viewliner roomette is slightly larger, offering more headroom and additional features, such as a toilet and sink (depending on the train).
For reference, I’m about 6’2” and 210 pounds, and I fit comfortably in either style of roomette.
Bedrooms
The bedrooms are more spacious, measuring approximately 6’6” by 7’6”. Each bedroom includes a private bathroom with a toilet and shower.
No matter which room you choose, the less luggage you bring, the more comfortable you’ll be. Traveling light makes a big difference in these compact spaces!
9) Amtrak Beds: Are They Comfortable? How Are They Made?
For me, the beds are comfortable, but your mileage may vary.
All the rooms have bunk beds.
The lower bed is created by combining the two seats, or by flattening the sofa in a bedroom or family room and placing a mattress on top.
The upper bunk lowers with safety straps to keep you in place.
When two people share a room, one must be able to climb to the top bunk. Roomettes have steps to the top bunk, while bedrooms have ladders.
Your attendant makes your bed in the morning and puts it away at night.
Yes, there is a net to prevent you from falling out of the top bunk, and no, I have never fallen out of bed.
10) Is it hard to sleep on an Amtrak train?
I tend to sleep well on the train, but sometimes I need help, such as taking melatonin or using a sleep aid. On long trains, I sleep better on the second night.
Trains make noise
The train’s motion relaxes me as I sleep; sometimes I wake up when it stops because of the lack of movement. The horn and the track noise also lull me to sleep.
You may struggle if you require absolute silence, but earplugs can help.
Amtrak can only do so much. Train travel always involves a din: steel wheels on steel tracks, wheels going through switches, and bells and horns.
Staff and fellow passengers
Conductors stop making announcements around 10 p.m. and don’t return to the public address system till 7 a.m.
Additionally, it can become noisy when people board the train at night, especially if they forget others are already asleep. Overall, the people are very good.
As a side sleeper, I would like Amtrak to offer a thicker pillow. To address this issue, I pack a blow-up pillow and a small blanket.
If you need an extra pillow or blanket, ask your attendant, and they may be able to help.
11) Navigating Amtrak Trains
Trains are linear, which means that to travel from one section to another, you may need to walk through one or more cars to reach your desired destination. It could require quite a bit of walking from your current location to where you want to go.
Each train car has sliding doors at both ends, equipped with upper and lower buttons—pressing either opens the door. Car numbers are displayed at both ends of each car to help you find your way. Additionally, many trains feature illuminated signs in the vestibules that direct you to the dining car, sleeper, or coach, so it’s a good idea to check these signs before you begin walking.
When the train is moving, walk carefully between cars. To stay balanced, hold onto the candy cane-striped handles. Train cars can sway in opposite directions, and snow and rain can enter the vestibules, making them wet or slippery.
When walking around the train, it’s important to wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes. Pinch points between cars could injure your toes, and heels can shift your balance on a moving train, which is unsafe. Additionally, Amtrak requires you to wear shoes when moving around the train.
12) Can I get off the train during my Amtrak trip?
Designated stops allow passengers to get off the train to smoke or enjoy fresh air. These smoke stops typically involve crew changes and, at times, refueling.
Most station stops are quick for boarding and disembarking.
When Amtrak arrives early, it holds the train until the scheduled time. If passengers wait a while, conductors often let them take a quick, fresh-air break.
If you get off the train, don’t wander too far. When it’s time to depart, the conductors alert the crew and passengers, and the train departs.
As a warning, the engineer may blow the horn (two quick toots) when it’s time to board. If you do not make it on the train, the train WILL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU!
13) Food Choices for Amtrak Sleeping Passengers
All long-distance trains have a cafe car open to all passengers.
The cafe is closed at night and for attendant breaks, but you can often sit in the car while it is closed.
Except for the Auto Train, Silver Star, and Silver Meteor, one-night trains offer flex dining for sleeping-car passengers.
Trains that run for two or more nights use traditional dining.
The Texas Eagle, which runs between Chicago and San Antonio, offers flexible dining options, but traditional dining is available between San Antonio and Los Angeles.
Dining or sleeping-car lounges are also available only to sleeping-car passengers.
14) Alcohol and Drinking in Amtrak Rooms
Indeed, I often do. However, there are some limitations you should know.
Amtrak sells adult beverages in the cafe and dining cars, or you can bring your own.
IF YOU BRING ADULT DRINKS ON THE TRAIN, YOU CAN ONLY CONSUME THEM IN YOUR ROOM or the room of another passenger. Do not take your fun water to the coach, food, or observation cars.
The next station might be your stop if you lose control. Plus, you could get local and federal fines, and the police could take you to their local iron bar hotel.
If you get kicked off the train, you forfeit any refunds on your trip.
15) How many bathrooms are in sleeping cars?
All bedrooms have an en-suite restroom.
Superliner trains have one restroom upstairs and two or more on the lower level.
Older Viewliners with blue seats do not have public restrooms on board, but every accommodation has a toilet. Roomettes do not have enclosed bathrooms, so if two people are in the roomette, one might have to step out.
Newer Viewliners, with “wood” interiors, have one public bathroom and no longer have bathrooms in roomettes.
16) Showers for Amtrak Sleeping Passengers
Yes, there are showers! They are only for sleeping car passengers.
Outside of the shower is a dressing area.
Roomettes, families, and accessible rooms share a single shower room with a dressing area. Accessible rooms on Viewliner trains have showers.
Bedrooms have small rooms with a toilet and shower.
Most showers have a seat to improve stability on rough tracks and bars for added support.
The shower head is connected to a hose for easy cleaning. Many passengers choose to shower in “shower shoes” or flip-flops.
17) What Amtrak Offers for Your Shower
Amtrak provides washcloths, towels, soap, and shampoo. However, Amtrak does not provide items such as hair dryers and curling irons, so please pack accordingly.
18) Smoking and Transporting Marijuana in Amtrak Rooms
All Amtrak trains are non-smoking, including e-cigarettes and vapes.
If a passenger is caught smoking on the train, they must disembark at the next stop. Police may meet the train at an upcoming crossing or station. Conductors also have the authority to issue a ticket, which may result in federal fines, and passengers will forfeit any ticket refunds.
There are “smoke breaks,” but they are not guaranteed. Finding something to curb cravings would be wise if you are a smoker.
You cannot transport marijuana on Amtrak trains, even if it is legal in the state you are coming from or visiting. Amtrak is subject to federal jurisdiction and therefore adheres to federal laws and regulations. The DEA and other agencies have been known to do sweeps of the trains.
19) Bringing Your Pet into Amtrak Rooms
Yes and No: Amtrak allows pets under 20 pounds in cages on trains, but they may not travel for more than 7 hours at a time. Before booking, check Amtrak’s service animal and pet policies.
20) Tipping Amtrak Sleeping Car Attendants
Tipping is not required, but it is a great way to show appreciation for excellent service.
I always tip car attendants who provide great service, but I don’t tip for unsatisfactory service. The average tip amount is $10 to $20 per room per day. A sincere thank-you is always appreciated, regardless of what you can afford. You can also let Amtrak know when you receive excellent service (see tip 21).
21) Sharing Feedback with Amtrak
While constructive criticism can help, praising employees is even more valuable. The best way to share your comments and compliments is to notify Amtrak, ensuring that the feedback reaches management and is communicated effectively to the relevant employee.
Kev’s Tips for Amtrak Rooms
Getting ready for the night:
Once the car attendant has made your room for the night, there is little room left. It may help to get dressed before your room is ready. You can use the bathroom or the dressing area by the shower to change while your room is being prepared.
What else do you need to know?
Take advantage of the fresh-air breaks. Stepping off the train breaks up your trip and allows you to stretch your legs.
Do not plan on Wi-Fi. Even your cell phone may lose service occasionally while you travel.
Train manners
Be respectful to your fellow passengers. Conversation can be one of the joys of train travel, but be aware of your surroundings, as not everyone may want to chat. The walls are thin, and at night in particular, others may not appreciate hearing your conversations while they’re trying to sleep.
Hallways can be narrow, so please keep your bags close to avoid bumping into others and be ready to step aside to let people pass. A simple “excuse me” can go a long way. Sometimes, people may briefly step into your doorway, if it’s open, to squeeze past in the hall—don’t take it personally; you’ll likely do the same at some point.
In the lounge, cafe, or dining cars, please share tables when it is busy. If you need to make a long phone call, kindly step into the vestibule or find a quiet area to avoid disturbing those around you.
Gear to Enhance Your Stay in Amtrak Rooms
From my experience, these tips help you sleep well in a sleeper. For entertainment on Amtrak trains, check out my article on Entertainment on Amtrak.
- Tablet (iPad A16 for me)
- Many streaming services let you download videos for offline viewing without Wi-Fi.
- Smartphone (I use an iPhone 16 Pro)
- Map apps are cool for finding locations.
- They also work well for gaming, music, and podcasts.
- Other Electronic Accessories
- Headphones (either Bluetooth or wired)
- Extension cord
- A backup battery
- Chargers and cords
- Comfort items
- Snacks are a good idea.
- Amtrak offers a Comfort Kit, available at select stations and in the cafe car.
- The kit is packaged in a bag and includes a small blanket, eye mask, neck pillow, and earplugs.
- You could make your own
- Blow-up pillow
- A water bottle
- Wet wipes
- Sleep aids, stuff for motion sickness, aspirin, or other such things
- Pain relief and a small first-aid kit
- Shampoo or a multi-use soap
- PJs or something for sleeping
For more information on specific rooms on the train
If I missed something, let me know in the comments below or message me.
Thanks for stopping by and letting me help with your next adventure! I love to help.
Safe Travels!
Kev
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