Being in the sleeper compartment of the train was fabulous. It made us "first class" passengers by default. Our meals were included in the (very reasonable) price, as were the parlour car with its movie theatre and lounge, the coffee and juice station, the shower facilities, the morning newspapers and the attentive attendant. We had three double-berth roomettes. During the daytime the bunks folded away and we were often four or five to a roomette. At night we had plenty of room and comfort. The movement and sound of the train was incredibly soothing and we all slept pretty well.
Sophie was getting sick, though, and as the trip went on we got more and more worried about her. She was able to just lie in her berth and take it easy, which was nice, but it also meant it was harder to see that something really serious was going on. She'd been up most of the first night waiting to hop on the train, and was understandably tired and off-kilter from that. All the kids were. She was just a little more so. And because we were all spending almost our entire time sitting in our roomettes, we didn't notice that Sophie was simply unable to do otherwise.
Appendicitis aside, we would highly recommend Amtrak sleeper car travel. It was an amazing way to go. Relaxing, on time, scenic, comfortable, affordable and eco-friendly.
Oh Dear Miranda, what an unexpected and unpleasant start to your trip. I hope Sophie is feeling much better by now and is able to enjoy the rest of the vacation.
ReplyDeleteOh no! What timing - poor girl. HOpe she is doing better.
ReplyDeleteWe have been wanting to take a train trip w/sleeping rooms...we've just been waiting for boys to be big enough (younger one) to manage the trip w/o it being too tough. Glad to hear about how nice it was!!