What kind of meals are served on amtrak with the roomette? what is the value? $10? $20?

Question

i'm pricing out the difference between a roomette and coach and want to be sure it's worth it.

Answer 1

Just to be clear: yes, you can order anything you want.  I agree, the food is pretty good.

I'm not so negative on coach (I have a higher tolerance for children, too).  Coach seats are larger, recline more and have much more space than an airline seat.  And overnight trains have more space for a coach seat than day trains with shorter runs.  I find sleeping on a train quite distracting (because it's always so interesting outside and I'm always worked up) and it _is_ harder to sleep sitting up, but I do, and it's OK for me.  Probably most, but certainly not all are able to sleep.  I've certainly heard from a number of people (in coach) who can't, and clearly that's hard.  Once asleep, trains have a nice rocking that many people say makes it easier to sleep.

They turn the lights down at night in coach, but they don't go off completly, and that does make it harder to sleep.  As does the occasional but steady movement of people in the car going off to the bathroom or whatever.  A blanket is nice to bring in coach.  They usually give out pillows.

Answer 2

Susan-

My wife and I are avid Amtrak riders.  We always get the roomette.

The meals with the roomette are included.  

Here is how it works.  Your ticket stub is your meal ticket.  When you report to the diner car, they will ask you to see your ticket stub.  Then you order your meal and sign the chit they give you.  The food on Amtrak is pretty good too.  That is all part of the fun.

As for being woth it??  

We have traveled coach.  SUCKS!

Mainly because you always get some irresponsible parent with kids that want to run around, climb all over everything and scream the whole time.  Especially in Coach because the seats are cheap.

Which is nice because the conductor will not allow the people traveling coach to go beyond the diner car into the sleepers.  If they catch those folks in there, they escorted back to their seats.  Last trip, some folks did not heed the conductors warning, and they got put off the train in Dunsmuir, CA.

We travel from San Jose, CA to Seattle, WA on the Coast Starlight, to visit relatives there.  

Personally, I will pay the extra to leave the riff-raff of the rug rats on the other side of the diner and parlour car for a little peace and quiet in our roomette.  This is not to be negative towards you if you have children, but you know the type of parents that I am referring to.  

This becomes more critical when, like us the trip is in excess of 22 hours.  

Plus in the roomette you have a power outlet to charge cell phones, or like us, bring your portable DVD player and head phones, then watch your favorite movies while the scenery goes by your window.

My wife brings her little Game Boy and plays Tetris too.

Best of all, you have the fold down bunks, so when you want to lay down and take a nap, you can do exactly that.

Best of luck, and enjoy your trip.