Overnight Travel on an Amtrak Train with Kids: The Roomette

Ah, the chugging and rocking and thunder of trains. It is something our culture hangs on to – a throwback to a bygone era, a moment to reminiscence about “the way things were.” Movies remind us how train travel was like nothing else. All the things that could happen on a train! Find true love, solve a murder, meet a new best friend…anything is possible on a train.

But train travel isn’t just a romanticized dip into the past: it is still a viable option for moving across the country.

Having lived in London then Italy for a couple summers and recently having spent time in France and Belgium, I love traveling by rail. It is easy, affordable, quick, and makes getting around a country so much easier as a tourist than navigating foreign road signs, driving on the opposite side of the road, and trying to discover parking laws in ancient, cobblestone streets.

So it made sense to try train travel stateside. Mr. Family Trip had been talking of a long train ride with our engine-loving kids for awhile (we have hosted three train-themed birthdays). When our family decided to go to Florida to visit grandparents, we made getting there an adventure, too: from North Carolina to Florida via train.

While the U.S. doesn’t invest in train infrastructure as much as other countries (too much land? too many independent-loving vehicle owners? even more romanticism about hitting the open road?) Amtrak is still working to move people across the country safely and efficiently. And guess what? It is FUN, too. Because the rail system in the U.S. operates differently, our times for travel were limited and the station options were also limited. The price was not much less than airfare when all was said and done.

But traveling by train was a fantastic way to go with kids. We loved this adventure and would do it again in a heartbeat.

We figured out how to make a Cary, NC to Tampa, FL itinerary work for us (even though we live hours from Cary and our final destination was Fort Myers, FL). It was an overnight ride, no exceptions, and would be half-a-day on the train. While this was fine with us (“getting there is half the adventure” all the hand-painted wood signs in hobby shops say), we also knew that this would mean we needed a legitimate sleeping situation.

We were on the Amtrak Viewliner Silver Star – fast yet without the bells and whistles (no scenic deck or meals served). Additionally, all Bedroom cars were booked (TIP: these are reserved quickly so if you want to secure a Bedroom car, book early!). A Bedroom car means a private, enclosed bathroom along with a shower. There is a sofa that converts into a bed and there are options for 2-person Bedrooms or 4-person Bedroom Suites.

The option available to us was the Roomette (or, rather, two Roomettes to be precise). We hesitated about this. They looked so tiny! Literally. Mr. Family Trip is 6’4″ – would he even fit? Additionally, there wasn’t a lot of space to spread out when looking at a 12-hour trip on a train with two young boys.

We eventually decided an adventure was jumping bravely into the unknown, so we did it.

Here is what our Roomette looked like, in real life:

View the layout for a roomette on Amtrak’s website.

This was tiny but surprisingly comfortable! Our Roomettes were right across from each other and we had plenty of space for our ride to Tampa.

It was incredibly awkward to have the toilet *right there* – especially when you are a mom to two boys and need to go in the middle of the night – but we made do. (To be clear: there is no privacy door for the toilet within the room; the whole room closes off to the rest of the train, of course.)

Mr. Family Trip and I have differing opinions on sleep quality that night. I loved the rocking and the stopping and the chugging; he did not. The mattress is really just a thin foam pad, so if you are used to a Sleep Number, be prepared. But I slept fairly well. It was, indeed, a wistful and exciting feeling to be sleeping on a train.

We brought our own food, except for coffee. The dining car had big open tables and concessions for sale, but we were able to eat healthier and cheaper by bringing our own, but that’s usually how we travel anyhow (and yes! you are allowed to bring adult beverages, just consume responsibility).

One mistake we made was not checking all of our luggage with the trainside check. We were given some misinformation by an attendant and when we loaded into our Roomette, we simply didn’t have room for the suitcase we held on to. Luckily, the train conductor (still a real job!) was very kind and helped us out. Make sure to put PJs and anything you need overnight into one bag and then check all the others.

Our train was late arriving to Tampa, crawling along the tracks once we got into the city. I have learned since that is common. But while we were ready to disembark, we weren’t miserable. Light streamed in through the big windows next to us, we had control of our environment, we could walk around, laze, and lounge.

While we ended up flying home for expediency (#jobs), we all agreed that train travel was worth the time and effort.

There truly is something classically meditative about rocking through the American countryside all hours of the night, screaming or stopping through quiet little Southern towns. Occasionally we’d look up from our books or games and remember how amazingly grand America is.

This time the journey was, indeed, the adventure.

Learn more about traveling by Amtrak:

Visit their website at www.amtrak.com.

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I will be traveling back to Florida solo starting today. Follow along on Instagram for the journey! (And pop over there to give me your tips on Fort Myers livin’. I will be looking for fun activities.)