Everything You Need To Know About Amtrak Sleeper Car

This is a complete guide about the Amtrak Empire Builder Sleeper Car. This post has everything you need to know about Amtrak sleeper car. Pin it so you can have it for later!

Amtrak Empire Builder goes from Seattle to Chicago daily, and the journey takes about 46 hours one way.

The Empire Builder has coaches and five different sleeper car options to choose from. There are superliner roomette, superliner bedroom, superliner bedroom suite, superliner family bedroom, and superliner accessible bedroom. You will have all of the information you need about the Amtrak sleeper car here, so you can refer to this post to plan your upcoming trip with Amtrak!

Superliner Roomette

Ticket price

The first option is the superliner roomette that can accommodate up to two people which is the most affordable option among the sleeper cars. It’s more cost-effective if you travel with a companion in a sleeper car. For example, it costs $513 for a one-way ticket for one person from Seattle to Chicago, and it costs $758 for two people. The ticket price per person decreases to $379/person if you are sharing the room. However, it’s not an option that Amtrak offers for their passengers to share the sleeping car unless they book it together.

About the room

Superliner roomette has two big seats that are facing each other and are convertible to a bed, a large window, a door and curtains for privacy, a little closet for personal stuff, a foldable bunk bed for the second person, reading lights, room thermostat dial, one outlet, pillows, blankets, and linens.

This was the sleeper car that we chose when we went home to Seattle from North Dakota. During our trip, the attendant helped us fold down the upper bed, fold down the chairs for the lower bed, put the mattress on the lower bed, and linens for both the top and bottom beds because as sleeper car passengers, we had the personal service included which covered bed turn-down.

There was no in-cabin toilet or shower inside our room, but the restrooms were only a couple of rooms down from ours. We were pretty lucky to be assigned to the room on the upper level of the sleeper car because it’s not possible to reserve a specific room when we purchased the tickets online. We prefer the room on the upper level for a better view and less noise from the track.

More about the room 

If you are taller, the room might be a little bit tight for two people. The seats in the room are pretty big and they can recline. We decided to recline our seats and put up our feet on top of each other’s seats. Because there is only one electrical outlet in the room, we brought an extension to charge our gadgets. Also, it was nice to have our own climate control in the room, however, please note that it takes a while for the temperature to adjust.

Two hangers were provided inside the small closet, and it was enough space for us to hang our coats. Furthermore, there were two complimentary water bottles available in the room in case you don’t bring some water with you. There is a water filling station in the car as well.

The room felt cozy and private. The sliding door has a lock and the curtain provided extra privacy. We also have our full itinerary on our Amtrak Empire Builder sleeper car journey here. Since there wasn’t enough room for both of us to share a bed, we each slept on our own beds. Also, there was a safety net for the upper bed to protect me from falling.

Sleeping car layout

One restroom is located on the upper level that needs to accommodate ten rooms. On the lower level, there are three restrooms and a shower. Fresh towels, soap, and shower amenities provided in the lower level shower. Fortunately, we never had any problem sharing the one restroom on the upper level.

Superliner Family Bedroom

This room is perfect if you are traveling with children! Two adults and two children are the maximum capacities for this particular room. The superliner family bedroom is only available on the lower level.

Ticket price

Here is the price breakdown for the superliner family bedroom for a one-way ticket from Seattle to Chicago:

• 1 traveler: $792
• 2 travelers: $1,037 ($518.50/person)
• 3 travelers (1 kid age 2-12): $1,159.50 ($386.50/person)
• 4 travelers (2 kids age 2-12): $1,282 ($320.50/person)

Similarly to the sleeper roomette, it is more cost-effective in a larger group if you choose to take the sleeper car.

About the room

The superliner roomette is available on both the upper and lower levels of the car. On the other hand, the superliner family bedroom is only available on the lower level of the car. Of course, that means that you have more restrooms that you can use and you also have easier access to the shower.

In general,  the amenities in the superliner family bedroom is similar to the superliner roomette. Besides the additional two beds, the features inside the room are the same. Though there is no in-room toilet and shower, there are three different restrooms that you can use on the lower level.

Superliner Bedroom

The superliner bedroom is ideal for two passengers, but it can also accommodate up to three people by sharing the lower bed. Unlike the superliner roomette and the superliner family room, the superliner bedroom is equipped with a private sink, vanity, toilet, and shower.

Ticket Price

Here is the price breakdown for the superliner bedroom for a one-way ticket from Seattle to Chicago:

• 1 traveler: $1,123
• 2 travelers: $1,368

In spite of the listed maximum capacity of three people, the website doesn’t let us to only book one superliner bedroom for three people. This might be something that we need to specify by contacting Amtrak directly.

Similarly to the sleeper roomette and superliner family bedroom, it is more cost-effective in a larger group if you choose to take the sleeper car.

About the room

The superliner bedroom is only available on the upper level of the sleeping car. This type of room is perfect for passengers who prefer to have a private bathroom in the room.  Similarly to the shared bathroom in the lower level of the sleeping car, passengers of the superliner bedroom also receive complimentary towels and toiletries to use in the private bathroom.

Bedroom Suite

The bedroom suite is the biggest room available in the sleeping car. It can comfortably accommodate four people with the maximum capacity of six people by having both of the lower bunk beds to be shared.

Ticket Price

Unfortunately, bedroom suites can only be booked by phone. Therefore, we aren’t able to provide the information for ticket prices for the superliner bedroom suite. Of course, we can imagine that the superliner bedroom suite must be the most expensive type of sleeping car given its amenities.

About the room

The superliner bedroom suite is essentially two rooms that are combined in order to make one spacious suite. It doesn’t only have one, but two en-suite bathrooms with sinks, toilets, and showers. Undoubtedly the superliner bedroom suite is the biggest room in the sleeping car but seems like it only makes sense to choose this room if you are traveling with a big group and/or willing to spend the big $$$.

Besides the superliner bedroom, the superliner bedroom suite is the only other type of room that only available on the upper level. Because of its location on the upper level, most likely the room has less noise from the track.

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Overall, the sleeper car seems to be a really good option if you are traveling with a companion. Not only it’s more comfortable, but you also get extra privacy. Another bonus if you are taking the sleeper car is the free breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining car because they are included in your ticket price!

We hope this guide will help you plan your future travels by Amtrak sleeper car. Thank you for stopping by!