eternaldisneyfan said:
Our other possible option is Amtrak (Sunrise Limited). We would rent a wheelchair sleeping room, 1 or 2 family suites, and possibly a regular room for luggage. The thing is it would all have to be in one boxcar and we have to make sure wheelchairs can get in the family suites. How long do they allow for loading/unloading & transfers? Would they allow extra time/assistance? Have you had problems with power outages? How do you find out whether the station is wheelchair accessible? What are your thoughts/experiences with Amtrak?
Thanks!
Christamae
Each Superliner sleeper has one accessible bedroom on the lower level, four rommettes, and one family bedroom (along with the shower and restrooms). If only one person can sleep in an upper berth (all rooms have one upper and one lower berth; the family room also includes two child-size beds, again one upper and lower), then you will need four rooms. Only the one room per car is designed to accomodate a wheelchair. If any member(s) of your party, however, could manage the (literally) 2-3 feet distance from the hallway to the roomette seat/bed, then that might be an option, though there is no way you could get a wheelchair into that little room (the Family room - maybe). Is there any way you could get by with standard (foldable) wheelchairs for the duration of the train trip? Without knowing the details of your situation, its hard to know what to recommend, but I'd suggest looking at maybe reserving the accessible bedroom, the family bedroom, and 1-2 roomettes, all on the lower level of the Superliner sleeper. On eastern single-level trains (you will have to change trains at either Chicago or New Orleans) get the accessible room, the bedroom suite (if available), and a roomette if needed (for the 4th lower berth). Beware of narrow hallways and tight corners, however.
All bedroom suites (actually just two bedrooms combined) are on the upper level of the passenger car, which requires you to navigate the stairs to the upper level. I'm assuming that is simply not possible, so you are left with the lower level accomodations. Another option would be to travel coach for part or all of the journey, just reserve five lower level seats, but that's quite a long-haul cross country. Meals can be provided down to the lower level rooms in either case, so no worries there.
What I would
very strongly suggest is someone go down to the Amtrak station and look the accomodations over for yourself. Better still, plan a short day trip as a sort of "dry run" (ride from one station to the next and back again - or have someone meet you), but in the sleeper accomodations you plan to use, to make sure it will be comfortable for a cross-country trip. Figure about an hours trip (one-way) in most cases.
Right now, the
Sunset Limited is not operating east of New Orleans, and a date for the resumption of service has not officially been announced, so you will need to change trains: the easiest would be train #4, the
Southwest Chief to Chicago, then the
Capitol Limited to Washington and finally the
Silver Star to Orlando. Alternative:
Sunset Limited to New Orleans,
Crescent to Charlotte, NC, then the
Piedmont and
Silver Star south. But that would mean spending the night in New Orleans, then an all-day layover in Charlotte, only to wait for the same train you could have caught in Washington.
Loading & unloading times are not a problem; the train won't leave until the last wheelchair is loaded. Power is reliable but can sometimes go out, just like anywhere, it is usually for a relatively brief time. Oxygen, etc., should have a bettery backup to allow for such power interruptions, but you should not expect to ever be without power for a prolonged period. Accessible stations are designated with a wheelchair symbol next to the station name. Sometimes this means there is a wheelchair lift for the passenger cars, sometimes its a high-level platform.
If I can help further, please PM me.
Hope you have a wonderful trip whatever you decide.
