Last April I decided to ride Amtrak from New Jersey to Florida to visit family. I made this decision because I was tired of driving 18 hours without a break. That’s what single mom’s have to do. Anyway, I have a child with Angelman Syndrome, so riding coach was out of the question. I’d never be able to keep my daughter in one seat for that long. Sleeping also posed an issue. My daughter doesn’t sleep well to begin with, let alone if there are people for her to look at. Booking a wheelchair accessible sleeper room was my only option.

The first call I placed to Amtrak was unpleasant. The man who answered wasn’t knowledgeable at all, and even told me I couldn’t book the room I wanted with two children in tow. Fortunately, we got disconnected when he tried to transfer me to his manager. I called back again and got a cheerful woman who was able to book the three of us the wheelchair accessible room at a nice discount.

The wheelchair accessible room is the only room that has its own separate bathroom, which is a major plus when traveling for 20 hours. The room was large enough to accommodate my daughter’s Convaid stroller, which I could fold up and secure under the straps that were holding the ladder for the top bunk in the room.

An additional perk to the wheelchair accessible room was the food service. The attendent would bring meals to the room upon request, which was nice since the dining car filled up so fast. Helping my daughter get to the dining car was also a challenge, since she wears braces on her legs and the train is always shaking while it’s in motion.

I highly recommend using the wheelchair accessible room if you have anyone in your party who is handicap. It is also imperative that you book the room with a knowledgeable representative, hanging up and calling back several times if you have to.