The roomette is too small, at least for me. We just did St. Louis back to Dallas in one and I didn't sleep much. I would only do the roomette again if I was by myself and wasn't going to sleep in the top bunk. There were a lot of empty bedrooms so we got to see them, they have their own shower/toilet too, that's what we'll get if we do it again (big if). Might try coach and see if the recliner is good enough for a short trip with the kid. I'll have ear plugs to drown out the constant horn blowing next time too. Another thing is to go ahead and count on it being delayed a lot. 1 hour late leaving St. Louis and over 2 hours late getting into Dallas. I have a co-worker that used to work for them and explained it's almost impossible for them to be on time so don't even expect it, just go with the flow and don't make any plans. There's quiet hours and they take it seriously, ask you to wear earbuds and not hold conversations in the sleeping cars during that time, no noisy kids. You can still go to the lounge car to socialize. Beer, wine, cocktails, sandwiches, and snacks for sale in the lounge car. Food was good, they fill up the tables in the dinning car so you'll end up meeting different people. Meals are included when you book a sleeping room. Also some stations have a lounge for people that book sleeping rooms, St. Louis did. The California Zephyr route looks like it would have great scenery, which would probably be the only reason to do it again.