[prawn]

Same. Almost 30 years ago, I took an overnight slowboat in Asia with my parents where each passenger had a thin mat (half-inch thick, 2' wide). People sat up, lay down to read or sleep. It was great. I've been on sleeper buses in China and triple-bunk sleeper trains in India and would vastly prefer those to the airline experience.

Challenges with capsule-style beds could be accommodating families and handling meals?

[seanmcdirmid]

Hard sleepers in China have everyone hanging out on the bottom bunk during the day, their are three levels of bunks, and the top bunk is not for the claustrophobic. Still a bit more comfortable than flying economy, and pretty cheap also (though they are disappearing as HSR trains replace them).

I took an overnight ferry from Shanghai once to putuoshan (maybe in 2004?), I’m guessing it was similar to your experience 3 years ago.

[prawn]

Yeah, we took hard sleepers in China in the early 90s. Loved how chaotic it was. You have to be comfortable with strangers around though. I remember the sleepers in Thailand were really hot with fans everywhere, but had curtains at least - more like submarine bunks. Also have great memories of a 3 day ship from Shanghai to HK, just not the sleeping quarters. We would learn Mahjong from the elderly Chinese and play the 2-3 arcade games.

[himlion]

I've taken a sleeper bus in Asia before but with my 6'5 the short beds are highly uncomfortable. I'm a big fan of sleeper trains though.

[prawn]

My brother and I got on a sleeper bus in China. I'm 6'3, he's 6'9. Everyone saw us look wide-eyed at the small beds and they cracked up laughing. We got swapped to the wider 4-5-wide bed at the very back. Phew!