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Business Insider
14-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I've spent 95 hours on Amtrak trains in 5 different classes, from coach to a bedroom. The best deal was a premium cabin.
I've traveled by Amtrak train in coach, business class, and first class cars. I've also booked private cabins for overnight stays in bedroom and roomette accommodations. I think the roomette is the best deal Amtrak offers. I travel by train every chance I get. Over the past four years, I've spent roughly 95 hours crisscrossing the US on Amtrak trains, and each time, I've had a different experience. I've lounged on a couch in a private bedroom with a full bathroom, transformed two seats into a bunk in a 20-square-foot cabin called a roomette, and received complimentary meals in the dining car on overnight trains. I've also saved money in coach and upgraded to business and first classes on shorter rides. In total, I've sampled five different booking types on seven trains from the Northeast to the Southwest. Of all the booking types I've sampled, one offers the best value. Here's a breakdown of the five seating types on Amtrak trains and which premium seat is most worth the upgrade. I spent $50 on a four-hour ride in coach, the most basic seating car. In May 2025, I took the Amtrak Cascades train from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle. For the four-hour ride, I rode in coach, where seating was first-come, first-served. Coach has the smallest seat of all the classes, but it's still pretty big and comfy, especially compared to a basic economy flight. Like on a plane, the seats reclined, and the seat backs had tray tables and storage pouches. Each row also had power outlets and overhead reading lights. I've taken two business-class Amtrak rides. Both included a larger seat and a complimentary drink. In 2022, I spent $120 on a two-and-a-half-hour ride in business class on Amtrak's Acela train from Baltimore to New York City. Unlike regular Amtrak trains with several coach train cars, the Acela fleet has only business and first-class seating. The Acela is also faster than Amtrak regional trains. My trip from Baltimore to NYC was 20 minutes shorter than it would have been on a regular Amtrak train. A few months later, I booked a 10-hour ride on an Amtrak Maple Leaf train from NYC to Niagara Falls, New York. I paid $168 for a business class seat, which was $100 more than a coach booking on the same train. Both tickets included one plush seat with extra legroom and a complimentary drink. A representative of the train line told Business Insider that business-class perks on all Amtrak trains also include fully refunded rides if they're canceled before departure and a 25% point bonus on Amtrak Guest Rewards. The business-class seats were wider than the ones in coach, but they weren't significantly more comfortable, in my opinion. The ticket did not include a meal or in-seat service like the higher-tier cars. Overall, the bookings didn't have as many perks as I expected in a premium cabin. While I wouldn't upgrade to business class on most Amtrak trains, I would still book a seat on the Amtrak Acela train again. I think it's worth paying a little extra to save time and arrive at my destination sooner than I would on a regional train. I paid $270 to sit in first class on a two-and-a-half-hour ride on Amtrak's Acela train. It included a meal, access to station lounges, and an even larger chair. The Acela train is the only Amtrak train with a first-class seating car, according to Amtrak's website. I took it from NYC to Baltimore in 2022. As a New Yorker, part of the allure of a first-class ticket for me was having access to Penn Station's Metropolitan Lounge, a quiet waiting area for select Amtrak customers with comfortable seats and free snacks. First-class passengers and those traveling in roomette and bedroom accommodations get in for free on the day of their trip, while business-class passengers can pay $50 to access the club. Anyone traveling from Philadelphia, Boston's South Station, and Washington, DC, also has access to a lounge. But there are 10 other stops on the Amtrak Acela that don't offer this perk. First-class seats are slightly larger than business-class seats, although I found them to be just as stiff. The first-class ticket also comes with a complimentary meal and in-seat service. According to a press release, the train's menu got an upgrade in 2023 in collaboration with STARR Restaurant Group. Although first class had more perks than business class, comfort on the ride is the most important thing for me when traveling by train. And while the first-class seat was larger than the business-class seat, it wasn't comfortable enough to make the upgrade worth it. However, I couldn't help thinking that splitting a private roomette with a friend might be even cheaper (more on that later). I've taken two overnight rides in Amtrak's roomette accommodation — a private cabin that's around 20 square feet. In my experience, Amtrak's greatest value is the roomette, which sleeps two and includes a private room with two beds and complimentary meals. My first roomette experience was a 30-hour ride on an Amtrak Viewliner train from NYC to Miami in 2021. I paid $500 to stay in a roughly 20-square-foot private cabin with two beds, a table, two chairs, a sink, and a toilet. Then in 2025, I booked another roomette on an Amtrak Superliner. The 15-hour train ride from Denver to Salt Lake City cost $400. This roomette was similar to the first, except it didn't include a toilet and sink and was freshly updated with new seat cushions and lining. Amtrak is also working on interior updates for sleeper cars on the Viewliner fleet, which will be available in 2026, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told BI. On both trains, two chairs facing each other folded out into a bed, and another bed pulled down from the ceiling. Both rooms also had a small closet and a mirror. All roomette passengers have access to a bathroom and shower in the sleeper car. The roomettes made great use of a small space, with clever storage features that reminded me of a tiny home. I was pleasantly surprised that I could control the temperature inside each roomette with a dial and air conditioning vents. On both rides, the bed and sheets were comfortable enough for one night, though the updated cushions on the Superliner ride were cozier. For a long-haul train ride, I think the roomette's price tag is worth it to have a private space with temperature control and a lie-flat bed. I paid $1,000 for a 30-hour ride in an Amtrak bedroom, which is similar to a roomette, but it's double the size — and price. Amtrak bedrooms are around 45.5 square feet, which, for reference, is a little bigger than a standard king-size bed. I booked one for a 30-hour ride on an Amtrak Viewliner train from Miami to NYC in 2021. The bedroom offered complete privacy and included complimentary meals. Compared to the roomette on the same route, the Amtrak bedroom was double the price for twice the space. It included a couch, an additional chair, a shower, and a separate private bathroom. Like the roomette, it sleeps two. The couch folded out into a bed, and another pulled down from the ceiling. I thought it was nice to have a big sofa where I could stretch out and put my feet up, whereas the roomette only had two single seats. Having room to lounge in the bedroom made me feel more relaxed throughout my journey, and I appreciated that the toilet was separated from the rest of the room by a door, unlike the roomette. The bedroom also had a wider vanity than the roomette, with three mirrors facing each other. This made it easier to wash my face in the morning. But with such a hefty price tag for the same number of occupants as a roomette, I don't think it offers better value than the small private cabin. While I'd splurge on a bedroom for long-haul trips if my budget allowed, I think the roomette is the best deal Amtrak offers. After staying in five Amtrak accommodations, I think the bedroom was most comfortable with so much space to stretch and move about. Still, I view the roomette as undoubtedly the best value I've ever experienced from Amtrak. For $500, a roomette is essentially a tiny hotel room where you can go to sleep in NYC and wake up in Miami — and bring a buddy to split the price.
Business Insider
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I booked coach and business-class tickets on Amtrak trains. The upgrade wasn't worth the added price.
First, I spent 10 hours traveling in business class from NYC to Niagara Falls, New York, for $168. I took Amtrak's Maple Leaf train, which runs from NYC to Toronto and has coach and business-class seating. A coach ticket would have been $100 cheaper. A representative of the train line told Business Insider that business-class perks on all Amtrak trains include more spacious seating, a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage, a 25% point bonus for Amtrak Guest Rewards members, and full refunds for rides canceled before departure. Three years later, I took a four-hour ride from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle for $50. I was aboard the Amtrak Cascades train, which runs from Vancouver to Eugene, Oregon, and also offers coach and business-class seating. No business-class tickets were available when I booked this ride a month in advance. But according to a quick Amtrak search for rides a month from now, they cost about $120. On the business-class ride, there were two rows of seats on one side of the aisle and single seats on the other. On all Amtrak trains, business class offers more privacy for some guests with single-row seating. Since seats weren't assigned, I grabbed a spot in the single row and appreciated having the space to myself. On my train to Seattle, the coach car had two sets of seats on either side of the aisle. Coach offered less privacy with pairs of seats on either side of the aisle, but at least there were no middle seats. This ride also didn't have assigned seating, so I grabbed a spot in an empty row and had it to myself for the entire ride. The business-class seat was bigger and slightly more comfortable than the coach seat. Both seats felt roomy enough for me, though the one in business class was a bit larger. While I appreciated the cushioned armrests and extra legroom in business class, it wasn't much more comfortable than coach. Both seats reclined and had power outlets, tray tables, and overhead reading lights. Neither ticket included a meal, but I got a free Coke in business class. Though Amtrak's first-class tickets include a meal, business-class passengers only get a complimentary beverage. Coach passengers don't get complimentary refreshments. To retrieve my free soda on the business-class ride and purchase breakfast on the coach ride, I visited the café cars, where snacks and microwavable meals were for sale. There wasn't much of a difference between coach and business-class bathrooms. Both bathrooms had a power outlet. The bathroom I used on the coach train was larger than the one in business class, but I'm not sure if the business-class car also had a larger bathroom that I missed. Both classes included complimentary WiFi. Ultimately, business class wasn't worth the upgrade.
