Amtrak Roomette Vs. First-Class: Which Is Better? | Invesloan.com

I took a sleeper train from Colorado to Utah in a roomette accommodation. My ticket included a private enclosed space with two chairs, two beds, and perks such as priority boarding, meals on board, a dedicated attendant, and access to lounges at select stations.

My ticket included a comfortable, roomy seat, a meal, attendant service, priority boarding, and lounge access at some stations.

The Superliner, which runs west of Chicago and New Orleans, looked like a typical Amtrak train with its boxy shape, silver metal exterior, and red and blue stripes.

Still, unlike other fleets I’ve ridden, it was two stories tall.

The Superliner I took got interior upgrades earlier this year, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told Business Insider.

The Amtrak Acela is a high-speed Northeast express train that runs from Massachusetts to Washington, DC.

The NextGen Acela, the only Amtrak service with first-class seating, is the new fleet’s flagship, boasting the highest top speed of any train in the US — 160 miles per hour. It looked more modern than any other Amtrak train I’ve seen. Its rounded shape and sleek front car reminded me of a spaceship.

My seat was comfortable and I had plenty of legroom. Each seat had a tray table with a cup holder and a reading light on the winged headrest.

I ate my meals in the dining car and spent some time in the top deck’s window-filled observation car when I was feeling cooped up in my room.

I appreciated the sleek, modern café car, which offered snacks, beverages, and refrigerated grab-and-go meals. Since the first-class ride was so short, I didn’t mind spending the trip in my seat.

French toast, Caesar salad with chicken, and a three-course dinner including Brie salad, flat iron steak, and a slice of cheesecake kept me full throughout my trip. And each meal was tastier than I expected for train food.

My Acela ticket only included one meal, which made sense considering that the ride was only three hours long. It was the best meal I’ve had on an Amtrak train.

A charred chicken thigh paired with roasted acorn squash tasted fresh, and the flavors were complementary — especially when dipped in the verde sauce. The hard roll and Key-lime pie dessert finished the job of filling me up.

I also noticed that the presentation was elevated compared to the roomette meals, with plates and glassware instead of plastic dishes.

A curved sliding door opened to reveal a spacious bathroom with red accents. There was a small shelf next to the brightly lit mirror.

I appreciated the high-tech amenities, including touch-free water, soap, and dryer dispensers, as well as lights that indicated when the room was occupied.

After my 15-hour trip on the Superliner, which had no WiFi, an unusual occurrence for an Amtrak train, I was grateful that I could stream videos on the Acela train.

Using the Google Maps measurement tool, I found that the California Zephyr route from Denver to Salt Lake City is about 500 miles, while New York City and Washington, D.C., are roughly 230 miles apart by train.

“We dynamically revenue manage all departures per demand, regardless of the equipment type used for any given departure,” an Amtrak representative told Business Insider in an email.

Although the Acela was more modern, served a better meal, and provided WiFi, I didn’t think it was luxurious enough to be worth more than my tiny, moving hotel room on the overnight ride across the Southwest.