I Compared Amtrak’s Coach Seat and Roomette. One Was a Clear Winner.

The coach car’s seat distribution, arranged in about 40 rows of two seats on each side of an aisle, reminded me a lot of economy flights, but with more space between seats and with passengers entering through the back of the car instead of the front.

Once we walked into the car, passengers were free to choose where to sit. I chose a window seat near the front of the car.

In the first-class car, narrow hallways led passengers to their private rooms, with each car holding about 12 roomettes — like the one I booked — and others holding a few of the larger bedroom options.

These larger bedrooms, which are also designed for two people, cost $363 and offer twice the space of the roomette I stayed in. They also include a private in-room shower.

During my trip, which was toward the end of the train’s route from Chicago to Miami, most of the rooms were empty or had already been used by previous guests.

While the train cabin resembled a plane cabin, I found the wide seats significantly larger and more comfortable than those in most airplanes or long-distance buses.

The seat could recline and had a footrest that could open to lie down almost entirely flat.

The coach class seats also had overhead storage compartments, and each seat also had access to a fold-down table and a wall plug, which came in handy to charge my phone.

In the first-class roomette, which is meant for two people, the room had two upholstered seats that could recline together to form a lower bed, while an upper bed could be lifted all the way to the ceiling and lowered to a climbable height.

The roomette, which is 3 feet and 6 inches wide and 6 feet and 6 inches long, offers approximately 23 square feet in total.

For my coach journey, the train departed in the morning and arrived in the early afternoon, so there was no need for a full bed. Still, the legroom I had as someone who is 5 feet 4 inches was ample, and the reclining features made lying down very comfortable.

The upper bed of the roomette, which could be accessed by climbing over the toilet seat, had an overhead storage compartment and its own window.

While the upper bed — which was as long and nearly as wide as a regular twin bed — felt spacious and comfortable, complete with nice bedsheets, it did feel a bit unstable thanks to the gap between the bed and the wall. While a security strap looked like it could be attached to the roof to create a net, I was not able to attach it and instead opted to spend most of my trip in the lower bed.

My trip went from the late afternoon, with the train departing around 5:30 p.m., into the late night, with the train arriving at my final destination at nearly midnight.

During this nighttime ride, I spent most of my time in the two beds in the private room, using the lower one for the majority of the trip. I was able to turn off the room lights and close the window curtains, turning room into comfortable sleeping quarters that made the trip feel less draining than it would’ve in a coach seat.

In the economy café car, coach travelers could purchase and eat their food at spacious tables with views out of the train’s windows.

After eating, I stayed at a table for most of my trip in the economy café car.

On the other hand, the first-class dining car had double the windows and more ornate lighting and seats.

The tables were covered by white tablecloths, and each table had a miniature bouquet along with condiments.

Once the dining car opened service around 6 p.m., passengers were free to choose where to sit.

The dinner service and the full meal were included in the price of the first-class ticket. On longer trips, breakfast and lunch are also provided throughout the day.

In the economy café, I had to wait almost an hour to order my food.

There was only one person working the cash register, preparing the food, and serving drinks, so each diner before me took up to 10 minutes to order and receive their food.

Amtrak did not reply to a request for comment about my experience.

Diners were greeted by a waiter who took our orders from a limited menu due to kitchen difficulties on the trip. The menu included cheeseburgers, turkey subs, and ham sandwiches, options I recognized from the economy café menu.

I got a cheeseburger, which, unlike the economy class option, came with chips and toppings, including tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, and pickles. I also dressed up the burger with the condiments on the table. The burger was great and felt like a restaurant burger rather than a fast-food or microwaved burger.

Although it was a similar offering to the economy class, it did feel like an elevated dining experience.

Amtrak did not reply to a request for comment about my experience.

Once I finally got to the front of the line in the economy café, I ordered mac ‘n cheese, a chocolate chip cookie, and a soda. The food was served on a stadium-style paper tray.

The food was tasty. I paid $3 for the soda, $7.50 for the mac ‘n cheese, and $3.50 for the cookie.

In the first-class dining car, we were brought brownies after the dinner service. The brownies were hot and fudgy and topped with chocolate syrup and airy whipped cream.

The economy bathroom was spacious compared to airplane bathrooms, and it was also ADA-accessible. Although it still felt like a public bathroom, it was decently clean after the nearly six-hour trip.

In the roomette, which had its own bathroom, a toilet and a sink opened from the stairs going up to the upper bed.

When the room door and curtains were closed, it was very private for me as a solo traveler.

However, with two people in the roomette, it would be a little too awkward, as it’s not at all separated from the rest of the room.

While I enjoyed both experiences, the roomette offered a fuller experience that was different from what you could get through plane or bus travel, whereas the coach option felt similar to both.

Even at a higher price point, I would pay for the roomette again, especially on longer trips when you want to have a space to recharge.