The best Amtrak booking is the private bedroom with two beds, couch, and full bathroom for $1,000. Here's a look inside.
- I spent a night in the Amtrak sleeper car's private bedroom for $1,000, which is about the size of a king-size bed with a full bathroom.
- With unparalleled privacy and space, it's the most comfortable Amtrak accommodation I've booked yet.
On a trip from Miami to New York City, I booked Amtrak's bedroom accommodation on the sleeper car, which gave me my own moving hotel room for 30 hours.
I've taken all sorts of Amtrak train rides in various classes, so last year I finally booked the top option: Amtrak's bedroom.
The private room is available on sleeper cars for long-distance train rides, like my trip from Miami to New York City. At $1,000 for one overnight ride, it's easily the most expensive Amtrak ride I've ever booked. (For full disclosure, Insider paid for the trip, per our reporting standards.)
It was also the most comfortable, thanks to the privacy and space it provided.
According to Amtrak's website, bedrooms are at least 45.5 square feet, which, for reference, is a little bigger than a standard king-size bed, Insider has reported. It can sleep up to two adults, and it offered ample space for me as a solo traveler.
After several Amtrak rides in various premium accommodations, I'm still thinking about the comfort the bedroom provided.
I've experienced many Amtrak trains while traveling along the East Coast, where I live. I spent my childhood riding in coach, and more recently, traveled in business and first class on Amtrak Acela trains between Baltimore and New York City, which is about two and a half hours each way.
Acela is an Amtrak express train on the East Coast with only business and first-class seating. First and business class accommodations offer larger seats than coach, and first class comes with perks like in-seat service.
The business-class ticket costs about $120, and the first-class ticket costs about $270.
Before spending the night in a bedroom from Miami to New York City, I spent 30 hours on an Amtrak train traveling from New York City to Miami a roomette.
Unlike a seat among other passengers, a roomette is a private space with a door and blinds to cover up the windows. These are for long-haul train rides that travel through the night, and costs about $500.
A step up from a roomette is the bedroom accommodation on long-distance Amtrak trains. It offers even more space as well as a private bathroom.
The furniture in the bedroom folds up and down for various configurations, including a workday setup.
After so many cramped seating arrangements on previous Amtrak rides, the bedroom was a luxury. It was nice to have a big couch where I could stretch out my legs and put my feet up. That same couch transforms into a bed in the evenings.
There was an additional chair on the left too, which you can fold up and stow away if it's not needed.
The bedroom also had a table that pulled out from the wall between two of the three seats, which made working from the rails more efficient.
A small closet with three hangers keeps clothing looking sharp.
A closet! I usually love unpacking upon arrival in my accommodations. The more I unpack while traveling, the more at home I feel.
This trip, I didn't use the closet, but it would have come in handy for storing jackets if I were traveling at a cooler time of the year.
Having storage spaces around the room made it easier to keep it tidy, which is essential in maintaining order in a tiny space.
The room features a sink, vanity, and small towels for freshening up.
The bedroom comes with a three-panel vanity mirror, sink, and towels, making a quick face wash or tooth brush convenient. I joked that the setup was nicer than my bathroom at home.
I brushed my teeth and washed my face before bed and again the next morning, just like I would on any regular day at home. Feeling clean makes me more comfortable while traveling.
Although I try to pack light, I always make room for my electric toothbrush, so having an outlet next to the mirror was great for keeping it charged.
To the right of the mirror was a cabinet where I could store my toiletries and other personal items.
This cabinet allowed me to unpack the way I would in a hotel room and easily see my items as needed. The cabinet snapped shut so everything stayed in place as the train moved.
The roomette from my previous train ride included access to a shared bathroom in the sleeper car, leaving no room to unpack like this. It felt like an upgraded — and very welcome — amenity.
There were fluffy towels stocked in the room too, as if I were in a hotel, not on a train.
The private bathroom had a door, shower, and toilet. In other booking classes, riders share a bathroom in their train car.
Having my own bathroom was a game changer for me as a train traveler. Not only did it allow me to unpack, it also made me feel like I was being exposed to fewer germs. Plus, I never had to wait for my turn. I couldn't find a downside to a private bathroom for 30 hours of travel.
On the bathroom door were hooks to hold towels and clothing items. On a shelf above the toilet were two towels for showering. Then, of course, there was my sink with vanity mirrors in the room.
This, was traveling as it should be.
Being able to control the temperature inside my room was a nice touch — and a luxury you don't get in business or first class.
Other bedroom features included a button to call an attendant for anything you may need as well as handy controls for the lights. There was a night setting and reading lamps in addition to the overhead light.
A dial controled the volume of the speaker, where an attendant would make announcements about where the train was stopping.
Then, I could also control the temperature in my room, like I had in the roomette on a previous trip. For a 30-hour journey, picking my ideal temperature made me feel so much more comfortable. Dealing with sweat or shivers would have made the trip feel much longer.
At about 8 p.m., an attendant came to my room to transform the sofa into a bed.
In the evenings, Amtrak offers turndown service. An attendant will come to your room and set up your bed.
When the attendant came into my room around 8 p.m., they asked me if I wanted to sleep on the top or bottom bunk. Since I tried the top bunk in the roomette, I went with the bottom bunk on this trip.
My first thought when I entered the room again was that the bed looked bigger than the one I slept in on my way to Miami in a roomette.
The bed and sheets were surprisingly soft, and I was happy to have more room to spred out as I slept.
Since there were outlets next to the sink, I propped up my phone up to watch TV from bed, just like home.
The outlet I used for my electric toothbrush came in handy once again when I was ready for bed. I plugged in my phone to charge, propped it on the vanity, and watched my favorite TV shows.
Watching my go-to shows relaxed me before falling asleep.
Another key feature: the air vent above the bed. I prefer to keep the room cool for sleeping, so I pointed the air vent toward my face as I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up the next morning around 8 a.m. in North Carolina to the sun beaming through my window.
When I woke up the next morning, I felt much more well-rested than I ever had on a train. I believe it was thanks to the bigger, more comfortable bed — and my privacy.
The bottom bunk felt less bumpy than my previous ride on the top bunk, so I recommend opting for the bottom bunk on overnight trips.
When I head to another destination that requires an overnight Amtrak journey, I'll definitely splurge for the bedroom booking. The privacy, space, and better sleep is so worth it.
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