From Miami to New York for $ 1000: what a ride in a luxury Amtrak coupe is like

News Reporter Insider Joy Hadden spoke about her journey from New York to Miami and back in a luxury Amtrak compartment. The trip cost her $ 1000. But was it worth it? .. We decided to retell her story in the first person in order to preserve all the emotions and experiences of the author.

Next - from the first person.

I've always loved trains, so while planning a recent round trip from New York to Miami, I decided to see if I could really enjoy 30 hours each way on Amtrak trains.

I flew on airplanes several times during the pandemic and came to the conclusion that it is uncomfortable to wear a mask all the time, and it is undesirable to sit next to other passengers. I thought that this time I would try a different option and decided to ride in the luxury single compartment of the Amtrak train, where I can close the door and be alone.

On the way back, I decided to try out a custom sleeper compartment. It was about twice the price of a regular compartment and was a small single room.

A plane ticket from New York to Miami in Basic Economy class costs about $ 50 depending on the day of the week. Train tickets are more expensive than flights, and the journey takes 10 times longer, but I decided to go by train, hoping for the comfort of a luxury compartment.

Price

It costs $ 500 to book a tiny custom coupe (roomette) for the trip from New York to Miami. And you can book a bedroom accommodation for 1000 dollars. In the spacious sleeping compartment, I felt comfortable and free, and for me this is the only way to travel long distances.

I am a person who has a hard time traveling, and 30 hours on the train are usually unbearable for me. I find it difficult to relax when I am between destinations. For some reason, I cannot see the train as a destination in and of itself. In addition, the constant movement of the train makes me slightly nauseous.

But being in a sleeping compartment made me feel more comfortable than being in a regular compartment. A simple coupe is about half the size and I miss it to relax. Although the trip to New York was as challenging as the trip to Miami, it felt like there was enough room in the bedroom to move around and that was what made me feel the difference.

Luxury travel details

My journey began at the Amtrak station in Miami. I arrived there at 11 am, 50 minutes before the train left. The interior of the building resembled a Greyhound bus station. I sat in the only waiting area I could find at the station until it was time to get on the train.

Once on the train, I entered the compartment, which had a sofa that converts into a large bed. There was also an upper bunk, a table and a folding chair.

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According to the Amtrak website, a sleeping compartment cost twice as much, but it also had twice as much space as a regular compartment.

To the left of the chair in the compartment was a sink with a mirror, and next to it was a pile of small towels. There was a trash can under the sink. To the right of the mirror was a closet in which you could store your toiletries and other personal items.

This feature allows you to arrange your belongings a little, like in a hotel room.

Also in the compartment was a small wardrobe with three clothes hangers. I didn’t use a closet, but it would be useful for storing jackets during the cooler seasons. The compartment also had its own bathroom with a door, shower and toilet.

Bathroom and toilet

There were hooks on the bathroom door for towels and clothes. There were two towels on the shelf above the toilet to dry off after a shower.

The toilet was separated from the rest of the room by a door. I find this a great convenience if you are traveling with other people.

According to the Amtrak websiteThe sleeping compartment is the cheapest option if you need a private bathroom.

Other features of the sleeper compartment included temperature control and a button to call the attendant.

The ability to control the temperature in the compartment was a welcome addition and luxury. It is not available in the economy class of the aircraft. I could adjust the volume of the overhead speaker through which train stops were announced. This seemed especially useful to me. Thanks to the overhead speaker volume control, you always know when your next stop will be and how much time you have at each station if you suddenly want to stretch your legs.

The bedroom also has convenient controls for night and ceiling lighting.

I wanted to feel at home on the train. I live alone and listen to music all the time, so the closed curtains in the train bedroom gave me a moment of privacy to just be myself. It helped a lot and I realized how important it is for a 30 hour journey.

During the day, I spent a lot of time at my laptop, so the time flew by. Thanks to my work, the first part of the trip home flew by pretty quickly. But when the working day came to an end, I had to look for other ways to pass the time. I decided to lie on my stomach and look out the window for a bit. So I spent most of the trip lying and looking out the window - at the forests, cities and factories.

Lunch from the dining car

When it was time for lunch, I headed to the dining car. The food was included in the ticket, there were five courses to choose from. Since I loved the stewed ribs during my trip to Miami, I decided to try it again on my way home.

Before going to bed, I brushed my teeth and washed in front of the sink. Since I have an electric toothbrush, it was nice to be able to charge it from the outlets in the bathroom.

At about 8 o'clock in the evening, a conductor came to my room to make the bed, it turned out to be very large.

Sleeping area

The bed and sheets were comfortable and I was happy that I had plenty of room to sleep. Since there were sockets next to the sink, I put my phone there to watch a movie without getting out of bed.

By the time I sat in my bed around 20:30 pm, I realized that my body was already craving sleep. I thought I was going to watch a little more movies, but I quickly fell asleep.

The road was bumpy all night, but I felt secure in the lower bed. I didn't feel like I could fall at any moment.

Awakening and disappointment

I woke up the next morning at about 8 am in North Carolina from the sun shining through the window. I was planning to take a shower, but after looking at the bathroom floor, I regretted not taking my slippers with me, and decided to do without a shower. I would be very happy to take a shower after being on the train for almost 24 hours. But the floor seemed too dirty to be comfortable with bare feet.

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Instead, I just washed my face and applied deodorant. It made me feel a little refreshed, although I was eager to get home and take a shower.

Breakfast and lunch are included in the ticket price

Breakfast and lunch were also included in my ticket. They were quite tasty in my opinion.

For breakfast, I went to the dining car and chose the continental option. For lunch, I decided to give preference to chicken fettuccine with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes. The dish seemed good to me.

Of all the meals I ate, the continental breakfast was the most hearty and satisfying. It consisted of a sausage sandwich, egg, cheese, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, and blueberry muffin. For the oatmeal, I could choose maple syrup, brown sugar, or apple and cinnamon.

Conclusions

Not sure if I will take a 30 hour train ride for my next trip. But I know that if I do this, I will definitely pay for the sleeping compartment.

When we arrived in New York around 19:00 pm, a little later than the scheduled time, I realized that I had never been so grateful to be at home.

But I was also grateful for the coupe and privacy I had on the trip.