On my way to Miami, I booked a roomette for $500.
A step up from sitting in coach, where you get a seat among other passengers, a roomette is a private space with a door and blinds to cover up the windows. Inside, I found two beds, two chairs, a table and a toilet.
According to Amtrak’s website, roomettes are around 22.75 square feet, which, for reference, is a little bigger than a standard twin-size bed. The roomette sleeps up to two adults.
I booked a bedroom for the ride home, which was double the price for twice the amount of space.
Bedrooms are around 45.5 square feet, which, for reference, is a little bigger than a standard king-size bed. Like the roomette, they sleep a maximum of two adults with two bunks.
The bedroom had a couch, an additional chair, a shower, and an enclosed bathroom.
Both rooms offered complete privacy, came with complimentary meals, and used smart storage hacks that reminded me of a tiny home.
Having a private space was the most important thing to me on this long train journey, and both rooms offered that.
Both rooms also had some clever storage hacks, like a table that pulled out between the chairs.
I think I woke up feeling more rested on my way home in the bedroom simply because I chose the bottom bunk, where I felt less swaying and bumping from the train.
You could select this option in either room. So, if you’re bothered by the train’s bumpiness during the day, as I was, I recommend sleeping on the bottom bunk in either accommodation.
I could get my body moving in the bedroom by dancing around, while in the roomette, I felt too cramped to move very much.
Frankly, I don’t feel comfortable sitting for 30 hours.
To pass the time, get moving, and feel more at home, I took frequent dance breaks in my bedroom, where I closed the curtains and blasted music in my earbuds.
This felt freeing and satisfying, and if I wanted to, I think I could have even done some yoga poses, body-weight exercises, or practiced my karate moves.
All bedrooms have a three-mirror vanity, a shower, and a toilet behind a locking door. Some roomettes have a toilet with a folding sink and a single mirror above it.
After staying in a roomette with a toilet for the first half of my trip to Miami, I was moved to another room without a toilet for the remainder due to the availability of roomettes when I booked my ticket. I had access to a bathroom at the end of the sleeper car.
While traveling home in a bedroom, I appreciated that the toilet was separated from the rest of the room by a door.
I also thought the bedroom had a nicer vanity with three mirrors facing each other, which made it easier to wash my face in the morning.
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