I booked a roomette and a first-class seat on Amtrak trains. The cheaper ride was way more comfortable.

• I booked a $400 roomette for a 15-hour Amtrak ride from Colorado to Utah in January 2025.
• I booked a $450 first-class ticket for a three-hour ride from Washington, DC, to NYC in September 2025.
• I was shocked that the first-class seat cost more than the overnight ride in a private cabin.

First, I took a 15-hour train ride from Denver to Salt Lake City in a roomette for $400 in January 2025.

Then I booked a $450 first-class ticket for a three-hour ride from Washington, DC, to NYC in September 2025.

On the Superliner train, I had a 23-square-foot private space to myself.