We paid $1,586 to book a private room and bring our car on the Amtrak Auto Train. For us, the pros outweighed the cons.

On a recent trip to Florida, I was excited to try out Amtrak’s Auto Train.

By choosing rail travel and paying a fee to bring my car on board, I’d be able to have my vehicle with me at my final destination — a benefit of driving without the stress of hitting the road.

My friend traveled with me, and we chose to bring one car and book a private bedroom for two.

Our ride wasn’t cheap at $1,586 one-way.

However, when we looked at an alternative — flying down and renting a car for over a month once we landed — it turned out to be the cheaper option.

The only other option would be to drive the whole way.

To me, the idea of spending a full 24 hours sitting in traffic on I-95 only made this train trip way more appealing.

Although I was skeptical about my Amtrak Auto Train ride — and it did have highs and lows — it ultimately felt like a good value.