Amtrak Train Overnighter

 

I recently came back from 3 different adventures. First, I took an overnight Amtrak train ride to and from New York City from Jacksonville Florida. Next, I spent 2.5 days seeing the city by myself. Finally, I did a 6-day Road Scholar tour of the city. John had no desire to see New York City, so I went by myself. First, to talk about the train.

Departure time on the ticket means when the train departs. So, you actually get on 10-15 minutes before. Which means you should be at the station 30 minutes before departure time (versus the 2-3 hours at an airport). However, both my trains ran one hour late. I’m not sure why they were late. While I was on the train I noticed the train slowing down several places. The attendant mentioned that train slows due to speed limits, workers on line, track conditions, etc. Anyhow, I could have watched the app to see it was late but I ended up just waiting at the station. On the way back I texted John when I was close.

Get your tickets early. Roomettes seems to sell out. Coach seats are much cheaper (~$150) versus $550 for a roomette on this trip (a 2^nd person in your roomette is only $200 more). But that means sleeping overnight in a chair with people around you getting off and on the train versus a private bedroom. The roomette gives you more privacy for the whole trip (this one was 18 hours) plus the food is included (and I think better) while the coach seats have an expensive food car. The food doesn't necessarily look great but tastes good. The unusual thing with lunch and dinner is that you have to reserve a time for roomettes. The kitchen can only heat only so many meals every hour.

The higher price also allows you to sit in a special lounge at the train station. At a small station like Jacksonville, there isn’t any special place. In New York City at Moynihan Hall the Metropolitian Lounge is pretty great. The seats are comfortable and the food and drinks are free. I ended up spending several hours there before my trip back and enjoyed this benefit.

I watched quite a few youtube videos to be prepared for my first trip. I was ready to pay the customary tips of $2-5 for meals and $10 for the attendant. The videos show the rooms and explain how everything worked so I wasn’t very worried about doing this the first time and by myself.

The roomette door can be locked and curtains pulled for privacy. It had two seats which converted into a bed with a second bed that is pulled down from the ceiling. I slept on the top bed and liked it. I found it pretty quiet at night with just a hum from ventilation, the occasional train whistle in the distance (must have been far from the engine), and a gentle movement. The room also has a sink and some have a toilet but I liked using the bathroom in the train car. You can adjust ventilation and lighting.

/

What really surprised me was how relaxing the trip was. I brought a Kindle to keep busy but instead just spent my awake time sitting and looking out the window. For this trip, I didn’t see great views except a far-off view of the Washington Monument in DC. The windows were dirty plus mostly I saw trees that were planted near the railroad to keep sound down for neighbors. But it was still just relaxing. I would definitely do this again.