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

Business Insider's reporter traveled in a roomette and a first-class seat on Amtrak trains.Joey Hadden/Business InsiderI 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.When I saw how much a first-class ticket on the Amtrak Acela train cost, I had to book it.This was in September 2025.

At $450 for a three-hour trip up the East Coast, it was $50 more than the private cabin I booked for a 15-hour journey from Colorado to Utah in January 2025.The steep price point would probably deter the average person. As a travel reporter and train enthusiast, though, I wanted to compare the first-class experience with a more affordable, more private overnight train.

First, I took a 15-hour train ride from Denver to Salt Lake City in a roomette for $400 in January 2025.Joey Hadden/Business InsiderI took a sleeper train from Colorado to Utah in a roomette accommodation. My booking included a 23-square-foot private, enclosed space with two chairs, two beds, and perks like priority boarding, meals on board, a dedicated attendant, and access to lounges at select stations.

Then I booked a $450 first-class ticket for a three-hour ride from Washington, DC, to NYC in September 2025.Joey Hadden/Business InsiderMy ticket included a comfy, roomy seat, a meal, attendant service, priority boarding, and lounge access at some stations.My first ride was aboard an Amtrak Superliner train.

Joey Hadden/Business InsiderThe Superliner, which runs west of Chicago and New Orleans, looked like a typical Amtrak train with its boxy shape, silver exterior, and red-and-blue stripes.Still, there was one huge difference. Unlike any other fleet I've ridden, the Amtrak Superliner was two stories tall.

The Superliner I took had recently upgraded interiors, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari t