As a New Yorker, part of the allure of a first-class ticket for me was having access to Penn Station’s Metropolitan Lounge, a quiet waiting area for select Amtrak customers with comfortable seats and free snacks.
First-class passengers and those traveling in roomette and bedroom accommodations get in for free on the day of their trip, while other passengers can pay $50 to access the club.
Anyone traveling from Philadelphia, Boston’s South Station, and Washington, DC, also has access to a lounge. But 10 other stops on the Amtrak Acela don’t offer this perk.
On both trains, the first-class seats were larger than those in business class, but I didn’t find them significantly more comfortable.
First-class tickets also come with a complimentary meal and in-seat service. I found that the food was significantly better on the second ride.
Although first class had more perks than business class, comfort on the ride is the most important thing for me when traveling by train. And while the first-class seats were larger than the business-class seats, they weren’t upgraded enough to justify the price, in my opinion.
However, I couldn’t help thinking that splitting a private roomette with a friend might be even cheaper (more on that later).
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