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.

Amtrak's passenger-only trains typically make aggregate stops, which tin consequence successful longer rides arsenic group get connected and off.

However, Amtrak presently has only 1 Auto Train way successful the US, which operates nonstop betwixt Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, DC) and Sanford, Florida (outside Orlando). The thrust is conscionable complete 17 hours.

The constricted stops meant this travel still required a fewer hours of driving for me, since I was walking from farther northbound and heading farther southbound to the Keys.

Even so, I recovered it awesome to walk astir of my travel relaxing connected the train and waking up adjacent to our destination. Plus, I had the added comfortableness of knowing I wouldn't miss my stop.

We'd booked a backstage bedroom, which is simply a measurement up from a roomette and astir double the size. According to the Amtrak website, these rooms are typically astir 7.1 to 7.5 feet agelong and 6.6 to 6.8 feet wide.

It includes a azygous chair and a sofa (basically 2 wider chairs broadside by side) that toggle shape into 1 of the 2 beds astatine night, positive a backstage bathroom.

Our room came pinch a individual attendant who helped america settee into our mini abstraction and brought america h2o upon arrival. We didn't request overmuch during the ride, but they were disposable to america if we did.

Since this was my first trip, I was a small confused astir really we would propulsion down the beds, truthful I was relieved to study that everything would beryllium taken attraction of for us.

While we were successful the eating car, our attendant transformed the seats into bunk beds. The adjacent morning, while we were eating breakfast, he came successful and rearranged the beds backmost into seating, giving america much room to move astir and battalion up.

On the Auto Train, vehicles are restricted by size, not weight. This is awesome news for personification whose container is ever complete the weight limit erstwhile I fly.

I was capable to battalion my car pinch everything I needed, fundamentally utilizing it for illustration a suitcase.

Although I was besides able to bring the essentials I'd request for the nighttime connected committee pinch me, I learned that little is more. Since abstraction successful each room is limited, it's champion to bring only what you really request for the night.

This was particularly important erstwhile the beds successful the room were down, arsenic it took distant astir of the level abstraction and made getting fresh a spot of a challenge. It would've been moreover tougher if we'd been tripping complete suitcases, too.

On this train, passengers successful backstage rooms received complimentary meals.

I'll admit I had rather debased expectations for the food connected a train, but I was pleasantly surprised. Our meal paper consisted of 4 options: steak, chicken, salmon, aliases pasta. Each entrée came pinch a crockery and a dessert.

Although the eating car was nary Michelin-star restaurant, we recovered some the steak and the chickenhearted to beryllium beautiful enjoyable. Also, to our surprise, we were each moreover served a complimentary solid of vino pinch dinner.

For breakfast, we were served coffee, tea, and juice alongside our meals. I had a spinach-artichoke quiche that was beautiful good, though I wish the potatoes it was served pinch had been warmer.

Although not arsenic elegant arsenic what I person seen depicted during the Golden Age of Rail Travel successful the 1800s, the full eating acquisition made maine consciousness for illustration I was successful a black-and-white movie.

For dinner, tables successful the eating car were covered successful achromatic tablecloths, group pinch rolled silverware, and adorned pinch vases of flowers.

At breakfast, the car was a spot simpler but still nice, pinch a banana placed astatine each spot and crumb cakes waiting connected the table.

Since abstraction is limited, location are nary backstage tables successful the eating car. Passengers are seated pinch different parties to capable up the booths.

The property scope of passengers varied from families pinch very young children playing peek-a-boo betwixt courses to seniors toasting to different successful travel to young professionals successful their 20s and 30s.

While waiting for their meals, everyone astir america seemed to beryllium discussing their recreation plans pinch their tablemates. I recovered retired that galore passengers were regulars connected the Auto Train who preferred it complete different modes of transportation.

Laughter could beryllium heard from astir each table, and galore groups of caller friends were lingering truthful agelong aft dessert that the waiters had to denote they could proceed their speech successful different car, arsenic they had to get fresh for the adjacent seating.

I wasn't expecting a ample bath successful our mini space, but it was moreover smaller than I thought it would be.

Its elemental layout consisted of only a toilet pinch a showerhead supra it. The toilet insubstantial needed to beryllium hidden down a integrative flap to protect it from getting bedewed erstwhile the ablution was turned on.

Toiletries, for illustration assemblage wash, were mounted connected the wall, and 2 towels were stored astatine the apical of the restroom area, measurement supra the toilet.

We had a sink, too, but it was located extracurricular the bathroom.

I recovered location to beryllium very small room to guidelines up and shower, arsenic the toilet took up the mostly of the space.

I saw a motion wrong the bath recommending passengers beryllium to shower, to make the acquisition much comfortable. I can't opportunity whether that's true, though, arsenic I wasn't fresh to effort for myself.

The 2 beds successful our room seemed designed to make the astir of the space.

The precocious furniture was somewhat smaller and had an attached information nett of sorts to support group from rolling retired of it. This made maine uncomfortable arsenic I wasn't capable to beryllium up.

The bottommost bunk, however, was much freely pinch room overhead, and it was overmuch much pleasant to remainder in.

Unfortunately, though I did get immoderate sleep, I recovered myself tossing and turning each nighttime long. My nighttime wasn't altogether unpleasant; I conscionable couldn't look to get much than an hour's worthy of slumber astatine a time.

Some find that the gentle rocking of the train puts them correct to sleep, but I americium not 1 of those people.

Although I didn't get overmuch slumber connected board, our wide acquisition successful a private bedroom connected the Auto Train was really amended than expected.

Our thrust felt for illustration coagulated value, particularly since I was taking a longer travel and could debar the cost of renting a car erstwhile we sewage to Florida, wherever I was staying for complete a month.

The travel itself was conscionable complete 17 hours, but alternatively of sitting successful postulation connected the highway, we could walk clip playing games, enjoying meals, watching downloaded movies connected our laptops, and moreover getting immoderate activity done.

Unlike a roadworthy trip, we besides didn't person to extremity to drawback food, remainder astatine a hotel, aliases usage restrooms, which made this thrust consciousness other efficient.

As personification who tends to return longer trips and often needs a car astatine their destination, I would decidedly return the Auto Train again. I'd besides upgrade to a backstage room again, too, since I appreciated having a bed.

If you're walking for only a week, though, you'll want to crunch the numbers. The costs of the Auto Train (and bringing your car connected it) mightiness not beryllium worthy it.

Business Insider reached retired to Amtrak for comment.