I’ll be traveling from Chicago to St. Louis later this summer. It’s about a 4 and half hour trip. I’ve made half the trip (Chicago to Bloomington) several times before, even twice in the same day. But I’m considering spending the extra $16 for a longer trip.
So what do you say? Is the upgrade worth it?
It’s reserved seating, and if you have ever been stuck in coach with no available seats on a long trip, it’s worth the extra $$$ to guarantee a seat.
I got the private little room once on a long trip with kids. It was worth it to me. Much more comfortable than just sitting in a seat.
I don’t know if this is quite the same comparison, but when I was commuting between NYC and Washington DC in the early 90s, the MetroLiner seats (now Acela) had a little more legroom and were a bit more comfortable.
Not that the coach seats were a problem, just that Metroliner was a bit nicer.
And yes, the guaranteed-seat thing is nice; an especial benefit on that run, as the 7 PM Friday train out of NY was often standing room only as far as Philadelphia. I had learned tricks for being one of the first people on the train, so I never was one of folks who got “stood up”… that would have been a miserable experience. If I knew in advance that it was likely to be a crowded weekend, I’d pony up the extra cash for a Metroliner ticket.
How crowded does your route tend to be? If the answer is “not very”, you might be fine with the cheaper ticket as far as risking not having a seat.
I’ve done it once for the hell of it. Me and my buddy were the only two in it on a run from Santa Barbara down to Doheny State Beach for a concert. There was actually some cute employee who looked a lot like Selma Hayek who would bring us beers from the cafe car, even though I don’t think it was in her job description. It only cost something like an extra $12 at the time (13 years ago), so it was completely worth it.
I’ve done it a couple of times in the past year on 5+ hour runs, and I thought it was worth it for a little extra space. As an added bonus, they have power outlets that you can use to plug in your laptop.
According to my roommate, who rides frequently to go visit his parents, told us to always upgrade so you get your own seat. He said it’s annoying when you get a good seat then get up to use the restroom and you get back and there is some jackhole sitting in the seat you just had and now you gotta go sit next to some smelly person.
Absolutely worth it. I’ve done that exact run from Chicago, though it was a few years ago. If things are still the same, business class is the front section of the cafe car. There are single seats on the right and pairs on the left. The seats recline nearly flat with foot rests, so you can lay down to sleep. Since it was the start of the run at Union Station, the Cafe guy gave the Business Class people a morning paper, complimentary coffee, and a $5 voucher for food later. My trip was to Jefferson City, another 2 hours beyond St. Louis after a 2 hour layover, plus once crossed into Missouri the passenger trains have to yield to freight, so it was a long trip and I would have gladly paid far more than the extra $20 for that section. It’s totally separated from the rest of the train by the cafe car, which is in front, and they even boarded everyone from the second car, so no through traffic. You do have to go back to use the bathroom, though.
I did it many years ago (late 70s?) It was nice. Even got waited on. For $16 I’d sure see for myself. Can’t hurt.
Business class ticket holders get priority boarding at some stations. I always upgrade just because of that (but I also only take the train a few times a year).
If the $16 is not a hardship, give it a try.
Oh man, if it’s still like this I would be in heaven. All the seats on the Lincoln Service (the train between Chicago and St. Louis) are reserved, so I won’t go without a seat, but coach usually fills up, especially on a weekend. I’m a very fidgety person and I’m never comfortable sitting right next to someone. (Seriously, I prefer to stand in a crowded L train). I’ll have to get there early, but I’m sold.
Oh, yeah, even the paired seats have a panel in between them, besides the seats are really big. They’re like first-class airline seats on a DC-10 or bigger plane. You won’t have crowding problems even in the paired if you don’t get a single. But yeah, I chose the single furthest toward the front.
This was a few years ago, so I hope time hasn’t made me a liar! I might be making the same trip this year or next, and it better be the same!
Judging by Google image search, it looks like it’s still the same.