I upgraded to an Amtrak roomette by bidding $110, the way it is

I originally planned to travel by coach for my 15-hour journey from Cleveland, Ohio, to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited. I boarded at 1pm and arrived at 4am the next morning

I have enjoyed traveling in this part of the train during previous trips. Bus tickets are budget friendly luggage compartment is generous, the seats are comfortable and café’ sells snacks and soft drinks.

But on this trip I decided to try to upgrade my ticket. Amtrak uses a bidding process called BidUpand my offer of $110 managed to bump me from coach to one private room which was measured approximately 23 square meters.

This is how it was.

I upgraded my ticket through Amtrak’s The BidUp program. About 37 hours before my trip, Amtrak provided a bid price range and asked how much I would like to spend for an upgrade.

Since I was traveling by coach, I had the option of offering a business class seat, a compartment or a bedroom.

After bidding $110, the lowest bid I could make for a roomette, I waited a few hours before receiving an email informing me that Amtrak had accepted it and upgraded my ticket.

Including the $110 I paid for the upgrade, I spent a total of $226 on my trip. If I had booked a roomette in the first place instead of upgrading to one, I probably would have paid over $500.

Before I boarded the train, an Amtrak employee asked if I was traveling in a sleeper accommodation, checked my last name to verify I was the passenger he was looking for, and directed me to a stateroom.

The service remained wonderful for the rest of the trip, in part because each room on the Amtrak trains has its own dedicated sleeping car guard.

As I settled into my room in the sleeping car, the attendant assigned to my suite walked over and informed me that breakfast service was beginning. I thanked him and closed the door so I could end up and put my luggage away.

Several times during the trip the same attendant stopped by to check in, and even took my dinner order and delivered it to my room in the evening. I appreciated his attention to detail and courtesy.

Inside my room, two plush chairs faced each other and looked out at a large window where I could watch the world go by.

I could have folded these seats into a bed or lowered the upper bed using an easy-to-use lever mechanism.

As I had no intention of sleeping during my journey, I raised the bed as high as it would go. I’m quite tall, so I wanted to give myself more space.

Having storage in the room was a major perk, as I could easy to access my belongings when I wanted.

The storage space, along with the full curtains and a lock on the door, made me feel very safe and gave my roomette a sense of privacy.

It was also convenient that I could keep my things safely stored and locked in my room while I ate in the food cart or wandered the train.

The toilet in the room took some getting used to, and I wondered how it would have been possible to use it if I had a companion in the room with me.

It was such a small setup that we had to take turns going for walks when one of us needed to use the bathroom. Or we would use one of the train’s public toilets for more privacy.

The sink spilled out when I folded it, which meant I would spill water in the room if I wasn’t careful.

I was surprised find so many comfort controls inside the room.

I had a personal thermostat that controlled the temperature, a device that managed the airflow coming into the room, and a knob that adjusted the intercom volume. I also had plenty of lighting options so I could create the perfect atmosphere in my room.

Thankfully, there was a poster with instructions for use on almost every piece of furniture in my room. I referenced it as I set up the space and adjusted the comfort controls as the day went on.

Around 10 o’clock, me went to the food cartwhich was reserved for sleeping car passengers.

Since I lived in a room, I had one flexible meal plan. The food and soft drinks were included in my price, and I didn’t have to make a reservation before hopping into the food cart for a meal.

The food cart had a retro design that was very inviting and felt regional, with patterns of hills and deer etched into the glass above each bench.

The free food was amazing, so I ordered breakfast, lunch and dinner on the train.

For breakfast, I had pancakes, sausage and coffee. I came back to the food cart for lunch and ordered Atlantic salmon and shrimp.

Later in the day my attendant took my order and brought my dinner – braised steak and spare ribs — to my room. I ate it on a convertible tray that I could use as a table or desk and stow away when I didn’t need it.