Acela Train First Class NYC to Boston
Date: June 2009
Price from New York to Boston: $358/person including taxes. This is $140 more than a regular seat on the Acela, but after taking this trip for years and dreading it, I decided to find out if it was worth it.
Check-in: Check-in is a breeze at an Amtrak kiosk. Just scan the bar code on a printout of your confirmation e-mail and your tickets pop out. You can also go to an agent if necessary. With the First Class ticket, you have access to the Club Acela lounges located in both places. I didn’t arrive early enough at the stations to take advantage of this so I can’t rate the lounges. When I boarded in Boston, it seemed that the other first class passengers were already on the train so I believe an agent brought them directly from the lounge before the other passengers were allowed to board.
Train: The train was worn, but the seats seemed newer and clean. They were all leather, big and comfortable. There were single, double and quad seat configurations. Not all of the tray tables worked properly and some seats reclined more than others so I had to test a couple before I found one I liked. Overall, I liked the setup and felt it allowed for a decent amount of privacy and peace. The bathroom was standard, but clean and less crowded since it was reserved for the First Class car. Although the car wasn’t empty on either trip, unlike the main part of the train it wasn’t packed full so I felt I had room to spread out and a good choice of seats both ways.
Service: Amtrak is not known for being on time and, in fact, I arrived in Boston an hour and a half late on my departure. Luckily, I planned for this and took an earlier train. There are one or two attendants assigned to the First Class car that provide at seat drink and meal service during the ride. At boarding, you are immediately offered a drink and a menu with a limited selection of food items. I found the lunch service more complete and better than breakfast. The food itself was not quite as good as what you would be served on a first class flight, but it wasn’t bad. For the remainder of the ride, the attendants came down the aisle frequently to offer more drinks and bottled water to the passengers.
Verdict: I really enjoyed the Acela First Class car. Was it amazing? No, but it definitely made the trip more comfortable and it felt faster. I absolutely think it was worth the extra money and I would do it again on my next visit to Boston.
Grade: B-
How long did the entire trip (check in to taxi) take? Would you choose it over flying? I used to book it often and people preferred it over the airlines. I’m wondering if that’s still the case. Haven’t had a chance to ride it myself, but it’s on my list!
Comment by Travel Muse — June 26, 2009 @ 12:04 pm
I’ve flown to Boston several times and I would definitely prefer it over flying because getting to any of the airports in NYC is a hassle and Boston can be bad too. With the train you are right downtown in both places.
Check-in took me about a minute because I just scanned my e-mail confirmation at a kiosk and my tickets printed out for both ways. If you live near an Amtrak station or regularly pass through, you can print out the tickets at any time after you order them, not just on the day of the trip. Coming home I already had my ticket and headed to the train. You only have to be at the station about 10 minutes before unless you want to hang out in the lounge.
The train is late A LOT. My return trip was right on time but my departure was 90 minutes late. Since I’ve done this before, I planned for it but it’s not the most reliable option. I would say that you need to give yourself an arrival window of a couple of hours. Planes can be just as unreliable so in that sense they might be equal.
Comment by alena — June 26, 2009 @ 12:31 pm