Originally Posted by Tizzette

On my Amtrak trip last fall, which was 8 hours and not overnight, I did not buy first class because I did not need a bed. The dining car reservations were booked up by first class, which includes meals, and people who got on at previous stops. They don't take advance reservations. Almost got no meal at all, grudgingly squeezed in for a hamburger, which was all that was left. Plain hamburger patty on a bun, no toppings at all, and potato chips. The dining car staff had a bad attitude. A prepackaged meal would have been a step up.