I booked a bedroom and a roomette on the same overnight Amtrak train. The bedroom is worth the splurge for longer rides.

The author stayed in a roomette and a bedroom on the California Zephyr, an overnight Amtrak train.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

• I booked a $400 roomette for a 15-hour ride on Amtrak's California Zephyr in January 2025.
• Then I booked a $2,200 bedroom for a 53-hour trip on the same overnight train in February 2026.
• The bedroom was a larger private cabin with more amenities, like a private bathroom with a shower.

If you're traveling somewhere between Chicago and San Francisco...