From Chicago to Dallas. Had a bedroom so expected a first class experience.
Lets start with the first announcements after we boarded: "Sorry but this train has no lounge car. Sorry but this train has no dining car. Sorry this train does not have a WiFi car (sic). Sorry this train is full so please remove your items from the seat next to you."
The bedroom was OK and what was expected. First, the crystal clear windows shown in all Amtrak advertisements don't exist. Instead you find a cloudy window covered in layers of dirt and grime. Yes, it is only the midwest, but I'd like to see it please. The upper birth is very small and the mattress was paper thin. The A/C control did nothing so the room was warm and stuffy the entire trip. Big issue was being at the front of the train. The very loud grade crossing horn sounded all night long. Message to Amtrak - position the sleeper cars at the back of the train. It will keep the horn noise to a minimum.
Since we had a bedroom, we got to use the tables in the cafe car. We spent most of the evening in the cafe car, which also included a tiny bar. We were doing good until the bar ran out everything except light beer early in the evening. We hoped they might be restocked at our next stop but that did not happen. In fact, the bar was never restocked and we got off in Dallas.
I downloaded a gps driven speedometer to my phone and used it to check our ground speed. In some areas of the midwest, with smooth track, we cruised at 100mph. The average speed was more like 60 to 70. We averaged about 90 minutes late at most of the first day's stops. However, we arrived into Dallas only about 10 minutes late. That was better than my first time on this train 20 years ago when we were 6 hours late.
Note: there was good cell phone coverage through most of the trip. It allowed the phone to serve as a hotspot for our computers to link to the internet.
The staff was OK. But one elderly guest took advantage of the car's steward and was constantly ringing the call bell. We seldom saw our steward the whole trip. The cafe car lady was overworked and there was usually a line of customers waiting. But she was always pleasant and cheerful. There were several other rail employees occupying one of the tables. However, we never figured out what purpose they served.
If at all possible, only take a small carryon bag to the room. Leave your large suitcase in the sleeper car or baggage car storage. Climbing the narrow, steep stairs carrying a heavy bag is impractical. There is no where to store a large bag in the room. You will be tripping over it the whole trip.
Note, if you keep your large bag in your sleeper car area, you don't have to check it. But if you check your bag, you need to wait for it to come from the baggage car.
The cafe food was poor. Despite its fancy name, it was just microwaved frozen food that usually arrived overcooked. The next morning, we overheard the attendant advise a passenger to stick to a hamburger for lunch since it was the best thing available from the cafe.
We decided that any future train trips had to be concluded before nightfall. Getting a first class sleeper sounds romantic. In reality, it is not worth the money and you definitely don't get to sleep.