Amtrak Acela Review: Boston to NYC Holiday Travel Experience
With booking New York for Christmas/Holiday 2024, we knew we wanted to stay at The Plaza Hotel for Christmas itself, but it also made sense to stay through New Year’s. Therefore, I started looking at other hotel options in New York to mix it up, and we also chose to have a weekend first in Boston, before travelling to New York a few days before Christmas. You can read all about the full itinerary we ended up with here, in two parts I (Boston) and II (New York).
Embarking on a high-speed journey with Amtrak’s Acela Express.
Despite the train delays that would ensue, I’m still glad that I opted to transfer between Boston and New York by train. We could have flown, but I think with it being so near Christmas (and all the warnings we saw when away about the airport experiencing one of the busiest days of the year) and it also meant that once arrived into New York it wasn’t too long a ride to The Plaza, than if we had arrived into one of the more outlying airports.
Index
Booking & Ticketing Process
Station Experience / First Class Lounge
Train Cabin Ambiance & Seating
Onboard Services & Dining
Entertainment & Connectivity
Scenery & Travel Experience
Arrival Experience
Overall Journey Summary & Verdict
The illuminated exterior of Moynihan Train Hall at night, showcasing its iconic architectural design against the city skyline.
Fast Facts
Train Service: Amtrak Acela 2163
Route: South Station Boston MA to Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station New York NY
Duration: Scheduled Travel Time 3 hrs 44 mins; Actual Time 4 hrs (departed almost 2 hrs late)
Class: First Class
Date of Travel: December 2024
Amtrak Acela Holiday Travel Guide: Comfort, Tips, and First-Class Insights
1. Booking & Ticketing Process
Booking directly on the Amtrak website was really easy. I soon found what I was looking for with the direct train service between Boston and New York, and realising there was the Acela service with First Class made it our choice for getting between the cities. I did keep an eye on availability ahead of time, so booked on the day the seats became available, and was able to get my choice of seats on board.
The carriage (Car 1) was a mix of seats in a 2 and 4 configuration, so I picked two individual seats facing in the middle of a carriage - 10A and 11A. Once booked, I was then able to download the ticket itself onto the wallet on my iPhone, and also in the Amtrak app which had all the details too. The app also kept us up-to-date with the ensuing delay.
2. Station Experience / First Class Lounge Boston South Station
It was a short Uber drive from our hotel in Boston at The Four Seasons Boston to South Station, one of two Amtrak stations in Boston. South Station was nearest but there is also North Station, the second stop on this Acela service. As soon as we arrived, despite the departure board ALMOST exclusively showing all trains as ‘On Time’ there was one service showing with a delay, ours! We therefore went to find the lounge, which we knew we had access to with the first class tickets.
The Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge was easy to find off the main concourse, just an FYI if you’re travelling with heavy luggage and faced with a large staircase on arrival in the lounge, be aware (unlike us) that there is a separate lift entrance which takes you right up to the lounge level. We struggled with cases, only to find this once we were at the top. The desk agent confirmed that there was a train delay due to signalling issues on the service to Boston, and on checking the Amtrak app we could see that it was due to depart at 11:40am vs the scheduled 11:05am. That said, it was due to arrive into New York’s Penn Station at 2:49pm but now showing as 3:01pm, just a 12 minute delay in arrival despite the late departure of 35 minutes.
The lounge was decent - quite large with an elevated central seating section, albeit it did get extremely cold at some points like air conditioning had been cranked up from heating to ultra cold. The station was clearly originally a very grand building, and a lot of the original features (like the ornate ceiling) were a highlight. Wi-Fi was free and decent speed, and on the lower level was a refreshment area. On one side was a fridge with bottled waters and various sodas, as well as a coffee machine that was also meant to dispense hot chocolate. I did try the hot chocolate, but I think it must have been out as all I got was half a cup of very slightly muddy water. The snacks section too had things like salted peanuts, muffins, some fruit and Dutch caramel waffles. Overall a really decent lounge space (despite the cold) and was a good way to pass the time with the train delay. Toilets too were modern and clean.
What we didn’t realise is that we would be in the lounge for about another two hours later than planned. Nor did we realise that we should have asked for the Red Cap service, as some passengers were told of the train’s boarding, despite the fact there was no announcement and the app still showed that the train was due to depart for long after that time had passed. Having struggled up the stairs to get our luggage up into the lounge, and being told at the top that we should have used the elevator, when waiting for it to go back down, we found it didn’t actually work!
3. Train Cabin Ambiance & Seating
I love trains, and I had such higher expectations for the Acela than the reality. I probably should have tempered my expectations by realising that the Amtrak high-speed Acela service actually launched back in 2010, and it looked like nothing had changed in the last 14 years. Boarding was chaotic, as there didn’t seem to be any announcement as to when the train would leave, but we were told in the lounge that it would depart from platform 8. We made our way there, and were rudely told by one of the (now understood) Red Caps that we had to stand in another place. Once the train cleaners had left the train, the Red Cap people were allowed to board, and everyone else had to wait for maybe another 10 minutes.
Spacious seating on Amtrak’s Acela Express, with a stunning sunset view over the city skyline.
Once we were able to board, Car 1 was at the furthest end, but would be the front carriage once the train backed out of South Station. Much of the train seemed to be Business Class cars, but in theory there is meant to be First, Business, and Coach on the Acela. On finding our car, it was definitely underwhelming due to the age. Seats were comfortable enough and did recline some, we were lucky in that we had two individual windows seats facing, whereas a lot of the carriage was seats of four, two facing.
4. Onboard Services & Dining
When looking at the First Class menus online, I couldn’t work out why there seemed to be multiple versions. It was only when on board, and the train host was excellent, and she gave us the food and drinks menu that I realised this was the Fall / Winter version. The menu was split into Breakfast and Lunch/Dinner options, with the delay of the train departure we were very clearly into lunch.
First-class dining experience on Amtrak, featuring a fresh salad with roasted vegetables, bread roll, and tiramisu dessert.
There was one highlighted ‘The Dandelion’ option by STARR Restaurants, Tandoori Chicken, which ‘Mrs’ TPT opted for; but also a Cheese & Fruit Plate, Moroccan Lamb Tagine, or a Roasted Root Vegetable Salad. There was also a dessert option, and a great selection of drinks including premium spirits (Bombay Sapphire Gin), cocktails, wine, beer and soft drinks. Food was really good and served complete on a tray with bread roll etc. and a potted dessert of tiramisu, ‘Mrs’ TPT’s favourite and probably one of my least favourite choices!
5. Entertainment & Connectivity
Wi-Fi was free and decent speed, easy to connect and worked fairly consistently throughout the journey. Thinking we would charge devices with USB cables, again I probably should have realised from the age that USB ports weren’t probably invented back at the train launch. There were normal US sockets at each seat, we just didn’t have any charger or adapter (accessible in hand luggage that we could readily get). There were no entertainment options, other than the seat did have a headphone jack and a channel selection button that looked like it long stopped working.
6. Scenery & Travel Experience
The train did seem well organised once we were going, and the main car attendant (as I said above) was very helpful and pleasant. The luggage rack was already full as soon as we had boarded, but she instructed us just to start a new area as to where to store large items. Above each seat were airline style bins (quite large and easily accessed), but not suited for the size of cases we had. There was decent space too in between seats which was good for the carry-on sized luggage, and the above bins perfect for bags and coats etc.
A serene winter landscape with snow-covered tracks and bare trees, as seen from Amtrak.
It had snowed on the day we arrived in Boston, and the weather remained exceptionally cold throughout our weekend so that it never really melted. It meant that the train route from Boston down to New York was very picturesque.
A breathtaking sunset over the city skyline, captured from the window of Amtrak Acela Express.
7. Arrival Experience
Arriving into Penn Station’s Moynihan Hall almost two hours later was easy, and that has obviously been a new addition since I last took the train from that station. This was really new and well organised (it had opened in 2021 - it is part of the redevelopment of New York City's Penn Station, located in the historic James A. Farley Post Office building). We followed the clear signage for W 33rd Street & 8th Avenue where it was easy to find our Uber driver, to take us up to the Plaza Hotel.
8. Overall Journey Summary & Verdict
A good journey overall, despite the delay in departure. I loved that tickets were freely available in Apple wallet and easily accessed through the Amtrak app, and the check-in option too. That said, they were really bad at updating the departure time, even if this was only an expected time, and on departure there really didn’t seem much focus on getting the train to leave as early as it could. Delaying the boarding for all passengers just so that a few people could board first with the Red Caps didn’t seem to make sense.
Amtrak departure board at Moynihan Train Hall, displaying train schedules for destinations like Washington and Chicago.
I’d say for me the highlight was the service from the car attendant on board, as well as the nice arrival to the newish Moynihan Train Hall. The attendant throughout our journey was really chatty and pleasant, efficient and was great at delivering drinks and food, and making sure everyone had everything they needed. All credit to her.
Moynihan Train Hall sign on a navy blue wall with modern lettering and a polished design.
Discover what it’s like to travel aboard Amtrak Acela 2163 from Boston to NYC during the holiday season. From booking tips to onboard dining and arrival insights, this review has everything you need for a seamless journey.