You have privacy, a bed and even (community) showers. I absolutely love dining in the dining car because you can watch the great American countryside roll by and often are seated with others and the conversations can be excellent. No matter where you are, diner, lounge car or roomette, the viewing is spectacular.
Actually it wasn’t all that more expensive than flying. Seventeen hundred for three people in two roomettes. I had my own and mom and dad shared one. I left the upper bunk made up into the bed and kept the seats folded on the lower so I had plenty of room to kick back and the bed was always made so I didn’t have to run down the car attendant ... met some girls around my age and we congregated in my house (as the attendant called the roomettes) or out in the lounge car.
Met some new friends. The staff was great and very friendly. You wouldn’t get that from airline people. They couldn’t do enough for you - always wanting to get something or do something for you .....