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Seconded. As an introvert who took a cross-country trip on Amtrak for fun in 2023 (BOS - LAX), I thought I’d hate having to share a small booth with total strangers.

Turns out it gave me confidence in defending my positions to strangers, improved my small talk game, and exposed me to viewpoints I’d never consider otherwise.

And the food was amazing, too. Way better than anything I’ve had on a plane or in an airport.

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I find it odd that they force you to sit with other people. I walked into a nearly empty Empire Builder dining car and was still forced to sit with people. Why not ask for people's preferences?

During that trip, the company at breakfast was a nightmare. I sat across from two very drunk young men who were traveling on there father's money. At one point they started a fight with our waiter. Thankfully, our dinner companions made up for it by being delightful.

I completely agree about the quality of the food. For dinner I ate the steak, and it was quite good.

If you make reservations in advance you can get seated alone (if it works out) - they usually sit smaller parties together so as to not have to breakup the parties of four, etc.

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