TLDR: No quiet car on Silver Meteor, no reservations typically for coach class for the dining car, Cafe car food gets old pretty fast, space and comfort in coach may vary depending on your build
It was in coach. Going forward there's definitely some things I'll do differently next time:
•The Silver Meteor doesn't have a quiet car. I assumed it did beforehand, but apparently the long distance trains don't have those, which feels counterintuitive. This sucked as I ended up in between two families of 5 on the way down headed to Disney World.
•If it's a full or close to full train, you likely won't get a reservation for dinner as a coach customer. I could've gotten breakfast one morning, but that was the only opening that happened.
•The Cafe car, as has been mentioned here before, leaves a little to be desired. I had higher expectations because before this trip I had generally only ridden on the Downeaster which has a pretty localized, affordable menu. It's basic and barebones on the Silver Meteor, and I will plan accordingly next time.
•I'll likely splurge for at least a roomette next time. I'm a bigger guy, 6 feet tall and about 220 pounds. I really struggled to stay comfortable on the train even with the generous legroom and did not sleep well. Results may vary of course but just my experience.
Happy to answer any other questions someone considering doing something similar may have. It was definitely a unique experience for me and one that has made for a great conversation starter. I actually made some friends along the way on this trip, which was unexpected but really is a microcosm of how different it is traveling via train vs. airplane with how the atmosphere is.