Do all New Orient Express cabins have a private bathroom?

Yes. All three Gold Diamond tiers of the third-generation Snow Lotus fleet, Supreme, Imperial and Platinum, have a private en-suite bathroom with separate wet and dry zones.

What is the difference between Imperial and Supreme?

Supreme is a roughly 12 m2 double suite with a leisure sofa for two and a sitting area, three suites per carriage. Imperial is a roughly 8 m2 deluxe twin room with a sitting area, four rooms per carriage. Both share the same en-suite bathroom standard and the same twin-to-double bed conversion.

What does a solo traveller pay on the New Orient Express?

Solo travellers are paired where possible; a supplement applies only if pairing is not possible or you prefer your own room. It consists of a train single-berth supplement (RMB 46,000 Supreme, 38,000 Imperial, 15,000 Platinum on 14-day routes) plus a land single supplement (RMB 8,000 on Imperial and Supreme, 4,500 to 6,000 on Platinum).

Can a family of three or four share one Platinum compartment?

Yes. Platinum Gold Diamond rooms are four-berth compartments; the upper berths are folded away by default for twin use, and a family of three or four occupies them at the published third-berth rate: RMB 20,888 on 14-day routes and RMB 16,888 on the north short route and southern departures.

Supreme Gold Diamond suite on the New Orient Express

Gold Diamond Tiers · Compared

Rooms & Cabins

Three cabin tiers share the third-generation Snow Lotus fleet, and the differences are easy to get wrong from a distance. This page puts the Supreme, Imperial and Platinum Gold Diamond rooms side by side: exact sizes, beds, bathrooms, 2027 fares, the solo-traveller supplements, and where each tier's booking stands. All figures follow the operator's official 2027 sales plan and product sheets.

Which train carries which tier

The third generation runs as two train groups, and the tier names follow the group. The flagship 雪莲紫金号 (Snow Lotus Purple-Gold) carries the two top tiers, Imperial and Supreme, on all 14 of its 2027 departures. The second group, 雪莲铂金号 (Snow Lotus Platinum), carries the Platinum Gold Diamond tier in a denser configuration on its own 13 sailings. Every cabin on both groups has a private en-suite bathroom with separate wet and dry zones; the tiers differ in floor area, layout and how many rooms share each carriage.

Tier	Train group	Size	Layout	Per carriage
Supreme 至尊金钻	Purple-Gold (flagship)	approx. 12 m²	Double suite, sofa for two	3 suites (6 guests)
Imperial 玺悦金钻	Purple-Gold (flagship)	approx. 8 m²	Deluxe twin room, sitting area	4 rooms (8 guests)
Platinum 铂悦金钻	Platinum (second group)	approx. 8 m²	Four-berth compartment, bunks	5 compartments (20 berths)

The three tiers in detail

Supreme Gold Diamond · 至尊金钻

The true suite · approx. 12 m² · 3 suites per carriage

Supreme Gold Diamond suite with double sofa and sitting area

The most exclusive accommodation on Chinese rails. A private sitting area with table, a leisure sofa for two, and an en-suite bathroom with separate wet and dry zones. The twin beds (0.85 x 2 m each) convert into a double bed of 1.7 x 2 m. With only three suites per carriage, this is the tier for couples and honeymooners who want uncompromising privacy.

2027 fares, per person twin-share: spring RMB 65,999 · summer RMB 68,999 · autumn RMB 72,999 · southern 11-day from RMB 46,999.

Imperial Gold Diamond · 玺悦金钻

Deluxe twin room · approx. 8 m² · 4 rooms per carriage

Imperial Gold Diamond deluxe twin cabin with sitting area

A private deluxe twin room with its own sitting area and table, an en-suite bathroom with separate wet and dry zones, and the same twin-to-double bed conversion as the Supreme (0.85 x 2 m beds, 1.7 x 2 m combined). The refined choice for travellers who want private facilities and a sit-down cabin at a more accessible price point than the suite.

2027 fares, per person twin-share: spring RMB 58,999 · summer RMB 62,999 · autumn RMB 66,999 · southern 11-day from RMB 38,999.

Platinum Gold Diamond · 铂悦金钻

Entry tier · Best value · approx. 8 m² four-berth · 5 compartments per carriage

The value tier of the Snow Lotus family. Each compartment is an approximately 8 m² four-berth room with upper and lower bunks, five compartments per carriage, and it carries the same private en-suite bathroom standard and the same twin-to-double bed conversion as the flagship tiers. For twin use the upper berths are folded away and stowed by default; a family of three or four occupies the full compartment at the published third-berth rate. The natural choice for travellers who want the full Xinjiang panorama with private facilities at a markedly lower fare.

2027 fares, per person: spring four-berth RMB 26,888 / twin 37,888 · summer and autumn 27,888 / 38,888 · north 10-day and southern 11-day 21,888 / 27,888 · third berth 20,888 (14-day) or 16,888 (short and southern routes).

Nights aboard, so you can weigh the fare

The cabin is your home for only part of the journey, and the share differs by routing: the spring 14-day runs 5 nights aboard and 8 on the ground; the summer and autumn 14-day runs 4 nights aboard and 9 on the ground; the southern 11-day runs 4 nights aboard; the Platinum north 10-day runs 2 nights aboard. The same tier therefore buys different amounts of train time on different editions, which is worth remembering when the fares are compared.

Travelling solo, or with a third and fourth guest

Solo travellers. The operator pairs single guests of the same gender where possible; a supplement applies only if pairing is not possible or you prefer your own room. It has two parts on the flagship tiers: a train single-berth supplement (RMB 46,000 on Supreme, 38,000 on Imperial; 20,000 and 15,000 on the southern edition) and a land single supplement (RMB 8,000, or 4,000 on the southern edition).

Solo on Platinum. Train single-berth supplement RMB 15,000 (10,000 on the short and southern routes); land single supplement RMB 4,500 in spring, 6,000 in summer and on the short route, 3,500 on the southern edition.

Third and fourth guests on Platinum. The upper berths are folded away and stowed by default, so a couple gets a genuine twin room. Families of three or four take the full compartment at the third-berth rate: RMB 20,888 per person on 14-day routes, RMB 16,888 on the short and southern routes.

Children under 14. RMB 19,999 on Supreme and Imperial (14-day routes) or 9,999 on the southern edition; RMB 9,888 on Platinum, 6,888 on the southern edition (under 1.2 m).

Where booking stands (October 2026)

All 14 Imperial and Supreme sailings on the flagship Purple-Gold group remain open on the operator's October 2026 chart; these two tiers are in presale, with formal booking expected to open around the Spring Festival (February 2027) at the latest, so registering interest now is what secures a place in the queue. Platinum is open for booking today, and it is already the tier where demand has bitten: the Apr 18, Jun 9, Jun 23, Aug 31, Sep 14 and Sep 27 sailings are sold out, with May 18, Jul 7, Jul 22, Aug 5, the Aug 20 short route and Oct 13 and 26 still open. Booking status moves; we confirm the live position in writing before any deposit.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Private en-suite bathrooms with separate wet and dry zones are standard across Supreme, Imperial and Platinum alike. The bathroom is not where the tiers differ.

Supreme gives you roughly half as much company (3 suites per carriage against 4 rooms), about 4 extra square metres, and a leisure sofa for two in place of the sitting-area chairs. Imperial keeps the identical bathroom standard and the same bed conversion, and both sit on the same flagship train with the same hotels and guides. If the fare difference (about RMB 6,000 to 7,000 per person by season) matters less than space and privacy, choose Supreme; otherwise Imperial loses nothing essential.

It is a four-berth compartment in which the two upper berths are folded away and stowed by default, leaving two lower berths with the private en-suite bathroom and the twin-to-double conversion. For two travellers who want the lowest fare with private facilities it works well; travellers who rank space and seclusion first should look at Imperial or Supreme.

The deposit is RMB 20,000 per person (10,000 on the Platinum short and southern routes) and locks your tier and departure; it is non-refundable once paid. The balance is due 45 days before departure. Cancellations follow the operator's published ladder: 60% of the fare from 30 to 15 days out, 80% from 14 days, 100% on the day, with free name changes up to 3 days before departure. The signed contract is authoritative.