I took a 10-hour luxury bus ride from DC to Nashville. Here are 6 things that surprised me.

• I paid $125 for a 10-hour luxury bus ride from Washington, DC to Nashville, and I had my own suite.
• The bus was super punctual and pretty empty, but I was surprised by some of the rules on board. 
• I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable I was on the bus, even as a plus-size traveler. 

Recently, I took my first 10-hour bus trip from Washington, DC to Nashville, Tennessee.

I traveled with Napaway, a premium sleeper coach service with 18 suite pods that convert into full beds. The ride went by relatively quickly and I would do it again.

Here are a few things that surprised me about the luxury bus ride. 

I couldn't believe how punctual the bus was 

Before this trip, my main bus experiences were with budget lines, which are kind of known for running behind schedule. I was also a bit nervous when my Napaway welcome text suggested that I arrive within 10 minutes prior to departure because I didn't think that would be enough time to get everyone checked in and boarded.

But my Napaway bus left and arrived on time. We departed promptly at 10 p.m. and got to our destination at 8 a.m. on the dot. 

I thought the arrival and departure locations would've been better

Both the boarding stops could've been better, in my opinion.

In DC, the departure point was behind a gated area. In Nashville, the arrival location was near a local bus station, but the actual drop-off point was along a street.

Neither the bus drop-off nor pick-up location provided any kind of protection from the elements in the event of extreme cold, snow, or rain. With this in mind, I wouldn't recommend arriving more than 10 or 15 minutes before your departure time. 

The bus wasn't very full, which was great

I purposely selected seat 18 in the back of the bus so I could be tucked away and in my own little world. After all, I'd expected to see 17 other passengers on board.

Much to my surprise, almost all of the seats near me were empty. Based on who I saw make the trek to the bathroom near my seat, I'd guess only four other travelers were on my bus.

As a tall, plus-size person, I was surprised at how comfortable I felt during the ride

I am a plus-size traveler and I carry most of my weight in my hips and thighs. I'm also just under 6 feet tall, so I'm used to venues, services, and public spaces not being designed with true accessibility in mind.

I fully expected this to be an uncomfortable 10-hour trip that'd leave me feeling cramped and in pain.

As soon as I got on the bus, the panic set in as I could tell getting down the aisles all the way to suite 18 in the back might be a problem. To me, the bus aisle felt slightly smaller than the ones on airplanes due to the layout of the seats, which had me side-shuffling to get to my suite.

Once at my suite, the seats were comfortable and the width reminded me of a comfort-plus airline seat. I had copious amounts of leg space and was pleasantly surprised again after I put the seats down to the sleeper position.

My "bed" was incredibly soft and I drifted off before I knew it. 

The bus got so dark after we took off

Perhaps this shouldn't have surprised me as the selling point of the ride is in the Napaway name — you're meant to nap the night away. Still, the bus lights turning off seconds before departure caught me off guard. 

With the tinted windows and privacy screens, the bus ride was pretty much in darkness unless I was using the overhead light near my suite.

I was also surprised by some of the rules on the bus

Napaway travelers are instructed to keep talking and other noises at a minimal level to prevent disrupting other passengers' sleep. If you're a chatty Cathy who likes to get chummy with the neighbors or make a friend wherever you go, this ride might be tough. 

Napaway also limits child passengers to ages 8 and up (with an adult). You also can't bring liquor or alcoholic beverages on the bus, which I was bummed about because I enjoy a good nightcap every once in a while and had initially planned to make myself a travel cocktail.