To put my two cents in: I know this is a (probably) temporary thing, but I am kinda excited for it! Had been going back and forth about doing an Amtrak odyssey from NC back to MN for Thanksgiving, which I did last year for the first time for Christmas; was also my first-ever Roomette experience (Capitol Limited). Long story short, due to the time and expense I had given up on it this time around, but when the Floridian came out, sleeper prices were actually lower (!) from Raleigh to Chicago than had been advertised from DC to Chicago on the CL, and I think even a tish better than the Cardinal. So now my girlfriend and I (her first sleeper experience, too!) will get to take the Floridian directly from Raleigh to Chicago, and, in more excitement for me, the new Borealis to St. Paul!
Prior to the CL and Star being combined, getting to the Midwest from the Triangle of NC entailed for me an extra overnight on the way to the Midwest! The Star from Raleigh was not a guaranteed connection to the westbound CL out of DC (I mean, one could book separate legs, but not smart, especially given how late the Star often is). Taking the Cardinal requires an early morning Crescent out of Greensboro.* So to get to Chicago and then to MN, that meant taking the Star or Carolinian to D.C. staying overnight, and taking the CL the next day, or taking the Piedmont or Carolinian to Greensboro (or driving) and staying overnight before catching the 7:30 a.m. Crescent north to either Charlottesville or D.C. The Floridian is a real improvement for Midwest destinations for the ~1.5 million residents of the Research Triangle region, and for the other stops in NC!
*I know that instead of taking the train to Greensboro, one could also theoretically rise very early and drive the ~hour-ish to Greensboro from the Durham-Chapel Hill area to arrive in advance of the 7:30 Crescent, but in addition to being very inconvenient and having to park my car for 5+ days far from my home, I don't have the time and $ to take Amtrak both ways, so I would have to get a ride back to Greensboro after returning home, just to get my car!
(Yes, I am also aware that one could theoretically take the Crescent to New Orleans and then take the CONO up to Chicago, but that's obviously going rather backwards by going way far south and also too far west, and then coming all the way back north!)