The "Panama Limited" maintained a high level of service until the Amtrak era. It was noted for its dining car service, with a first-rate culinary staff and creole fare in the "Vieux Carre"-themed dining cars, a service which the Illinois Central marketed heavily. A well-known multi-course meal on the "Panama Limited" was the Kings Dinner, for about $10; other deluxe, complete meals such as steak or lobster, including wine or cocktail, were priced around $4 to $5. In 1952, the Illinois Central acquired several 2-unit dining cars from the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad which it used on the "Panama". With the Pennsylvania's "Broadway Limited" it was one of the last two "all-Pullman" trains in the United States.