Amtrak train from northeast to Orlando-reviews?

[minnie-mouse]

We are thinking of taking the train down from DC to Orlando on our next trip. Has anyone taken this long trip before? How is it for kids? We were thinking of just getting seat tickets and not sleeper room though, as trip will be overnight, we can sleep in the chairs? Reviews, suggestions?

[Ian]

Are you talking about the Auto Train? Or just a regular train?

[dizne4me]

We are a family of 5 and took Amtrak out of Wilmington, DE to Kissimmee. (The Kiss. train station is actually much to WDW than the Orlando train station). We did not have the sleeper and the seats were ok to sleep in. My youngest at the time was 7 at the time. The price was great --(when we went they had a special - buy one get one). The biggest problems we had were the many delays which caused the toilets to be filled and the smell of the toilets was lingering throughout the car. This was back in 2003 so I'm hoping they've designed a larger holding tank for the septic system on board. But it is also a great way to see the country---and the price was unbelievable.

[Donald Duck 001]

My wife and I left Philadelphia to Orlando by train. We departed at 3:30 in the afternoon, most of the trip was at night while we were sleeping which was great. We pulled in to Orlando about an 1.5 hours late but it sill worked out for us. So we got to our resort at 2:30, instead of 1:00.

I would recommend getting picked up by a towncar service. They were waiting for us when we go there, took our luggage and was a short trip similar to the trip from the airport. Roundtrips for them are very good.

Also too, I would not make any reservations near your check in time as the trains do have a tendancy of being behind schedule but that is similar to airplanes as well.

We stayed in a Rommette. It was nice, a bit small but we had a really good time.

All in all, trip was good by train. We enjoyed ourselves. And would deffinately do it again.

[minnie-mouse]

Thanks for the reviews. We will be traveling with two small children (ages 4 and 7) so are worried it is going to be a long time for them. We are not sure yet if we would want the auto train or regular one, so any and all reviews will be much appreciated. Thanks!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I am a huge fan of the auto-train. We've taken two trips on it, and have the third just about ready to book.

I can't say enough good things about it, the trip is smooth and easy. We get a sleeper room and love it. The sleeper room get you the "first class" service, with awesome food (just like what you'd get in a restaurant), and the peace and quiet of your own space.

On the autotrain, there are three types of sleeper rooms - the family room (located on the lower floor, where it is much quieter, less bumpy and the bathrooms are here) which sleeps 2 adults and 2 kids (one kid is on an upper bunk), roomettes (located on the top and bottom levels, we always go for the bottom level), which are tiny, enough room for two seats, which turn into two beds at night) and bedrooms (upper level) - they sleep 2 (maybe three, if one is a small child), and they have their own bathroom. We love the family room, and have also done the roomette thing as well with success.

The time actually passes quite quickly on the autotrain. Once you're on and settled there is a welcome reception, with local wine, fruit, cheese, crackers, cookies, etc. Then, it isn't long until dinner (depending what seating you choose). After dinner there is a movie (with snacks) and before you know it, it is time for bed. Our DD did the train trip at ages 9 and 10 with no issues at all.

Since the auto-train only stops once for fuel, it is a smooth ride and we don't have too much trouble sleeping

In the morning, they serve a light breakfast, and again, once you're sorted and ready it is about time to get there.

We use the time on the train to do some of DD's homework, to read, play computer games (I bring my laptop) and it is a nice and relaxing way to start the trip.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[c&d]

I've only done the auto train and I loved it. We did a family bedroom, DS was 3 and 4 when we took it and it was not a problem. It's nice that we left late in the day 4:00pm and arrived at 7:30am. So by the time we settled in, had dinner and added in the excitement of being on the train we had no trouble getting DS to sleep. Also not stopping other than to change engines is nice, there's no commotion with people getting on and off the train.

[TinyDancer]

I love the AutoTrain but there are a few things to keep in mind:
~You have to check in about 2 hours before the train leaves (minimum, however we were the 3rd car in line so we were about 4 hours early lol) so make sure to bring something to do for that time. I seem to remember there being a playground in Lorton (the northern stop) so if weather permits that's one thought.
~When you get to Sanford (the southern stop) you'll have a wait for your car to be offloaded and then still have a drive to WDW. A plan to keep the kids occupied here would also be a good idea, in my opinion. A couple Disney cds would make the time pass by quicker!

[MidnTPK]

The auto train is one thing. Never been, but I have heard good reviews. But it rarely a time saver or money saver.

All other routes are another story. On the other routes, they stop every hour or so at stations along the way, and even its 3:30 AM, they announce it. And people get on and off. So without a sleeper, it very likely you'll be frequently disturbed during the night. Can your kids handle that and be functional the next day?

And usually the trip takes far longer than driving.

If you approach it as an adventure and get a sleeper, then it can be a nice experience. But if you're thinking it's a secret easy way to travel, it's not. It might be a little cheaper, if you find the right deals, but I'd gladly pay the difference to avoid the super-long ride and occasional unpleasantness.

[diz_girl]

I've never taken the train, but I hope to do so for my next trip, so I'll be reading everyone's advice too.

For the OP, price out both the Auto Train and the Silver Meteor (or Silver Star). While you have to pay to bring your car on the Auto Train (FYI - there is an extra charge for oversized vehicles), the price difference between that train and the Silver Meteor may be small if you plan on staying in a sleeper room. Plus, the Silver Meteor's sleeper rooms tend to sell out faster, especially on weekends, if you plan on going that route, which I would do since I have a small child.

Keep in mind that the Silver Meteor makes several stops overnight, which make wake some lighter sleepers, and that makes the Auto Train more appealing to me.

[LoriSan]

we took the Auto Train last year, and did not get the sleeper car. All night long, people were walking by and slamming the doors between the cars. The seats are comfortable for relaxing, but not for sleeping, unless you sleep the entire night on your back. I'm a side sleeper. It is probably a great ride if you get a sleeper car, but I would not do it again if I was going coach.

[Ian]

We've done the Auto Train twice recently and can't say enough about it. It's a flat-out wonderful experience.

A couple points, though:

• We've only ever done it with a sleeper car. From what I understand, coach travel is miserable. When you have a sleeper you get really, really great service. The food is terrific, you get a movie, drinks, free wine tasting ... top notch!
• It's not a money saver. We leave Thursday to go to WDW and we paid roughly $650 for four round trip tickets on Southwest plus we'll spend around $350 on a rental car. That's exactly $1,000. Auto Train is about $1,600. Of course, there are some hard-to-quantify benefits of taking the train like the ability to pack a lot more without worrying about space, not having to deal with the hassle of security or renting a car, being able to drive your own vehicle, etc. But only you can determine if it's worth it to you or not.
• Bear in mind that you may have to do some driving along with the train. For us, it's a 3 hour drive to Lorton, VA where the train departs from and it's about 40 minutes from Sanford, FL where it drops you off to WDW.
• It's slower than flying or driving yourself. The trip takes roughly 17 1/2 hours or so plus (for us) an additional 3 1/2 hours of driving for a total one-way of 21 hours. We can drive in around 15 hours and flying (obviously) is much faster.

All that being said, if money or time was no object we would take the Auto Train every single time. That's how much we love it!

[minnie-mouse]

Thanks everyone. I think we are leaving to just flying this trip now, but would love to try it in the futre. Sounds like a nice way to see some sights while you travel to WDW.

[mom2Z&A]

We did the Auto Train a couple years ago in June. NOTE: This was our "everything except Disney" trip so there was a different reason for us taking the auto train to Sanford. Went from Kennedy Space to Universal/Islands/Seaworld to St. Pete's Beach to St. Augustine to Charleston SC then back to home in the Balt./Wash area over a 2 1/2 week period There was 4 of us at the time (me, DH, DS10, DD5). We traveled coach. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't firs class either. Depends on how much you want to spend. Some points are below:

1) For 4 of us and mini-van it was $450 one-way. We booked about 4 months out. So its just like the airlines...the earlier you book the cheaper. The later you wait to book...more expensive. We checked the price of the tickets as time went on. Included meals, snacks, etc.

2) Overall we liked it but with a few exceptions being noisy at night with door and bustling people back & forth - this ended for us around 11pm. It was a bit noisy when trying to sleep in coach. Bring your own pillow & blanket! The ones they provide are just too small. Bring a few toiletries as well if you want to "freshen up" in the morning.Soft drinks cost more and not included in between meals. They have a movie they show in the lounge car in the evening. This was why the doors kept opening all the time till 11 pm.

3) Plenty of room in your seat area!!! 2 outlets to plug things in. You can bring a small cooler if you need to. Kids found other kids in the area to play with and entertain each other with coloring books, movies on laptops, and portable game systems. The tended to migrate from each others' seats/area so they were never in the aisles. In our experience at that time, the kids on the train were not unruly nor loud but that was because the parents were mindful of the kids.

4) Oh...and if you drive a "oversized" vehicle, these are off-loaded first as they load those on top. This makes getting out of Sanford a little quicker (at least for us).

However, this all said, if you're just going to Disney, staying on Disney, then going back home, skip the auto train. For the price of airfare verses time...go with the airfare...

[Urbss]

I for one would highly recommend the Auto Train. My wife and I took this for our honeymoon. Then in 2008 we took the Auto Train to Florida and drove back to Pennsylvania, then in 2009 we drove down and did the train back. In 2008 my son was 3 years old and he did great - he loves the Auto Train.

Of course we got a roomette with a bathroom. I’m not sure how he would have done sitting in coach. Really though, after boarding, he was content to watch the scenery and play his DS until dinner. We went to the dining car and ate and then went to watch the movie at 7pm (we were lucky in 2008 because the movie was Kung Fu Panda and he really liked that). By the time the movie is over we head back to the room and it wasn’t long before he was sleepy and went to bed.

My wife and I really enjoy the ride on the train and are planning to take it round trip when we go this fall. They serve a delicious meal and I like that we can bring a bottle or 2 of wine with us to have in the roomette.

The biggest advantages are having your car with you. I’m not knocking Disney transportation, but it is nowhere near as convenient as having your own car. The other advantage is arriving in Florida much more rested than the time we went in 2002 and drove straight through for 16 & ½ hours.
Good Luck!!

[iadarolas]

We are thinking of taking the train down from DC to Orlando on our next trip. Has anyone taken this long trip before? How is it for kids? We were thinking of just getting seat tickets and not sleeper room though, as trip will be overnight, we can sleep in the chairs? Reviews, suggestions?

If you are talking about the Auto Train out of Lorton, VA, yes we have done it twice and both times were excellent experiences. Of course I would rather fly and be there faster but my step Dad won't fly so if I want my parents to join us I have to take them via the Auto Train. I would highly recommend getting sleepers. They are much more comfy and private. I would not ever take the train if had to go coach.