Train info

[yjgirl32]

My family and I are thinking of taking the train from Philly to Orlando next year for our trip and was wondering if anyone had any advise or would share their experiences. Thanks for all the help. :mickey:

[CanadianWDWFan]

While not out of Philly, we did the Autotrain last summer and really enjoyed the experience. Click the link (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=193774) to read about it.

I understand that the Autotrain is different from the other trains but I still like the experience of riding the rails. The added plus of this mode of trasportation was that at the end of the trip was that we had our car with us.

[yjgirl32]

Thank you. Still up in the air about taking the regular train or switching to the auto train.

[DisneyDINK]

The trip takes about 20 hours. The Silver Star and Silver Meteor both depart daily from PHL.

The Viewliner trains are single level and have different sleeping car acomodations than the Auto Trains 2 story Superliner cars. Were you thinking of coach or sleeper?

As a rule, the earlier you buy, the cheaper the price will be. I was an Amtrak ticket agent on the west coast, but I quit in 2006 and I never rode the Silver Service.

Some people and families love taking the train. More often it is kind of a one and done experience. Sleepers are pricey but make the experience a lot more fun. The coach seats are roomy; while they are much more comfortable than an airline seat you are going to be in them for 20 hours. Gratefully you can break up the time by sitting in the lounge and getting meals in the dining car. The trains can frequently run 60-90 minutes late into ORL.

If you think I can be of further assistance, message me.

[thetraveler]

We took The Silver Star From Rocky Mount NC To Kissimmee Last September And Loved It....So Much So We're Doing It Again This September. We Did coach Last Year...Trying Roomettes THis Time.

Sorry About All The Caps....My Phone Has Its Own Ideas About Things..

If Have Any Specific Questions Pm Me....I Received Some Excellent Advice Here That id I'd Happy To Pass along

[DizneyFreak2002]

Take the train... My last few trips were by train... I leave out of Penn Station in Newark, NJ so my trip is usually 24 hours (plus any delays)...

I travel coach... I bring my portable DVD player and plenty of movies, books (this trip will be my Nook instead of a book), pads and pens to write, my ipod... Anything to keep me occupied...

[JerseyDad]

....I'd love to take the train someday ...just for the experience (because I'm a dedicated railroad fanatic) ...but ...I just can't see me sitting on a train for +20 hours (or even doing AutoTrain ....when drive time + train time + drive time to WDW is even longer).

...when driving, I get to WDW from central NJ in 16.5 hrs ....so I certainly wouldn't do it to save time (or money).

....in a few years I'd like to do a rail trip to the west coast or pacific northwest ....but just can't pull the trigger on a WDW trip right now.

[yjgirl32]

My ds10 and my aunt are really excited about taking the train. I am thinking we will just do coach this time around. I believe I will be the only one who will have trouble sleeping. Is it hard to get seats all together? How is the food on the train?

[jakeofwildwood]

Walk. Take a camel. Duct tape yourself to the wing of the plane. Buy enough postage to ground ship. Have I emphasized enough NOT to take the train.

Maybe we were just not the right family for the trip, perhaps it was a poor day to take a train but our experience was horrendous. First off, we were had planned the trip October 2005 and whatever hurricane it was that hit that year delayed our trip by 3 days. The photos that Amtrak shows of grandpa napping with room must be the 8th dwarf. I am 6'1" and felt pretty restricted in the seats. There was an inner city football team that literally took over the dining car, not letting anyone on. They would lie down in booths and block doorways ignoring your requests to get by them until finally with a 1/2 hour stop the conductor threw them and their 'supervision' off the train.

The toilets broke, and instead of just using another facility the passengers on our car CONTINUED to use that lavatory. This is the sort of nightmare that my nightmares have. It was January and at (1:30am-ish?) the heaters went off and we were freezing.

I won't beat the horse to death. My 2 cents are this, what are you saving on the train? For 2 hours in the air vs. 20 hours on the ground (with NO Magical Express I might add so you'll need a car) what is it worth to you.

Pogo stick. East Australian current. Rescue Society seagul. Skateboard. Hitchhiking, grim grinning ghost it. DO NOT train.

[thetraveler]

To Each His Own I Guess..

I Would Say That Our Experience Was The Polar Opposite Of Yours. Friendly Staff....Passengers Were Courteous....Facilities Worked As Designed. No Delays. No Complaints Here. i Understand That Individual Mileage May Vary But That Is True Regardless Of The Medium.

Staff Knew We Had 4 In Our Party When We Boarded and Had 4 Adjacent Seats Ready For Us. Sleeping Wss Not an Issue As It Is Not As Noisy As You May Think....My Wife Is A Light Sleeper And She Slept fine. They Dim The Lights In The Late Evening....Enough So You Can See To Move Around But Dark Enough To sleep

[yjgirl32]

Thanks for the info. Are there bathrooms in every car? Can we brush our teeth in there too?

[King Triton]

The Autotrain can be very expensive, plus you have to drive to a little south of DC. The cost of doing that vs. taking a regular train declines if your trip is long, since on a long trip presumably your car rental expense goes up. Autotrain makes more sense for longer trips (maybe 2 weeks +)

[thetraveler]

Yes....2 Bathrooms In Each Car. Sinks In Both With Potable Water.....At Least On The Silver Star This Was The Case.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Thanks for the info. Are there bathrooms in every car? Can we brush our teeth in there too?
Yes...

[tink'72]

Walk. Take a camel. Duct tape yourself to the wing of the plane. Buy enough postage to ground ship. Have I emphasized enough NOT to take the train.

Maybe we were just not the right family for the trip, perhaps it was a poor day to take a train but our experience was horrendous. First off, we were had planned the trip October 2005 and whatever hurricane it was that hit that year delayed our trip by 3 days. The photos that Amtrak shows of grandpa napping with room must be the 8th dwarf. I am 6'1" and felt pretty restricted in the seats. There was an inner city football team that literally took over the dining car, not letting anyone on. They would lie down in booths and block doorways ignoring your requests to get by them until finally with a 1/2 hour stop the conductor threw them and their 'supervision' off the train.

The toilets broke, and instead of just using another facility the passengers on our car CONTINUED to use that lavatory. This is the sort of nightmare that my nightmares have. It was January and at (1:30am-ish?) the heaters went off and we were freezing.

I won't beat the horse to death. My 2 cents are this, what are you saving on the train? For 2 hours in the air vs. 20 hours on the ground (with NO Magical Express I might add so you'll need a car) what is it worth to you.

Pogo stick. East Australian current. Rescue Society seagul. Skateboard. Hitchhiking, grim grinning ghost it. DO NOT train.

DITTO JUST returned from my trip having taken the train from Boston to Orlando I would rather walk or poke my own eyes out!

[yjgirl32]

Thanks for all the information.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We're huge AutoTrain fans, so although it isn't the same as the "regular" train, it is a great experience (at least for our family).

We're in the same boat, once we drive to the train and then take the train, we could have driven all of the way to Disney faster. But, we arrive tired and usually frustrated by the drive. This way, we're all ready to go, and we've had some fun on the way.

We've always booked a sleeper, and slept really well. As much as it costs, it is key for us, we just wouldn't have the same experience in coach.

[yjgirl32]

Has anyone experienced any weather(like a hurricane) when they went. We are going in September and just curious what the policy is for severe weather. Thanks again for all the information.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We've had lots of chats with Amtrak about this ... we were on the first train home after TS Sandy last year.

So, if they cancel your train, they rebook you on the next available one, or you can get your money back. We were lucky and it was running again when we wanted to come home, but it was a FULL train ... :)

[yjgirl32]

ok great. Thank you so much for all your help. My ds10 is so excited to ride the train and my aunt who is 82 is going along and she has always wanted to ride the train down. This information helps a lot since we have never traveled by train.