All about the Autotrain

[kanerf]

Considering the ever increasing price of rental cars in Orlando, the Autotrain begins to make more sense. I have not used it yet, but at some point I probably will.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

I didn’t know about the German restaurant in Sanford! We always ate at the Don Pablo’s on the strip going to the station. We are looking forour new go-to. Never taken the shuttle either. They
had a big scheme for food trucks that they announced about 10 minutes to Covid.

They have a sit-down restaurant called Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe, they offer their whole menu to-go. Then around the corner they have a German market and deli called Hollerbach's Magnolia Square Market with lots of great sandwiches and a ton of German beer, wine and desserts. I highly recommend them!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

They have a sit-down restaurant called Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe, they offer their whole menu to-go. Then around the corner they have a German market and deli called Hollerbach's Magnolia Square Market with lots of great sandwiches and a ton of German beer, wine and desserts. I highly recommend them!

+1 to the recommendation. I visited Sanford and Hollerbachs for the first time this past August, and it was great. I parked in Sanford before checking in at the station, but I'll definitely do it the other way around next time. It would be very nice to stroll around the downtown and sit in the restaurant, rather than do the take out. But the take out sandwich from the market was great.

Menu here: https://www.hollerbachs.com/

The Tim Tracker ate there earlier this year, and did a video of their browsing of Sanford:

 

[staceychev]

So - I'm feeling really envious of the German restaurant in Sanford, but we aren't taking the train north. Any recommendations for the Lorton area?

 

[Breezy_Carol]

We took the auto train south on October 14 this year. Originally booked a coach seat but changed to a roomette because of the uptick in COVID. We have done the roomette in the past.

Any recommendations for the Lorton area?

Stopped in Lorton before going to the train and ate lunch at Great Harvest Bread Company. The food was good and the people friendly. And there was outdoor seating. I am sure you could get carry out. In the past we have eaten at Glory Days Grill because we had a basketball game we wanted to see. There are several options in the area if you search on Google maps.

I remember the days of free wine and snack mix at departure.

I remember them also. We packed out own adult beverage and snacks.

Once we were done in Lorton, made a stop at Walgreens too, we checked in at the station. Dinner times were 5 and 6 for room service and 7 and 9 in the dining car. We chose 6 in the room. You were given a menu at check in and then our room attendant gave us a form to check off to help with the service. We both had the chicken which was surprisingly good. And the special dessert was chocolate Bundt cake with caramel and nuts which we also enjoy. The room attendant forgot the wine and we had to ask twice for it, but it wasn't worth the wait. The white was not that good.

Here is the menu.



DH took the upper bunk as I had hurt my back the day before lifting my grandson and didn't want to strain my back again. He was fine once he got in but the trick is getting there. The upper bunk is cooler as that is where the AC vent is. He was glad he brought a fleece throw.

We left Lorton at 3:35 but arrived in Sanford late at 9:30. Got our car at 10:45 and were on our way. We did notice a food truck at the Lorton station where some people were getting a more substantial breakfast. The coffee cake and tea were enough for me on the train.

I enjoy the train and will do again sometime.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

+1 to the recommendation. I visited Sanford and Hollerbachs for the first time this past August, and it was great. I parked in Sanford before checking in at the station, but I'll definitely do it the other way around next time. It would be very nice to stroll around the downtown and sit in the restaurant, rather than do the take out. But the take out sandwich from the market was great.

Menu here: https://www.hollerbachs.com/

The Tim Tracker ate there earlier this year, and did a video of their browsing of Sanford:

That video is how I found out about Hollerbach's! We host an Oktoberfest party and DH is so excited to do some shopping there to get some decorations and accessories for next year.

 

[pwdebbie]

Sad news about the AutoTrain yesterday. North Charleston train wreck kills 3, hurts 1, officials say | The State The story title is a bit misleading. Train was not wrecked, it was able to continue on to Sanford, albeit very late.

My only trip to FL via train (Amtrak but not AutoTrain) was in 1974, arrival was in Kissimmee back then. Between roaches in the cars, bad food, hitting a child on the tracks, missing a station and backing up, my parents cancelled the return trip and we flew home.

 

[bdcp]

Both of today's trains have been cancelled. Trying to get back on schedule. Between cars attempting to beat the train through a crossing, trespassers and trucks getting stuck, this has been a bad week for the AT. I hate how it's reported that a "train hit" whatever. It's not like the train leaves the tracks to hit vehicles or people. Most vehicles that stall on the tracks do so because they stopped on the tracks, not because they just stalled out as they were driving across. Having grown up my first decade in a town with trains and a grandfather that worked on the railroads, we were very aware of obeying signals because the people who didn't follow the rules are the ones that get hit.

 

[staceychev]

Sad news about the AutoTrain yesterday. North Charleston train wreck kills 3, hurts 1, officials say | The State The story title is a bit misleading. Train was not wrecked, it was able to continue on to Sanford, albeit very late.

My only trip to FL via train (Amtrak but not AutoTrain) was in 1974, arrival was in Kissimmee back then. Between roaches in the cars, bad food, hitting a child on the tracks, missing a station and backing up, my parents cancelled the return trip and we flew home.

We were on this train. We arrived to the station around 5:30 pm, after police investigation and major work on the engine. My heart is still so heavy over this, and even though I know that their deaths are not "on me," I still feel oddly complicit. I had wanted to keep my kids from knowing about the fatalities, but some [expletive] woman who wouldn't shut up while we waited for our cars wouldn't stop talking about it. My kids were, understandably, horrified.

 

[erinch]

So sorry you were caught up in it. Did they offer you a coupon or refund for the lost time and trauma?

 

[staceychev]

So sorry you were caught up in it. Did they offer you a coupon or refund for the lost time and trauma?

Nope, not at all. It never even occurred to me to ask for one.

 

[joelkfla]

Nope, not at all. It never even occurred to me to ask for one.

If you want to ask, you can call Amtrak's toll-free number, and when you get an agent, specifically ask to speak to Customer Service. I don't know whether they will offer a voucher for future travel because of a same-day delay, but you can try explaining your dissatisfaction and they might offer something.

 

[bdcp]

Nope, not at all. It never even occurred to me to ask for one.

Serious question. Will money change anything? Accidents happen and it wasn't Amtrak's fault. And the reality is there is the issue that those that drive through the intersections/racing the train are also responsible. We're onboard this week for a RT for a cruise and WDW vacation. I would never consider asking for money or compensation considering it's not the AT's fault at all.

 

[bdcp]

We're boarding on Thursday. I get as excited about the train as I do about the rest of our vacation. I'm interested to see if they'll serve us turkey or have the regular menu. Last Thanksgiving report I saw was from 2017 (earlier in this thread) and they said they had quit serving the meal and just had their regular menu. DH and I are going to our favorite restaurant tomorrow evening and having their Turkey meal that they're only serving this week so we'll at least have an early Thanksgiving meal. I have wine and snacks ready and our carryon's are basically ready. We're also packed for our b2b cruise and our 5 days at WDW.

 

[erinch]

Have lots of fun, and leave us a report!

 

[bdcp]

Have lots of fun, and leave us a report!

I'll report from the train if wifi is stable, otherwise I'll post something from the hotel after we get there. This is our 8th RT. I'm almost finished packing. We have two days in Port Canaveral before the b2b cruise and then our 5 days at WDW so packing clothes separately for the WDW portion.

 

[bdcp]

On the auto train. After what could have been a major delay. One of the people who load the cars was driving a pickup with hand controls which he really didnt' know how to use. She crashed into the train. They took her by ambulance after they got her out. The airbags deployed. The pickup truck owner wasn't happy. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. After the tow truck finally came, they replaced the passenger car. We left about 415-420 which is only a little late. We're in a bedroom and having dinner in here. No special Thanksgiving meal and they don't have cheesecake or carrot cake today. Not a full train.

 

[Woosterguy]

On the auto train. After what could have been a major delay. One of the people who load the cars was driving a pickup with hand controls which he really didnt' know how to use. She crashed into the train. They took her by ambulance after they got her out. The airbags deployed. The pickup truck owner wasn't happy. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. After the tow truck finally came, they replaced the passenger car. We left about 415-420 which is only a little late. We're in a bedroom and having dinner in here. No special Thanksgiving meal and they don't have cheesecake or carrot cake today. Not a full train.

Glad you weren’t delayed too long. We took the auto train two weeks ago and due to mechanical issues (they had to replace both the engines) we didn’t depart till after 7 and then lost time on the trip down so it was 1:30ish till we arrived. We’re really debating about using the train on our way home in the spring as we’ve not had the best of luck the last few trips. Hope the driver is ok.

 

[bdcp]

And, then, we were stopped near Petersburg for over an hour. A trespasser was spotted on/near the tracks and we had a medical emergency of some kind. They asked for a Dr/nurse/EMT to come forward. No idea what happened with that. We were two hours late getting into Sanford but even though we were as usual in the last 15% or so of cars were on the road by 12 or so. We're tired. It was a bumpy ride so going to bed fairly early tonight as we have plans with friends who live on Merritt Island. We got our negative covid tests a couple of hours ago so ready to cruise on Sunday. We need to cruise so we can relax. The biggest problem the Auto Train has is people doing dumb things and CSX. Occasional mechanical issues, but by far the major delays they have are out of their control.

 

[erinch]

Glad you at least made it there! Wow, what a trip!