All about the Autotrain

[Lisa75]

Any recent reports about meal delivery to roomettes and bedrooms? In the summer we traveled near the change to dining car only. When we declined a meal time upon check in they offered to deliver it to the room. Since that was near the time of the transition I’m going to guess it’s definitely no longer an option.

Thanks.

 

[Woosterguy]

We just rode the southbound train and in room dining was never mentioned at check in. However the train was delayed so that could have been the reason. on another note we may be done with the train. Last three trips have not been good. Trains late in leaving, Wi-Fi poor or nonexistent, and the food quality is declining. Sad to see things sliding downhill

 

[Lisa75]

We just rode the southbound train and in room dining was never mentioned at check in. However the train was delayed so that could have been the reason. on another note we may be done with the train. Last three trips have not been good. Trains late in leaving, Wi-Fi poor or nonexistent, and the food quality is declining. Sad to see things sliding downhill

I don’t disagree lately. If we take it it means I’m rhe only adult driver on the trip so it beats the drive home. Otherwise such a difference anymore.

 

[KSL]

So sad to see the decline in the AutoTrain and grateful for the times we took it years ago when our girls were small and things were good. We've seen a steady decline in experience and increase in prices over the years. DH and I are giving it one more chance -- taking it southbound in April; prices for the return trip were insane so no thank you -- we'll see how it goes, but anticipate this may be our last trip on the AT.

 

[MrKnight]

So sad to see the decline in the AutoTrain and grateful for the times we took it years ago when our girls were small and things were good. We've seen a steady decline in experience and increase in prices over the years. DH and I are giving it one more chance -- taking it southbound in April; prices for the return trip were insane so no thank you -- we'll see how it goes, but anticipate this may be our last trip on the AT.

Agreed, sadly, the cost of the AutoTrain has simply become to expensive for the value and product offered, especially for single travelers or even small families, it's often cheaper or a minimal variance to simply fly and get there in a fraction of the time.. I am all for Amtrak and rail transportation but sadly the AutoTrain is no longer cutting it, a substantial investment will have to be made into AutoTrain service including new trains/cars, more frequent service, more/better amenities (bring back full service dining for all passengers including coach), and lower pricing..

 

[deedeew80]

So sad to see the decline in the AutoTrain and grateful for the times we took it years ago when our girls were small and things were good. We've seen a steady decline in experience and increase in prices over the years. DH and I are giving it one more chance -- taking it southbound in April; prices for the return trip were insane so no thank you -- we'll see how it goes, but anticipate this may be our last trip on the AT.

I agree. I was hoping to give my kids the same experience I had on the AT when I was young. Sadly, the prices are just so outrageous, we just haven’t been able to do it. We still drive from NJ to Disney when we go, but it would be nice to go on the AT at least once. For our next trip we did talk about possibly taking the AT back home since we always hate the drive back home. Lol! But we don’t have a trip planned right now, so we’ll have to wait and see. Back in the late 90s, early 2000s, the AT was so much fun and according to my parents, us kids rode for free!

 

[dwg]

Is the Autotrain FAQ link broken? I went under Transportation, Popular Transportation links, and Autotrain FAQ Thread I just get a 404 Not Found Error on my MAC.

We just returned from driving from NJ to Port Canaveral to WDW and back to NJ. We enjoy the freedom of driving and do not want to deal with flying so flying is not an option for us. We are getting older so the drive is getting to us, especially the return trip.

We did the Autotrain probably 20 years ago and thought it was horrible then. It seems from comments here and generally online it may even be worse now. Even so we may just bite the bullet take the Autotrain next September while returning from our Disney cruise one way northbound only so that any delays or issues with the train would not really be an issue.

Considering how early you disembark from the ship and the hour or so drive to the sanford train station how early can you arrive at the train station in order to be near the front of the line for car check-in? I read that actual check-in starts around 11:30 am and the earlier you are in line the quicker you would get your car back when you get off the train.

 

[Henlady]

I am having trouble accessing this thread. If I go under Transportation, Popular Transportation links, and Autotrain FAQ Thread I just get a 404 Not Found Error on my MAC. Is the link broken?

We just returned from driving from NJ to Port Canaveral to WDW and back to NJ. We enjoy the freedom of driving and do not want to deal with flying so flying is not an option for us. We are getting older so the drive is getting to us, especially the return trip.

We did the Autotrain probably 20 years ago and thought it was horrible then. It seems from comments here and generally online it may even be worse now. Even so we may just bite the bullet take the Autotrain next September while returning from our Disney cruise one way northbound only so that any delays or issues with the train would not really be an issue.

Considering how early you disembark from the ship and the hour or so drive to the sanford train station how early can you arrive at the train station in order to be near the front of the line for car check-in? I read that actual check-in starts around 11:30 am and the earlier you are in line the quicker you would get your car back when you get off the train.

getting to the auto train station early does not insure that your car gets off early. We have arrived very early and been the next to the last car off. Just depends on how they line up the auto carriers. The only sure way to get early off is to pay extra to be guaranteed that your car will be one of the first (Its either 50 or 100 ) off.

 

[erinch]

We love the auto train. If you can spring for a bedroom, they are great!

 

[kittylady1972]

We haven't done the AutoTrain in probably 7 or 8 years, but DH and I are taking a trip in March and considering doing it at least one way (coming back rates are terrible...probably because of the Snowbirds returning).

We've never done Upper Level Seats and we've only done Lower Level Seats once...all others have been Roomette or Bedroom.

So we are thinking Lower Level Seats or Roomette...any recent experiences here? We used to love that we could hang out in the lounge as a family, play games, have a nice meal, then settle in for the night. I know the free wine and snacks has been long gone. How have things been post Covid?

 

[KSL]

We haven't done the AutoTrain in probably 7 or 8 years, but DH and I are taking a trip in March and considering doing it at least one way (coming back rates are terrible...probably because of the Snowbirds returning).

We've never done Upper Level Seats and we've only done Lower Level Seats once...all others have been Roomette or Bedroom.

So we are thinking Lower Level Seats or Roomette...any recent experiences here? We used to love that we could hang out in the lounge as a family, play games, have a nice meal, then settle in for the night. I know the free wine and snacks has been long gone. How have things been post Covid?

Similar situation here: DH and I have an April trip planned and wanted to try the AT again (it's been several years since we last did). We also found that the return fares are very high, so we've decided to just go one-way on the AT (the way down) and booked a roomette. Sorry I can't help with post-Covid (our last trip was before). Let us know what you decide to do!

 

[kittylady1972]

Similar situation here: DH and I have an April trip planned and wanted to try the AT again (it's been several years since we last did). We also found that the return fares are very high, so we've decided to just go one-way on the AT (the way down) and booked a roomette. Sorry I can't help with post-Covid (our last trip was before). Let us know what you decide to do!

I will try to remember to come back here, but I would say at this point we are pretty set on giving it a try again. I figure we'll book it sometime in the next few weeks.

 

[erinch]

We rode twice since Covid. We had a bedroom and daughter and hubby had a roommate. We are too old to ride in coach! We like upstairs better than downstairs because the view is more panoramic as you go through the gorgeous countryside, and the wheel noise is pretty loud downstairs. The dining room was finally open again, and the food was pretty good. On the first trip, they would only deliver to the room. We love the auto train! We bring our own cheese and wine party. I bring a couple of bottles, crackers, grapes and cheeses, and little plates, napkins, a knife and yeti wine tumblers. It is a fun way to start off the trip. We pick up supplies for the return trip party.

I bring my own pillow, because I am a princess, a light small throw, a small usb fan because I get stuck on the higher bunk and am a princess, and a power outlet strip for devices . Also my shower gear because I am a princess. Even when we are in a bedroom, the bedroom shower is minuscule, and makes the bathroom all wet, so I use the one downstairs. If you are in roommates, there is one upstairs toilet, and the rest are downstairs. I bring Lysol wipes, and they remain in good condition throughout the trip.

 

[patclairesmom]

We rode twice since Covid. We had a bedroom and daughter and hubby had a roommate. We are too old to ride in coach! We like upstairs better than downstairs because the view is more panoramic as you go through the gorgeous countryside, and the wheel noise is pretty loud downstairs. The dining room was finally open again, and the food was pretty good. On the first trip, they would only deliver to the room. We love the auto train! We bring our own cheese and wine party. I bring a couple of bottles, crackers, grapes and cheeses, and little plates, napkins, a knife and yeti wine tumblers. It is a fun way to start off the trip. We pick up supplies for the return trip party.

I bring my own pillow, because I am a princess, a light small throw, a small usb fan because I get stuck on the higher bunk and am a princess, and a power outlet strip for devices . Also my shower gear because I am a princess. Even when we are in a bedroom, the bedroom shower is minuscule, and makes the bathroom all wet, so I use the one downstairs. If you are in roommates, there is one upstairs toilet, and the rest are downstairs. I bring Lysol wipes, and they remain in good condition throughout the trip.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one to take a shower on the train.

 

[kittylady1972]

We rode twice since Covid. We had a bedroom and daughter and hubby had a roommate. We are too old to ride in coach! We like upstairs better than downstairs because the view is more panoramic as you go through the gorgeous countryside, and the wheel noise is pretty loud downstairs. The dining room was finally open again, and the food was pretty good. On the first trip, they would only deliver to the room. We love the auto train! We bring our own cheese and wine party. I bring a couple of bottles, crackers, grapes and cheeses, and little plates, napkins, a knife and yeti wine tumblers. It is a fun way to start off the trip. We pick up supplies for the return trip party.

I bring my own pillow, because I am a princess, a light small throw, a small usb fan because I get stuck on the higher bunk and am a princess, and a power outlet strip for devices . Also my shower gear because I am a princess. Even when we are in a bedroom, the bedroom shower is minuscule, and makes the bathroom all wet, so I use the one downstairs. If you are in roommates, there is one upstairs toilet, and the rest are downstairs. I bring Lysol wipes, and they remain in good condition throughout the trip.

Great report! We've only done coach once (Lower Level) and there were 7 of us so we had almost that entire car to ourselves and nobody passing through so it wasn't too bad. Plus easy access to the restrooms. I love the idea of bringing more food and snacks on the train, we've done some in the past but I think we should probably bring more this time...even though there will only be two of us.

I also bring my own pillow and blanket!

 

[easyas123]

37 hours!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...nightmare-passengers-held-board-29-HOURS.html

 

[AnnaS]

37 hours!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...nightmare-passengers-held-board-29-HOURS.html

Saw this on the new earlier.......long time to be stuck

 

[pwdebbie]

A friend was northbound on AutoTrain on Feb. 5 when the engine started leaking. She wrote:

"Less than two hours into a seventeen-hour trip, we are stopped in Jacksonville. The engine is leaking fuel. HAZMAT is here. No power, no air, no flushing toilets. It's going to be a long night. . . . It's getting toasty in here.

"Finally left Jacksonville with a new engine at 12:30 AM. We are supposed to be into Lorton VA around 2:00 PM. Original time was 9:15 AM thankful we are moving!"

She was very grateful that they had a room and were able to go to bed.

 

[JMLBrats]

getting to the auto train station early does not insure that your car gets off early. We have arrived very early and been the next to the last car off. Just depends on how they line up the auto carriers. The only sure way to get early off is to pay extra to be guaranteed that your car will be one of the first (Its either 50 or 100 ) off.

Is it worth it to pay for the priority off boarding? I was quoted $90 each way for that for this July. It seems kind of steep but the thought of sitting in the station for hours would really stink if we were one of the unlucky ones.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Is it worth it to pay for the priority off boarding? I was quoted $90 each way for that for this July. It seems kind of steep but the thought of sitting in the station for hours would really stink if we were one of the unlucky ones.

The priority offloading fee jumped quite a bit since last year. It is still worth the price to me, I've had the experience of being one of the last cars offloaded and have zero interest in doing that again!