A Disney-Addicted mom plans an August, 2013 Autotrain Trip for 7! *Big Update! 11/19*

[DrMomof3]

Good luck! Fingers crossed everything goes according to plan

Thank you!!!

Woohoo! Fingers crossed it goes smoothly and quickly from here!

Thanks so much.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Arranging travel for 7 people from New York to Florida isn't the easiest thing in the world. After researching our various options, we decided NOT to fly JetBlue like we usually do. Instead we're taking the Autotrain!
On Saturday morning we will drive from NY to Lorton, VA. I think it'll take about 4 hours to drive. We'll definitely be a little crowded with 7 people in the minivan! Not sure where all the luggage is going.... I guess it's a good thing we'll have a washer/dryer in the villa.
They want the cars there by about 2pm and the train pulls out of the station at 4pm. I set us up with 2 family sleeper rooms which each sleep 4 people. We'll put the girls (+/- Zachary) in one room and the boys in the other. We get a sit-down dinner included in our train fare.
We arrive in Sanford, Florida around 9 or 10am the following day. After our car has de-trained (is that even a word? ), we'll drive over to BWV and check-in. DVC units are not often ready early but we may get lucky.
I think it'll be pretty interesting to take the train instead of flying. I'm hoping it's one of those happy adventures which brings back days long ago, etc.
For those who are interested... The cost of the autotrain (7 people + 1 car + 2 family sleeper rooms) is about equal to the cost of flying + renting a car. If we were willing to sleep in Coach (the seats are similar to business class seats on an airplane and recline pretty well), we'd save some $$$. I think having beds will increase the likelihood that we get some sleep on the train. Apparently there is a room attendant similar to a cruise ship who prepares the beds while you eat dinner in the dining car. Pretty cool, right?

Amanda

 

[momto3gr8boys]

Someone else in the August group is using the Autotrain too - I'm not sure if it came up in the Aug. thread or the FB group, but it was the first time I had heard of it, and I thought it sounded like a great idea. I haven't rented a car since 2003 - the last trip for strollers/carseats, etc. But if I were to, I would consider this - if for nothing else than the adventure

I see you are in Westchester - we are on Long Island, so not far. I was wondering how far that drive was to the train, and was thinking it was longer, but four hours doesn't sound bad!

 

[DrMomof3]

Someone else in the August group is using the Autotrain too - I'm not sure if it came up in the Aug. thread or the FB group, but it was the first time I had heard of it, and I thought it sounded like a great idea. I haven't rented a car since 2003 - the last trip for strollers/carseats, etc. But if I were to, I would consider this - if for nothing else than the adventure

I see you are in Westchester - we are on Long Island, so not far. I was wondering how far that drive was to the train, and was thinking it was longer, but four hours doesn't sound bad!

We're in Scarsdale but I grew up in Port Washington (which is where my step-dad still lives - we were there last weekend!).
The autotrain leaves from just outside Washington, D.C. 4 hours may be an underestimate but I was figuring my husband would be driving so that might just be accurate.

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

The auto train sounds like a fun adventure.

I took a train to FL on my H.S. band trip. I have such a bad memory I don't remember much of it.

 

[DrMomof3]

The auto train sounds like a fun adventure.

I took a train to FL on my H.S. band trip. I have such a bad memory I don't remember much of it.

It was probably a very long train ride!

Amanda

 

[momto3gr8boys]

Small world...I went to St. Mary's and lived in Brookville. Then as an adult I was in Roslyn. Now I'm in Rockville Centre, but the Port/Roslyn/Manhasset are will always feel like home.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

It was probably a very long train ride!

Amanda

I honestly don't remember where we got the train. We may have taken a bus somewhere. I'll have to ask my mom.

 

[DrMomof3]

Small world...I went to St. Mary's and lived in Brookville. Then as an adult I was in Roslyn. Now I'm in Rockville Centre, but the Port/Roslyn/Manhasset are will always feel like home.

We drive by St. Mary's every time we go to visit my step-dad! Definitely a Small World!

I honestly don't remember where we got the train. We may have taken a bus somewhere. I'll have to ask my mom.

That's funny that you remember so little about the trip.

Amanda

 

[rentayenta]

I finally made it over.

Great report so far. Glad you chose your resort. All good options, no bad options in the bunch. I've always wanted to stay at the BWV so I can't wait to hear how you like them. The Boardwalk looks like a total blast. And there are so many great dining options close by.

As far as the THV....we didn't have a car and didn't find the THV inconvenient at all. The bus service was great and they're really not far from the main pool. We really enjoyed every part of them. Maybe you'll reconsider them for a future trip. They are so unique and were a highlight of our trip for sure.

The other part of our trip was at AKV and we loved it and I think they'll be a permanent fixture in all of our split stays. Maybe it's just me but I don't find them far from anything. Maybe it's the pixie dust they pipe into the air? They're also very unique and the SVs cannot be beat. The 2 bedrooms at Kidani have an extra bathroom and it was heavenly especially with 6 of us.

 

[blessedmom4]

LOVE your resort choice, SO CLOSE to Epcot!

​

 

[DrMomof3]

I finally made it over.

Great report so far. Glad you chose your resort. All good options, no bad options in the bunch. I've always wanted to stay at the BWV so I can't wait to hear how you like them. The Boardwalk looks like a total blast. And there are so many great dining options close by.

As far as the THV....we didn't have a car and didn't find the THV inconvenient at all. The bus service was great and they're really not far from the main pool. We really enjoyed every part of them. Maybe you'll reconsider them for a future trip. They are so unique and were a highlight of our trip for sure.

The other part of our trip was at AKV and we loved it and I think they'll be a permanent fixture in all of our split stays. Maybe it's just me but I don't find them far from anything. Maybe it's the pixie dust they pipe into the air? They're also very unique and the SVs cannot be beat. The 2 bedrooms at Kidani have an extra bathroom and it was heavenly especially with 6 of us.

I've heard nice things about both places but there are a few differences between our families...
1. My kids are much younger so distances are amplified - especially with Zachary's disabilities. So a short walk to the pool for a normal person because 15 minutes of whining with my crew.
2. With 4 adults and 3 children on our upcoming trip, I like the idea of being able to split up. While it's certainly easy enough to have a few people take a bus home while the rest stay, it's even easier to walk from Epcot or DHS!!! Also, we tend to eat sit-down dinners in Epcot/Boardwalk area almost every night.
3. Now that we're buying DVC (hopefully I didn't just jinx myself!), it'll be easier to stay at DVC resort. We're saving almost $500 moving from THV to BWV and Kidani was even more expensive than THV.

But I'm really glad to hear such good reports of BOTH resorts.

LOVE your resort choice, SO CLOSE to Epcot!

​

Thank you! Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Amanda

 

[JessicaKnits]

I'm in! I have always wondered about the Auto Train so I will be really excited to read your trip report.

 

[DrMomof3]

I'm in! I have always wondered about the Auto Train so I will be really excited to read your trip report.

Welcome!!!!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Although this has nothing to do with my Disney trip in August, I am excited to announce that my family will be spending Thanksgiving in beautiful HAWAII!!!
In February we stayed that the Hilton Grand Vacations at SeaWorld. As part of our deal (we had a 2 bedroom villa for 4 nights for about $600), we had to attend a timeshare presentation. We did NOT buy the timeshare but we did buy a one-time offer of 1 week at a 2 bedroom villa. Our resort choices were somewhat limited but we were hoping to use this to go to Hawaii at some point in time. The offer needs to be used in the next 18 months.
My step-sister lives in California and I emailed her to say that we were planning a trip to Hawaii in the next 18 months. She emailed back to say that they were planning to spend Thanksgiving on the Big Island with her in-laws. Coincidentally the resort we were hoping to use is located on the Big Island.
It took a few weeks for the timeshare points in show up in our account but I was able to book a 2 bedroom villa for 1 week over Thanksgiving! I bought the plane tickets last week (boy were they expensive! ). My step-dad was able to book a flight on miles so he's staying with us but arriving separately.
We are staying in the Hilton Grand Vacations Waikoloa and have access to the entire Waikoloa Village. I know the regular Hilton Resort in Waikoloa has amazing recreation, including water slides and swimming with dolphins. I need to do more research to see what we want to do. I also know that we will take a day trip to see Volcano National Park.
My sister's kids are 10 and 8 and her step-nephew is about 7 or 8 also. So there will be plenty of kids for my kids to play with, although I'm sure we'll spend some time with just our family, too.

Amanda

 

[ccgirl]

Although this has nothing to do with my Disney trip in August, I am excited to announce that my family will be spending Thanksgiving in beautiful HAWAII!!!
In February we stayed that the Hilton Grand Vacations at SeaWorld. As part of our deal (we had a 2 bedroom villa for 4 nights for about $600), we had to attend a timeshare presentation. We did NOT buy the timeshare but we did buy a one-time offer of 1 week at a 2 bedroom villa. Our resort choices were somewhat limited but we were hoping to use this to go to Hawaii at some point in time. The offer needs to be used in the next 18 months.
My step-sister lives in California and I emailed her to say that we were planning a trip to Hawaii in the next 18 months. She emailed back to say that they were planning to spend Thanksgiving on the Big Island with her in-laws. Coincidentally the resort we were hoping to use is located on the Big Island.
It took a few weeks for the timeshare points in show up in our account but I was able to book a 2 bedroom villa for 1 week over Thanksgiving! I bought the plane tickets last week (boy were they expensive! ). My step-dad was able to book a flight on miles so he's staying with us but arriving separately.
We are staying in the Hilton Grand Vacations Waikoloa and have access to the entire Waikoloa Village. I know the regular Hilton Resort in Waikoloa has amazing recreation, including water slides and swimming with dolphins. I need to do more research to see what we want to do. I also know that we will take a day trip to see Volcano National Park.
My sister's kids are 10 and 8 and her step-nephew is about 7 or 8 also. So there will be plenty of kids for my kids to play with, although I'm sure we'll spend some time with just our family, too.

Amanda

How exciting! We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon 13 years ago and want to go back. We purchased a timeshare on Maui on our honeymoon but have only traded it at this point.

Subbing to this TR. Interested in the Autotrain as my DD will be starting middle school next year so we have to travel over shool breaks for summer.

 

[DrMomof3]

How exciting! We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon 13 years ago and want to go back. We purchased a timeshare on Maui on our honeymoon but have only traded it at this point.

Subbing to this TR. Interested in the Autotrain as my DD will be starting middle school next year so we have to travel over shool breaks for summer.

Welcome!!!
We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon in 2000. We went to Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island. Really excited to bring the kids!!!
I think the autotrain is going to be an adventure. Hopefully my husband doesn't hate me for it at the end of the day!

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I want to go to Hawaii someday!!!

That is so exciting! It'll be nice to spend time with family in such a beautiful place and best of all someone to occupy the kids.

 

[JessicaKnits]

How EXCITING! I went to Hawaii after my college graduation and it was by far my most incredible trip, even better than all my Disney trips! Shhh...don't tell ANYONE I said that. I did not make it to Big Island, but friends of mine stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu and it was incredible! I stayed at what was the Hilton Prince Kuhio at the time (its now called something else) and that was equally amazing. Hilton really knows how to set you up in Hawaii and their amenities are very well thought out!

 

[DrMomof3]

I want to go to Hawaii someday!!!

That is so exciting! It'll be nice to spend time with family in such a beautiful place and best of all someone to occupy the kids.

You definitely SHOULD go to Hawaii someday. The airfare is expensive and Hawaii is expensive but it's SO beautiful.

How EXCITING! I went to Hawaii after my college graduation and it was by far my most incredible trip, even better than all my Disney trips! Shhh...don't tell ANYONE I said that. I did not make it to Big Island, but friends of mine stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu and it was incredible! I stayed at what was the Hilton Prince Kuhio at the time (its now called something else) and that was equally amazing. Hilton really knows how to set you up in Hawaii and their amenities are very well thought out!

Glad to hear you had a good experience with Hilton. We stayed in the Waikoloa area for our honeymoon but not at the Hilton (the Hilton was much more expensive than the hotel where we stayed but we loved our hotel and the general location). I'm sure we'll love the Hilton!

Amanda