Just wanted to post some info regarding the Autotrain in case it can help anyone...
My mom and I took the Autotrain down and back in July. Going down we had coach seats in the lower level (easier for my mom....). We really liked the location and the openness of the coach car. Based on the info from the Dis, we asked for the last seats in the car. This was great because you had no-one walking by you, and you had room behind the seats where you could put some of your belongings. The man from the couple across the aisle actually put his pillow and blanket behind their seats and slept there all night (loudly snoring, I might add!) There are not many seats, and it was mostly very quiet. (There were no children in our car, mostly older adults.) The seats have outlets, trays, and leg rests, and are quite comfortable. There is a door that separates the seats from the stairs and the restrooms. We did not get bothered by anyone coming down the stairs and using the restrooms, and no bad odors. In the other part of the car, there is a handicapped restroom available that is larger, and also a ladies' restroom at the end that had an outer area with double sinks, a big mirror, and two stools, along with the restroom.
However, both my mom and I could not really sleep, even though the seats are large and roomy. So, when we got to Sanford, we upgraded right away to a roomette ($190) for the return trip. The seats themselves are not as comfortable in the roomette, and it is quite small, and hard to move around when the beds are down. Also, someone needs to be somewhat agile to be able to climb up to the top bed, and it can be claustraphobic, because there is no window up there. However, I don't mind, and having the actual beds and the privacy make it worth it for us. The train was on-time both directions.
My husband and I will be going on the Autotrain round trip at the end of January. We were able to move 60,000 miles from our Continental One Pass account to Amtrak. When we called Continental to transfer the points, they said that Amtrak needed to transfer the points. When we went back to Amtrak, they said Continental must do it. We finally found someone at Continental who knew about it and they transferred the points with no problem. They said it would take 10 business days, but it only took about 3-4days. It is a 1 for 1 transfer. I do not know how this all will be affected by the merger.
We were told, to redeem the points, that it is 10,000 points each way for the car (we have a regular car - don't know if oversized is more), 15,000 each way for a roomette, and 20,000 each way for a bedroom. We chose the bedroom, so it was 60,000 points total when we booked the tickets. (You don't pay separately from the accomodations for your tickets as with a regular reservation.) I know that, going down, for our dates, the bedroom was something like $890!!! We do like the bedroom MUCH better than the roomette, and it has its own bathroom. However, usually it is more than we are willing to pay. As other people mentioned, it is cheaper the earlier you book it.
I really enjoy the Autotrain, and we have had mostly positive experiences. My husband prefers to fly, but doesn't mind the train. We always meet interesting people, and love not having to worry about packing and like to have our own car.
Hope this helps!
