All about the Autotrain

[nono]

In March, the Sanford station was offering shuttle service into "town" with a guaranteed return before train boarding commenced. Perhaps you could find a number for the Sanford station and inquire if that service is still running. I plan on checking for our Oct. trip, and taking advantage of it if it is still going.

 

[CherylA]

What is the policy for refunds and date changes on tickets? I want to book for a trip we hope to take in Febuary and the prices are good now, I know they will go up. But what if we decide to cancel our trip or change the days by a few days, can that be done? Are there penaltys? We would be buying AAA disocunted coach seats for 2 A and 2 C if it matters.

Thanks

 

[dalspot]

Make sure you tell them you will pick up your tickets AT the station, rather than having them mailed. You should be able to cancel or make changes with no trouble. Or at least that's what they told me a while back. They don't consider a ticket 'issued' until it's actually printed. Call Amtrak to verify.

And yes, unless a discount comes out, book as far in advance as you can. Like the airlines, the closer you get to your date, and the more seats sold already, the higher the fare.

We just booked our FREE trip to Sanford in December using our Amtrak Rewards points! Amtrak rewards add up quickly when you shop online thru the Amtrak Guest Rewards site.

 

[cherylp3]

agree with Dalspot completely. I used to get my tickets mailed, years ago I tried to get a refund for a ticket that I bought for someone who passed away and it was complicated getting a refund.

 

[tinker-belle]

I don't know, it seems to me tickets are getting quite expensive. We've always gone (2 adults, and 2 kids with a regular car) in January for as little as 680 just 2 or 3 years ago, and I checked into next January's prices, and they are almost at 900!!!

 

[NJBILL]

In March, the Sanford station was offering shuttle service into "town" with a guaranteed return before train boarding commenced. Perhaps you could find a number for the Sanford station and inquire if that service is still running. I plan on checking for our Oct. trip, and taking advantage of it if it is still going.

From AMTRAK today:
Dear William :

Thank you for contacting us.

Yes, once you check-in you can sign up for the shuttle service. It's only available at the Sanford,FL station.

Sincerely,

Yola
Amtrak Customer Service

 

[CherylA]

Make sure you tell them you will pick up your tickets AT the station, rather than having them mailed. You should be able to cancel or make changes with no trouble. Or at least that's what they told me a while back. They don't consider a ticket 'issued' until it's actually printed. Call Amtrak to verify.

And yes, unless a discount comes out, book as far in advance as you can. Like the airlines, the closer you get to your date, and the more seats sold already, the higher the fare.

We just booked our FREE trip to Sanford in December using our Amtrak Rewards points! Amtrak rewards add up quickly when you shop online thru the Amtrak Guest Rewards site.

Thank you. I think I'll go ahead and book my tickets this week. It will be our first time doing coach but I think we can handle it now. My kids will be just turned 5 and 7 when we go. We've done the autotrain twice before once in a roomette with an infant and once in a family room when the kids were 3 and 5. I'm looking forward to it!

 

[nono]

NJBILL,

Thanks for checking on that. I found this web site which gives some more info on the area:

http://sanfordinfo.com/alive-after-...s/historic-sanford-florida--rediscovered.html

 

[dalspot]

You're welcome. I'm already getting excited about our December trip.

I'm looking forward to it!

 

[MapleGirl]

DH and I are thinking about driving to WDW from Boston then taking the AutoTrain back (we'll of course have to drive home from DC). We will be leaving WDW a day after I run my first half-marathon, so I should be pretty tired!

What is the cancellation policy if we decide that we want to drive home instead of taking the train?

I understand that North bound trips in January are typically cheaper. I can't figure out the pricing. How much does it cost for 2 adults and 1 car in coach vs. the smallest sleeper room? I think we would like the privacy and quiet offered by the bedroom.

I keep reading about getting discount tickets via ebay. I looked and couldn't find any. What am I doing wrong?

It sounds like people have success upgrading from coach to a room at the check-in desk. Is this cheaper?

What other kinds of discounts are available? I am a member of the Massachusetts Teacher's Union and AAA. I am also college student.



Thanks so much!!

 

[NJBILL]

DH and I are thinking about driving to WDW from Boston then taking the AutoTrain back (we'll of course have to drive home from DC). We will be leaving WDW a day after I run my first half-marathon, so I should be pretty tired!

What is the cancellation policy if we decide that we want to drive home instead of taking the train?

I understand that North bound trips in January are typically cheaper. I can't figure out the pricing. How much does it cost for 2 adults and 1 car in coach vs. the smallest sleeper room? I think we would like the privacy and quiet offered by the bedroom.

I keep reading about getting discount tickets via ebay. I looked and couldn't find any. What am I doing wrong?

It sounds like people have success upgrading from coach to a room at the check-in desk. Is this cheaper?

What other kinds of discounts are available? I am a member of the Massachusetts Teacher's Union and AAA. I am also college student.



Thanks so much!!

Cancellation policy is that you can cancel up to the day of travel. You may receive a 100% refund towards a new ticket, or cash refund less 10% (I think) cancellation fee. Double check Amtrak.com

Train pricing varies. Generally, the earlier you book the better,and as the train fills up the price goes up also. The best way to tell is to play around on Amtrak.com and put in your dates. Coach is much cheaper than a roomette, but your meals are included with your roomette price.

Amtrak used to sell tickets on ebay, but have not done that in a few years..

AAA discounts are available. They also have a student Advantage program you should check into.

 

[dalspot]

If you book, make SURE you opt to pick up your tickets at the station! Amtrak does not consider a ticket 'issued' until it's printed. You may not get a full refund if you have the tickets mailed to you ahead of time. You can check pricing and select "AAA Adult" or "AAA child" to see your discounts. The size of your car affects pricing too. Cars and small SUV's ship at the lower rate. Luckily they've changed the size as our Honda CRV was an inch too high in 2003 to ship at the lower rate, now it's ok.

You can check pricing for your roomette, etc. on the Amtrak website. If they have sleeper availability, often times they will call you a few days before your trip, so make sure they have a phone number on the account that you will be able to answer. We missed out on an upgrade last trip because they called home and we were at work.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

Meals are also included in the coach fare on the autotrain too.

 

[erinch]

MapleGirl:

I was just playing around on the Amtrak site. Right now, the AAA prices for 2 adults one way with a regular car on Jan 11, 2010 are 319.40 for coach, and 443.40 for a roomette.

Amtrak did list tickets on ebay for a while, but I haven't seen auto train ones on there for a couple of years.

Unlike other forms of transportation, the prices will not go down. Currently northbound is cheaper, but there are already some days which are much more expensive than others. When they fill the cheapest price tier, then it goes up to the next notch. The roomette price northbound that day is $124, which is within $10 of the cheapest price I've seen lately.

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

The promotion code for the kids travel for $19 fare is H809. The adult fares must be full fare, with no discount.

HTH

Steve

Is this promotion still going on? I don't see it on the Amtrak site at all.

 

[Cupmom]

I am pretty sure this offer ended in June.

 

[mwehttam]

Wanted to give an update on my dilemma on not being able to book a roomette with DW, DS (2.5 years old) and myself. Since DS was over two he was considered the third person and the Amtrak could/would not let me add a roomette.

After much research (gotta love youtube!) on the roomette size DW and I both realized that the roomette would definitely not work. Just way too small. So we decided to book a bedroom. A bit more money but I think it will be worth it. I know DS will get a much better night sleep in the room then in coach.

We are in the train Wed Aug 5 and we are very excited. It is all DS can talk about now!

I will let eveyone know how it goes.

-Matt

 

[MapleGirl]

Does the Autotrain ever go on sale?? I know they recently had the kids' discount, but I'm interested in a adult or car sale? I would love to take the autotrain from FL to DC (1-way) in January. I've been waiting for a sale on the fare, but none have come up.

Is there a reference some where that lists historic sales and when they came out?

I could get the AAA discount.... is that the best there ever is?

If I book now (selecting Will Call for my tickets so they aren't printed until I get to the station) and a better deal comes out, can I cancel the first reservation and get a new reservation on sale?

Thanks for all your help. This is a great thread. The train sounds super cool! I hope it works out for us.

 

[MapleGirl]

MapleGirl:

I was just playing around on the Amtrak site. Right now, the AAA prices for 2 adults one way with a regular car on Jan 11, 2010 are 319.40 for coach, and 443.40 for a roomette.

Amtrak did list tickets on ebay for a while, but I haven't seen auto train ones on there for a couple of years.

Unlike other forms of transportation, the prices will not go down. Currently northbound is cheaper, but there are already some days which are much more expensive than others. When they fill the cheapest price tier, then it goes up to the next notch. The roomette price northbound that day is $124, which is within $10 of the cheapest price I've seen lately.

Thanks! I was thinking that we'll book the coach seats, then see about upgrading to a roomette when we get there. I'm hoping that since the Northbound trip is less popular in January, we will be successful in getting a roomette for about $150. What do you think?

 

[mwehttam]

How is the temperature on the train? Does it lean to the warm or cold? Wondering if my DW and DS should have something in case the AC is cranking.
Thanks!