All about the Autotrain

[MamaPotts]

Shafke, thanks for the pics of the Sanford station. Much appreciated!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Thanks so much Pepe. Thinking I sould call back and get the lower level so the kids can go up and down by themselves ( they are 10,11 and 12) Is there any drawbacks to the lower level?

We've stayed on the lower level once (regular Amtrak Ohio to DC) and didn't care for it....seems too isolated, it's actuallt the handicapped location and everyone has to come down to that level for restroom use...alot of traffic and not decor wise better looking. Upper level just seemed more cozy and relaxing...all the seats seem to absorb all the noise and what not....felt warmer and since car to car movement is from the upper level, easier getting around....you probably make more car to car movement than down to the restrooms.....didn't notice and difference in car swaying upper to bottom...

Just a reminder, all car seats are numbered the same so be sure to either count the cars when walking or remember your car number so you don't panic and can't find your stuff and seat....

 

[chartle]

Thanks so much Pepe. Thinking I sould call back and get the lower level so the kids can go up and down by themselves ( they are 10,11 and 12) Is there any drawbacks to the lower level?

Edit: I just reread some posts so most of what I wrote only refers to coach and you are going first class, but some still applies.

The only drawback I can see is that the room you are in is much smaller than the top section maybe 8 to 10 rows. Because of the way the car is built, the lower level is much smaller, maybe only a 1/4 of the top section.

Also you may not see as much as up top, but frankly there is not a lot of stuff to see anyway.

Leaving Lorton you have maybe 45 minutes to an hour of slow travel with just brushes and trees lining the way. You then go through a city, I forgot its name, where the tracks run right down the middle of main street, a military base and I think more trees.

Then depending on the time of year it starts to get dark. Even with the lights down all that you see is one railroad yard after another and a few little towns where at one time downtown and all the businesses clustered around the railroad tracks but now its all boarded up.

So what I'm basically saying is bring something to do. The nice thing is that every seat has an outlet so you can plug stuff in, but before you ask, no wireless.

One plus that I have read is it doesn't rock as much. Oh and yes the bathrooms are on this level but they are behind at least one door.

 

[chartle]

For those interested I have some pictures from around the Sanford station...

Looks good. When we did the trip 2.5 years ago they hadn't even started the work on the Sanford station. It still had the tent. Even then, didn't see much of it because our return trip was cancelled and we drove home. So we did spend a lot of time their when we unloaded.

 

[Minniemouse07]

Thanks for the pictures! I hope that they have the playground finished in Sanford by the end of August when we go!

 

[Jetsong]

we are taking the auto train June 13 ...cant wait

 

[Marshay]

hard part is remembering how many car you did walk thru to get to your destination and how many back to your car, they all look the same....

Yes!!! You gotta count cars b/c they all look alike! I'm also going to bring some ribbon this time to tie to the door handle so we can see right away our room!

Is there any drawbacks to the lower level?

The upper level definitely sways more than the lower. Lower level is where the bathrooms are ... so it's easier to get to them. But you'll have to take the stairs for everything else (no prob IMHO).

There is much more traffic on the upper levels since everyone has to go by those rooms to get to the lounge and dining cars. You'll hear the doors being kicked and opening and shutting plus voices. If you leave your door open, then everyone who walks by looks in ... you just can't help it (we did!)

You can see more on the upper level, it's closer to everthing except the bathrooms.

We like the lower level b/c we get the best of both worlds -- less bumpy, closer to bathrooms (with small kids we need that) and then we go up to the lounge car to hang out, snack, watch movie and look out to see the upper view.

 

[lucyem]

We've stayed on the lower level once (regular Amtrak Ohio to DC) and didn't care for it....seems too isolated, it's actuallt the handicapped location and everyone has to come down to that level for restroom use...alot of traffic and not decor wise better looking. Upper level just seemed more cozy and relaxing...all the seats seem to absorb all the noise and what not....felt warmer and since car to car movement is from the upper level, easier getting around....you probably make more car to car movement than down to the restrooms.....didn't notice and difference in car swaying upper to bottom...

Just a reminder, all car seats are numbered the same so be sure to either count the cars when walking or remember your car number so you don't panic and can't find your stuff and seat....

If you have any sensitivity to motion the lower level has less rocking back and forth.

In coach the downstairs does not have constant people walking through like upstairs does since you cannot go from car to car downstairs. (think of people swaying back and forth grabbing seat tops to hang on as they walk through the car) Also less people in the car. Makes the long night much quieter.

There is a door between the seat area and the bathrooms/stairway. So people coming down to the bathroom are not a bother at all.

 

[Marshay]

shafke -- great pics!

 

[bdcp]

We just booked for Oct. Coach seats. We'll be watching the bedroom prices, but at this point, we'll stick with coach. We've done coach twice and roomette once. We will never do a roomette again. Too small, uncomfortable,and we actually slept better in our coach seats. The only way I'd do a roomette again would be if I was traveling alone.

 

[bdcp]

Also you may not see as much as up top, but frankly there is not a lot of stuff to see anyway.

Leaving Lorton you have maybe 45 minutes to an hour of slow travel with just brushes and trees lining the way. You then go through a city, I forgot its name, where the tracks run right down the middle of main street, a military base and I think more trees.

The base is Quantico Marine Corps Base. The city is probably Fredericksburg, unless you're referring to father south where it goes right through Ashland which is closer to Richmond.

 

[tinker-belle]

We are right around our 11 months out trip on the AT (late Jan 2012) and I just checked the prices and

They are the same amount as we paid for our May trip at only 5 months out. I foolishly thought that late January was going to be a cheaper time to go on the train...

I can't imagine what the prices will be if they just continue to go up closer to the date. The good thing is that the tickets are refundable, so we will go ahead and purchase and if we can get a better deal, then we'll do that. I think I'll purchase as two 1-way tickets b/c I don't think you save by purchasing a round-trip and that way if we decide to drive down, it'll be easier to cancel just that part of the trip.

I am with you on this one. We've gone almost every January with the auto train and the prices for Jan. 2012 seem crazy! The prices for Jan. 2012 are 300.00 more (for a family of 5) than we paid in Jan. 2011. In our experience, the cost usually went up about 25-50.00 each year in total, not 300. I'm not sure what's going on...
Jan. 2011 it cost us about 900, and for Jan. 2012 it seems to be over 1200 (and that's with the 10% AAA discount)

 

[bdcp]

We're (DH and I and our suv) paying about $200 more for this Oct than we did in Nov 2005 and only about $100 more than we did in 2008. That was for coach seats.

 

[pwdebbie]

If we decide to do this, we will be getting a bedroom. Just two adults, no kids. I'd be the one on the top bunk, which doesn't thrill me. (Dh is 6'3", the bottom bunk is 6'3" so that doesn't allow him any wiggle room at all.) Dumb question, but -- What keeps you from falling out of the top bunk? Even children's bunk beds have rails and I don't see anything in the "night view" pictures at the Amtrak website. I am even considering the family bedroom option just so I wouldn't have to do the top bunk.

 

[bdcp]

If we decide to do this, we will be getting a bedroom. Just two adults, no kids. I'd be the one on the top bunk, which doesn't thrill me. (Dh is 6'3", the bottom bunk is 6'3" so that doesn't allow him any wiggle room at all.) Dumb question, but -- What keeps you from falling out of the top bunk? Even children's bunk beds have rails and I don't see anything in the "night view" pictures at the Amtrak website. I am even considering the family bedroom option just so I wouldn't have to do the top bunk.

There's straps, think seatbelt woven material from the ceiling to the edge of the bunk about the middle of the bunk that will keep you from rolling off. My DH is 5'8" and I'm 5'3". We had a roomette once and DH was in the top bunk and I was in the bottom. Neither of us slept and it was cramped. Coach again for us where we do sleep. Do you have a roomette or bedroom? We have thought about trying a bedroom, but it increases the cost by about $800 round trip, which is more than the trip in coach costs. Even one way, southbound the bedroom is almost $300 more. Northbound it's $500+ more.

 

[ksc37]

We usually fly, but have decided to drive to Florida and take the Autotrain home for our August trip. We are a family of four (our boys are 10 and 8) and we have opted for the Family Bedroom.

Still not quite sure if this is the right choice, but it seems like driving 17 hours home after 12 days of vacation will be tedious and depressing. We're hoping this will be an interesting new experience for all of us.

Thanks to those of you who post all about your past experiences. This thread has provided a wealth of information.

 

[NJRRK]

we are taking the auto train June 13 ...cant wait

That's our 24th anniversary!

 

[christinou]

We usually fly, but have decided to drive to Florida and take the Autotrain home for our August trip. We are a family of four (our boys are 10 and 8) and we have opted for the Family Bedroom.

Still not quite sure if this is the right choice, but it seems like driving 17 hours home after 12 days of vacation will be tedious and depressing. We're hoping this will be an interesting new experience for all of us.

Thanks to those of you who post all about your past experiences. This thread has provided a wealth of information.

You might want to look at the lenght of the kids bed in the family room, they are fairly short, we get 2 roomettes, as it is lot more confortable for the kids to sleep in.

 

[MinnieGi]

You might want to look at the lenght of the kids bed in the family room, they are fairly short, we get 2 roomettes, as it is lot more confortable for the kids to sleep in.

I agree about the length of the beds in the family bedroom. I did NOT look at the measurements before our trip and boy was surprised I when the beds were pulled down how small they were! My 10 yo DD did NOT fit on it and she is of average height! Now it was perfect for my 6yo DS this year, but not for many more years.

We however did like the train experience. It was like another adventure and seemed to extend the vacation. The kids loved it.

And it was so much less stressful than driving or flying. We've decided to book it again for our next trip, however we have booked 2 roomettes so that everybody has a full length bed!

 

[mjfisherdc]

I am looking at taking the auto train in sept. It would be just byself and my DD6 and DS4. I am assuming that in coach the chairs are in sets of 2. Like 2 together, and aisle and then 2 more seats? Would it be a big issue if I went coach with the kids? I am not worried about them sleeping (we can all sleep anywhere). I have sat them together ona cross-country flight and I sat across the aisle.

I guess I am wondering if it is ok to set them together on the train with me across. Or would it really be better to get the family suite? Was really trying to save some money.