All about the Autotrain

[jking6]

First time ever on the Autotrain. Date is August 6th just myself and DD 20 and Neice 21. Is all the luggage save in the car. I am taking the girls down as they are both starting the Disney College Program on August 15th. (vacation first) They will have all the stuff for there apartment in the car. Just worried as usually when we drive my husband is with us but he can't come and they are keeping the car in florida.

 

[chartle]

First time ever on the Autotrain. Date is August 6th just myself and DD 20 and Neice 21. Is all the luggage save in the car. I am taking the girls down as they are both starting the Disney College Program on August 15th. (vacation first) They will have all the stuff for there apartment in the car. Just worried as usually when we drive my husband is with us but he can't come and they are keeping the car in florida.

Once on the train no one can get to your car so yes its safe and your car is in plan site while its being loaded and unloaded.

Just do the normal no GPS's, laptops, cameras, etc left out in the car.

 

[kittylady1972]

We decided to take advantage of that summer kids for $25 program and booked our next Autotrain trip for June! Right now we are booked in coach, but my DH is already having reservations about sleeping there. He sleeps with a machine to assist his breathing and feels he may be more comfortable in a room now. The only reason I agreed to the AT this time was because the cost was pretty low to go coach since we are also splitting the cost of the vehicle with our in-laws. This will be their first AT experience!

I've been watching the room prices online and they are pretty stable. With our trip only 5 weeks away, I really don't suspect they will increase. They are at their lowest rate right now.

I just wonder if anybody has been able to successfully upgrade at checkin to the lowest rates or will they increase that day? I think we're going to aim for roomettes as they will allow one adult and two small kids in one roomette, so for our family of five we could just get the two roomettes. I don't know what they consider "small" kids but my youngest two are about 48 pounds and 48 inches tall each.

I'm confused about the fact that the $25 rate is ONLY for coach travel though. When we used this rate last summer, we were able to get the $25 rate. After all, no matter WHAT you have to purchase rail fare. So you'd still pay the $25 for rail fare for the kids. If you add rooms, those are never discounted...you'd always pay the full price at the time for the rooms. They really are like two different fares. So even though we've already paid the $25 per kid for their seats, even if we decided to upgrade on our day of travel I don't think they would increase the fares for the kids AND add the cost of the rooms. We'd just pay the extra money for the rooms.

Again just from my experience last summer, that was how it worked but we added the rooms at the same time as we booked the rest of it. So we got the kids fares for $25 each AND added the rooms at full cost at the time (which was still the lowest rate).

UPDATE: Yep I just checked and sure enough you CAN'T upgrade to a sleeper and still get the $25 kids fare. That sucks because it was allowed last year. Now I'm really going to have to think long and hard about that upgrade since it will add another $75 or so to our total cost PLUS the cost of the rooms. I may just have to let DH travel in the roomettes and I'll travel with the kids in coach and we will just see each other after the train ride is over!

 

[Marshay]

We decided to take advantage of that summer kids for $25 program and booked our next Autotrain trip for June! Right now we are booked in coach, but my DH is already having reservations about sleeping there. He sleeps with a machine to assist his breathing and feels he may be more comfortable in a room now. The only reason I agreed to the AT this time was because the cost was pretty low to go coach since we are also splitting the cost of the vehicle with our in-laws. This will be their first AT experience!

I've been watching the room prices online and they are pretty stable. With our trip only 5 weeks away, I really don't suspect they will increase. They are at their lowest rate right now.

I just wonder if anybody has been able to successfully upgrade at checkin to the lowest rates or will they increase that day? I think we're going to aim for roomettes as they will allow one adult and two small kids in one roomette, so for our family of five we could just get the two roomettes. I don't know what they consider "small" kids but my youngest two are about 48 pounds and 48 inches tall each.

I'm confused about the fact that the $25 rate is ONLY for coach travel though. When we used this rate last summer, we were able to get the $25 rate. After all, no matter WHAT you have to purchase rail fare. So you'd still pay the $25 for rail fare for the kids. If you add rooms, those are never discounted...you'd always pay the full price at the time for the rooms. They really are like two different fares. So even though we've already paid the $25 per kid for their seats, even if we decided to upgrade on our day of travel I don't think they would increase the fares for the kids AND add the cost of the rooms. We'd just pay the extra money for the rooms.

Again just from my experience last summer, that was how it worked but we added the rooms at the same time as we booked the rest of it. So we got the kids fares for $25 each AND added the rooms at full cost at the time (which was still the lowest rate).

UPDATE: Yep I just checked and sure enough you CAN'T upgrade to a sleeper and still get the $25 kids fare. That sucks because it was allowed last year. Now I'm really going to have to think long and hard about that upgrade since it will add another $75 or so to our total cost PLUS the cost of the rooms. I may just have to let DH travel in the roomettes and I'll travel with the kids in coach and we will just see each other after the train ride is over!

I agree it stinks that they won't apply the summer kids rate to sleeper cars. We did in the past, too.

As for upgrading to a room, we did both coach (1st time) and sleeper cars (all the rest), so you can tell where I'm coming from. For comfort, enjoyment and a sense of privacy, we HIGHLY recommend the sleeper cars over coach.

Coach does seem to work with older kids -- ones who can play their DS and watch videos the whole time. But not really for smaller kids -- unless there are other smaller kids in your car and everyone gets along playing together.

I don't think they will let you put 2 kids + 1 adult in the roomette unless your kids are young (like baby to 2 yo) but certainly ask.

When we do the math, we calculate cost of meals, snacks, hotel, gas, wear & tear on vehicle/mileage then the intrinsic value of having a potty, being able to walk around, not yelling at the kids b/c they are bored and driving us crazy, not getting lost, accidents, etc, then compare to flying and renting a large vehicle or driving and we always come out ahead on the Autotrain, even in a room. If we would go to coach, we'd save even more but the value goes down for us in not having our own room/privacy.

My parents tried it last year for the first time and to save money they went coach. My dad didn't sleep at all in coach and was miserable and said he'd never do it again. My mom enjoyed the experience, but agreed that she didn't sleep well either, but would have in a room. She likes to sleep laying down flat.

Good luck in your decision!!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Is there any type of formula that tells how much wear and tear you will get on your car? Just trying to help justify the cost to dh!

 

[chartle]

Is there any type of formula that tells how much wear and tear you will get on your car? Just trying to help justify the cost to dh!

That's tough because you are doing highway miles not stop and go.

I wouldn't go with that argument because its tough to compare real money spent today vs possible future loss of value for your car. You can also think of it as half an oil change and a 60th of the life gone from your tires.

I would use the quicker (maybe?) time and the less wear and tear on the drivers.

 

[NJBILL]

Is there any type of formula that tells how much wear and tear you will get on your car? Just trying to help justify the cost to dh!

The IRS rate is currently .555 cents per mile.
Also you get Dinner & Breakfast on the Auto train included in your fare.

 

[chartle]

The IRS rate is currently .555 cents per mile.

Just so you know that includes gas. So if you subtract the gas and other consumables (oil, etc.) from this 55 cents per mile. That would be how much value you took from your car.

I still wouldn't try to use this reasoning at all. Make it part of the trip.

When we did it, we left from Pittsburgh around 9 and go into Lorton around 1:30 ish. From there Amtrak takes over until we are in FL the next day in the morning. If we started to drive at 9 AM its 18 hours on the road. So if we really pushed it and stayed overnight we would be getting into WDW around early afternoon and be dead from 1 and a half days in a car.

 

[jking6]

I agree wih Chartle thats why we are doing the autotrain for the first time Aug 6 we decided we could sleep on the train and arrive some what rested instead of spending 2 days on the road. We still have to drive 8hrs to get to Lorton but we can do that. With that said we figured between gas, food and a hotel for the night it might cost about $100 more for the 3 adults to travel compared to driving. But we are still moving while sleeping!

 

[kittylady1972]

I agree it stinks that they won't apply the summer kids rate to sleeper cars. We did in the past, too.

As for upgrading to a room, we did both coach (1st time) and sleeper cars (all the rest), so you can tell where I'm coming from. For comfort, enjoyment and a sense of privacy, we HIGHLY recommend the sleeper cars over coach.

Coach does seem to work with older kids -- ones who can play their DS and watch videos the whole time. But not really for smaller kids -- unless there are other smaller kids in your car and everyone gets along playing together.

I don't think they will let you put 2 kids + 1 adult in the roomette unless your kids are young (like baby to 2 yo) but certainly ask.

When we do the math, we calculate cost of meals, snacks, hotel, gas, wear & tear on vehicle/mileage then the intrinsic value of having a potty, being able to walk around, not yelling at the kids b/c they are bored and driving us crazy, not getting lost, accidents, etc, then compare to flying and renting a large vehicle or driving and we always come out ahead on the Autotrain, even in a room. If we would go to coach, we'd save even more but the value goes down for us in not having our own room/privacy.

My parents tried it last year for the first time and to save money they went coach. My dad didn't sleep at all in coach and was miserable and said he'd never do it again. My mom enjoyed the experience, but agreed that she didn't sleep well either, but would have in a room. She likes to sleep laying down flat.

Good luck in your decision!!

Thanks for the information. I can tell you that when I called last year to book our June trip, I gave the ages of the kids and they would have let us put them in roomettes. Instead we went with a Superliner Bedroom for DH and two of the kids (who were 6 and 8) and then I took a roomette with our oldest, who was 11. So I guess we'll have to see what they say there.

I'm really getting a little bit frightened about the reports of coach travel! My DH still says he remembers when we got off the train last year and he said he looked at the people getting out of the coach cars and they looked ROUGH! I guess I am comparing it to flying the redeye on an airplane, which I've done plenty of times in those non-reclining seats. I've managed short bursts of sleep there somehow and been okay...not great but I survived!

So there's a part of me that just wants to TRY it and see how it compares. Plus when we make our trip to Disney in November, we are already booked in sleepers on the trip down and coach on the way back. So if we really HATE coach, we can just choose to drive home next November instead!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Thanks for the information. I can tell you that when I called last year to book our June trip, I gave the ages of the kids and they would have let us put them in roomettes. Instead we went with a Superliner Bedroom for DH and two of the kids (who were 6 and 8) and then I took a roomette with our oldest, who was 11. So I guess we'll have to see what they say there.

I'm really getting a little bit frightened about the reports of coach travel! My DH still says he remembers when we got off the train last year and he said he looked at the people getting out of the coach cars and they looked ROUGH! I guess I am comparing it to flying the redeye on an airplane, which I've done plenty of times in those non-reclining seats. I've managed short bursts of sleep there somehow and been okay...not great but I survived!

So there's a part of me that just wants to TRY it and see how it compares. Plus when we make our trip to Disney in November, we are already booked in sleepers on the trip down and coach on the way back. So if we really HATE coach, we can just choose to drive home next November instead!

Unfortunately for us if we take the AT we can only afford coach...I told my dh we never sleep right for 1 night when we're on the road and then we have to drive another day, if we take the train we may not sleep well either but we only have to drive 2-3 hours to get home instead of an entire day

 

[Marshay]

Is there any type of formula that tells how much wear and tear you will get on your car? Just trying to help justify the cost to dh!

I see previous posts showing 55 cents/mile. I think we did 30-40 cents a mile (which was what my company would reimburse me, but they were cheap!) and then we added on gas, based on our large SUV (which doesn't get good gas mileage) and found that gas alone was almost 1/2 our Autotrain costs.

Most/some of those gas stations along I95 really do bump up the price, too. So check for gas prices along I95, not just what it is in your area.

I certainly do add on wear and tear as it does impact our vehicle, esp if it's an older/larger one like ours. We go every year so it takes a toll. Also, the potential of having an accident and having it delay/cancel out your vacation altogether has a price as well.

Another option would be to take the cost of renting a vehicle plus gas plus insurance and using that in comparison.

Guess it depends on how "big picture" you want to be about the costs vs. just what you physically have to pay for. Hopefully, your DH is the big picture person...it helps justify the costs!

Thanks for the information. I can tell you that when I called last year to book our June trip, I gave the ages of the kids and they would have let us put them in roomettes. Instead we went with a Superliner Bedroom for DH and two of the kids (who were 6 and 8) and then I took a roomette with our oldest, who was 11. So I guess we'll have to see what they say there.

I'm really getting a little bit frightened about the reports of coach travel! My DH still says he remembers when we got off the train last year and he said he looked at the people getting out of the coach cars and they looked ROUGH! I guess I am comparing it to flying the redeye on an airplane, which I've done plenty of times in those non-reclining seats. I've managed short bursts of sleep there somehow and been okay...not great but I survived!

So there's a part of me that just wants to TRY it and see how it compares. Plus when we make our trip to Disney in November, we are already booked in sleepers on the trip down and coach on the way back. So if we really HATE coach, we can just choose to drive home next November instead!

Yes, flying on the red-eye might be a good comparison ... except the AT is more convenient in having more bathrooms, ability to walk around more and it's not "shunned upon" like on a plane. Also the seats do recline and are much larger than the average airplane seat. Also, only 2 seats and you are more likely to luck out with getting both to yourself on the AT. Plus you can just hang out in the lounge car for a long time, watching the movie, playing games your bring, snacking on cookies and hot chocolate ... and then when you are truly ready to crash, just go to your seats.

We had DD1 and DD5 with us in coach and ended up going to bed around 8:30pm/9pm, which was waaaaaay too early for us. So it felt like a long, long time there.

Unfortunately for us if we take the AT we can only afford coach...I told my dh we never sleep right for 1 night when we're on the road and then we have to drive another day, if we take the train we may not sleep well either but we only have to drive 2-3 hours to get home instead of an entire day

Yep! And we spend the morning in WDW before going to the train (we have AP so it makes sense). If we drove, we would be ready to hit the road early...so for us, by taking the train we get into WDW earlier (can be in the park by noon instead of only arriving in WDW in the later afternoon) and also get a 8am - 12:30pm day in the park before we leave.

Good luck in your decision.

I recommend trying it one time. We tried coach our first time too, just to see if we would like it.

 

[loveysbydesign]

I see previous posts showing 55 cents/mile. I think we did 30-40 cents a mile (which was what my company would reimburse me, but they were cheap!) and then we added on gas, based on our large SUV (which doesn't get good gas mileage) and found that gas alone was almost 1/2 our Autotrain costs.

Most/some of those gas stations along I95 really do bump up the price, too. So check for gas prices along I95, not just what it is in your area.

I certainly do add on wear and tear as it does impact our vehicle, esp if it's an older/larger one like ours. We go every year so it takes a toll. Also, the potential of having an accident and having it delay/cancel out your vacation altogether has a price as well.

Another option would be to take the cost of renting a vehicle plus gas plus insurance and using that in comparison.

Guess it depends on how "big picture" you want to be about the costs vs. just what you physically have to pay for. Hopefully, your DH is the big picture person...it helps justify the costs!



Yes, flying on the red-eye might be a good comparison ... except the AT is more convenient in having more bathrooms, ability to walk around more and it's not "shunned upon" like on a plane. Also the seats do recline and are much larger than the average airplane seat. Also, only 2 seats and you are more likely to luck out with getting both to yourself on the AT. Plus you can just hang out in the lounge car for a long time, watching the movie, playing games your bring, snacking on cookies and hot chocolate ... and then when you are truly ready to crash, just go to your seats.

We had DD1 and DD5 with us in coach and ended up going to bed around 8:30pm/9pm, which was waaaaaay too early for us. So it felt like a long, long time there.



Yep! And we spend the morning in WDW before going to the train (we have AP so it makes sense). If we drove, we would be ready to hit the road early...so for us, by taking the train we get into WDW earlier (can be in the park by noon instead of only arriving in WDW in the later afternoon) and also get a 8am - 12:30pm day in the park before we leave.

Good luck in your decision.

I recommend trying it one time. We tried coach our first time too, just to see if we would like it.

Thanks for the info! The kids and I really want to go and I think dh does too but all he sees is the bottom line $$$...we don't do I-95...we drive down 81 since we're not far from there. I think we filled up 3-4 times in gas for our 2005 T&C minivan(smaller size) Plus we need a larger room for all 5 of us to sty in at the hotel, which is normally about $100(for a place that is not a dump) Plus we have to buy dinner for the 1st night and lunch for the 2nd day(we pack lunch for the 1st day and get free breakfast at the hotels we stay at). I know I can't talk him into using the AT both ways due to cost, but hopefully for the way home at least! We'll be coming home in late Oct but won't have the money saved up til probably July...wondering if I should just put it on the cc and then just pay it off later before prices go up Do you have up to a certain point where you can cancel and get a refund?

Also really not sure if we should choose lower or upper level??? Thinking lower level would be better in case ds has to use the potty at night...are there any other perks to upper or lower? I can't find the part in this thread that discussed it before! Is the lower level quieter? Prefer less going on so hopefully my kids will sleep better!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Forgot to ask if anyone has pix. of what the coach seats/cars look like and are there windows on both levels?

 

[NJBILL]

Thanks for the info! The kids and I really want to go and I think dh does too but all he sees is the bottom line $$$...we don't do I-95...we drive down 81 since we're not far from there. I think we filled up 3-4 times in gas for our 2005 T&C minivan(smaller size) Plus we need a larger room for all 5 of us to sty in at the hotel, which is normally about $100(for a place that is not a dump) Plus we have to buy dinner for the 1st night and lunch for the 2nd day(we pack lunch for the 1st day and get free breakfast at the hotels we stay at). I know I can't talk him into using the AT both ways due to cost, but hopefully for the way home at least! We'll be coming home in late Oct but won't have the money saved up til probably July...wondering if I should just put it on the cc and then just pay it off later before prices go up Do you have up to a certain point where you can cancel and get a refund?

Also really not sure if we should choose lower or upper level??? Thinking lower level would be better in case ds has to use the potty at night...are there any other perks to upper or lower? I can't find the part in this thread that discussed it before!

As a fellow cheapskate I do not think you can make the argument and win based on cost. Our autotrain trip for 5 this august is around $1,043 with our AAA discount RT. It is cheaper than flying from NJ. Based on your description, for gasoline up and back, hotel up and back, and lunch and dinner both ways it comes to about $700. A difference of $343. Not a big difference but still more expensive. Some of the positives to point out to your DH is that you have quality family time with your kids. I know we enjoy our AT or Amtrak ride and it becomes one of the great memories of the trip. You can also add that it is a new experience for the family to enjoy together. The relaxation factor of not driving 18 hours each way is also a positive. The other factor to consider is that you do not know what the future price of gasoline will be next year so if gas goes over $4, the differntial will decrease significantly. As a user of AT and Amtrak, I feel the cost is justifiable based on the benefits. Good luck. I hope you get your wish.

 

[NJBILL]

Forgot to ask if anyone has pix. of what the coach seats/cars look like and are there windows on both levels?

Yes windows on both levels. Try youtube for a lot of videos to see the train.

 

[loveysbydesign]

As a fellow cheapskate I do not think you can make the argument and win based on cost. Our autotrain trip for 5 this august is around $1,043 with our AAA discount RT. It is cheaper than flying from NJ. Based on your description, for gasoline up and back, hotel up and back, and lunch and dinner both ways it comes to about $700. A difference of $343. Not a big difference but still more expensive. Some of the positives to point out to your DH is that you have quality family time with your kids. I know we enjoy our AT or Amtrak ride and it becomes one of the great memories of the trip. You can also add that it is a new experience for the family to enjoy together. The relaxation factor of not driving 18 hours each way is also a positive. The other factor to consider is that you do not know what the future price of gasoline will be next year so if gas goes over $4, the differntial will decrease significantly. As a user of AT and Amtrak, I feel the cost is justifiable based on the benefits. Good luck. I hope you get your wish.

Thanks for all the great info! If we do just one way...from FL to VA it would be $512 in coach. If we drive I think it would be about $400-425 to drive, including meals and hotel and gas prices. Thinking I will just go ahead and book us on the AT home with my cc, will check out the refund policy first but I hate to wait and see prices go up! Now just to try and decide on upper or lower level
Also wondering if it would be worth it to buy a AAA membership to get a discount. Would anyone who has AAA get a price quote for me?? 2 adults, 3 kids on Sun. Oct. 28 from Sanford to Lorton with 1 car???

 

[NJBILL]

Thanks for all the great info! If we do just one way...from FL to VA it would be $512 in coach. If we drive I think it would be about $400-425 to drive, including meals and hotel and gas prices. Thinking I will just go ahead and book us on the AT home with my cc, will check out the refund policy first but I hate to wait and see prices go up! Now just to try and decide on upper or lower level
Also wondering if it would be worth it to buy a AAA membership to get a discount. Would anyone who has AAA get a price quote for me?? 2 adults, 3 kids on Sun. Oct. 28 from Sanford to Lorton with 1 car???

You do not need to put in a AAA memebership number to get the AAA rate quote. Just click on dropdown box that says Adult/Kid and select AAA Adult or AAA Child

 

[loveysbydesign]

You do not need to put in a AAA memebership number to get the AAA rate quote. Just click on dropdown box that says Adult/Kid and select AAA Adult or AAA Child

I;'m looking on the Amtrak website and I don;t see anything where I can choose AAA. Just asks me # of people in the dropdown box
I did find on the AAA website that it says you get 10% passenger rate but no the car...so it would save us $34.

 

[NJBILL]

I;'m looking on the Amtrak website and I don;t see anything where I can choose AAA. Just asks me # of people in the dropdown box
I did find on the AAA website that it says you get 10% passenger rate but no the car...so it would save us $34.

put passenger info in and hit go button. select your vehicle type and continue to passenger information screen