All about the Autotrain

[chartle]

That if we had another child it would still be ok for us.

But would it have been OK when the bunks are not down and you are sitting?

 

[NJRRK]

But would it have been OK when the bunks are not down and you are sitting?

There is more than enough room for two adults and one child on the "couch" in the family bedroom. I could see three adults on it without a problem.

 

[Marshay]

I think this is what everyone has to keep in mind when trying to fit X number of people into any of these rooms. Its not the beds but the seats.

For an least 9 hours or so you not sleeping and would be sitting. While chummy people can share a bed. I can see a lot "He's touching me" trying to share a seat.

Yeah, although my girls play really well together, having them share one seat for all that time would be worse than driving, YMMV. But they would definitely be arguing after an hour or so, being that close..

Well we made it! We actually arrived at 8:30 but we were one of the last 50 cars so we just left the station at 10:25...I had planned on delays so we are still ahead of schedule. Lol good luck to everyone. The train was Amazing. We are a family of 4. My boys are 11 & 2 and we were very comfortable in the family bedroom. We actually did not end up using the smaller lower bed. Baby and I were on the bottom one, hubby was above us and DS was on the smaller top bed. Again very comfortable and spacious for us. That if we had another child it would still be ok for us.
Dinner was great and very tasty. And our attendant was very attentive.
Breakfast was nothing to write home about. Run of the mill bagels, muffins and cereal, but good none the less.
The ride was smooth and to be honest the bumps and jiggling are to be expected you are on a train after all.
For us even with the extra $$$ for the room it makes sense to keep doing. Gas would have cost $500 or more with our car, $100 at least for a hotel room,$50 or so between dinner and breakfast, not to mention the wear and tear on the car. Oh and we can bring whatever we want instead of being redirected by an airline.
So a huge success for our family and will definitely be doing this anytime we go to Disney.

Yay! I'm so glad you liked it! Sounds like all went well. If you go to the lounge cars in the morning they have really good blueberry muffins, better than what is served in the dining cars.

Yes, when you consider all the factors, many times the AutoTrain is same or cheaper than other modes of transport and there is less risk to accidents or breakdowns than driving. It is our favorite way to go to WDW... The only downside I see is it isn't for a short trip to Disney...if only we could Acela down to Florida!

 

[vacationer1954]

There is more than enough room for two adults and one child on the "couch" in the family bedroom. I could see three adults on it without a problem.

Yes, the couch makes all the difference. It is a shame that there really is no practical way of laying out the roomettes so that the the seats are a couch instead of two separate seats facing each other.

 

[KSL]

For anyone who has stayed in the Family Bedrooms, how much room is there to store carry-ons? Is there a closet? Or overhead area (besides the bed)? I know there is limited floorspace and don't want it to be wall-to-wall duffle bags! Where do you put what you bring onboard?
Thanks for any replies!

 

[NJRRK]

There is some room under the seats by the window and under the couch. The closet is only about 10" deep, so not for storage only for a jacket or two.

 

[Merl1977]

Does anyone have any personal experience traveling the autotrain with a baby? We are going to Disney for his 1st birthday in Nov. We will be traveling coach. Any advice or/and suggestions is most welcome!

Thanks!

 

[KSL]

There is some room under the seats by the window and under the couch. The closet is only about 10" deep, so not for storage only for a jacket or two.

Ok, thanks! So, if my children bring small-ish carryons (back-pack sized), maybe they would fit in there. I just don't want to clutter the whole area with stuff when there will be five of us and kinda snug as it is. So if I can at least stash their little bags in the closet, that would be good. Then I'll pack for DH and me in one smaller duffle and we can just keep that on the end of the sofa-seat and should be fine.

Does anyone know: are there hooks for hanging jackets/handbags/etc.?

Thanks!!

 

[NJRRK]

Ok, thanks! So, if my children bring small-ish carryons (back-pack sized), maybe they would fit in there. I just don't want to clutter the whole area with stuff when there will be five of us and kinda snug as it is. So if I can at least stash their little bags in the closet, that would be good. Then I'll pack for DH and me in one smaller duffle and we can just keep that on the end of the sofa-seat and should be fine.

Does anyone know: are there hooks for hanging jackets/handbags/etc.?

Thanks!!

I believe the closet has hangers in it. But it's been a while since I've been in a Family Bedroom.

 

[Marshay]

I think there is one hook at the door or near the door, in the FB. If not there, then it is in the closet. It's one of those where you press in on the bottom and top comes out.

 

[Marshay]

For Family Room travelers: bring a small electrical extension cord (we use the kind that has 3 outlets on one side). For some reason there aren't many outlets in the Family bedroom that I recall.

There were plenty in Coach but like only one or two in the FB.

 

[Marshay]

Does anyone have any personal experience traveling the autotrain with a baby? We are going to Disney for his 1st birthday in Nov. We will be traveling coach. Any advice or/and suggestions is most welcome!

Thanks!

Yes, we took our 9 month old girl in coach with us for our first trip. It wasn't bad. Our 2nd trip we decided to do a Family Bedroom instead and were MUCH, MUCH happier, even with the extra cost.

Anyway, for a baby, you want to have pillows. My daughter and I couldn't get comfortable on the seat next to each other, so I made a nest on the floor for her with my boppy pillow, jackets, blanket and stuffed animals. It worked great until she woke up for her midnight feeding and crawled under the seat to the person behind me. Thankfully, they were nice enough about it.

But other people (the elderly grandparents who weren't so nice) would make comments to each other loudly, about how crazy we were to bring a baby into coach. (They were really upset that they were on the upper level, since the train was full, but still...no need for snide comments).

Pack extra clothes and diapers, snacks ... more than you ever think you will use b/c if for some reason you get delayed (tree on track, hurricane, accident with a separate CSX train that delays you, etc) you will be glad you have them. You won't be allowed to go to your car to get more.

Bring lots of baby wipes, too.

Most babies/kids will sleep soundly b/c the rocking of the train will lull them to sleep.

If your baby starts to fuss alot and cry, try taking walks. Hopefully, the change of scenery will help. Just like on an airplane with a crying baby, the same on a train can be stressful for everyone.

Don't bring a stroller -- there is not much room for one on the train and really there is not that much walking -- just from the lobby to the train and back again.

HTH. If I think of something else, I'll let you know.

 

[KSL]

For Family Room travelers: bring a small electrical extension cord (we use the kind that has 3 outlets on one side). For some reason there aren't many outlets in the Family bedroom that I recall.

There were plenty in Coach but like only one or two in the FB.

Ooooh, super-helpful tip, thank you! I'll make a note of this somewhere (is it too soon to start packing? Trip is only 10 mos. away! )

 

[Merl1977]

Yes, we took our 9 month old girl in coach with us for our first trip. It wasn't bad. Our 2nd trip we decided to do a Family Bedroom instead and were MUCH, MUCH happier, even with the extra cost.

Thank you! That was super helpful. The floor was one of the things I was wondering about...if there would be enough room to put him to sleep there. I even considered those pea pods or something similar but wasn't sure about the room. Sorry you had to deal with cranky people. I think I would have told them if they paid the extra fare I would be happy to move...LOL. If you think of anything else please let me know!

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

Does anyone have any personal experience traveling the autotrain with a baby? We are going to Disney for his 1st birthday in Nov. We will be traveling coach. Any advice or/and suggestions is most welcome!

Thanks!

We just finished our 9th AT trip to WDW last month. When ds5 was 14 months we traveled coach. The foot rest of the chairs will swing all the way up and create a wall for the seat bottom. We put our pillow down then layed DS on the seat bottom. the foot rest in the upright position will keep him from rolling off. DH and I alternated during the night sitting/sleeping next to him. I also took my baby carrier (pikkolo) with me to wear him while traveling btwn cars. You really do need both hands at times to keep your balance while traveling btwn cars. It also came in handy at the station when it was nap time - he slept well and my hands were free.

I wouldn't sleep a baby on the floor unless he/she was in sometype of contained baby item. I would be worried about the baby rolling a foot or hand out into the aisle and having someone step on him/her. Or having them wake up and crawl away while you sleep. DS still sleeps on the seat bottom and the foot rest is level with the seat bottom.

definitely pack extra of any baby needs. You never know what type of delay you may have. That first AT trip when ds was 14 months. our return train was cancelled due to a tropical storm. We made it out 5 days later. talking with the sleeping attendant he said the Southbound train was 17 hrs delayed on the tracks!! We always made sure we had more formula/diapers/snacks that what we would normally need. Make sure you have extra set of clothes for yourself in the event you need them. THere are changing tables in a few of the bathrooms but I am not sure how easy it is to use them. THe bathroom is very tight. we layed a blanket down and changed him on the seat or floor. We also took Pj's for him so he knew it was bed time. favorite blanket/toy came along too. Getting them to sleep is fairly easy due to the rocking of the train.

I wouldn't worry about those around you that complain about a baby. Can't make everyone happy. If your son gets crying/cranky you can always walk the train. They try to sit families together.

The ride is 17 hrs but broken down fairly well. Boarding starts around 230pm
train leaves by 4 pm (earlier if everyone is boarded). Dinner is 5/7 or 9pm. Lights go dim in coach by 9pm. We usually sleep till 630ish and then find out where we are for arriving. If we are on time or early we start getting up and go grab breakfast. Otherwish we hang out a little long but then run into having to wait for a table at breakfast. this last trip I was up a few times during the night and it was neat to GPS us on the cellphone to see where we were. Many people say 17 hours! but most of it is during the night.

I would also pack a few small toys that he can play with too. We usually took a few thomas trains with us and he was good with that.

hope this helps! let me know if you have any other ?'s

 

[loveysbydesign]

Looking forward and getting nervous about our 1st time taking the AT! We're taking it from Sanford to Lorton on Sun. Oct. 28th!
Any extra tips for us 1st-timeres

 

[chartle]

Looking forward and getting nervous about our 1st time taking the AT! We're taking it from Sanford to Lorton on Sun. Oct. 28th!
Any extra tips for us 1st-timeres

Try this http://www.on-track-on-line.com/autotrain-tips.shtml

Not sure anyone could go back through 120 pages and find anymore tips.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Try this http://www.on-track-on-line.com/autotrain-tips.shtml

Not sure anyone could go back through 120 pages and find anymore tips.

Thanks! I have read through almost everything in this thread but I know things can change from year to year

 

[chartle]

Thanks! I have read through almost everything in this thread but I know things can change from year to year

It may be better if you posted some of your concerns even if its already been covered.

 

[loveysbydesign]

that works so long as you aren't driving west on the bay bridge on a sunday afternoon.

Another alternative from the NE is 78 west to 81 south, then 15 south out of harrisburg. Once you get into virginia you can go east on the dulles toll road, to the fairfax county parkway south, to 123 south to get to Lorton. we find driving from NoVa up 15 to NY/NJ is about the same travel time as going up I-95.

So If I'm heading N towards Allentown PA from Lorton VA I should head 123N to N Fairfax Prkwy to 15N to 81 N to 78E?
When I look it up on Google it takes me 495 to 270 to 15N and up. I'm trying to find those other roads, can;t find where 123 meets up with Fairfax and Fairfax meets up with Dulles toll road... Is there a lot of airport traffic going this route? HELP!