All about the Autotrain

[ldo]

I, personally, am happy with the changes. The AT loses $ every year and is subsidized by the federal govt. If making a few painless changes keeps the AT rolling, I am all for it. Yes, it's a bit more crowded at dinner, no free wine, no free snacks, no 1st class yummy meals---but we just love the AT for our family trips. So, I'll bring some extra snacks, drinks, and have dinner that is not quite do delicious. The more painful change was Amtrak-wide of changing the kids' fare from 2-15 to 2-12. With 2 of my kids just over 12, that adds another $100+ to our fare.

 

[DJFan88]

For the wine, I buy the small plastic bottles of Sutter Home (not the greatest, but easy to carry)

sounds like a plan!

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

We are waiting at the Lorton now.
We checked in at 10:45 am then went down to the Disney outlet at the Potomac mill mall. If u take ur car after checking in you have to be back by 230pm. No later.

We had a awesome drive from central CT. No traffic at all. Kids have been up since 1am. Only ds13 took a nap. We have a 5 pm dinner seating and hoping to have everyone asleep by 8. I know DH and I r ready to crash.

The Lorton restrooms are being remodeled. There is a nice module bathroom by the play sets. Hoping they do not redo the restrooms as small as the Sanford station.

Time to board!

 

[jwboucher]

We are waiting at the Lorton now. We checked in at 10:45 am then went down to the Disney outlet at the Potomac mill mall. If u take ur car after checking in you have to be back by 230pm. No later. We had a awesome drive from central CT. No traffic at all. Kids have been up since 1am. Only ds13 took a nap. We have a 5 pm dinner seating and hoping to have everyone asleep by 8. I know DH and I r ready to crash. The Lorton restrooms are being remodeled. There is a nice module bathroom by the play sets. Hoping they do not redo the restrooms as small as the Sanford station. Time to board!

What time did you leave? I will be driving from eastern CT. We left at 4am last year and hit traffic at the GW bridge. It was a week day though. Probably lighter traffic on a Sunday.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

We left at 2am. It's our usual time. We usually travel weekday but could not get a Friday or Saturday train this time. Weekdays we miss all rush hour

It was nice trip down today - even made it to the Disney outlet. 7 t's for $50.


Today's stats AT. S/B.
37 rail cars
16 pass front
21 auto carriers
3 loco-- yes 3!
12000 hp
3/4 mile long
194 vehicles
463 passengers

We r connected- power is back on and should be rolling soon!

 

[monorailsilver]

What time did you leave? I will be driving from eastern CT. We left at 4am last year and hit traffic at the GW bridge. It was a week day though. Probably lighter traffic on a Sunday.

We left CT at 6am from Trumbull. We were across the GW and in NJ by 7 and arrived at 11:10.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

We left CT at 6am from Trumbull. We were across the GW and in NJ by 7 and arrived at 11:10.

Do u take 95 or Merritt? We take Merritt into NY then pick up 95 just bf the GWB.


Train arrived at Lorton at 8am. They said the 3 locomotive def played a part in our early arrival and no delays on the tracks. Just waiting to get off the train.

 

[Vickie1016]

Hey everyone. Just returned home from our WDW vacation. We traveled both ways by Auto-train & just wanted to share our trip. Our travel party is DH, DD8 & myself.

Our trip down was on 7/14. We arrived at the station by 12:30 (we drove from NYC area). We did not check our truck at that time as we wanted to get lunch prior to boarding. So we parked & headed into the station to check in and pick a dinner time. That night there were three seatings, so we chose the first seating at 5:00. We headed to lunch and arrived back to the station by 2:00. We did reserve priority offload in Sanford. The station was clean & the bathrooms are under renovation. There was a modular bathroom outside by the play area. The bathroom was very clean and had many stalls. We boarded the train by 3:00. We had a sleeper bedroom with the toilet/shower. The room was clean, plenty of bottled water. We left the station approx 4:00. We did not use the lounge car as we packed a cooler & a portable DVD player. We did miss the wine & cheese as it was a nice welcome to the train. But again, we packed snacks. Dinner was at 5:00. We were seated right away. The staff - as always- were so friendly & warm when greeting everyone. Dinner was just ok - started with salad (this did not change from our trip last July) and a roll. Drinks were soda & ice tea. You can purchase wine or beer for an additional fee (between $6-$10 if I remember correctly.) Now onto the food - DH had the chicken marsala, which he did not like at all. DD8 tried the beef, did not like it, so they brought her the chicken nuggets. She did eat the chicken nuggets but not the potatoes that were served with it. I had the beef - the beef was tasty but the potatoes were gross. Dessert was ice cream (DD had it with choc sauce), cheesecake or Peanut butter pie (DH & I had this -really good but very rich). So dinner was just Ok in our opinion. Last year's menu and food was a lot better (steak & baked potato). After dinner we called it a night & headed back to our room. Breakfast the next morning was the same as last year - boxed cold cereal, corn muffins, mini bagels, coffee, tea, milk & oranges (last year was bananas). We arrived in Sanford approx 8:30, got our truck right away & headed for WDW. The train ride itself was not too bumpy.

Our return trip was almost the same (7/25). Arrived to station by 12:00, chose our dinner seating (6:00 seating as train was full & offered 4 dinner seating). Boarded and left station by 4:00. Dinner food was the same as trip down, except dessert was a brownie. Breakfast was the same, except there were bananas. We arrived in Lorton by 9:15. The train ride northbound was very bumpy - I thought we might go off the track once or twice!!

Our overall train trip was great, it beats driving all the way from NY. The staff as always were wonderful, friendly & helpful.

That being said, I am unhappy with the menu changes and the over all dinner food quality. This was our 4th round trip and by far the worst food we ever had. I don't understand the plastic plates - would think that it would cost more to purchase all these plastic plates instead of just washing real plates. I liked the wine & cheese & did miss it, but that is just my preference. I liked the wine at dinner, could I have purchased a glass, yes, but didn't.

If we plan a vacation to WDW for next summer, we will really consider driving down and only taking the train back. The price we are charged for a sleeper is more than what it is worth - in my opinion - being the menu changed and the other items taken away.

I hope this helps anyone looking for information and/or traveling on the auto-train the the future. I know this thread has helped me with my planning as it has loads of information. Happy planning & enjoy your future trips!

 

[vacationer1954]

I don't understand the plastic plates - would think that it would cost more to purchase all these plastic plates instead of just washing real plates

Cheap plastic plates have been less expensive than the labor associated with washing real plates for a while. Labor is really expensive. I suppose the difference in cost finally caught up with the need for more cost-cutting.

 

[monorailsilver]

Do u take 95 or Merritt? We take Merritt into NY then pick up 95 just bf the GWB.


Train arrived at Lorton at 8am. They said the 3 locomotive def played a part in our early arrival and no delays on the tracks. Just waiting to get off the train.

We take the Merritt to the GWB. Well thei the deegan on the way there and my dh likes the saw mill so we do that on the way home to the Merritt. I cringe since it adds time but if there is traffic I am ok with it!

 

[jwboucher]

Thanks @vickie1016!! I leave in 45 days. We have a roomette. They made the changes after I booked or I may not have taken it.

 

[tommyvr]

What time did you leave the NYC area. We will be traveling from northern NJ on a Friday. just curious if and where you hit traffic.

Thanks in advance

 

[ClearScreen]

What time did you leave the NYC area. We will be traveling from northern NJ on a Friday. just curious if and where you hit traffic.

Thanks in advance

We are going in a few weeks, but have taken the Auto-Train before and driven that way many times. I am coming from Westchester but passing through North Jersey (which is where I am originally from).

We generally leave Westchester around 7:00am and get to Lorton around 12:00pm, give or take. It takes 30 minutes for me to get to the where the Garden State Parkway Starts in NJ - so use that as a reference.

The traffic is bad in the usual Jersey spots - Garden State Parkway - in the Oranges and approaching the NJ Turnpike - Exit 129. On a Friday, expect some more also in north Jersey in Bergen County and some of the other major north Jersey exits. The traffic is usually not too bad once on the NJ Turnpike til South Jersey/Philly. The next problem area comes when you are near Washington DC. There are many routes around that area, but it is often luck and what is under construction at that time.

Two years ago, we had a near travel disaster as there was a fatal accident on I-95 south in Delaware which shut the highway down completely for hours. I didn't get off the road when I could and we got to Lorton at close to 3:00pm. They let us on but a number of people missed the train that day.

All things considered, a trip from most places in North Jersey should be 4 and a half hours, maybe 5 if the traffic is bad.

 

[ClearScreen]

Do u take 95 or Merritt? We take Merritt into NY then pick up 95 just bf the GWB.


Train arrived at Lorton at 8am. They said the 3 locomotive def played a part in our early arrival and no delays on the tracks. Just waiting to get off the train.

We take the Merritt to the GWB. Well thei the deegan on the way there and my dh likes the saw mill so we do that on the way home to the Merritt. I cringe since it adds time but if there is traffic I am ok with it!

I get very concerned about the GWB and traffic as I drive past it every day on my way to work. Every time I say I'm going to give it another chance, I get hosed. Plus, you never know when the someone from Jersey will decide that several lanes need to be closed for no particular reason.

I have told many friends from Westchester or CT to take the Tappan Zee Bridge instead and pick up the GSP to the NJ Turnpike. Unless you are on the GWB at a super early time or just an off day, you could be adding a lot of travel time to your trip. Every one of my friends I've steered away from the GWB has told me how much time they've saved.

 

[shafke]

Two years ago, we had a near travel disaster as there was a fatal accident on I-95 south in Delaware which shut the highway down completely for hours. I didn't get off the road when I could and we got to Lorton at close to 3:00pm. They let us on but a number of people missed the train that day.

We almost got stuck in that same mess.
The traffic started backing up just before the rest stop. If the rest stop was not int the middle of the highway we would have been stuck. We got off took a small break and broke out the phone. We found a road that parallels I-95 one exit north and took that. All in all it cost us about an hour for the side trip. We arrived in Lorton around 12:30.

 

[Vickie1016]

Thanks @vickie1016!! I leave in 45 days. We have a roomette. They made the changes after I booked or I may not have taken it.

Your welcome, happy to share info about our trip. We had the same problem - booked 11 months out, then all the changes happened. We will re-think our travel plans for next year, maybe only take the train northbound.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[ClearScreen]

We almost got stuck in that same mess.
The traffic started backing up just before the rest stop. If the rest stop was not int the middle of the highway we would have been stuck. We got off took a small break and broke out the phone. We found a road that parallels I-95 one exit north and took that. All in all it cost us about an hour for the side trip. We arrived in Lorton around 12:30.

By the time I realized just how bad it was, we were about a quarter mile past the Rest Stop. I seriously considered backing up on the shoulder til I reached the Rest Stop, but it was just too dangerous. We made the train (barely) and I treated myself to a nice drink to calm my nerves. We heard from a number of the crew that many people missed the train that day. If we had not left super early, with the plan to have lunch in Lorton, we would have been out of luck.

 

[Marshay]

Hey everyone. Just returned home from our WDW vacation. We traveled both ways by Auto-train & just wanted to share our trip. Our travel party is DH, DD8 & myself. Our trip down was on 7/14. We arrived at the station by 12:30 (we drove from NYC area). We did not check our truck at that time as we wanted to get lunch prior to boarding. So we parked & headed into the station to check in and pick a dinner time. That night there were three seatings, so we chose the first seating at 5:00. We headed to lunch and arrived back to the station by 2:00. We did reserve priority offload in Sanford. The station was clean & the bathrooms are under renovation. There was a modular bathroom outside by the play area. The bathroom was very clean and had many stalls. We boarded the train by 3:00. We had a sleeper bedroom with the toilet/shower. The room was clean, plenty of bottled water. We left the station approx 4:00. We did not use the lounge car as we packed a cooler & a portable DVD player. We did miss the wine & cheese as it was a nice welcome to the train. But again, we packed snacks. Dinner was at 5:00. We were seated right away. The staff - as always- were so friendly & warm when greeting everyone. Dinner was just ok - started with salad (this did not change from our trip last July) and a roll. Drinks were soda & ice tea. You can purchase wine or beer for an additional fee (between $6-$10 if I remember correctly.) Now onto the food - DH had the chicken marsala, which he did not like at all. DD8 tried the beef, did not like it, so they brought her the chicken nuggets. She did eat the chicken nuggets but not the potatoes that were served with it. I had the beef - the beef was tasty but the potatoes were gross. Dessert was ice cream (DD had it with choc sauce), cheesecake or Peanut butter pie (DH & I had this -really good but very rich). So dinner was just Ok in our opinion. Last year's menu and food was a lot better (steak & baked potato). After dinner we called it a night & headed back to our room. Breakfast the next morning was the same as last year - boxed cold cereal, corn muffins, mini bagels, coffee, tea, milk & oranges (last year was bananas). We arrived in Sanford approx 8:30, got our truck right away & headed for WDW. The train ride itself was not too bumpy. Our return trip was almost the same (7/25). Arrived to station by 12:00, chose our dinner seating (6:00 seating as train was full & offered 4 dinner seating). Boarded and left station by 4:00. Dinner food was the same as trip down, except dessert was a brownie. Breakfast was the same, except there were bananas. We arrived in Lorton by 9:15. The train ride northbound was very bumpy - I thought we might go off the track once or twice!! Our overall train trip was great, it beats driving all the way from NY. The staff as always were wonderful, friendly & helpful. That being said, I am unhappy with the menu changes and the over all dinner food quality. This was our 4th round trip and by far the worst food we ever had. I don't understand the plastic plates - would think that it would cost more to purchase all these plastic plates instead of just washing real plates. I liked the wine & cheese & did miss it, but that is just my preference. I liked the wine at dinner, could I have purchased a glass, yes, but didn't. If we plan a vacation to WDW for next summer, we will really consider driving down and only taking the train back. The price we are charged for a sleeper is more than what it is worth - in my opinion - being the menu changed and the other items taken away. I hope this helps anyone looking for information and/or traveling on the auto-train the the future. I know this thread has helped me with my planning as it has loads of information. Happy planning & enjoy your future trips!

Thanks for your review! We have taken the train for the past ~6-7 years and loved it. However, with all the recent changes, we drove down this trip (July) and will drive again back home. I agree, the train is now overpriced and I don't see us using it again unless we can get a really good fare.

Our kids are older now, 9 & 5, and can entertain themselves more, so driving down really wasn't as bad as I thought/remembered. With kids out of diapers and able to play on iPads/DVD player by themselves, it was actually quiet and pleasant and we saved a lot of money, even with a hotel stay along the way! Or maybe like you said we will just do one way on the return.

 

[shafke]

By the time I realized just how bad it was, we were about a quarter mile past the Rest Stop. I seriously considered backing up on the shoulder til I reached the Rest Stop, but it was just too dangerous. We made the train (barely) and I treated myself to a nice drink to calm my nerves. We heard from a number of the crew that many people missed the train that day. If we had not left super early, with the plan to have lunch in Lorton, we would have been out of luck.

I think we saw one of those cars that missed the train. We had already pulled out of the station and they were hooking up the car carriers and we saw a truck pull up to the entrance, turn around and leave. I know when we were waiting to board the waiting room was about half as crowded as expected around 1:30/2:00.

We leave for the train no later than 6 AM and stop for breakfast at the 1st exit in MD. This gets us out of NY before rush hour really gets going and the stop allows any Baltimore and DC traffic to clear up.

 

[Vickie1016]

Thanks for your review! We have taken the train for the past ~6-7 years and loved it. However, with all the recent changes, we drove down this trip (July) and will drive again back home. I agree, the train is now overpriced and I don't see us using it again unless we can get a really good fare.

Our kids are older now, 9 & 5, and can entertain themselves more, so driving down really wasn't as bad as I thought/remembered. With kids out of diapers and able to play on iPads/DVD player by themselves, it was actually quiet and pleasant and we saved a lot of money, even with a hotel stay along the way! Or maybe like you said we will just do one way on the return.

In 2012 we took a last minute trip & the train was way over priced so we drove both ways. The drive down we stopped one night & it was not a bad drive. The drive home we stopped two nights - the ride was horrible. I think we were so tired from doing 12 hour park days our legs hurt, DD was restless (at the time she was 6).

We really love traveling on the auto train, like that we have our own truck in WDW (instead of using their transportation), the staff is so friendly. But it is getting hard to justify the cost.