All about the Autotrain

[chartle]

the Auto Train website recommends disabling your car alarm, I suppose the motion on the trip might set it off, is this necessary?

I have only been on the AT once years ago but I think this is a throwback to aftermarket car alarms that had to be armed with a switch. Not today's that are based on key fobs and the doors being opened without being unlocked. I recall the issue was they didn't care if your alarm went off but a dead battery could really jam things up the way they load and unload the cars.

 

[bdcp]

I have only been on the AT once years ago but I think this is a throwback to aftermarket car alarms that had to be armed with a switch. Not today's that are based on key fobs and the doors being opened without being unlocked. I recall the issue was they didn't care if your alarm went off but a dead battery could really jam things up the way they load and unload the cars.

It definitely is a throwback. I don't know of any way to disable the built in alarms on cars now and there's no reason to. The old ones used to go off if anyone touched the car or there was vibration (thunderstorms were notorious for this) like train motion. We've been on the AT multiple times (8 so far in 14 years) and have never had any issue and the only alarms we have had are the key fobs and only go off if someone tries to actually physically break in, not just touch the car. Plus, the cars while on the AT are unlocked and have the driver's windows rolled down. This is to prevent lock outs and because keys/fobs are left in the car the entire trip.

 

[deedeew80]

I haven’t ridden the autotrain in years. I think the last time I rode it was in 2002, so I was 22 yrs old. Lol! Use to ride it all the time as a teen and young adult when going to Disney with my parents. I know back then kids were free or something like that. Do they still do things like that? I priced the autotrain this past November when we went to Disney and it was so expensive for four of us. We just decided to drive. We are planning a trip to Disney next year, the end of August. Hoping to be able to afford the autotrain. It really is a fun experience! Just wondering if there are ever any specials for kids or anything? Thanks!

 

[Sabres431]

I haven’t ridden the autotrain in years. I think the last time I rode it was in 2002, so I was 22 yrs old. Lol! Use to ride it all the time as a teen and young adult when going to Disney with my parents. I know back then kids were free or something like that. Do they still do things like that? I priced the autotrain this past November when we went to Disney and it was so expensive for four of us. We just decided to drive. We are planning a trip to Disney next year, the end of August. Hoping to be able to afford the autotrain. It really is a fun experience! Just wondering if there are ever any specials for kids or anything? Thanks!

They do have discounts for kids. The ticket breakdown on Amtrak's site is Infant Under 2(Free), Child 2-12, Youth 13-15, Adult 16-64, Senior 65+. Based on my purchase which was 2 Adults, 1, Child, 1 Infant, the child fare is 50% off the Adult fare. I assume Youth is less than Adult but higher than Child.

 

[rg35]

I haven’t ridden the autotrain in years. I think the last time I rode it was in 2002, so I was 22 yrs old. Lol! Use to ride it all the time as a teen and young adult when going to Disney with my parents. I know back then kids were free or something like that. Do they still do things like that? I priced the autotrain this past November when we went to Disney and it was so expensive for four of us. We just decided to drive. We are planning a trip to Disney next year, the end of August. Hoping to be able to afford the autotrain. It really is a fun experience! Just wondering if there are ever any specials for kids or anything? Thanks!

My wife and I don't enjoy flying -- but we would if prices were reasonable (family of 5 is now around $3000 to fly from LGA to MCO) -- so we always drive down from NYC. I have looked into the Autotrain just because it seems like it would be a fun thing to try, but there's little to no savings over flying and the trip itself would take longer than driving alone would. Pricing being roughly even, I guess I would always pick flying even though I dislike it.

Amtrak's fares are also kind of annoying because you can only buy 1 child fare per 1 adult fare, so i'd have to pay for 1 child as an adult fare.

I also don't really love that you can't lock the cabins from the outside, so you have to either bring valuables with you or leave someone behind to make sure everything is secure.

 

[deedeew80]

My wife and I don't enjoy flying -- but we would if prices were reasonable (family of 5 is now around $3000 to fly from LGA to MCO) -- so we always drive down from NYC. I have looked into the Autotrain just because it seems like it would be a fun thing to try, but there's little to no savings over flying and the trip itself would take longer than driving alone would. Pricing being roughly even, I guess I would always pick flying even though I dislike it.

Amtrak's fares are also kind of annoying because you can only buy 1 child fare per 1 adult fare, so i'd have to pay for 1 child as an adult fare.

I also don't really love that you can't lock the cabins from the outside, so you have to either bring valuables with you or leave someone behind to make sure everything is secure.

Yeah, the last time I looked into it, the price was almost the same as flying. So we drove instead.

 

[ninafeliz]

My wife and I don't enjoy flying -- but we would if prices were reasonable (family of 5 is now around $3000 to fly from LGA to MCO) -- so we always drive down from NYC. I have looked into the Autotrain just because it seems like it would be a fun thing to try, but there's little to no savings over flying and the trip itself would take longer than driving alone would. Pricing being roughly even, I guess I would always pick flying even though I dislike it.

Amtrak's fares are also kind of annoying because you can only buy 1 child fare per 1 adult fare, so i'd have to pay for 1 child as an adult fare.

I also don't really love that you can't lock the cabins from the outside, so you have to either bring valuables with you or leave someone behind to make sure everything is secure.

For us the price was not really cheaper than flying. Our situation was we had young twins and 2 gradeschool kids, and my DH refused to fly with just us and the 4 kids. So even though it wasn't cheaper or faster, it worked well for us to get a bedroom suite and contain the kids and have privacy, and not have to have them cooped up in carseats for 17+ hours. We did that twice and had great trips. Since the twins turned 2 and aren't free anymore and the price really got irritating along with the additional time it takes we actually did drive this summer, and to my surprise I didn't mind it. I even liked that it was faster than the auto train. I have to admit flying is my first choice, even with 4 kids, but if we can't do that either the AT or driving is better than not going. If the AT were less expensive (for a sleeper) or if we lived closer and didn't have a 6 hr drive just to get to it, I would be more inclined to take the AT over driving.

 

[rg35]

For us the price was not really cheaper than flying. Our situation was we had young twins and 2 gradeschool kids, and my DH refused to fly with just us and the 4 kids. So even though it wasn't cheaper or faster, it worked well for us to get a bedroom suite and contain the kids and have privacy, and not have to have them cooped up in carseats for 17+ hours. We did that twice and had great trips. Since the twins turned 2 and aren't free anymore and the price really got irritating along with the additional time it takes we actually did drive this summer, and to my surprise I didn't mind it. I even liked that it was faster than the auto train. I have to admit flying is my first choice, even with 4 kids, but if we can't do that either the AT or driving is better than not going. If the AT were less expensive (for a sleeper) or if we lived closer and didn't have a 6 hr drive just to get to it, I would be more inclined to take the AT over driving.

Yeah, this year will be our fourth drive to WDW. When we first did it in 2015 I really expected it to be a one and done, but it wound up being way more enjoyable than any of us thought. The kids were good in the car, my wife and I split the driving so we each had downtime and we essentially saved between $2000-$3000+. We have been DVC members since 2012 so that has meant a lot of trips for us (except 2018 when we took a Disney break and did something else) - flying every year plus renting a car really would add up and since we're at the point now where we're doing 10-14 day trips, having the car with us is fairly economical.

That's another good point about the AT - just to get to Lorton is anywhere between a 4-6 hour drive from NYC, depending on what time of day we would leave. And the 16 hours on the train doesn't even count the time you spend waiting for them to unload your car. I would probably definitely want to book early enough to pay for the early unloading, if I were to do it, at least for the return trip.

 

[ninafeliz]

Yeah, this year will be our fourth drive to WDW. When we first did it in 2015 I really expected it to be a one and done, but it wound up being way more enjoyable than any of us thought. The kids were good in the car, my wife and I split the driving so we each had downtime and we essentially saved between $2000-$3000+. We have been DVC members since 2012 so that has meant a lot of trips for us (except 2018 when we took a Disney break and did something else) - flying every year plus renting a car really would add up and since we're at the point now where we're doing 10-14 day trips, having the car with us is fairly economical.

That's another good point about the AT - just to get to Lorton is anywhere between a 4-6 hour drive from NYC, depending on what time of day we would leave. And the 16 hours on the train doesn't even count the time you spend waiting for them to unload your car. I would probably definitely want to book early enough to pay for the early unloading, if I were to do it, at least for the return trip.

I agree with everything you wrote. We looked into the AT for our June trip this year, it would have been our third time taking it. But it was around $3000 for the bedroom suite and priority offloading at both ends (we've never not done that. No way do I want to stand around with 4 kids waiting forever to get our car haha). We also always drove down the night before, so that was an extra day and a hotel stay. it just stopped making sense, even though I did enjoy the trip on the AT. We were staying 2 weeks and did a 3 way split stay in CL rooms, and the AT was more than any one of the resort stays. So we decided to save the money and the time, and just drive, and spend the money in other ways. I still remember our trips on the AT fondly, though, but I kind of doubt we'll do it again. I don't want any part of coach, LOL, and the bedroom suite price isn't going to be going anywhere but up.

 

[bdcp]

We take the AT every trip now. While it's not cheap, it does allow us to have our car. Now, the last 3 trips have been "free" because we have the BOA MasterCard that gives us Amtrak points. We use it for everything and since we cruise 2-3 times per year, that adds up fast, as does putting all our Christmas purchases (and all Amazon ones on it). It's paid in full every month and the points add up. Our last two trips to NYC and our last three trips on AT cost us nothing. We tend to stay in Bedrooms, although our next return trip in Nov will be in a roomette since we live 45 min from Lorton so we just go home and can rest. We only drove once when our boys were 3.5 and 5.5 and they were good car travelers as we took trips occasionally. We flew once when they were 13 and 15. DH and I go alone now and take the train. We may be doing a family trip in a year or two, but we'll probably still take the train. Our 33 and 35 year olds and their wife/gf can get there on their own. We just like having our own car with us and the train is part of the vacation. I really love riding the train and we meet a lot of great people.

 

[Sabres431]

The AT is similar in cost to flying for us. It will be a lot more relaxing than flying(I hate flying, and it is worse with a toddler and a baby). We have a Family Bedroom but I am debating on seeing if we can switch to a bedroom and a roomette so we can have a bathroom in one of the rooms. This was a compromise between driving all the way(me) and flying(my wife). I also love trains so this is definitely part of the vacation for me and I'm sure my kids will love it.

 

[KSL]

Haven't taken the autotrain in a couple of years and just wanted to see if there was anything new/noteworthy. I'll be traveling with my mom (mid-70s) and daughter (19) in December. Anyone know if the onboard wifi has improved?

 

[ldo]

Dinner is no longer included. Bring sandwiches or pay for dinner in dining car. Continental breakfast still free.

 

[easyas123]

Only if you are in coach is dinner no longer included, it is included in all sleeping cars.
When we last rode it a few months ago we had a roomette and our meal was included, and they included complimentary wine, although we brought our own so didn't have any of theirs.
Found the roomette to be tight, but doable for the two of us. WiFi was spotty at best (we were on a Sanford to Lorton run).

Amtrak is making some upgrades to its Auto Train service starting in January, including a new dining car menu, better sleeping car amenities and an expansion of sleeping car accommodations.
But for Auto Train customers traveling in coach, dinner will no longer be free.
Starting Jan. 15, complimentary dinner will be just for sleeping car passengers, and will include the addition of complimentary wine.


https://wtop.com/business-finance/2...-auto-train-but-no-more-free-dinner-in-coach/
https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train-your-car-your-stuff-and-you

 

[KSL]

Thanks for the replies! Didn't realize that about dinner no longer being included for Coach passengers starting in January. We travel in sleeper cabins but it's good to stay aware of modifications to service. Too bad we'll miss out on the return of complimentary wine! LOL.

 

[Disneyholic]

Dinner is no longer included. Bring sandwiches or pay for dinner in dining car. Continental breakfast still free.

You are talking about coach, right? Last time we were on it was still included in sleepers.

This directly from the AutoTrain Website. -
Meals and Dining
Meals are included in the price of all Auto Train tickets, in any class. In the Dining Car, enjoy a delicious dinner, including vegetarian dishes, special meals for the kids and a continental breakfast. And you can always get some tasty snacks from the Café Car between meals.

 

[Disneyholic]

Only if you are in coach is dinner no longer included, it is included in all sleeping cars.
When we last rode it a few months ago we had a roomette and our meal was included, and they included complimentary wine, although we brought our own so didn't have any of theirs.
Found the roomette to be tight, but doable for the two of us. WiFi was spotty at best (we were on a Sanford to Lorton run).

Amtrak is making some upgrades to its Auto Train service starting in January, including a new dining car menu, better sleeping car amenities and an expansion of sleeping car accommodations.
But for Auto Train customers traveling in coach, dinner will no longer be free.
Starting Jan. 15, complimentary dinner will be just for sleeping car passengers, and will include the addition of complimentary wine.


https://wtop.com/business-finance/2...-auto-train-but-no-more-free-dinner-in-coach/
https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train-your-car-your-stuff-and-you

That's funny because their own site also still says dinner is included on ALL Autotrain tickets. Just got this from their site today, November 07, 2019.

Meals and Dining
Meals are included in the price of all Auto Train tickets, in any class. In the Dining Car, enjoy a delicious dinner, including vegetarian dishes, special meals for the kids and a continental breakfast. And you can always get some tasty snacks from the Café Car between meals.

 

[easyas123]

Yeah, I *think* that the no meals in coach thing is starting after the first of the year or in the near future??? Might not be in action just yet. I dunno...

 

[mare12]

Dinner is no longer included. Bring sandwiches or pay for dinner in dining car. Continental breakfast still free.

Dinner is included if traveling in sleeper accommodations. Coach passengers can use the Café style Diner.

 

[mare12]

Just finished booking round trip Lorton to Sanford and back. Next November 2020. Family sleeper and two bedrooms each way with 12 passenger van and priority off loading. 6 adults 5 children. Grand total of $8400.00.

Amtrak agents were very helpful and courteous. Booked my party as a group that applied discounts. With the young ones and a few who don't particularly like flying it was the best bet.