Okay, I wouldn't have posted it if I thought or saw that. She did not change. She boarded the next car when we boarded ours so we walked out with her and her husband. She also had the same pants and shoes on in the morning when she walked past us when we sat down in Lorton. That apparently is how she travels, but I'd say she'd never been on the AT before.
All about the Autotrain
- Thread starter cherylp3
- Start date
My understanding is they don't use the bucket pricing anymore but they do use supply/demand pricing. Also, everything has gone up in price. I notice it with things I order from Amazon on a regular basis and in the grocery store. Our trip we just did was cheaper northbound than south and the numbers onboard showed that. We also just booked for this fall and one way was cheaper. We do use points but when seats/rooms are more, it costs more points. Yes, it's more expensive than flying, but renting a car has also gone up a lot. In mid-Nov we flew into the Dallas area for 6 days/nights. Our rental car was $450 for 6 days plus gas we put in.
I always price out 3 ways of getting there for every trip- rental/driving, airfare, and train (auto and also Silver line). Rental has gone down, airfare has surprisingly stayed the same, and it’s only the train, both auto and silver line and specifically first class, that has gone up so much. I’m just wondering if it’s demand, which it doesn’t seem to be, or if they changed the way fares are bucketed, which from what the other poster said seems to be what happened as they also changed the fare names.
DJFan88
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2004
- Messages
- 2,973
Sorry, but who cares how she travels.
OMG. You are the one that brought up maybe she changed clothes. Why do you care what I noticed? My entire point was high heels on a moving train.
DJFan88
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2004
- Messages
- 2,973
Yeah sorry, I felt bad for her so I was just trying to stick up for her.
Last edited:
We did AT on 2007 with 3 little kids and hated it. Had a family bedroom on lower level and it was the front of the car where it attached to next car and was so loud and bumpy. And I was crammed on a top bunk that was tiny.
But we just did it last weekend, again. We live in FL and have all our family in MD and have been driving back and forth a lot...elderly parents with health issues plus holidays and weddings and all that stuff. On our way home to FL after this past Xmas we got detoured off 95 in SC due to massive back up. In the back woods there we were hit hard by a big pickup and it totaled our vehicle. We were stranded as there are no Ubers and enterprises were 25 miles away (one each direction). Rental car was not available until the next day. We had to ride in tow to a McDonald's and hire a taxi at $120 to take us 25 miles to hotel by enterprise. Took hours in the unseasonably chilly weather too. Plus our car was packed to the gills with our stuff and the windows and all were busted out. All our stuff sat overnight in busted up car.
So no more driving for a while, if ever again. We had booked a flight to come up for a wedding but have some other things to do and needed our car (to bring back some stuff). So auto train it was.
We did a bedroom and booked the week before and lucked into the best location on the train (5241 L). We were top floor in the car next to the lounge car. Nice space for the 2 of us. We could share the bottom bed. We could easily walk to lounge car to sit. Was a way better experience than 2007. And when getting off we had our car pretty fast, like 25 mins after detraining. However it was about 1k in cost. Pretty crazy and not something we can do super often.
We booked for way home too. But had to get roomette because a bedroom was 1500 and roomette was 950. No way am I spending 1500. Now this time we noticed bottom room next to the family bedroom on our car. And might be right next to engine with horn going all night, which I could hear from our last spot (4th car from engine). So I did a chat online and asked if they could find an upstairs roomette. Still not sure how close to engine we will be. They said they can mix the cars up all different ways each trip. It's 5346 (7).
Also we didn't know that they do 3 dinner settings and you pick when you arrive to check in. So the 5pm was gone at 2pm when we arrived. We got 7pm. That was fine. But FYI for any readers here who are new to AT. We had a long car line to get in. Took almost half an hour. We spoke to a lady who arrived early and had to sit as the train was an hour late and they didn't start check ins at 12:30. Hence the back up. So we plan to arrive early next time, drop car and then maybe uber out to lunch somewhere. Heard there are a lot of places near the Lorton station. FYI, sanford station has a food truck. Lorton does not.
But we just did it last weekend, again. We live in FL and have all our family in MD and have been driving back and forth a lot...elderly parents with health issues plus holidays and weddings and all that stuff. On our way home to FL after this past Xmas we got detoured off 95 in SC due to massive back up. In the back woods there we were hit hard by a big pickup and it totaled our vehicle. We were stranded as there are no Ubers and enterprises were 25 miles away (one each direction). Rental car was not available until the next day. We had to ride in tow to a McDonald's and hire a taxi at $120 to take us 25 miles to hotel by enterprise. Took hours in the unseasonably chilly weather too. Plus our car was packed to the gills with our stuff and the windows and all were busted out. All our stuff sat overnight in busted up car.
So no more driving for a while, if ever again. We had booked a flight to come up for a wedding but have some other things to do and needed our car (to bring back some stuff). So auto train it was.
We did a bedroom and booked the week before and lucked into the best location on the train (5241 L). We were top floor in the car next to the lounge car. Nice space for the 2 of us. We could share the bottom bed. We could easily walk to lounge car to sit. Was a way better experience than 2007. And when getting off we had our car pretty fast, like 25 mins after detraining. However it was about 1k in cost. Pretty crazy and not something we can do super often.
We booked for way home too. But had to get roomette because a bedroom was 1500 and roomette was 950. No way am I spending 1500. Now this time we noticed bottom room next to the family bedroom on our car. And might be right next to engine with horn going all night, which I could hear from our last spot (4th car from engine). So I did a chat online and asked if they could find an upstairs roomette. Still not sure how close to engine we will be. They said they can mix the cars up all different ways each trip. It's 5346 (7).
Also we didn't know that they do 3 dinner settings and you pick when you arrive to check in. So the 5pm was gone at 2pm when we arrived. We got 7pm. That was fine. But FYI for any readers here who are new to AT. We had a long car line to get in. Took almost half an hour. We spoke to a lady who arrived early and had to sit as the train was an hour late and they didn't start check ins at 12:30. Hence the back up. So we plan to arrive early next time, drop car and then maybe uber out to lunch somewhere. Heard there are a lot of places near the Lorton station. FYI, sanford station has a food truck. Lorton does not.
We had three dining times on the way down on 8 Jan, but only two on our way back on 31 Jan. Train was completely full heading south, but not heading north. So, with the two dining times, they do 6 and 8. We do 7 when there are 3 times.
If you opt to get your dinner in your room do they stick with the dining time you got? So, since we got 7 then we couldn't ask the attendant to bring it at 5 or 6?
No idea how they're doing it now. We go to the dining car. In 2021, it was delivered due to Covid restrictions and they offered everyone a time, but I don't remember how they did it.
GinnyBear's_mom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2008
- Messages
- 1,209
We are on the train heading to Sanford. We are getting in about an hour earlier than scheduled. The train station opens at 9:15 but we're going to arrive at 9 and just have to wait. So for anyone riding who hopes to get in early, know that you can't get off of the train until the station opens.
Here are a few pictures from dinner.
My daughter did not love the vegan pasta, she will pick something else to eat for dinner on the return trip.
I had the chicken and will order it again on the northbound trip.
DH liked the steak and will order it again on the northbound trip. The cab sav was ok (you get to pick from a small selection of alcoholic beverages for dinner), I would not order the wine again if I had to pay for it. We also bring our own small 'wine in a box' when we travel on the train which is much better than what they serve on the train.
They were out of the Meyer lemon cake on this trip. DH ordered the chocolate toffee mousse and was surprised when a chocolate mousse cake arrived. It was very good but too rich for me. No way I could eat the entire thing but a few bites were just enough.
The blueberry cobbler cheesecake was also very good, much lighter than the mousse cake.
And now for breakfast, the egg souffle was very good as were the potatoes. Three of us had this dish and we all had great things to say about it. The other 3 in our party stuck with the coffee cake (also very yummy), bananas and cereal. They had raisin bran and apple cheerios to choose from.
Here are a few pictures from dinner.
My daughter did not love the vegan pasta, she will pick something else to eat for dinner on the return trip.
I had the chicken and will order it again on the northbound trip.
DH liked the steak and will order it again on the northbound trip. The cab sav was ok (you get to pick from a small selection of alcoholic beverages for dinner), I would not order the wine again if I had to pay for it. We also bring our own small 'wine in a box' when we travel on the train which is much better than what they serve on the train.
They were out of the Meyer lemon cake on this trip. DH ordered the chocolate toffee mousse and was surprised when a chocolate mousse cake arrived. It was very good but too rich for me. No way I could eat the entire thing but a few bites were just enough.
The blueberry cobbler cheesecake was also very good, much lighter than the mousse cake.
And now for breakfast, the egg souffle was very good as were the potatoes. Three of us had this dish and we all had great things to say about it. The other 3 in our party stuck with the coffee cake (also very yummy), bananas and cereal. They had raisin bran and apple cheerios to choose from.
DJFan88
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2004
- Messages
- 2,973
Yes that happened to us once back when the time was an hour earlier. It was the best waiting the 15-20 minutes for the station to open, knowing we were arriving at the earliest time for our vacation. Glad to hear it still happens sometimes. Now that the time is scheduled an hour later ( i know its been that way for awhile, but it was nice back then) itll be great if it happens. Sure beats when it arrives late.
GinnyBear's_mom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2008
- Messages
- 1,209
We are back from our roundtrip Autotrain journey. Our northbound train arrived at the station at 8:40am and we sat on the train in the station until 9:15. I was surprised that we got in so early because we made an unscheduled stop to kick off a few passengers. They always make the announcements that smokers and unruly passengers can be kicked off but after 10+ trips on the train, this was the first time that I saw it actually happen. We had dinner in the dining car and when we returned to our rooms there were 2 attendants speaking to passengers in the room next to us. Two people from coach snuck into the roomette next to ours that appeared empty. The roomette was actually assigned to one of the train attendants! The attendants told them they would be fined $547 and they would have to find alternate arrangements to pick up their car in Lorton. This was the first time in 13 years we witnessed any drama on the train.
Our son injured his leg 2 days before our vacation started and was in a wheelchair during our trip which was a first for us. He wasn't allowed to put any weight on his foot for our southbound trip and could take a few steps unassisted in his aircast by the time we had our northbound trip. Each station had different procedures for accomodating us:
Lorton:
- (departure)we let them know at boarding that we had a wheelchair and they told us to tell the attendant when we it was time to board. We were the first to arrive at our train car but the attendant let all able bodied passengers board first. He had to get the ramp unlocked and seemed annoyed when he had to walk further down the platform to find a ramp that was unlocked to put into place so my son could board. The wheelchair was stowed, folded, at the entrance to our train car in a slot near where they keep extra water, blankets, etc. We were able to remove the wheelchair ourselves when we exited the train.
- (arrival) We were given priority disembarkation from the train.
Sanford:
- (arrival) We were given priority disembarkation from the train when we arrived. An attendant asked us for our car number so that it could be pulled into the lane directly in front of the station's entrance doors when it was unloaded.
- (departure) We did not tell the agent about the wheelchair when we checked in because we figured the procedure would be the same as it was when we boarded at Lorton - notify the attendant when we boarded. Nope, different procedure at this station. They hold all guests behind a barrier (kind of like rope dropping the train lol) and only let guests needing assistance through. When we saw this happening, we asked an attendant if we could board as well and she said it was not a problem but that we should have told them when we checked in. The attendants wheeled the majority of guests in wheelchairs onto the train. We said we were fine wheeling him on ourselves. Our attendant stored the wheelchair folded on its side on the highest shelf at the entrance to our train car and we needed assistance when it was time to exit.
We had priority offloading in Sanford and we were one of the last priority cars called around 9:45am. We did not have priority offloading in Lorton but we were one of the first non-priority cars called at about 9:50am.
We had 1 bedroom and 2 roomettes southbound and 3 roomettes northbound. I definitely missed the space of the bedroom! Usually our kids will all cram into the bedroom with us for a bit to have snacks and play games during the trip. I'm one of those people that needs to take a shower everyday so while the shower in the bedroom is more convenient, I was surprised at the shower in the train car for roomette passengers. It is quite large compared to the shower in the bedroom (you share space with the toilet in the bedroom shower). Definitely bring a pair of flip flops but I would have no issues using that shared shower again.
We had a great trip overall and have another trip on the autotrain scheduled for December.
Our son injured his leg 2 days before our vacation started and was in a wheelchair during our trip which was a first for us. He wasn't allowed to put any weight on his foot for our southbound trip and could take a few steps unassisted in his aircast by the time we had our northbound trip. Each station had different procedures for accomodating us:
Lorton:
- (departure)we let them know at boarding that we had a wheelchair and they told us to tell the attendant when we it was time to board. We were the first to arrive at our train car but the attendant let all able bodied passengers board first. He had to get the ramp unlocked and seemed annoyed when he had to walk further down the platform to find a ramp that was unlocked to put into place so my son could board. The wheelchair was stowed, folded, at the entrance to our train car in a slot near where they keep extra water, blankets, etc. We were able to remove the wheelchair ourselves when we exited the train.
- (arrival) We were given priority disembarkation from the train.
Sanford:
- (arrival) We were given priority disembarkation from the train when we arrived. An attendant asked us for our car number so that it could be pulled into the lane directly in front of the station's entrance doors when it was unloaded.
- (departure) We did not tell the agent about the wheelchair when we checked in because we figured the procedure would be the same as it was when we boarded at Lorton - notify the attendant when we boarded. Nope, different procedure at this station. They hold all guests behind a barrier (kind of like rope dropping the train lol) and only let guests needing assistance through. When we saw this happening, we asked an attendant if we could board as well and she said it was not a problem but that we should have told them when we checked in. The attendants wheeled the majority of guests in wheelchairs onto the train. We said we were fine wheeling him on ourselves. Our attendant stored the wheelchair folded on its side on the highest shelf at the entrance to our train car and we needed assistance when it was time to exit.
We had priority offloading in Sanford and we were one of the last priority cars called around 9:45am. We did not have priority offloading in Lorton but we were one of the first non-priority cars called at about 9:50am.
We had 1 bedroom and 2 roomettes southbound and 3 roomettes northbound. I definitely missed the space of the bedroom! Usually our kids will all cram into the bedroom with us for a bit to have snacks and play games during the trip. I'm one of those people that needs to take a shower everyday so while the shower in the bedroom is more convenient, I was surprised at the shower in the train car for roomette passengers. It is quite large compared to the shower in the bedroom (you share space with the toilet in the bedroom shower). Definitely bring a pair of flip flops but I would have no issues using that shared shower again.
We had a great trip overall and have another trip on the autotrain scheduled for December.
Luckymommyx2
Wishing you a magical day
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2002
- Messages
- 10,770
Thank you for the thorough review! It’s a great help having something both recent and close to my first trip.
I'm glad to see they made an example of those that basically stole a room. Everyone who has been in a sleeper know the attendants have a room in each car so they can answer calls. How someone can think it was okay to do that is beyond me. We've had to stop for an emergency to meet an ambulance a couple of times. We've also had to stop for trespassers on the tracks while the police investigate, but never had someone put off the train.
Kim&Chris
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2000
- Messages
- 6,490
Just booked our trip for next year (May 2025). I was pleasantly surpised with the price, especially since we're doing roomettes both ways. Even called Amtrak to make sure I didn't make a mistake. Nope, the price was right. This will be a huge savings vs. airfare and rental car for 8 days.
I haven't taken the AT for over a decade so I sort of forget what time we should arrive in Lorton to check in. Can someone give me a recommendation? We are coming from Philly. Thanks!
I haven't taken the AT for over a decade so I sort of forget what time we should arrive in Lorton to check in. Can someone give me a recommendation? We are coming from Philly. Thanks!
erinch
Parsing the same ee cummings poem for 20 years
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2001
- Messages
- 3,401
hmmm. I think it's 2 or 2 1/2 hours before the train pulls out? I'm trying to remember but it's been a bit!
Depending on the time of day & day of week you might wanna consider coming down Rt. 1 to 301/50 and then pick up 95 South (the Christiana Mall exit off of 95) vs. 95 south all the way. Although what with the Key Bridge and all traffic on 301/50 has been heavier so it could go either way I suppose.
erinch
Parsing the same ee cummings poem for 20 years
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2001
- Messages
- 3,401
We are picky about the time we want dinner. We like the 7:00 seating. Checkin starts at 12:30, so we aim to be in line at noon. When we get to the window, we check in, and tell them we are going to park to check in and then go back out for lunch. Then I go in and checkin and get our boarding passes and dinner reservation. We then go out and get lunch and return around 2. Drop dead you have to check in by 3, which will get you 9:00 dinner if they are doing 3 seatings.
We go from Lancaster, PA. We are almost neighbors!
We go from Lancaster, PA. We are almost neighbors!
erionm
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2008
- Messages
- 24,958
It's a hard cutoff at 3 pm. We took the Auto Train northbound back in December and there were people already lined up while they were still unloading cars in Lorton.
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