Amtrak Auto Train

[lademps]

We are traveling to Orlando for a wedding/mini vacation next February. My son - age 5 at the time loves trains! So, we are planning to take the auto train instead of flying as we usually do to Orlando....
thoughts from anyone who has recently travelled on Auto Train - how was the dining service, activities etc.....is the train clean and well kept?
Thanks!!!

 

[skoi]

We've taken the auto train 3 times, but not for a couple years. On all of our trips we had good experiences. We've traveled coach and in a sleeper. The food was all right, better than expected. They give you a continental breakfast- corn muffins, cereal, donuts (I think), bagels, fruit. The train was clean. Our sleeping car attendant was good, very friendly and helpful. The conductors in coach were friendly. Entertainment- I don't know. Dh took the kids to see a movie. Now you can rent some sort of thing with entertainment programming. There are also outlets in the cars so you can bring a portable DVD or laptop. We asked to sit by the outlet and they assigned us the seats right next to it.

When we traveled coach the first few times, they put all the little kids together in one car. We found that helpful, and there were only a few other kids so we had a lot of room. They don't always do this, though. Sleeping in coach can be challenging. The seats are nice- they're wide and they recline and have footrests, but they're seats. I really liked the sleeping car, but it's expensive. Bring your pillows and blankets. The ones they give you are just okay, and we found the train to be chilly at night.

We were only late once- coming back after a hurricane that hit the Carolinas. Other than that, we usually arrived in Florida early, in Virginia more or less on time.

We liked it, but a lot of people hate to travel by train. I love the train, so I'm biased.
Hope this helped.
Have a good trip.

 

[bdcp]

We took it last Nov and are taking it again this Nov. Check this link for lots of info:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=402667

 

[lademps]

SKOI -
our son is adopted from Guatemala
Best Wishes to you and your family!!!! Thanks everyone for the great info on Auto Train....

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I taken the AutoTrain probably about 20 times in the last 10 years. I also adore trains, and literally see taking the train as part of the adventure! I get the impression that the AutoTrain is one of the classiest, cleaniest trains that Amtrak has. The clientale usually consists of many senior citizens, as they used the train a lot in certain seasons (going north in the Spring; going south in the Fall). But there are families on the train, too, as well as solos like myself!

I have traveled with my sister and her two daughters, and we got sleeping cars for both those trips. They loved the train, too! The meals are nice, as I always liked the food! You are seated in groups of four, though a family of 3 may get their own table. They have "choo--choo chewies" for the kids, which are chicken nuggets and some sidedish. I always sleep OK on the AutoTrain, but I gotten quite used to it now.

Activities usually only include a movie being shown, and usually it's not a purely "kids" movie, but not a totally adult movie, either. My nieces never had a problem finding things to do on the train - sometimes just exploring the train (you are free to walk around) or looking out the window would give us lots to talk about! And we always brought some of our own snacks - the train does have some snacks free in the lounge when you first head out (bowls of pretzels, doritoes, cheetos mixed together) and you can buy drinks in the lounge. But I also like having my own snacks, too.

Gee, just writing this post is making me miss the train - I want to go for a ride!! But since you are train fans, you should have a nice time! I personally think the AutoTrain is the best thing for people like me who hate to fly but love to go to Florida!!!