Amtrak from DC to Orlando?

[TMM]

Hi,

We are flying to DC from London in August and are going to Disney for a week or so.

We know it is a long journey, but still thought the kids would enjoy it. I read a few posts from a while back and some said the trains were delayed up to 7 hours due to work on the line! Anyone done this journey recently? Just curious, as it won't be any fun if we are that delayed.

For the 5 of us we got a rate of $602 round trip. Most of the airfare is double for our dates.

 

[ducklite]

Yes, the trains are often delayed for up to seven hours or more. And that ride isn't terribly scenic, it's actually rather boring.

Anne

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Please be warned that trains in the US do not run anywhere near efficiently as trains in Europe. AMTRAK passenger trains share tracks with freight trains and freight trains have the right of way.

Any AMTRAK trip for a long distance is always delayed, usually for many, many hours. I would NOT recommend that you take the train from DC to Orlando. There is nothing that enjoyable anout the ride either.

I highly recommend that you pay whatever extra it costs to fly (although often train fares are more expensive than airline fares). You might want to check airfares via Southwest Airlines (not yet available for August). You would fly from BWI Airport rather than Dulles or National airport, but the cost should be less than the train.

It's not that I do not like AMTRAK; I ride AMTRAK fairly often between Boston and New York City. I just would never take it on for a long distance.

 

[torinsmom]

I know I got a lot of negative opinions when I posted about the Amtrak from NC to Kissimmee, mainly about the trains being late. What I did was went to Amtrak.com every day and checked the previous day's train status. I kept a log, and about 50% of the time the train arrived within an hour of when it was scheduled to arrive. About another 40% of the time, it arrived within 2 hours. 10% of the time, it was longer than that. This was over a month's time. There was two days that the whole service was cancelled when the commuter train derailed I think in DC.

All in all, I don't think its all that bad. Especially if you are looking to save a substantial amount of $. With what I am saving, I am staying at Disney another day. And time-wise, by the time I drive 40 minutes to the airport, get there 2 hours early, wait for my flight(they always seem to be delayed), fly an hour or so, pick up baggage and wait for the shuttle, I would have wasted 5-6 hours, so what's 7 hours more, especially at night?

I am taking the train in March and convinced another couple to ride at the same time. I'm sure the kids will have a ball!

Marsha

 

[Vijoge]

Any AMTRAK trip for a long distance is always delayed, usually for many, many hours.

Not true. As a veteran of many long-distance train trip I can think of only one trip where we were delayed for more than a couple of hours. The last two trips we took we arrived within an hour of our scheduled arrival time.

 

[ducklite]

Time is money, especially on vacation. Sometimes it's worth it to spend more to buy yourself more time in the long run.

Anne

 

[torinsmom]

The good thing about the train to Disney is that it is at night. That cuts out wasting time to me. I would only be sleeping at that time. It gets in at 10:55, so even if is delayed, you can get to the resort by 2 and have the afternoon in the parks. And on departure day, it leaves at 3:48, so morning activities are still doable. And with the money you save on airfare, you can stay another day or even two if need be.

Marsha

 

[pepe of ohio]

We use Amtrak exclusively from Ohio to DC and DC to Kissimmee. We've been on time, alittle late and 6 hours late years ago due to speed restrictions on the rails due to the high heat. We love the train and I will not fly. We use reserved coach from Ohio to DC and when we board at DC, we have a roomette, since we're train regulars we get points from our travels and we use them for the roomette upgrade on that leg. Last trip, that leg would have cost us 151.00 extra for the 2 of us. Small room, but its private, includes all meals for 2, juice and coffee and we like the privacy and sleeping accommadations for this leg mainly since we travel through the night and arrive at Kissimmee around 11:00am. We're refreshed, fed and ready for a Disney day of fun. My tip to train travelers, use the Red Caps at the stations, all you do is tip them and when using this service, they take you to the train as soon as it comes in and it eliminates that long line of people inside the terminal, we usually have 3 bags total and tip him 8 bucks. Better to tip him for a service than tipping a cab driver that does nothing.

 

[MdmMim]

I've taken AMTRAK up and down the east coast for years (60+ trips). I see my train travel as a part of the vacation, not a mode of transport. It's relaxing for me, and I truly enjoy it.

If the train's an hour or so late--so what?!? I figure I'm really getting my $'s worth on the rails!! Also, my hotel room usually isn't ready early, so a possibly late train is no big deal for me. I arrive relaxed and ready for WDW!

 

[Selket]

I haven't taken Amtrak from DC to Orlando so I can't comment on personal experience. However I remember asking the question and doing some research here on the boards about a year or two ago and the opinions were overwhelmingly negative. It seems like folks thought the autotrain was fine (clean enough, food service as ok, etc) but the regular trains sounded disgusting with poor service, dirty bathrooms, etc. I'm not overly squeamish on those issues but I decided I'd rather be in my car!

Perhaps the OP should consider the train if she has some extra travel time built into the schedule in case the train has problems, etc. - arrival day should just include checking into the hotel and swimming, etc. - no parks. I would also suggest that she check into flying Southwest airlines from BWI (Baltimore/Washington International airport) to Orlando. I think they have the best fares which are often around $160 round trip. I think if you could find airfare under $1000 for all 5 of you I'd take that over the train if you can possibly afford it. It's a 2 hour direct flight....

 

[Olaf]

Are you flying out of Orlando? I'd download the DING software and try to get a one-way from Baltimore to Orlando for August. They haven't popped up yet, but maybe next month. I've got a round trip in May for $87, including taxes and stuff.

I've not taken the train from DC to Orlando, but I know people who have made the trip. They did the Autotrain, and their biggest gripe was the state of tracks. Very bumpy.

 

[scm200]

I have taken the train from Boston to Orlando (week after 9/11) and AMTRAK was great. People seem to forget that when the planes were not flying Amtrak took on a load of passengers at no extra charge (they took Plane tickets). I have travelled the Boston to Virginia run once (it was an overnight with a roomette) and am currently booked on Amtrak in August Boston to Kissimmee with a Roomette from NYC to Kissimmee. I can't wait to introduce my nephew to the joys of train travel. There are things to see - not ton's but some. We are planning on this being an adventure - we are flying home due to time constraints, but cannot wait for the train. If you can afford the roomette its the way to go, all meals are included and they are pretty darn good on the long distance trains to Florida - check it out...

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I like AMTRAK for short hauls, but would never take it for a long trip, as previously stated. If you are a very mellow traveller and have no set schedule or are afraid to fly, then it is a good choice (certainly better than travelling by bus). It's great posters here have not suffered major delays, but it happens ALL the time on long trips.

How do you think these people would rate the train to/from Orlando?

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat- gen/2005/dec/30/123005472.html

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/30/sitroom.02.html

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/01/amtrak_delay.html

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/amtrak_late.html

Also AMTRAK has a nasty habit of letting people board trains when they know that there is a problem further up the line (derailments, major delays) and not letting passengers know about it.

 

[TMM]

Are you flying out of Orlando? I'd download the DING software and try to get a one-way from Baltimore to Orlando for August. They haven't popped up yet, but maybe next month. I've got a round trip in May for $87, including taxes and stuff.

I've not taken the train from DC to Orlando, but I know people who have made the trip. They did the Autotrain, and their biggest gripe was the state of tracks. Very bumpy.

We are flying back to England from Dulles so we need a roundtrip air flight. The cheapest air I am getting is still over $1000 for a direct flight. I will look at flights from BWI.

What's DING?

Thanks everyone!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

DING:

http://www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/systray?action=registrationForm&refId=2005050000000002

 

[Selket]

Also you should figure in the costs of any ground transportation you have whether flying or taking the train. I don't know if DME will still be free (?) when you are there in August but that is a free shuttle from and to the airport if you are staying at WDW resorts.

Ground transportation from BWI to Dulles could be rather expensive - I'm guessing over $100 for a family of 5. It is about 60 miles between the 2 airports. Not a bad trip really but there are no cheap shuttle busses between the 2 - I think you'd need to book your own taxi, shuttle or limo. That might eat into your savings for flying out of BWI! Perhaps you have someone local who is driving you so that isn't a problem.

When Independence Air stopped flying out of Dulles recently it seems the airfares to Orlando are higher than I remember. We flew last July for $160 a person from Dulles to Orlando round-trip. I would have taken Southwest but didn't because of my son's peanut allergy (they serve nuts - IA didn't).

I think the folks with the most positive experience on Amtrak had a sleeping car arrangement - which is MUCH more expensive than sleeping in your seats. However I think if you can allow for an extra travel day in case of rail problems/delays, etc. then you are in better shape.

Good luck with your travel plans!