Amtrak From NYC

[TapCat]

Have you ever taken the train (not autotrain) from the NYC area to Orlando? Can you tell me about the sleeping arrangements? Many thanks.

 

[joshawashawa]

I've never taken the train from NYC to Orlando but I've heard that its in many cases more expensive then Flying. If you live in NJ try Spirit Airilnes out of Atlantic City.

 

[kellyann]

We took the train in Feb. 2002. There were five of us, so we had connecting deluxe sleepers. Each deluxe sleeper had two beds and a bathroom as well as a chair. The beds were a couch during the day and were made into beds at night. The bottom berth was wider than the top. There was also a small television screen that showed movies throughout the trip. The attendants were great and very accomodating. It is definitely more expensive than flying especially if you add sleeping accomodations. We only took the train one way and flew back. All in all, it was a fun experience for the whole family. My kids loved it, especially eating in the dining car. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the train!

 

[PatMcDuck]

We took train from Newark (NJ) 7-8 years ago. With 4 kids, who were then 11-9-7-5. We went coach, to save $$. Seats are very roomy. The kids were 1/2 fare, and we got a discount using AAA as well. We looked at it as an "adventure" and had fun. In our case, it was just under $600 RT for 6, so it was a bargain (fares were about $220 RT PP at that time). The kids slept ok, we did not sleep so good. (We left around 5pm, arrived the next afternoon). We met some interesting people. Some from other ocuntries with the rail passes. One large family traveling from Philly to SC for a reunion. They were a fun group. We liked it, it was something we knew our kids would remember for the rest of their lives, and they do! Bring blankets, they only supply pillows (they will sell you a blanket though).

Now we fly, you can get Delta Song for $59 each way out of JFK for example..... but we had fun on that train.

 

[StinkerbellsMom]

We've done it with our family of 5 as well -- actually there were six of us at the time since we took Grandma with us. We had two connecting rooms just as Kellyann described, couch converts to bed, screen with movies, chair, etc., but what the kids loved most was the dining car! LOL They had a blast walking from our 'room' to the dining car and back! We've also done it without the sleeping car and just gone coach and that was fun too! We played cards and other small board games in the lounge and then slept in our seats which were cozy enough to sleep. We have driven down several times so that part didnt bother us much. Since we live right in Manhattan it was so easy to hop onto the Amtrak! I will admit though, we have since flown Jet Blue and LOVE IT!!!! We just booked our trip to Orlando for $79/pp each way, so off we go on a big old jet airliner! All five of us for under $900!!!

 

[TapCat]

Thank you all for responding! I would rather fly, but our little one has ended up with ear infections the last two years we've flown. He'll have a little cold when we take off and then .... Sick kid. So I thought we might try the "drive down, fly back" next time.
I wish that they had the family cars on the route from Newark...
The connecting sleepers each can hold two people? There's an internal door between the rooms?
And is the toilet in the room or down the hall?
And one last question.... How close to "on time" was your train in arriving in Orlando?
Many thanks!

 

[w770496]

Guess we are not alone. Our 5yr old son refuses to go on a plane to WDW again, after his ears hurt so much on our last trip. I would also be interested in taking this train NYC to Orlando.

 

[TapCat]

No, you're not alone. And our ear infections turn into asthma episodes. Can anyone say Celebration Emergency Room? Ah, just part of the magic!
Anyway, one other question: We really like to have a car when we're at WDW (for all of those unexpected doctor visits!). Are there rental agencies near the Orlando train station? Any suggestions?

 

[PatMcDuck]

My train was exactly on time. We got lost finding the station in Newark, and did not have time to check our bags (with 6 of us, we had alot!) No problem, they had alot of storage space. Getting on in Newark was great, the train was still pretty empty, when the porter (?) saw we had 6, with the 4 kids, he put us in an empty car (to begin with, it filled up later), so we could get settled. Sit in the middle if you can, people walk up and down and the doors opening and shutting during the night might annoy you; plus do not sit right next to bathrooms (they were kept VERY clean, but with a train of people, stuff happens!) Of course, that is all COACH advice. We did coach to save $$.

We had a car rental place pick us up (FREE) at the Orlando station, and take us back to the office to do the rental paperwork (all 6 of us!) They used the car we would then rent, as a matter of fact. They reversed that for the trip back. I think it was Budget. They have you call when you de-train. Other rental agencies would send a cab, they reimburse? But with 6, I thought that might be an ordeal. You need to talk to the individual offices of the rental companies, the 800 # people may not know the exact procedure.

And I did this 6 years ago, things might have changed.......

 

[msjpatt]

How do you get from the Amtrak Station to the Poly. We do not want to rent a car.

Thanks

 

[Sandy22]

I took the train from NYC to Orlando in the summer of 2002. Here's a copy of a previous post I made on another thread:

"The train experienced MANY problems resulting in a 10 hour delay arriving in Orlando and 7 hour delay returning to NYC. On the way back, I just couldn't believe it was happening again! It was a pretty bad experience...they ran out of food, the toilets stopped working and the ventilation/AC were no longer working. Passengers started getting really upset and the crew didn't seem to have any answers . The delay in returning made us miss the bus connection back home. And to be fair I should mention that Amtrak gave me a full credit voucher to make up for what happened."

I don't fly so my options are limited - the train is preferable to driving or taking the bus as there is so much more leg room and you can get up and walk around. The kids slept really well, I dozed on and off - I'm not the type of person who would fall asleep surrounded by strangers. My previous experience was bad but I'm willing to give it another try.

There was a MEARS shuttle at the station when we arrived that had room for extra passengers (not sure if it was booked by another family or not but it's doubtful since the train was so late).

 

[Ksp]

How do you get from the Amtrak Station to the Poly. We do not want to rent a car.

Thanks

Does anybody have info about transport from the Orlando Amtrak station to WDW???

 

[disneyjunkie]

We took the train to Orlando in 2001. (From Florence, SC) When we got off there were cabs and several Coach USA vans waiting at the station. I think I paid about $35.00 for my son and I to get to All-Star Sports. We used Airtran to fly home so I'm not sure how much the round-trip shuttle fee would have been.

I'm thinking of taking Amtrak down in April. I can't find any direct flights for less than $199.00 per person one way! Airtran has a few flights that are $99.00 from MCO to Newark. We may end up taking the train one way and flying back.

If go coach, be sure to pack plenty of games and books to keep your kids busy. A DVD player will also come in handy. Food is kind of expensive in the dining cart. You can pack your own snacks/sandwiches to save a few dollars.

 

[Ksp]

Thanks, disneyjunkie. I'm not familiar with the company you mention, Coach USA. Is that a service similar to MEARS?

 

[disneyjunkie]

Thanks, disneyjunkie. I'm not familiar with the company you mention, Coach USA. Is that a service similar to MEARS?

Yes, they're like Mears. We made short stops before getting to the All Stars.

You can also book with Mears, but they won't be there to meet the train. You have to call them once you get there.