Amtrak. NOT that cheap

[rvchat]

any way to save $ on this?

thanks all.

 

[NJGirl]

book as early as possible. They open up 11 months before. Also AAA will save you 10%

 

[DisMomme]

Do you have a HS junior or senior? you could combine the trip with a campus visit and get a buy 1 get 1 half off deal.

Amtrak has partnered with Collegia to make visiting campuses more affordable. Our “Buy one; get one 50% off” Campus Visit® Discount is the smart way for high school juniors and seniors to personally check out their top choices and make sure the college that looks so good in the brochure is really a good fit. Limited restrictions do apply. For example:

1.Tickets must be booked a minimum of 3 days in advance; no exceptions.
2.Students must travel with an adult, parent or guardian.
3.Reservations must be made online through this Web site.
4.This promotion is not valid for Acela Express trains.
5.Some blackout dates apply for travel time and for when tickets can be purchased (see below). I googled Amtrak college visit.

 

[laurafergie]

This is the page that all Amtrak discounts are listed:

http://www.railserve.com/amtrak_coupons.html

 

[csharpwv]

I agree with a PP - the best way to save on Amtrak is book several months in advance.

I just checked out upcoming trip - and for what we paid for a sleeping compartment - two fares - and our vehicle fee, you can now only get two coach seats and vehicle fare. So we literally saved around $300 on out trip by booking back in the summer.

SO - book early - and use your AAA discount!

 

[clh2]

Are your travel dates flexible? Sometimes that helps too!

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Depending on your route, Amtrak Guest rewards can be a good deal. Its only 1000 points for one way on "special routes." A special route includes the following:

Cascades: Vancouver, BC - Seattle - Tacoma - Portland - Salem - Eugene
Pacific Surfliner: Paso Robles - San Luis Obispo - Santa Barbara - Los Angeles - San Diego
Capitol Corridor:Auburn - Sacramento - Emeryville (San Francisco) - Oakland - San Jose
San Joaquins: San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento - Bakersfield/Southern California
Hiawatha: Milwaukee - Chicago
Downeaster: Portland, ME - Boston
The Missouri Service (daily service between Chicago and Kansas City, MO)
The Illinois Zephyr (daily service between Chicago and Quincy, IL)
Illini Service (daily service between Chicago and Carbondale, IL)
The Saluki (daily service between Chicago and Carbondale, IL)
The Carl Sandburg (daily service between Chicago and Quincy, IL)
The Lincoln Service (daily service between Chicago and St. Louis, MO)
The Kansas City Mule and St. Louis Mule travel daily between St. Louis and Kansas City, MO.
The Hoosier State runs daily between Chicago and Indianapolis with Reserved Coach service.
The Heartland Flyer offers daily service between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.
The Pere Marquette: Daily service between Grand Rapids and Chicago.
The Piedmont makes daily trips between Raleigh and Charlotte.

You can transfer points from Continetal Airlines and Starwood Preferred Guest to AGR or buy points directly from AGR at $13.75 for 500.

AGR points can also be a good deal on long ditance travel in sleepers or roomettes. -- Suzanne

 

[RangerPooh]

When we were looking at taking Amtrak for Christmas we shopped around, looked for codes, waited for the mid week specials, priced with AAA, traveling with kids that are half price...kept watching the price increase as we waited to have the funds available. In the end we waited too long and the price increase $500! Needless to say we're driving now. So don't wait too long!

 

[Ava]

If you are looking to travel for the holidays, the only way to save money on Amtrak is to book as far in advance as possible. Discount codes & rewards travel are always blacked out during holiday periods. Book more than 1 month in advance, once you hit the 1 month mark prices go up considerably. Also if you can travel at off-peak times (very early in the morning or later at night) prices will be lower.

We take Amtrak several times a year & I like it. It has it's downsides, but for us it's more convinent & cheaper than either driving (we don't own a car so would have to pay to rent one) or flying.

 

[Gina]

A number of years ago I (way in advance) looked into DS and I taking the train to WDW instead of flying, being that we are in a completely train-crazy family and I wanted him to experience the fun of train trips like I had growing up. I wanted just the most basic, smallest sleeping compartment since sitting in a chair for 2 1/2 days wasn't going to cut it. Holy COW I couldn't believe the prices. I wondered if I got to take home one of the train cars or at least would get to drive the train for that price. Needless to say, we have continued to fly. Crazy how much it costs!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Gina, if you were coming from Texas, it's probably b/c the route is so weird. And don't forget that a sleeping compartment bumps you to first class, which means meals are included, and makes the price a better value.

 

[Ginamarie]

Amtrak just isn't cheap! It's cheaper for us to drive or to fly. The best rate you can get is by booking early, but even then, I would never look to Amtrak for a "bargain."

 

[disney1990]

Yes, booking early is the key. Remember, you can always book early and NOT have your tickets printed. If you do this, if needed, you can cancel the trip and have your money refunded (not sure how far in advance you can cancel). Tickets are sold on a Tier system. So many at one price and then the price goes up. So many at the next price, and then the price goes up. Don't ever wait if you can charge the tickets -- prices never go down, only up. And remember, don't have the tickets printed until you need them and you can have your money refunded.

 

[karice2]

I am taking the auto train and got it for about $475 round trip. That is for me and my car. It is non-stop and goes from Lorton to Sanford. About 30 minutes from WDW. Since I am staying offsite, it is beneficial to me to have a car. I also bring plenty of food from home and save that way.

I have an annual pass so I don't pay for parking. Oh yeah, I get a military discount. All in all it is a great deal for me. You do have to book early though. Not like airlines where you can wait for better deals. The longer you wait, the pricier it is.