Amtrak questions-anyone have answers????

[singitalto]

I have 4 Amtrak tickets on hold for our trip in Sept. I have a few questions:

Can I bring my rolling cooler on board?
How many stops in between NY and Orlando?
Any way I can plug in my 9"TV/VCR(I know the answer is no, has anyone gotten creative)
Is it real boring, 21 hours can be a long time.(IMHO- better then stressing over flying)
The dining car and other dining options- how much, what kind of menu?
How did you get to the hotel? Did you rent a car, how did you get it?


I take any other opinions. thanks!!

 

[DC7800]

singitalto,
I'm glad you are going with Amtrak - you will really enjoy the experience.

As to your questions;

No, it will certainly not be boring, just the opposite in fact. Obviously you have constant scenery outside your window, and south of D.C. it gets a lot more interesting. It will be dark from about Philadelphia to Florence, SC., and this is the only time you might start looking for something to do (sleep through most of it anyway). Still, there is the lounge car for snacks and what many people find the real passtime onboard, meeting other passengers. Remember, you are not on a airplane, so get up and stroll around as the mood strikes, take pictures, use your cell phone, watch tv, and so on.

You are apparently taking the Silver Meteor, which makes 21 stops between NYC and Orlando. Each stop takes from 2-30 minutes, but most are very short. Rental cars are available at the Orlando station (you have to make arrangements in advance, I don't think they keep any vehicles at the station). Taxi's are available also. Transportation is provided to hotels, but I am unsure how this works or who operates it (Mears maybe?).

You may have to put the cooloer in checked baggage. Unless you have a sleeper reservation, passengers are asked to bring no more than two pieces of luggage per person (but there are no specific restrictions on size - unlike airlines - it just must be "of reasonable size and weight").

As to plugging in the TV, it varies from train to train - maybe car to car. Some coaches have been refurbished in recent years with conventional outlets for laptops and the like, but I will have to check if any of the Amfleet II cars (used on the Meteor) have been so equipped. All sleepers have outlets (and in-room video and audio). You must use headphones with any radio or video player. However, unless it's at night, you may not even want to use the TV/VCR anyway.

Food in the dining car is generally excellent; expect "WDW level" prices. The dishes are comparable to what you might see at Disney's full-service restaurants. If I find the website with a sample menu, I'll post it later. You will be seated at tables for four; since there are four people in your party, you won't be sharing with another party (which can be fun). Most of Amtrak's diners are recently refurbished. If you want simpler fare, head for the lounge for sandwiches and snacks.

If you have any other questions, I'll be glad to help.

 

[travelcoupons]

Can I bring my rolling cooler on board?
Amtrak Trains have limited room for carry-on baggage. For the safety and comfort of everyone on board, you should bring no more than two pieces of carry-on baggage per person

How many stops in between NY and Orlando?
lots. Probably around 20.

Any way I can plug in my 9"TV/VCR(I know the answer is no, has anyone gotten creative)
Yes...there are outlets located on the train.
Amtrak's policy : Passengers may use radios, tape players, CD players, portable televisions, and similar equipment on board trains. Earphones must be used & volume kept low. I found reception to be not real good, except in the observation car.

Is it real boring, 21 hours can be a long time.(IMHO- better then stressing over flying)
It can get boring after awhile...but you can always walk around, watch movie, play cards, visit with people, watch scenery, etc.
The dining car and other dining options- how much, what kind of menu?
Depends on the train. I was on the Spirit of New Orleans and there was a lot of Cajun type food. Probably about 8 different choices for breakfast, and a similar # of choices for lunch and maybe 4-5 choices for dinner . Cost is not really too bad, not cheap, but not real expensive, dinner is the costliest.
How did you get to the hotel? Did you rent a car, how did you get it?
Rented car.

 

[Figment78]

As far as how to get to the hotel, my parent's rented a car through Hertz, they have a shuttle from the Amtrak in Orlando, (I don't know about the one in kissimee).
They gave my father a phone number to call when he arrived, and they will take him to the rental car location. I know you used AAA to get a discount on Amtrak from your other post, so you can also use it for hertz, they have great rates for AAA members.
They also told him he can just return the car at the Amtrak station, instead of back to the rental location. We can't figure out how that works yet, but he is going to call them to find out.

Just a tip, book the car with AAA discount online, it's cheaper than calling them and using the discount. He booked the car first over the phone, and the woman said to check online, if it was cheaper to just call back and cancel the ressies he made with her. That's just what he did!

 

[Buzzrules]

Also, Amtrak now has a frequent rider program, similar to airline frequent flyer programs: http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/

 

[gofenmom]

We haven't done Amtrak to Florida but friends did and enjoyed the ride. Our family takes the AutoTrain just outside of DC off of 95. With the AutoTrain we can take our own car(van) and boy do we load it up. You have to check in by 2 and the train leaves at 4pm. Usually you arrive in Sanford,FL around 9am the next morning. Sanford is north of Orlando - about 30 to 45 minutes from WDW on I-4. There is usually only two short stops in the middle of the night to take on water and change some crew. Dinner, breakfast (bagels,muffins, juice, and cereal) and a movie are provided in your ticket. The cars are double deckers. If you do coach, you can request to sit downstairs for a few more dollars. The downstairs is usually for people that can't climb stais. It is a smaller area with fewer seats. There are also sleepers, economy (2 people), family room, and deluxe ( with a shower and bathroom). Right now they are offerring a special with code H146 for 30 % off the fare. (Found the code on the Amtrak site.) I just rebooked our trip to take advantage of the reduced fares. As I said we love the trip.

 

[DC7800]

Here is a link for sample Amtrak dining car menus, in this case from the Southwest Chief (Chicago to Los Angeles). The Silver Meteor menu will be different, reflecting cuisine from the regions in which the train passes, but this will give you an idea of prices and the types of meals offered.

http://www.crewten.com/dining_car_menu.html

Also, you might call Amtrak and ask them to send you a copy of the 2001 Amtrak Travel Planner, which will answer many questions you may have not even thought of yet.

About those outlets for the TV; yes, every coach has electrical outlets, but the critical point is where they are located. In some cars, they are in the restrooms or nearby (intended for electric razors, etc). Many coaches do not have outlets at every seat, and the ones that do are often business class cars. Sorry I can't be more specific on this.

 

[DC7800]

Forgot one more thing...CoachUSA operates the connecting bus from the Orlando, FL station to Walt Disney World.

 

[gofenmom]

bump