Amtrak Questions

[spartankid34]

I would love, love, love to hear what you think about using this combo of train/plane! Please let me know how it went when you come home!

This seems to be the most affordable way for our family of 5, without having to have the stress of driving all of those miles ourselves. I figure once we board the train we will be on "on our way" without having to worry about where we are going to stay overnight or where our next meal will be. I plan on packing a insulated tote bag with all of our food for the trip. I think I will plan on doing lunch in Penn Station if possible and then dinner of sandwiches and salad, and possibly breakfast from the cafe car. So excited! Too bad we still have months before we actually get to go!!

I will for sure let you know how it goes!! Our original plan to save money was to drive, but it seemed so stressful!! I like the idea of lunch at Penn station...for some reason I hadn't even thought of that THANKS!!! Have fun planning your trip!

 

[spartankid34]

We got back from our trip 5 days ago, and I wanted to make sure that I came back here and let you know how it went, with the train/plane combo. First of all, the train going down went really smooth. We went from Boston to NYC, then from NYC to Kissimmee. The train was really quick for the first leg, and quite longer for the second leg, but we brought plenty to keep us busy (travel size scrabble, books, and dvds). We were on the 97 Silver Meteor, and had outlets at EACH coach seat. Traveling in coach was...COZY, to say the least, I'm not so sure I would do this again...next time I miht save some more $ us and splurge for the room, only because it was really hard to sleep.

By the time we woke up in the morning we were in Georgia, and we went and got breakfast in the dining car...REALLY COOL, and I nice break from the sandwiches we paked. I must say, that by the time breakfast was over, I really wanted off the train...not because it wasn't a good ride...it was just long, and after awhile, doing something over and over can get boring LOL!! Maybe it was my patience going, but it seemed to get really loud in the car toward the end of the trip...otherwise everyone seemed to be very respectful on the train.

We arrived ON TIME, absolutely no delays this trip, yay!! And got a taxi right outside of the station....plenty of them waiting! Taxi was 35, before tip!

The plane ride home....SO NICE...it was quick, and it was really nice to just be home. I think that if I had to sit on a train again it would have ruined vacation...only because I think that when vacation is over, it should be over...and I want to be home...so I can cry in peace hahaha!!

All in all, if I had to take the train again, I would...but only if I HAD to. Not because it was bad, it was a perfectly fine way of getting to Disney....I would just want to get there wuicker and start my vacation sooner. For us this trip, it was more cost efficient, and worked for us! Hope that helps!

 

[rgarcia21]

My family and I are planning a trip from Boston to WDW April of 2012. We found the cost of taking Amtrak would be far less than flying for our family. I'm worried about a few things however....

Delays on Amtrak...We would board our train in Boston at approx. 9am and stop in NYC at 145. Our next leg would board at 3:15pm. I have heard that Amtrak can run into some significant delays. I'm worried about being able to make the next train at 3:15 if there is less than 2 hours time between getting off the first train and getting on the second. What happens if we miss the next train? Are we just stuck there?

Coach Seating....We are not able to afford buying the rooms on the train and and I was wondering if anyone has any pointers for staying in coach with 3 children (ages 4, 6, and 9). They are pretty good travelers but have never been on a trip of this length.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!!!!

I have the same situation. My family of 5 are traveling from Philly to WDW in October 2011. My kids are 8, 5 and 3. I'll post here with my experience.

 

[rgarcia21]

When you arrive in Orlando or Kissimmee, how did you get to WDW? Rental, car service, ot taxi? We have 8 in our party. Thanks for the tips!

 

[BillyBuff]

When you arrive in Orlando or Kissimmee, how did you get to WDW? Rental, car service, ot taxi? We have 8 in our party. Thanks for the tips!

I'll be arriving at the Orlando Amtrak station on Sept. 4 and will be heading to AKL via Mears taxi service. This will be the 3rd Amtrak trip for us.

People have been asking me why I didn't get off at the Kissimmee station because it's closer. I guess it's a habit of booking it to arrive at the Orlando station?

You can reserve a ride prior to arriving at your station instead of trying to find one right after your arrival.

 

[nkereina]

I once took Amtrak from Rochester, NY to NYC. It's about a 6 hour drive by car, scheduled to take 8 hours by train. For whatever reason, the train was very delayed arriving into Rochester, about 3 hours late. The trip to NYC was stalled at one point so it took about 10 hours to get there. Other than that, it was a pretty comfortable and scenic way to travel. We had coach tickets but one of the back cars had rows of empty seating they let us sit in. The seats reclined and had foot rests that came out. They were great, but I am not sure what class they were. The food was mediocre - pre-made subs with lunch meats, a bag of chips and a cookie. It was a box lunch they handed each of us. Being your trip is longer, I don't know what other offerings they might have. It was easy to walk around and we spent some time in the car where they sold drinks and snacks. I stayed away from the cars where the beds were - it smelled and it was packed. I met someone traveling from Arizona to Maine and had been on the train for 5 days, presumably with no shower. It skeeved me out a little bit. I also remember it getting cold, so definitely bring a blanket!

 

[lisa-upnorth]

I'll be arriving at the Orlando Amtrak station on Sept. 4 and will be heading to AKL via Mears taxi service. This will be the 3rd Amtrak trip for us.

People have been asking me why I didn't get off at the Kissimmee station because it's closer. I guess it's a habit of booking it to arrive at the Orlando station?

You can reserve a ride prior to arriving at your station instead of trying to find one right after your arrival.

you can get off anywhere you want there is no one that says get off now here in orlando. If ya wanna stay on a leave in Kiss do it and save a wee bit of $ on taxi

 

[MeMomof3]

SpartanKid, thanks so much for the information! I was looking forward to your report. I feel the same way about when vacation is over, it's over. That's part of the reason for flying home rather than taking the train again. I think the kiddos will be able to hang in there for the long ride down to WDW but they will definitely not have a good experience if we were to take the train back to Boston.

Does anyone in your family suffer from motion sickness? I am very prone to it, and am worried about the rocking motion of the train making me ill. That would not be a good 25 hour ride!!

Thanks again for the info! I really appreciate it!