Amtrak to St. Augustine (Palatka, FL)

[RedSox68]

Both the Silver Star and Silver Meteor have New York-Penn Station and Miami as their endpoints. Those are the only trains that have service between Philadelphia and Florida; there is no other Amtrak train between Philadelphia and Florida. They use Viewliner equipment, which is single level. The only equipment change during the route is a locomotive switch in DC. They may switch locomotives in Philadelphia in some cases. The Silver Star and Silver Meteor take different routes along the way, but take the same route through Georgia.

Here's the schedule for trains 91/97/98/92:

https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/616/295/Silver-Service-Palmetto-Schedule-110216.pdf

To clarify -- you are right and the agent who booked our rooms apparently doesn't know her trains. I got an email from Amtrak with an answer to that very question and they confirmed that these trains are only one level. Not sure why the agent specified that she got us a second level room. Maybe she thought we wanted to sleep on top of the train LOL

Very excited - booked our fare and the very next day the prices went up.

So anyone with tips for St. Augustine -- where to stay, places to eat and what not to miss -- it would be most appreciated.

 

[bcla]

To clarify -- you are right and the agent who booked our rooms apparently doesn't know her trains. I got an email from Amtrak with an answer to that very question and they confirmed that these trains are only one level. Not sure why the agent specified that she got us a second level room. Maybe she thought we wanted to sleep on top of the train LOL

That's actually done in some parts of the world.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

We are thinking of taking Amtrak from Philadelphia to St. Augustine to see the Downton Abbey exhibit and visit the city. We'll be getting a roomette. Anyone done it? Tips or suggestions?

Just an FYI for another mode of travel..........There is non stop air service from Philly to Saint Augustine's Northeast Regional Airport.



Frontier Airlines offers seasonal service to/from St. Augustine and Philadelphia (PHL).
Service resumes April 21, 2017. Book today at www.flyfrontier.com
Contact Information
Reservations: 1.800.432.1359
www.FlyFrontier.com

 

[RedSox68]

Just an FYI for another mode of travel..........There is non stop air service from Philly to Saint Augustine's Northeast Regional Airport.

Frontier Airlines offers seasonal service to/from St. Augustine and Philadelphia (PHL).
Service resumes April 21, 2017. Book today at www.flyfrontier.com
Contact Information
Reservations: 1.800.432.1359
www.FlyFrontier.com

Thank you, but of course I know there are faster and slightly cheaper modes of transportation -- the whole point of doing this was to experience the train trip aspect as my parents and I did these trips when I was a kid. In the future we are hoping to do one of the Canadian Rail trips, so this will be a good preview. When I booked it yesterday, I got a cheaper price for being seniors, so win win -- and our meals are included.

 

[bellebud]

Enjoy! I love the train. Took it roundtrip from NY to Fl 3 times in a sleeper room (bigger than a roomette).

But the roomettes look great too. I love the dining car and the food (meaning for train food, it's pretty good). And I just love the whole experience.

 

[RedSox68]

Enjoy! I love the train. Took it roundtrip from NY to Fl 3 times in a sleeper room (bigger than a roomette).

But the roomettes look great too. I love the dining car and the food (meaning for train food, it's pretty good). And I just love the whole experience.

Thanks. Looking forward to it.

 

[elgerber]

I have no advice, never been on a train. But I have to say I have just spent wayyyyy too much time looking at videos and pictures of train rooms now LOL.

 

[RedSox68]

I have no advice, never been on a train. But I have to say I have just spent wayyyyy too much time looking at videos and pictures of train rooms now LOL.

it can be addictive

 

[jetskigrl]

Thank you, but of course I know there are faster and slightly cheaper modes of transportation -- the whole point of doing this was to experience the train trip aspect as my parents and I did these trips when I was a kid. In the future we are hoping to do one of the Canadian Rail trips, so this will be a good preview. When I booked it yesterday, I got a cheaper price for being seniors, so win win -- and our meals are included.

I'm sure you will enjoy it My DS and I are doing a cross-country (sort of) Amtrak trip next month for his Spring Break. He is beyond excited (he is a huge rail fan). We will be on the Coast Starlight, Empire Builder and Southwest Chief.

 

[JKLLady]

Have you arranged for a rental car? Palatka is about 45 minutes from Old Town St. Augustine & the train station doesn't even have a ticket window. My daughter has taken the train to Miami from Palatka, and it's just a quick stop on the line. Palatka is not a bustling town & depending on the time you get there, transportation to St. Augustine could be difficult.
As to hotels, I'd suggest looking at St. Augustine Beach or on SR 16 near the outlets and 95 to keep costs down
The Downton Abbey exhibit will be at the Lightner Museum, which is across the King Street from Flagler College. Make sure to take the Flagler tour to see the main building (large collection of Tiffany glass/windows) and incredible woodwork, and tour Whetstone Chocolates and the St. Augustine Distillery.
Food runs from quick service to fine dining, both in Old Town and on Anatasia Island (St. Aug Beach). Try Salt Life on the Island, and Carmello's on King St. across from the police station is great for pizza, subs and eggplant parm, and the Ice House at the St. Aug Distillery is also good.

 

[RedSox68]

Have you arranged for a rental car? Palatka is about 45 minutes from Old Town St. Augustine & the train station doesn't even have a ticket window. My daughter has taken the train to Miami from Palatka, and it's just a quick stop on the line. Palatka is not a bustling town & depending on the time you get there, transportation to St. Augustine could be difficult.
As to hotels, I'd suggest looking at St. Augustine Beach or on SR 16 near the outlets and 95 to keep costs down
The Downton Abbey exhibit will be at the Lightner Museum, which is across the King Street from Flagler College. Make sure to take the Flagler tour to see the main building (large collection of Tiffany glass/windows) and incredible woodwork, and tour Whetstone Chocolates and the St. Augustine Distillery.
Food runs from quick service to fine dining, both in Old Town and on Anatasia Island (St. Aug Beach). Try Salt Life on the Island, and Carmello's on King St. across from the police station is great for pizza, subs and eggplant parm, and the Ice House at the St. Aug Distillery is also good.

Thank you so very much for the suggestions. I have pre-arranged a car with Enterprise who has a pick-up shuttle at the station. We are there one day longer than originally planned, so are thinking of doing a side trip to Downtown Disney and a monorail resorts tour, or go to Kennedy Space Center.

 

[RedSox68]

I've done a few Amtrak trips (including DC-Tampa, so that general corridor). I really like Amtrak. The last one I was on I got a roomette and I'm now spoiled (can't travel without it). I love seeing the scenery, though admittedly that east coast is the most boring of the ones I have done (don't quite have the views of going over the Rockies).

For tips, as of when I went, you can bring alcohol if you are in a roomette, which is nice. Also, you can bring any snacks you want, so make sure to pack some stuff. In a roomette, food is included, and the food is better than you expect (it's not great, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be). Overall it's a nice relaxing way to travel (I hate planes).

Just curious, how many stops does the train make once it leaves Washington? I figure we'll have to stop in Washington out of Philly, but wonder if there are any other stops since it's such a long trip.

Also, when getting back on to return, do they make you wait to board so they can clean the rooms? Thanks.

 

[bcla]

Just curious, how many stops does the train make once it leaves Washington? I figure we'll have to stop in Washington out of Philly, but wonder if there are any other stops since it's such a long trip.

Also, when getting back on to return, do they make you wait to board so they can clean the rooms? Thanks.

Silver Star or Silver Meteor? They take slightly different routes around South Carolina. It's a general purpose train, and making lots of stops is part of making it viable to serve passengers along the way. The Auto Train is the only Amtrak route I know of which is point to point only.

Trains are not typically serviced while you wait. Both the Silver Star and Silver Meteor arrive in Miami in the evening and leave in the morning. The trains will typically be serviced in the Amtrak yard in Hialeah. If you have a room starting in Palatka, there's a good chance that it wasn't used out of Miami. If rooms are reused during the same trip, they'll typically work enough time between stops to service the rooms before new passengers arrive. There might be a few passengers using a room from Miami to Palatka, but that part of the trip is not during normal sleeping hours.

 

[RedSox68]

Silver Star or Silver Meteor? They take slightly different routes around South Carolina. It's a general purpose train, and making lots of stops is part of making it viable to serve passengers along the way. The Auto Train is the only Amtrak route I know of which is point to point only.

Trains are not typically serviced while you wait. Both the Silver Star and Silver Meteor arrive in Miami in the evening and leave in the morning. The trains will typically be serviced in the Amtrak yard in Hialeah. If you have a room starting in Palatka, there's a good chance that it wasn't used out of Miami. If rooms are reused during the same trip, they'll typically work enough time between stops to service the rooms before new passengers arrive. There might be a few passengers using a room from Miami to Palatka, but that part of the trip is not during normal sleeping hours.

Thank you so much -- informative explanation. I honestly didn't even know our train went to Miami -- which is good to know for the future. We are on both the Silver Star and the Silver Meteor -- going down on the one without the dining car and coming back on the one with the dining car. We picked them for the departure times and it just worked out that way. And I booked our tickets the day before they went up -- so we saved a few bucks.

 

[bcla]

Thank you so much -- informative explanation. I honestly didn't even know our train went to Miami -- which is good to know for the future. We are on both the Silver Star and the Silver Meteor -- going down on the one without the dining car and coming back on the one with the dining car. We picked them for the departure times and it just worked out that way. And I booked our tickets the day before they went up -- so we saved a few bucks.

I understand that the occasional passenger books a room just for a day trip. Some might ask for the beds to be put down to nap. Others like the included meals, as well as being allowed to consume personal alcohol in the room. The price may be fairly reasonable.

 

[RedSox68]

Well talking about the train trip with one of my co-workers, she got the bug to take the train for their trip in December also. They are taking the auto train because they are staying there three weeks, but she is like me and hates to drive and would have had to rent a car anyway -- so this is actually cheaper for them to take their own car. They're so excited.

My DD and I might do a mother/daughter trip to Universal next year on the auto train. Then I can share the train experience with her like I did with my Mom 50+ years ago coming up from Miami.

 

[bcla]

Well talking about the train trip with one of my co-workers, she got the bug to take the train for their trip in December also. They are taking the auto train because they are staying there three weeks, but she is like me and hates to drive and would have had to rent a car anyway -- so this is actually cheaper for them to take their own car. They're so excited.

My DD and I might do a mother/daughter trip to Universal next year on the auto train. Then I can share the train experience with her like I did with my Mom 50+ years ago coming up from Miami.

I've heard an interesting story about the Auto Train from before Amtrak ran it. A reporter wanted to write about the experience, and had to have a vehicle. So he rented one near the origin as a one way rental to Florida. When he drops off the car they're asking if he turned back the odometer because there's less than 100 miles on it. It was also in the 70s, and I think unlimited mileage would have been unusual. So there might have been an incentive to cheat.

 

[RedSox68]

I've heard an interesting story about the Auto Train from before Amtrak ran it. A reporter wanted to write about the experience, and had to have a vehicle. So he rented one near the origin as a one way rental to Florida. When he drops off the car they're asking if he turned back the odometer because there's less than 100 miles on it. It was also in the 70s, and I think unlimited mileage would have been unusual. So there might have been an incentive to cheat.

Too funny.