Anyone do Amtrak from DC to Disney????

[ashleyd725@hotmail.c]

We live south of Pittsburgh and are looking into different methods of getting to Disney.
I have flown before but not since having children and I have turned into quite a chicken since having them. The thought of us flying gives a serious panic attacks thinking of the what ifs.
We have driven down twice but we always stop and stay over and all that.
I was thinking the Amtrak at least we can all rest and I dont have to worry about falling out of the sky.
I would not want to get a sleeping car because I just think its too $$$ because we would need two.
Is it possible to do in regular seats, if you have done it what was your experience.???
We would be going overnight so I think the kids would sleep most time.

 

[scouthawkk]

Not sure about a regular Amtrak tain, but we took the autotrain from Lorton, Va in August '08. It was DH, myself, DS-5 at the time, and my two sisters in law-12 and 15 at the time. On the way down, we had the general reserved seats. It was ok. A little hard to get comfortable for sleeping, but we all managed. Though, I do wish we would have brought blankets or something to hang from the over head area to block out some more of th asile lighting. DH thought I was crazy for suggesting it, but understood why after we got down there. The food was ok, but bring your own snacks/drinks. We brought games and puzzles for the kids, and portable dvd players. The oldest had a video ipod that a friend loaned her, the other two kids took turns picking movies for the dvd player, and DH and I watched movies on my laptop.

On the way back up, we splurged for the family sleeping room. DH and I shared the double, and the kids each had their own single bed to sleep on. It was ok. Not sure I'd spend the money on it again. It was a little cramped with all of our stuff. The food for the sleeping cars was a little better in choice and quality than for general reserved seating. But I would say that was the only real perk, other than being able to have it a little darker for sleeping (but that would be easy to do with a blanket or something hanging from the over head area in reserved seating). We were still glad we had our own snacks/drinks with us because the snacks get eaten quickly, and you have to pay for sodas and stuff like that. Cheaper to bring our own.

The drive to and from the station in Sanford, Fl. was pretty easy. Didn't take too long at all, and it was really nice to have our own vehicle on property with us, too.

I know there was a link on the transportation board with info about the autotrain, at least when we were originally looking into it.

Hope that helps. I think that would be the only way we'd get down there again. Don't have to worry about driving down the entire way or dealing with the airport mess. The Sanford station is on the small side, but it is pretty easy to deal with.

 

[shaylahc1]

There was a thread on here (or was it the budget board?) recently about taking the Amtrak to Disney. Most people who did it say they would never do it again. I took my children from Charlotte NC to Washington DC by Amtrak and it was a really miserable experience. I didn't realize that trains are often running late (we were 3 hours behind schedule the first time, 2 hours behind on the way back). Temperature control inside the trains was awful, it was HOT (dead of winter!) and you couldn't open any windows. People were sweating and it stunk! By the time we got to our destinations the trash cans were overflowing, the bathrooms were filthy and it was just smelly and gross. It was like riding a big giant bus.

I am claustrophobic and I hate to fly but I would never take another Amtrak that far again. IMHO anything longer than 5 hours on a train is just too long

 

[ashleyd725@hotmail.c]

Darn I was really getting excited about it!
Anyone have any good experiences?

 

[abolanwoski]

also, if you're doing it for safety reasons (fear of flying) then you should know that you are WAY more likely to die in an auto accident on your way to the train station than you are in a plane crash to and from Disney (just a thought to cheer you up )

 

[ashleyd725@hotmail.c]

also, if you're doing it for safety reasons (fear of flying) then you should know that you are WAY more likely to die in an auto accident on your way to the train station than you are in a plane crash to and from Disney (just a thought to cheer you up )

DH tells me all the time we are more likely to be in a car accident then a plane crash. Then I tell him at least if I am in a car crash I have a chance of surviving, If a plane crashes, chances aren't so high! lol
Its a fear, never said it was logical

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Here is part of our trip report from July 2009, describing our experience on the AutoTrain:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32786941&postcount=36

To sum up: It was nice to do once, but we won't do it again. Probably.