Auto train - did you sleep?

[nancyj]

We are going to WDW at the end of June and are considering taking the Auto Train instead of flying. The cost of flying and renting a car (we always rent a car) vs. taking the train is about the same. Taking time away from vacation for the train is not really an issue as we would add the additional travel time before our first day/after our last day at WDW (essentially making our trip 2 days longer).
My question is for those of you who have taken the Auto Train - we would get a family sleeping cabin and we are wondering if you are really able to sleep on the train. My kids (they will be 3 and 6 at vacation time) can sleep pretty much anywhere - I'm more concerned about DH and me. I would hate to arrive at WDW early in the morning with 2 active kids and a full day ahead of me if I did not sleep the night before! I appreciate any info you can offer on the train. From what I've read it sounds like it might be fun. (BTW, DS *really* wants to take the train!)
Thanks!
-- Nancy

 

[tammy]

We just returned from our first autotrain trip. Let me first say that I work for Amtrak so this was a free ride for us. It was myself, dh and ds who is 16 years.

I was very worried about this trip because I didn't know what to expect. Well, I was plesantly surprised. (not because I work for them either) We had coach seats. The seats have alot of leg room. I know because I have been on the trains going to NYC and while they are comfortable, the autotrain was extremely comfortable.

After we ate dinner at 7 pm there was a movie showing (Rat Race) we sat this one out. By 9 pm we were fast asleep. The one problem was there was a big time snorer (if that's a word) in our car. It was soooo loud that you could not sleep. Everyone was complaining. There was nothing you could do but suck it up. That made for a very long trip down.

Coming back was great. There were lots of families with teenagers so ds had someone to talk to. I slept the entire way home. I was so refreshed when we got home.

The food was good. The choices were, meatloaf, baked cod or veggie lasagna. Desserts were, ice cream with chocolate or strawberry toppings and cheesecake with the same toppings. The breakfast is continental which consisted of, cold cereal, bagels, muffins, bananas, orange juice, coffee or tea.

The movie coming back home was America's Sweethearts.

We decided that we would definately do it again (even if I didn't work for Amtrak ). We loved having access to our car while in WDW.

I am sure that I am forgetting something. If you have anymore questions please ask away.

 

[disneyczy]

Can you give me their web address or phone number??

Thanks

 

[tammy]

The web address is www.amtrak.com and the phone number is 1-800-USARAIL.

 

[Sandyrella]

We took the Auto Train north on January 7th. Myself, DH, DS 11, DD 9 and DS 4. While we did enjoy the experience in general and we did manage to get some pretty decent ZZ's in coach, it was very frustrating for us to arrive in Lorton almost two hours late! We had planned on arriving around 8:30-9:00 but the train didn't get in until about 10:30. We didn't get our car until almost 11:30 which meant we got on the road much later than anticipated. With an additional 10-11 hour drive still ahead of us, we found this to be completely unacceptable. We ended up getting home at close to 11:00 p.m. It cost us in Canadian $$ over 1300.00 so considering this amount, I didn't feel it was worth the frustration.

The train was practically empty and the 5 of us were each able to have our own double seat for sleeping. The seats were very comfortable with plenty of leg room, including a leg rest and a foot rest. There was only two other families in the car, one family with 5 kids and one mother and her DD so overall, it was very quiet. The fact that the train was practically empty but we didn't get our car until almost 11:30 left us wondering how long it would have taken if the train had been full during a busy time of year. There is no particular order in receiving you car so I guess we were unlucky but it would not have been an issue if the train had arrived on time. I heard a woman in the dining car telling someone that her southbound train had arrived late as well. If you have a day planned at the parks, this would be quite upsetting!

Additionally, after being treated like royalty at the YC and everywhere else in WDW, I found the service of the Amtrak staff to be lacking. They did not smile and the dining car staff were somewhat rude in the way they spoke to us. After they took our dinner order I turned to my husband and said "looks like we're not in Kansas anymore". It was a "rude" awakening into reality.

Overall, we did enjoy the train trip but the fact that they cannot seem to a schedule would deter us from doing it again.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

Sandy

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Hi,
I took the AutoTrain home last Saturday, from Sanford to Lorton. I had a standard sleeper, which sleeps two people. I actually did not sleep that great, but that is just me - I have a difficult time sleeping anywhere but my own mattress! But I love the train - I will not fly so it is a great option to have! I had a nice time - I chatted with various people and watched the movie Rat Race (everyone at my dinner table really liked it!) On a previous trip, I slept in a family sleeper and liked the extra room we had. I traveled with my sister and her two small girls, aged 2 and 4, and the family sleeper was fine for the four us. The kids actually slept pretty good, and we had a hard time waking them for breakfast! I always thought the Amtrak staff was great and friendly, and I always liked the food, too! On my most recent trip, we came into Lorton early, about 8:00 am, and actually had to wait a few extra minutes until the staff arrived in the station to unload us!

My only complaint about the train is that my car appears to have been damaged on my last trip - my wheel ball bearing broke .... but I have an older car so it may have had a problem beforehand anyways .... even so, I am still a big fan of the AutoTrain!

<img src="http://home.att.net/~swill70/hugsmall3.gif">