Autotrain...How far in advance

[shadowryter]

do you book? We are planning on leaving Dec 1...when do you think I should book for 3 coach seats and a mid-size SUV? Do the prices increase as your time of travel nears? TIA.
Linda

 

[Henlady]

We generally book about 6 months out, depending on when we are traveling.
If you know your travel dates, I would go ahead and book now. There is a "tier" system to their seating charges. When the first group of seating is sold at the minimum price, it goes up for the next tier, and so on. If you call AMTRAK and book over the phone, they will be able to e-mail you a voucher to use to pick your tickets up at either a nearby AMTRAK station or at the AutoTrain station the day you travel. As long as they do not actually issue the "hard" ticket(s), there is no penalty for cancelling or moving your dates around. Once the ticket is printed, there is a charge for changes or cancellations. I generally pick up my actual tickets about 2 weeks before travel.
I also believe there is a limited number of spaces for SUV's.
Good luck and have a wonderful trip.

 

[pixeegrl]

You can book online and get the email confirmation too with out the actual tickets. It's easier if you need to cancel, that way you are able to get a full refund....as long as you don't have tickets sent to you remember...

 

[Joyful3Heart]

Definitely book over the phone. Since the Autotrain is their most profitable line, Amtrak has dedicated autotrain reservations operators. I saved over $200 booking over the phone vs what I was quoted online. Their number is 1-877-SKIP-I95. Don't forget to mention if you have AAA. I think it saved us 10%. Happy Planning!

 

[Joyful3Heart]

I forgot to mention that the telephone operators take your email address and also send you the email confirmation so you don't need to pick up the tickets until the day of arrival.
I also agree to book now, before the price goes up. I was told that we could cancel a sleeper for a full refund up to a week in advance and coach/auto fees could be cancelled up to the day before departure. This liberal policy really helped us decide to book early, and I'm glad we did. The sleeper we booked in october for may was already in its second tier, it is now over $500 one way.
Good Luck