Autotrain LOVED IT!! (w/pics)

[DE2Disney]

We took the Autotrain from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL in July. We LOVED it!! Amtrak was offering a "kids ride free" promotion this summer so it was hands down the best transportation value for our family of five. Our rail tickets included Dinner and Breakfast in the dining car. There was also a lounge car with plenty of seating and a little snack bar with pizza, candy, chips, soft drinks and adult beverages. They also served free cookies and coffee 24/7. Throughout the evening they showed movies in the lounge car. I really liked the fact that every seat had an electrical outlet, so I was able to use my laptop as much as I wanted. We decided to ride coach and save some $$. The coach seats are very large with a huge amount of room between you and the seat in front of you. The train departs at 4pm and arrives at 9:30am the next morning. They make one stop in Georgia to switch conductors. Once we arrived in Florida, it took about 30 minutes for Amtrak to get our van to us. I would say the train ride was one of the big highlights of our trip. I would definitely do it again in the future.

Station in Lorton, VA

Station in Lorton, VA

Station in Lorton, VA

Worlds longest passenger train

Sample of space between coach seats

Coach Car

Car uhh... Car

Electric YES!!

Bed time. We were able to each have our own set of seats going and coming. The train was only about half full.

DS relaxing in the lounge car

Dining car set up for Breakfast

 

[dromio42]

Thanks for the info and the pictures - I had been wondering about the outlets for our dvd player...thanks

 

[dznyacct]

Thanks for your report and the pictures . Three of my sisters and I took the Autotrain with our parents from KY to Sanford ~ 32 years ago . I LOVED the train ride and my little sisters (~ 8 at the time) really liked watching cartoons in the dining car after breakfast. One sister did have a messy incident with drinking a little too much grape soda for a bumpy train ride , but all in all a great way to travel.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I love these pics! Looks like a great time and a great idea!

 

[DisGal520]

DE2Disney


Got your PM.

Thank you so much for posting these pictures. Hope to try the train within the year.

DisGal

 

[Snow Shoe]

I've always wondered how Autotrain worked and looked. That was very interesting.

 

[IndianaPrincess]

Cool - I've never seen pics! Thanks!

 

[bdcp]

We're taking the AT for the third time this Nov. You obviously had the new/renovated cars. That upholstery is new and different and the outlets at the seat are also new. I knew they had upgraded cars, but didn't know if they had upgraded EVERY car yet. On the old cars, there were only about 2 outlets for the entire car which meant my laptop battery that lasts only 3 hours got used up pretty quickly.

 

[lisareniff]

Thanks for the pics. I've always been curious about the AT.

 

[siouxi31]

Great photos! Thank you for sharing.

 

[pbharris4]

Thank you for those pics!!! I don't live far from Lorton and we've always wanted to try to A train, but the sleeper cars are so expensive. I think we will defintely consider just going coach next year!

 

[Disney_Gram]

I wish we were able to take the auto train, but Va is the only location to get it, but I have entertained the thought of taking the train. I think it would be fun. How was the ride itself? Did you feel confined? We are suppose to be going in Oct and would then rent a car from there. Just trying to convience my daughter it would be fun and that it will not take any more time then driving which is about a 6-7 hr drive.

 

[suzimar57]

i'd always wondered what it looked like to ride the auto train - thank you so much for posting the pictures, it looked really good, comfortable and i still can't get over how much legroom!!!

 

[bdcp]

Thanks for your report and the pictures . Three of my sisters and I took the Autotrain with our parents from KY to Sanford ~ 32 years ago . I LOVED the train ride and my little sisters (~ 8 at the time) really liked watching cartoons in the dining car after breakfast. One sister did have a messy incident with drinking a little too much grape soda for a bumpy train ride , but all in all a great way to travel.

From KY 32 years ago on the Auto Train? You mean the original Auto Train, not Amtrak. Amtrak took over the Auto Train in the early 80's. Prior to that from the 70's until the early 80's it was a private venture that ran from Lorton to Sanford and from Louisville, KY to Sanford, FL (for a very short time). It's a different ride now. LOL.

 

[dakutoo]

I'm so glad you guys posted these pictures! My DH and I were kicking around the idea of taking the auto train to DW in May... I'm pretty sure we're going to do it now. To be honest.. I'm looking forward to the train as much as everything else Thanks!

 

[riu girl]

DE2Disney,

Can you please share with me how you found out about the kids ride free and breakfast/dinner plan?

I have been onthe amtrak site and not able to locate this info.

Thank you

 

[DE2Disney]

I found the kids ride free discount code on Mousesavers.com. You had to book by June 1st so the deal is over now, however, they still have a bunch of other discount codes available. Here's a link.
http://www.mousesavers.com/train.html#fares
The Dinner and Breakfast automatically comes with your autotrain ticket. When you check in the first thing they ask you to do is choose which dinner seating you would like (5:30p, 7:30p or 9:30p). Breakfast is first come first serve. I posted a couple of food pics over in the Restaurant area. Here's a link.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1919687&page=13

Also, someone asked if the train ride was smooth. For the most part it was very smooth, every now and then you would hit a bumpy area of the track and the car would have a slight sway. The thing that surprised me the most was how quiet and peaceful the cars are. You especially appreciate it when you walk from one car to another and open the connecting doors. That's when you realize how incredibly LOUD!! the train is from the outside.

 

[toystorymom]

We also used the kids ride free promotion, just returned a few days ago. We also loved the AT and would definitely do it again. Past summers I have seen the promotion on the Amtrak website but never saw it this year. I only learned about it here on the DIS and booked it as soon as I could. We thought it was a great alternative to driving!

 

[bdcp]

The kids ride free deal is usually during the summer. The reality is what usually costs the most is your vehicle. Your amtrak ticket includes your auto, your seat, breakfast, dinner, limited snacks, coffee, water on tap and a movie shown in the lounge car several times a night. Regular Amtrak trains do not include meals so that's confusing to those that have ridden Amtrak, but not the Auto Train. The food onboard is actually pretty good. We always carry snacks and a couple of drinks in case we want something extra.

 

[Denise123]

One of the most important things concerning the auto train is that the earlier you make the reservation the cheaper the price. The cost rises as you get closer to the departure date.