Autotrain LOVED IT!! (w/pics)

[dsnycrzy]

DE2Disney,
I love the auto train too however my stimulus check didn't come before the sale ended so I had to drive. NEVER AGAIN!!!!. I came home starting my dollar envelope for next years auto train . Too many "are we there yets", 4 children in seats that seat 3, so complaining of being swished. Never never drive for me. Not to mention I did the AAA fuel cost thing that told me rountrip gas for my car would be about $350. I get there add my gas receipts and it is $245 . So round trip my gas was close to $500. My cost for the auto train would have been $624. I would have gladly spent that $124 for the train .

Glad you enjoyed your trip.

 

[spalady]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.....right???

 

[DC7800]

Okay then. The speed limit at most is around 55 mph. I highly doubt they were "flying". Amtrak has to deal with CSX trains and do not have priority. If you were motion sick that means you are prone to it. Who told you they were "high balling"? Also, they do tend to pick up speed overnight due to the more rural areas they are in and less overall traffic which is where they do make up time, but not because they are speeding. A lot of the times, they are moving at less than 50 mph. The train is not "jumping" off the tracks. If you ever watch a train, the car may sway some side to side and while it appears to "jump" while onboard, the wheels do not leave the track. They're meant to sway somewhat so as to absorb the bumps, etc.

Actually, top speed for Auto-Train is 70 mph (79 for 'regular' trains), but much of the time you are moving slower. While Amtrak legally has priority over CSX's freight movements, that statute has been too frequently broken for some 37 years now. More importantly, just train congestion ("traffic jams") holds everybody up, putting Auto-Train off schedule. When everything goes right and CSX puts on its best behavior, Auto-Train can make the Lorton-Sanford trip significantly faster than what's shown in the timetable.

A "high-Ball' is a railroad term used to refer to a signal indication. Essentially, the train has authorization to proceed at track speed (70 mph).

 

[bdcp]

I just felt the spalady was a little too dramatic and was trying to make people think that Amtrak was breaking rules in order to get to FL early. I don't think many people realize how tightly the laws on the rail system are enforced. Fines are very high and having ridden the Auto Train twice and read reviews by many, many people, I've never seen anyone complain about it going too fast. Spalady, yes you are entitled to your opinion, but your post would lead someone to believe that Amtrak was breaking the rules and speeding. That's something that needs to be based on facts, not your opinion. You also said something about the conductor must have been drinking? Don't you think that's a little dramatic? It doesn't matter to me whether you like the train or not, but stick to facts and less drama please.

 

[musical2]

We have taken the Auto Train the last four times to WDW. We have flown. We have driven. We actually like the Auto Train best. There are five of us (me, DW, 3 DDs), sometimes six if we take our AuPair. This seems to be our best option. We get to have our own minivan with us. We pack the minivan well, so we have everything we want to take with us and not worry about airline restrictions on luggage and such. We are not bothered by the rocking motion of the train. We seem to sleep OK. We have been in both coach and the sleepers. We splurged on the sleeper car on the way back from Florida one time in December when we checked in at Sanford and they offered us a very good deal for the family room since the sleeper was just about empty. We plan on going again August 2009 and will definitely be taking the Auto Train again. My girls just see this part of the trip as an adventure in itself.

 

[fairydust72]

Something must be wrong with my family and I because we just arrived home last week using the autotrain and hated every second of it. I had motion sickness so bad I still had it 2 days later!!!! We had a sleeper it was very tight!!!! Then at night they call it high balling (where they make up on time) and boy were they flying not sure if maybe the conductor was drinking high balls or what but he was going so fast it actually felt like the train was jumping the track. I will never ever do it again!!! I would rather walk home!!!!!

I have to agree about the motion sickness.I am very prone anyway but have never gotten sick on shorter train rides(3 or 4 hours) I wasnt sick on the train(I was able to read,watch movies etc.)but after I got off I had that feeling like I was still rocking a little for a day or so.Not debilitating just Felt a little strange.

I wish we had a sleeper.We had a full train and the car behind us was partying(huge family group) and had to cut through our car for dining etc and did so upto 1 am.I am such a light sleeper I only had about an hour of sleep.

We wound up having to drive back(Fay) and decided we didnt mind the drive and it wound up being $300 cheaper for us one way(we booked late and had an SUV).So not a horrendous experience at all but we think we will drive from now on.Its only every few years for us anyway(too expensive LOL)

I agree it was much bumpier than I had anticipated.Made me a little nervous sometimes but I am a worrywart LOL so dont go by me!!

 

[chartle]

I have to agree about the motion sickness.I am very prone anyway but have never gotten sick on shorter train rides(3 or 4 hours) I wasnt sick on the train(I was able to read,watch movies etc.)but after I got off I had that feeling like I was still rocking a little for a day or so.Not debilitating just Felt a little strange.

I wish we had a sleeper.We had a full train and the car behind us was partying(huge family group) and had to cut through our car for dining etc and did so upto 1 am.I am such a light sleeper I only had about an hour of sleep.

We wound up having to drive back(Fay) and decided we didnt mind the drive and it wound up being $300 cheaper for us one way(we booked late and had an SUV).So not a horrendous experience at all but we think we will drive from now on.Its only every few years for us anyway(too expensive LOL)

I agree it was much bumpier than I had anticipated.Made me a little nervous sometimes but I am a worrywart LOL so dont go by me!!

Just got back and no one in my family had any issues with motion sickness. As for the train being bumpy, it seemed that we got the worst of it during our 7:00 PM seating.

Also we only had adults (not including my two older sons) in our car and when the lights went out at 10:00 everyone went beddie by (sp?).

We also had to drive back to Pgh (sat-sun) and realized it wasn't that bad of a drive. It would have been better if we planned to do it though. If you didn't already know the reason why the Saturday train was cancelled was because the train from VA to FL didn't get in until 7:00 PM on Sat.

 

[fairydust72]

Just got back and no one in my family had any issues with motion sickness. As for the train being bumpy, it seemed that we got the worst of it during our 7:00 PM seating.

Also we only had adults (not including my two older sons) in our car and when the lights went out at 10:00 everyone went beddie by (sp?).

We also had to drive back to Pgh (sat-sun) and realized it wasn't that bad of a drive. It would have been better if we planned to do it though. If you didn't already know the reason why the Saturday train was cancelled was because the train from VA to FL didn't get in until 7:00 PM on Sat.

We had kids in our car but I cant complain about any of them.They were all quiet and did their own thing(including my own)Some of the adults were really unbelievable though! LOL But even still considering how many people were in the car it wasnt terrible at all.The people in the car behind were going in and out the doors until 1am. It was like a parade-nonstop-so a sleeper car wouldve been fine.Like I said everyone else seemed to sleep-Im the one with the problem=longest night of my life LOL.

I agree the drive would have been better if we had been able to be on the road by 6 or 7 am and were prepared with snacks etc.
We made it to South Carolina by 6pm(left Orlando area around 1 or 2).Stayed overnight and left at 6am and got home at 5pm stopping for bathrooms,gas and eating.Im thinking Pittsburgh would add a couple of hours on.We are one hour north of Harrisburg.

To me it seemed extremely bumpy from 12-6 am(maybe because I was awake in the dark and bored

 

[chartle]

We had kids in our car but I cant complain about any of them.They were all quiet and did their own thing(including my own)Some of the adults were really unbelievable though! LOL But even still considering how many people were in the car it wasnt terrible at all.The people in the car behind were going in and out the doors until 1am. It was like a parade-nonstop-so a sleeper car wouldve been fine.Like I said everyone else seemed to sleep-Im the one with the problem=longest night of my life LOL.

I agree the drive would have been better if we had been able to be on the road by 6 or 7 am and were prepared with snacks etc.
We made it to South Carolina by 6pm(left Orlando area around 1 or 2).Stayed overnight and left at 6am and got home at 5pm stopping for bathrooms,gas and eating.Im thinking Pittsburgh would add a couple of hours on.We are one hour north of Harrisburg.

To me it seemed extremely bumpy from 12-6 am(maybe because I was awake in the dark and bored

We went to Kissimmee to cash in our tickets and drove until 9:00 PM which got us to northern SC we got up 7:30 ish and got into PGH at 7:30 with a Cracker Barrel and a Burger King stop. Only good thing about the trip was we missed Breezewood .

I'm only getting over the whole ordeal (Week of wet weather and the long trip back) this morning.

 

[fairydust72]

I'm only getting over the whole ordeal (Week of wet weather and the long trip back) this morning.[/QUOTE]



I have to agree! I feel like I need a vacation from this vacation . My kids started school on Tuesday and we are all still trying to catch up.I just unpacked today.We will not cut it so close to school anymore.

On another note we got remnants of Fay today(cause youknow a whole week of her wasnt enough LOL).Gray and drizzley.

 

[fairydust72]

We also had to drive back to Pgh (sat-sun) and realized it wasn't that bad of a drive. It would have been better if we planned to do it though. If you didn't already know the reason why the Saturday train was cancelled was because the train from VA to FL didn't get in until 7:00 PM on Sat.[/QUOTE]


I was not aware of that.Amtrak told me the station had flooded.The funniest thing about is was that I had called Amtrak the night before and the woman assured me it would go as scheduled.We didnt get the call until about 11 am.

Those poor people coming in on that train.I know they say when they have huge delays they can run out of food so make sure you have snacks.What a way to start a vacation.I wouldve been climbing the walls or raiding the lounge car.

 

[disneysnob]

Something must be wrong with my family and I because we just arrived home last week using the autotrain and hated every second of it. I had motion sickness so bad I still had it 2 days later!!!! We had a sleeper it was very tight!!!! Then at night they call it high balling (where they make up on time) and boy were they flying not sure if maybe the conductor was drinking high balls or what but he was going so fast it actually felt like the train was jumping the track. I will never ever do it again!!! I would rather walk home!!!!!

We did it once, a couple of years ago.....NEVER again.
I wholeheartedly agree with you and your opinion. Unfortunately, our train was severly delayed, so there was obviously no "high-balling" going on. I'll join you in your walk home....we probably would have arrived quicker

 

[bdcp]

Just got back and no one in my family had any issues with motion sickness. As for the train being bumpy, it seemed that we got the worst of it during our 7:00 PM seating.

Also we only had adults (not including my two older sons) in our car and when the lights went out at 10:00 everyone went beddie by (sp?).

We also had to drive back to Pgh (sat-sun) and realized it wasn't that bad of a drive. It would have been better if we planned to do it though. If you didn't already know the reason why the Saturday train was cancelled was because the train from VA to FL didn't get in until 7:00 PM on Sat.

The reason you only had adults in your car is that they group travelers. There are family cars (those traveling with younger children), adults and families with older children (I think it's over 12) and
snowbirds each have their own trains. Singles and couples are in the cars with families with older kids. They turn the lights down in every car by 10.
We've always had great traveling companions on our trips. I've taken trains up and down the east coast and the AT is a much better overall class of people. You get a lot of commuters and individuals on the regular trains. We traveled in a car with a girl who spent almost the entire trip from DC to RI talking and cussing on a cell phone until her battery run out. The AT on the other hand, people are much more courteous. Of course, the family car tends to be loud and if you happen to be in a car with a group traveling together, it might be a little more boisterous.

We always take snacks on all modes of travel, because you can get delayed anywhere/anytime. I've seen airplanes delayed much more often and for longer periods of time than any train I've ever been on.

As for anyone getting motion sick, it depends on the person and what their motion is. I can't cruise without taking something, but I'm fine on the train.

I also have a question, why is it when someone posts how much they loved something, there's always someone who feels they need to come on and tell everyone how horrible it was for them, almost like it's their job to convince everyone the op was wrong? The vast majority of people who take the train love it and until you experience it, you can't make an informed decision.

 

[fairydust72]

[

As for anyone getting motion sick, it depends on the person and what their motion is. I can't cruise without taking something, but I'm fine on the train.

I also have a question, why is it when someone posts how much they loved something, there's always someone who feels they need to come on and tell everyone how horrible it was for them, almost like it's their job to convince everyone the op was wrong? The vast majority of people who take the train love it and until you experience it, you can't make an informed decision.[/QUOTE]


Not sure if youre talking about my post or not.I really didnt hate it or love it.I definately never said it was horrible.I think 2 people can be sitting on the same train and have a totally different experience.If you ask my dh he slept like a baby,no motion-sickness etc. but I can tell you I was sitting right next to him and had a totally different experience! LOL I also think its the luck of the draw who you are put with in a car.We had kids in our car and they behaved beautifully.I wouldnt have expected the parents to be the ones to keep me up all night.

I think if I were a first timer on the AT I would want to see both sides.I would be happy to hear from people who loved it but I would want to keep those negatives in the back of my mind to be prepared.

Why is it when someone voices an opinion different from theirs they think it is a personal thing? I agree people need to form their own opinions once theyve taken the train and thats what Ive done.

If I seemed like I was downing the train,I wasnt.I was just sharing my experience.

 

[disney4us2002]

I sent a PM to the OP but just in case anyone else may have insight....


I'd love to plan for the autotrain next summer. I have read that the best rates are at the 11 mos out timeframe but at the same time I understand that they often offer kids travel free with paying adults during the summer. Does anyone have any idea if I can book at the 11 mos window and then add a discount code or cancel and rebook for that special if it comes out after I'm already booked?

This timing thing of booking transportation and home rental is somewhat of a nightmare! How do you guys do it? I found a pool house I'd love to rent but until I know for sure when I'm traveling I can't reserve the house.

My kids think the train sounds awesome and are excited about it so I'm pretty set on the autotrain. We'll take motion sickness meds just to be sure but they're viewing the train as a part of the adventure at this point. FTR, the boys will be 13, 15, and 19 so I'm not concerned about entertaining (or sleeping issues with) little ones.

 

[toystorymom]

I sent a PM to the OP but just in case anyone else may have insight....


I'd love to plan for the autotrain next summer. I have read that the best rates are at the 11 mos out timeframe but at the same time I understand that they often offer kids travel free with paying adults during the summer. Does anyone have any idea if I can book at the 11 mos window and then add a discount code or cancel and rebook for that special if it comes out after I'm already booked?

This timing thing of booking transportation and home rental is somewhat of a nightmare! How do you guys do it? I found a pool house I'd love to rent but until I know for sure when I'm traveling I can't reserve the house.

My kids think the train sounds awesome and are excited about it so I'm pretty set on the autotrain. We'll take motion sickness meds just to be sure but they're viewing the train as a part of the adventure at this point. FTR, the boys will be 13, 15, and 19 so I'm not concerned about entertaining (or sleeping issues with) little ones.

I believe your fare is completely refundable if you do not have paper tickets printed, just choose the option to pick them up at the station when you arrive. In this case you could cancel and then rebook if you got a better deal. Anyone else confirm this?

We used the kids ride free promotion this summer and paid about $700 for our family of 5 including the van. I just priced out our family for next July and it was a little over $900. Looks as though the kids ride free promotion is better than booking 11 months out, assuming they have that promotion next year.


Just a comment on the motion sickness - it really is an individual thing. My 11 year old has vomited every time he's been on a plane and tends to feel sick on long car rides, but he was fine on the train. I had the motion sickness meds ready but didn't want to medicate him ahead of time if he wasn't going to need it - and he never did. The AT definitely had some bumpy parts and swaying but he was asleep for the majority of the trip. It was funny, I took a shower when we checked into the hotel and at one point I felt like the whole shower was moving. No big deal though and it went away quickly. The AT worked well for us - guess you never know unless you try it.

 

[Vijoge]

I believe your fare is completely refundable if you do not have paper tickets printed, just choose the option to pick them up at the station when you arrive. In this case you could cancel and then rebook if you got a better deal. Anyone else confirm this?

This is true.

We used the kids ride free promotion this summer and paid about $700 for our family of 5 including the van. I just priced out our family for next July and it was a little over $900. Looks as though the kids ride free promotion is better than booking 11 months out, assuming they have that promotion next year.

Only if you have children travelling with you

 

[Laz]

Thanks for the pics! Why, oh why can't we have one in our area? Chicago is a major Amtrak station!

 

[Vijoge]

Thanks for the pics! Why, oh why can't we have one in our area? Chicago is a major Amtrak station!

Wouldn't that be great? Actually, I'd be thrilled if they'd only bring back the Floridian! As much as we love train travel getting to Florida on Amtrak has gotten too expensive as it costs double and takes twice the time (first to DC or NYP) and then south to Orlando.

I'm not sure there would be a viable market for an autotrain from Chicago, though, even if we had one. But I do think a Chicago-Florida LD train is needed.

 

[MrsNick]

Wouldn't that be great? Actually, I'd be thrilled if they'd only bring back the Floridian! As much as we love train travel getting to Florida on Amtrak has gotten too expensive as it costs double and takes twice the time (first to DC or NYP) and then south to Orlando.

I'm not sure there would be a viable market for an autotrain from Chicago, though, even if we had one. But I do think a Chicago-Florida LD train is needed.

Tell me about it...Wishing they'd offer one from the NY metro area (and I do think there'd be a good market coming from NY). Ah, I'll just keep dreaming