Can't believe I'm considering taking the train down from NY.

[AnOtHeRdIsNeYfReAk]

My youngest has been begging me to take a cross country train ride for the past two years. We are old movie buffs and I think she likes the "romanticized" train rides featured in so many of those movies. Looking at the prices of flights, I am actually considering the train. I was wondering if there are actual tables we could use for games, or are there just the folding trays on the back of the seats? If there are tables, would we be able to use them or are they just for dining? And one last question: Does the train stop for a while every so often at stops? Maybe long enough to walk outside and get some fresh air. Thanks

 

[Tink's Pixieduster]

My youngest has been begging me to take a cross country train ride for the past two years. We are old movie buffs and I think she likes the "romanticized" train rides featured in so many of those movies. Looking at the prices of flights, I am actually considering the train. I was wondering if there are actual tables we could use for games, or are there just the folding trays on the back of the seats? If there are tables, would we be able to use them or are they just for dining? And one last question: Does the train stop for a while every so often at stops? Maybe long enough to walk outside and get some fresh air. Thanks

I've only ever traveled on the Auto Train, not a standard passenger train, so I can't help with your question, but there is an entire thread about train travel to WDW located here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2386340

 

[floridacrazy]

Hi. I did that one time. It looks nice on TV, but it's a totally different thing when you're there.

I took a trip once to Florida with my sister when she was a teenager and I was in my 20's. It was supposed to be 23 to 24 hours and it end up more like 30. On the way home something happened to the water and the toilets stopped working. On the way going there was some sort of delay.

About 2 years ago I went by Amtrak with my niece and her 2 sons to Williamsburg, Virginia. It was supposed to be 8 1/2 hours going. It ended up being 10 hours. There was some sort of delay. One of the kids was only 2 at the time and he got so antsy that he started crying and people started complaining. We took a late night train thinking the kids would be sleepy, but that didn't work. I had just turned 58 when I went and I was so uncomfortable I was going out of my mind.

I was just curious about the price of Amtrak from New York to Orlando and it costs $268 round-trip for an adult - value ticket. The price for a child is discounted if they're 12 and under.

If you decide to go by train, have a safe and happy trip.

One other thought, depending on when you're going, you might get some good rates on Jetblue. I have been using Jetblue for years and to me they seem to have the best rates compared yo other airlines.

 

[boBQuincy]

A recent Amtrak trip from Raleigh to DC was about 90 minutes late for a 6 hour trip, not too good and this was for a train that was rated for 95% on schedule. Our car had bathroom issues on the trip North. The return trip was on time and the bathrooms worked ok.
Some of the trains stop for a short "smoking break" at some stations.

My suggestion to relive the romance of rail travel would be to take an excursion instead of the regular Amtrak service. The excursions are a lot more like the grand old days of rail travel, often with coaches from named trains of the '40s and '50s. One of ours even had two dome cars and a first-class dining car, the only way to travel!

Here is a photo report of that trip:
http://suzieandbob.com/trains/asheville/index.htm

 

[pepe of ohio]

Don't let bad reviews spoil your romance for train travel...we've used Amtrak for 20 trips to WDW from northeast Ohio, to DC and then south to Kissimmee Florida...it's an adventure...

We've had our share of problems, trains usually run quite late but are comfortable..relaxing and decently cheap...cost us, 2 adults, round trip coach 450.00....that's 38 hours but in that we have a 8 hour layover in DC... We know that, don't complain and enjoy the ride...

Bring a blanket , it gets quite cold when the sun goes down from the A/C, pack food and drink to munch on at your seat....club car has hand food and drinks and tables for games etc but fill up quickly....sleeps are nice but overpriced.. Sleepers make air travel cheap but for one overnight we on Amtrak, sleeping in coach is very doable... Take the train and relax, see Anerica..!

 

[Pooh2]

We took Amtrak from Boston to Orlando in Nov. We got a rental car right at the Orlando station.
Our train was right on time. It stopped a few times for pickups. I saw a few people get out to smoke but the stops were not long enough to get to far from the train.
We were a little surprised at how bumpy the track was in several areas.
There are tables in the lounge for games and hanging out.
We did not have the greatest dining car experience this trip, they were running extremely late and ran out of some food items though I think that is pretty unusual. Next time, I would bring some snacks for backup plan.
We find it to be a very relaxing way to travel and see the country side.
We did the train south but flew back home on the other end of the trip.
You should try it at least once! It's an adventure and part of the vacation!

 

[lisa-upnorth]

please read my Amtrak board/discussion someone posted above! It will help answer many of your questions

We ONLY take the train to Disney(and anywhere really) We look forward to it as part of the vacation. It is fun family time and you will enjoy seeing the country. We are up near Rutland VT and if we can do it so can you

 

[kandb]

We have taken the auto train a few times. If you have a sleeper, it's long but doable. If you don't have a sleeper, I would "highly" recommend taking a plane. Sleeping in seats, does not work, our family was up the whole night and a lot of families around us, were miserable as well.

 

[sandyplayer]

We took it from Long Island to south bend and back. Never again. It was horrible. The delays were insane. They provide no info as to why. Two hour delays and not a word.
It was crazy.
We actually stopped in Pittsburgh and decided to get out and rent a car and drive home.

 

[cheap traveler]

I did it nearly 2 years ago, and I doubt I ever will again.

This was in August, and PPs are correct, it did get chilly at night. But near the end of our trip, we had a lot of slow downs, and when the train was barely moving (or stopped) we had no AC. Not fun.

The dining car was crappy gas station food at Disney world prices. I packed our own lunch for day 1, and breakfast for day 2, so we only had to suffer through microwaved pizza for dinner. We did have real food in the dining car on the way back, and that was really expensive but half decent.

The stops.... they weren't really stops, more like pauses. My trip was supposed to have a 90 minute stop in DC, but we were very late leaving NY (there was a hurricane headed toward Tampa, they were thinking of cancelling the whole run) so we had a 20 minute stop in DC. The rest of the stops were 5-10 minutes, just long enough for people to come back in stinking the place up with their smoke-smell. They also decided not to travel past Orlando, so get off and find your own way from here everyone!

The staff were great, all of them. Very nice to my kids, helpful whenever they could be.

The seats weren't bad. Had the fold-down tray table, worked well for food and for my laptop. It is connected more to the floor than the seat, so even my wiggly kids didn't annoy the person in front of them by leaning/bouncing on it. There is also a fold-down foot rest at each seat, and it adjusts to be the right height for you. I really have no complaints about the seats. My kids made a nice little nest bed in their 2 seats, slept pretty good considering. Oh, and there were outlets at each row, very helpful.

You will also need to be willing to put up with other, possibly stupid, human beings for 24+ hours, with no escape. IE: the young parents headed north. Dad starts drinking as soon as he gets on the train. Mom prefers her phone to her kid. Puts the baby to sleep at 3pm, doesn't bother to wake her up. Baby wakes up at 8pm, no way will that baby be getting back to sleep tonight. 1am: baby is crying, mom has been playing Dora (very loudly) on her phone, now proceeds to walk in and out of the train car rocking baby, through the very loud door, over and over again as though she hopes Dad will wake from his drunken slumber and help her quiet baby. Ha.

My problem, and the reason I won't do it again - we were an odd number. My kids got seats next to each other, and had a blast. I got a strange man beside me each way (south stranger than north) and it's very uncomfortable to sleep next to a strange man. If I had even numbers, I might consider it.

My advice to you:
Bring food (that doesn't need to be hot or cold).
Bring activities, just like you would do in the car.
Bring a blanket, wear layers.
EAR PLUGS!
Pack your sense of adventure.
Keep your valuables out of sight, but near you at all times.