Drive or Amtrak????

[Disneymommie]

We are trying to decide what to do. drive 95 from NJ to FL or take the train? It is about $150 more to take the train vs drive. We will probably arrive around the same time give or take a few hrs....UNLESS we hit delays on the trip? The amtrak web site has already posted to expect delays. UGH. We had decided to go rail untill we saw this. I saw one other recent report about major delays with amtrak. I need opinions....help!

 

[Disneymommie]

I should add the "we" is DH, myself, DD 9, DD8, and DS6. And we have a portable dvd player for the car as we drive to VA to grandmas often!

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Here would be the pro's and con's of each.

Driving

Pro-Not having to rent a car
Pro-Taking it Your "Speed" (Deciding when to stop...etc)
Pro-Real Food ( )
Con-High Gas Prices
Con-Wear on your vehicle
Con-Traffic Jams (Etc)
Con- I-95 Hotels

Amtrak

Pro-Overall much Easier
Pro-No Gross Hotels
Con-Bad Food
Con-Having to Rent a Car when you arrive to Central Florida

Overall, in you situation, I would probibly oppt for the Train because its overall ease. Also, Its a cool experince for little kids!

 

[singitalto]

Let me add another con to the Amtrak side of the debate:

You could get stuck sitting next to people you don't want to be sitting near. Also your 24 hour trip could turn into a 30 hour trip. Both these things happen on our last trip on Amtrak going home from WDW back in 2003. I really dislike flying so we have taken Amtrak 2 times and also taken the Auto train once. Good experences untill the last trip.
Oh yea- Don't forget to add really dirty bathrooms on the train.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Let me add another con to the Amtrak side of the debate:

You could get stuck sitting next to people you don't want to be sitting near. Also your 24 hour trip could turn into a 30 hour trip. Both these things happen on our last trip on Amtrak going home from WDW back in 2003. I really dislike flying so we have taken Amtrak 2 times and also taken the Auto train once. Good experences untill the last trip.
Oh yea- Don't forget to add really dirty bathrooms on the train.

I allways take Amtrak between Ann Arbor MI and Chicago IL during various times during the year and the Bathrooms are extremly DISCOUSTING!! I think they get cleaned once every week, maybe?

 

[Disneymommie]

EEEEEWWWWWW.....I can not handle 3 kids and a gross bathroom . We will be spending a lot of time in them so I would rather not have them dirty!

another pro to driving that we just thought of is being able to pick up grocerys back home. We have one very picky eater so we have certain things that she east that are very hard to find elsewhere. It looks like we are driving unless someone can give me a really good reason to take the train.


Thanks everyone for you opinions!

 

[Selket]

Take the train has always appealed to me (I live near Washington, DC) but from everything I've read it sounds like it could be a long and yucky trip on the train. I think if you can afford to take the Auto-train down (it leaves from Lorton, VA) - that one I've read good things about. But as others have pointed out - delays, running out of food on the trains, dirty bathrooms, noisy and odd people on there sometimes, etc. The car is no joy ride but it does give you some measure of control - and you can take along things you might not normally bring like water, food, etc.

Not sure if you can make it to Georgia to wait and spend the night but I've found the hotels there much nicer (and sometimes better priced) than those in SC. Brunswick is cheaper than Savannah but both have nice hotels and a short drive the next morning to WDW

 

[pepe of ohio]

Since 9/11, i was just getting into flying, having exceeding my drive to WDW. Have driven to the world since 1977 when the kids were small. Throw in a couple of train trips, one of them Auto Train and that was about 7 years ago. My wife and I have taken Amtrak for the last 7 years, a few years down to WDW 2 aqnd 3 times. Messed up year before, and waited for reservation on Amtrak and they were full so wife and I had to drive. Took I-75 from Ohio, usually before we took I-77 and before that I-95 and made it there and back and told my wife, never again. Driving is not what is used to be, a few cars here and there. Now its 3 lanes of endless cars and trucks with no end in sight. You have to pay close attention the whole 21 hours, day and night is no better. We book our train as soon as possible after making WDW reservations and lately we have been doing the roomette from Washington to Kissimmee. Its small but accommadating, meals includes and a newspaper, we're by ourselves, we watch DVD's, read, nap and do puzzles. We arrive in Kissimmee around noon, refreshed, not at each others throat, ready to go instead of me driving straight through to hurry to get to WDW and start my fun. Gonna try flying some day again but for now, we're Amtrak people. Sometimes the restrooms are messy but thats people for you, some people and children too, use the restrooms as a game to pass the time not knowing how they work. We sit back, let the train lull us to sleep, enjoy the a/c and scenery and relax!! Sorry for length but hope this helps.

 

[singitalto]

Just to shed some lite on the previous post. I would definitaly use the train if money was NOT an issue. If you book the room on Amtrak, it's real small but you then have privacy and sometimes you get a private bathroom. You also can sleep in a sleeping position, (not sitting up in a seat) The last time I priced the sleeping car, it was a couple of years ago and it was $1500 round trip for the 4 of us.

I hate flying, but I'm gonna do it because its 3 hours compared to what cold be >24 hours on Amtrak.

 

[Windjammer]

Amtrak is having a sale on the Autotrain this summer. Kids travel free. The code is H511. The cost for my family of 6 is under $900. This includes the transportation of our van. A car would be several hundred dollars less expensive. The benefit of this for us is that we can pack the van once and then not have to deal with luggage anymore. Also, for a two week trip, if we flew, the cost of a car/van rental would be in the same price range as the cost of transporting the van on the Autotrain (approx. $600). With this sale, the cost of transporting the six of us is under $300 total. This price includes dinner and breakfast. The food is surprisingly good.

Also, the Autotrain is quite different than the normal Amtrak train in that the train does not make stops and there are no passengers getting on and off. We found the restrooms to be quite clean.

Hope this helps.

Steve

 

[abline]

That sounds like a great deal. I would think the sleeper is the only way to go. But you are losing two days of your vacation instead of a 6 hours. Did you look into Sprit great rates if your traveling on Tues or Weds. We're from Jackson and we're actually going out of JFK on Song $89.00 each way and with parksleepfly.com we got a room at the airport and parking for a week for $149.00. So we'll drive up the night before and have no headaches with traffic. Also imagine that trip home that is what keeps me from doing the train. 24hrs on the train and then what another hr in the car. Weigh your options because with the Auto Train you'll have to drive 3 plus hours just to get there then the time it takes to load and unload the car you'll be halfway their already driving your own car. Some people had an interesting post here saying how they left the Metro area (Brooklyn) at around 3:00AM and were in WDW at 10:00PM getting through DC before rush hour, now that is a possiblity as long as you can get up that early but you will be in Disney that night. But you will be exhausted which is another issue.

 

[Disneymommie]

Thanks for all the replys. I am pretty sure we will drive unless someone can get me air for a family of 5 for less then $900 We are planning on leaving around 4am, driving as far as we can. Stopping for the night hopfully in bottom of SC or top of georgia and then going the rest of the way on day 2. I am just nervouse about the delays I am hearing about on the train! Thanks!

 

[lbgraves]

Not sure if you read my recent report on our trip to Kissimmee but based on that I would say DRIVE!!! You are suppose to get to Kissimmee around 9 am but noon would have been nice. Unfortunantly we arrived 7 1/2 hours late due to the maintenance that they are doing on the rails right now. That Wednesday - Thursday trip was 10 hours late & they ran out of water & ice in the food car. They had to reload in JAX & gave everyone a boxed lunch to eat. According to the conductor if you travel Thurs, Fri, or Sat night you do better since they don't work on the rails on those nights.

We stop in SC close to GA when we drive.

 

[Katmat75]

Drive or Amtrak????

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are trying to decide what to do. drive 95 from NJ to FL or take the train? It is about $150 more to take the train vs drive. We will probably arrive around the same time give or take a few hrs....UNLESS we hit delays on the trip? The amtrak web site has already posted to expect delays. UGH. We had decided to go rail untill we saw this. I saw one other recent report about major delays with amtrak. I need opinions....help

I was on the amtrak web site and did not see anything about delays. Where did you see this? We're taking the autotrain down on August 23.

We've had good times on the autotrain. We flew the last few years, but decided to take the autotrain this year because it was alot cheaper then flying. Kids are free right now on the train.

 

[DISUNC]

DRIVE!

Did Amtrack 2 years ago.

AMTRACK going from NJ to Fl was great! The return trip was a horror.
Just think being stuck in a box with NO water (drink or toilet facilities) for 24 hours with kids...and NO ONE would give you any information whatsoever.

 

[tomerin]

if you book you trip on amtrak very early you can get a roomette sleeper car for less then 400 dolars round trip. we paid $383 fr our tickets for our trip in a few days. we dont have the worries that coach passengers do and the food, which is included in the price, really wasnt bad.

the cons for us were just the delays. we have never been on time, at least 2 hours late but we always were told the reason why.

 

[lbgraves]

Drive or Amtrak????

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are trying to decide what to do. drive 95 from NJ to FL or take the train? It is about $150 more to take the train vs drive. We will probably arrive around the same time give or take a few hrs....UNLESS we hit delays on the trip? The amtrak web site has already posted to expect delays. UGH. We had decided to go rail untill we saw this. I saw one other recent report about major delays with amtrak. I need opinions....help

I was on the amtrak web site and did not see anything about delays. Where did you see this? We're taking the autotrain down on August 23.

We've had good times on the autotrain. We flew the last few years, but decided to take the autotrain this year because it was alot cheaper then flying. Kids are free right now on the train.

If you look at the other trains, especially the Silver Star, those rails are the ones being repaired. You can check the history of the arrival times too for the past week or so to see how late the trains have been running. Trust me, it wasn't any fun.