Going to WDW via Amtrak

[pklein09]

We're coming to Orlando via Amtrak from Trenton, NJ. No auto train, it's the Silver Star and we opted for coach instead of the sleeper car (there are 10 of us - 4 adults and 6 kids under the age of 7!!!). Has anyone done this before? Do you have any pointers?

We're getting on at 8:00 pm and arriving at 4:00 pm the next day (roughly). The first part of the trip (I hope) will be easy. I plan on giving the kids Benadryl to make them sleep!!! I also have coloring books/crayons and 2 portable CD players so they can listen to music.

Many thanks!!!

--Michelle

 

[floridafam]

Ummmm......how do I say this?

DON'T DO IT!!!!

Just kidding-kinda.

We had a sleeper car on Amtrak once and even then it was an eventful trip. We were on for 2 nights. You may do well since it's only one night. I would take blankets, etc. and plenty of things to do.

Are you kidding about the Benadryl? Ususally, it does just the opposite and makes kids restless and hyper.


Do you happen to own a portable DVD player? If not, I would seriously look into it. You may be amazed at how interested kids are in watching movies the whole trip.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Well, you'll never know what it's like unless you try it. Have you ever gone on a smaller trip with the bunch, like to DC? I would have done that first, before this big one.

In the 50's my family traveled to Miami by train a few times, in coach from Newark, and I don't have any bad memories, except I remember thinking that it was very very long even once we got into Florida, but Orlando is closer. I was 12 and my sister was 7.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[floridafam]

I know this will probably get moved over to the Transportation Board but until it does......

I took the Amtrak from Grand Rapids, MI to Altamonte Springs (sp?) Florida in July 1998.

We were coach from GR to Chicago and had sleeper cars from Chicago to DC and from DC to Florida.

We couldn't have done it any other way. I was pregnant and needed sleep. I didn't know how well my son was going to sleep in coach. I must say that I did see quite a few people stretched out in seats sleeping and they looked pretty comfortable. You do have to think about what you will do if the train is completely booked and you can't use other seats. I think the seats recline.

I will never travel on Amtrak again. The employess were some of the rudest I have ever encountered. We had some pretty strange people in our car and I wouldn't even feel comfortable going to the bathroom alone if I was an adult.

Anyway, the sleeper cars are nice but they aren't the greatest. You may actually end up with more room if you are able to spread out across a few seats.

Good luck and enjoy your trip. Let us know how it goes upon your return.

 

[Habs_Fan]

We took the Auto Train in 95. and stayed in coach.

Mind you it was just the wife and I ... no kids.... The sleep was hard, the seats do recline, but not into a sleeping position.

I would have to say, you will have your work cut out for you with the kids,

GL.

 

[LUVMICKEY]

We are from S. Jersey, so we got on the train in Wilmington, Del. We went via Amtrak in 2001. It took us 23 hours that were not real comfortable. As for the kids, as long as they have enough to do, they probably won't mind. The sleeping is not real easy, but the seats do recline. If I was you, I'd make sure I took some Tylonal PM'S. We didn't have them on the way down, but we made sure we had them on the way back and we made out much better. My in-laws used to go to Florida by train all the time and they didn't mind it at all. Everyone is different. I just wanted to make a couple suggestions.

Michele

 

[Harambe]

Okay - my two cents! We did not enjoy any part of this train ride! It was 28 hours from Bos. The two kids did better than DH and me, but sleeping in coach was a disaster. DS6 couldn't sleep because he needed to lie flat and couldn't - so good old mom gave him her seat so he could strech out sideways. I ambled around the train for the whole night! I now understand why "Happy Hour" starts on the train at 9am!!!!!!!!! By the time we got to the Poly, we were all exhausted. The trip cured our 9/11 fear of flying!

I would like to say one thing about the AMTRAK employees - on both our trip down and back we encountered the most helpful, pleasant, and effecient folks! They could not do enough for us.

So - all that being said - one fun thing we did was bring Disney Crazy eight decks and Disney Old Maid decks and had fun "getting in the mood".

 

[disneycrazed139]

I think I can give you quite a bit of advice, as I have taken the same route 2 times--from Trenton on the Silver Star on the 8pm train.

The train going there I believe is nicer than the train coming back. We went in June and the dining car was brand new and clean, which was very nice. I would recommend finding the dining car and eating all your meals in it. It breaks up the ride quite a bit and makes the time pass--gives you something to look forward to when the kids are getting restless. It helps pass the time to go have a real, sit-down meal. The food is really pretty decent. The service in dining is very average, but pay the extra money for it to help make the time pass. I found this to be the most enjoyable part of the trip.

If you are in coach, try to get seats located far away from the doors and definitely away from the lounge car, as the opening and closing of the doors can keep kids up at night (adults, too.) The lounge car can get rowdy 11pm-3am, so try to request a seat AWAY from that area, where the drinkers congregate in the middle of the night.

Sharing a toilet with hundreds of other people is fine at the beginning of the trip when the room has been cleaned, but after 20 or so hours with no cleaning and hundreds of visits, it doesn't smell pretty in there. Bring extra toilet paper and some wipies to clean the seat with--this will greatly increase your comfort. If you are sensitive to smells, bring a small atomizer or something to clean the air--seriously these little things make a big difference when traveling in coach.

The seats recline less than 45 degrees, so if you can't usually sleep sitting up, you will only get a few hours at the most. Be prepared for this and just remember you are on vacation and when you get there you can get ALL the rest you need and catch up. We didn't rest well, but some people can. My son couldn't sleep on one seat and needed to lie down, so I let him have my seat so he could lie down across two seats. I paced for most of the night and then ended up sleeping on the floor because he was such a bed hog. Honestly, I really knew he HAD to sleep or it would be a heck of a time, so I sacrificed this for him.

The DVD player is a good idea or if you have a computer that you can play games on, Gameboys, cards, music, snacks, mini board games--anything that can keep you occupied for many hours. The kids will probably have a great time! I think they love train travel. It can be a great way to spend a lot of quality time together.

Just make sure you get plenty of rest the night before you leave and take a shower immediately before you go so it doesn't bother you too much that you don't have the opportunity to shower when you wake up in the morning.

Amtrak is a great deal in coach--very reasonably priced. However, if you can afford the sleeper car, by all means do it. I found the extra expense to be greatly worth it--plus your meals are included in the ticket price if you get a sleeper car--not that that makes it a bargain, but you do get privacy and a bed.

Good luck and enjoy your trip! it is priceless to be able to spend this much time with loved ones.

 

[sandieb]

Hello - We took the Amtrakautotrain last May from Lorton Va to Sanford. We left at 4 pm and arrived at 8 am. There were 4 adults and 3 kids. We had a deluxe and family sleeper room. The deluxe has a tiny bathroom. The trip was fine. We had brought plenty to do, coloring stuff, cards, puzzles, books, etc. The upper bunk on the family sleeper was tight quarters...the other bunks were ok.

The food was good and the service excellent. It's a long trip, but so is driving. We plan to do it again next year, although we are flying down in December.

We took a regular train from Baltimore to Jacksonville a couple years ago. We again had a sleeper. I can't imagine sitting up for that long, even though the seats recline.

The people we met were families or retirees. The people were friendly and just regular people. I hope you enjoy your trip. Sandie

 

[pklein09]

Thanks for all the suggestions and opinions!!! This is our first time and it was either taking the train or driving. We really didn't relish driving so this seemed like a viable alternative. We're going again next December, but only 6 of us so I will look into airfare depending on how the trip goes. After nursing 4 kids, I have the ability to sleep sitting up!!! My husband, I have found, can sleep through just about anything! Thanks for the tip of getting away from the lounge cars and getting away from the doors. I was going to pack a cooler with food, but maybe we'll eat in the dining car. I'm definitely bringing snacks and water. I think I'll also bring a can of Lysol! One of the kids is still in diapers, so I'll have wipes. I'll have to price a portable DVD player - movies are a great idea!!!

I checked into the price of a sleeper car - $1100 or so with a AAA discount. For that price, I'd add a few more hundred and fly. Our price for the 6 of us (there are 2 families traveling together) is $615 roundtrip. We figure it would cost us that to drive, and this way there's no wear and tear on our car and my husband and I can sleep, we can take potty breaks whenever, and we can stretch legs whenever.

Thanks Again!!!

 

[CarolynNC]

I've been to Orlando twice from North Carolina via Amtrak. The train left around 9pm and arrived in Kissimmee around noon. I thought it beat the heck out of driving. When you take the train you can get up and move around and it beats trying to time pitstops for all the occupants. Flying is my first choice but sometimes the coach fares make taking the train an attractive alternative. Kids are more resilent so they might think of it as a great adventure. My son was 11 when we took our first trip down so I don't have experience with younger kids. I packed a small cooler with juice boxes, sodas, water, cheese, jello, and brought snack foods. I also took light blankets (actually flannel top sheets) and pillow cases to put on the small travel pillows they provide (these go quickly so ask for them early or take your own). My second trip I took along one of those blow up neck pillows which helped.

I will second the advice about getting seats away from the doors. The constant opening and closing can drive you nuts. After my first trip I bought an eye shade which really helped. Not only did it block the low light they keep on at all times but kept me from opening my eyes every time I heard movement around me. Ear plugs work wonders also.

I took my laptop with dvd's. Unfortunately I wasn't near a plug so after a while the battery died. Needless to say the other kids in our car were disappointed. We entertained a whole group. We were able to find a seat with a plug in one of the cars during the return trip. Some of those small dvd players are $150 to $300 and run on batteries which last much longer than laptop batteries. The cheaper they are the smaller the screen. I'm not sure if 6 kids could all watch one at the same time. I also took books on tape (from my library), gameboy, cd player, and a deck of cards. I took headphones so the games & dvd wouldn't disturb other passengers. Of course when it became apparent we were watching Disney movies on the laptop I had to start the movie over and remove the headphones so the other kids could watch.

I think if you go in thinking you'll be miserable then nothing can make the trip pleasant but if you think of it as a wonderful adventure with your kids you'll have a great time. My son loved trains and couldn't wait for our trip. He was fascinated with the whole experience.

I've also taken a train trip (not to Orlando) and stayed in a sleeper car. Personally I didn't think it was worth the extra money.

I hope you have a great trip. Let us know how it turns out.

Carolyn

 

[dsnycrzy]

Michelle,
I have been taking amtrak every year since 1996. I love it. My kids have there snacks, gameboys, coloring books, crayons, CD players with disney CD's and a blanket and pillows. We just took the late train this year (last month), we usually get on the afternoon train, and it was okay being we tired ourselves out up until we boarded the train. By the time we got settled, I ran upstairs at the DC station and picked up some McDonald's and then I went to sleep. The kids were okay but the babies couldn't understand why they had to sit down for 23 hours and wanted to walk around. For the kids old enough get the crossword puzzles on this board somewhere and make up games with Disney $'s as prizes. We raced on who finished the crosswords 1st and the unscrambled character names. There was 13 of us total (3 adults and 10 kids) and as long as amtrak is cheaper then flying, I'll be on there.
Have a great time