has anyone taken the amtrak to orlando?

[ShellyMouse]

hi!
we are planning our next trip for this coming x-mas.....we are in michigan, we drove this past time. my dd did great on the 2 1/2 day drive there.

my dh & dd (6), want to fly, but i'm sooooo afraid to fly! and i hate that dh is stuck driving the whole way.(his choice though not to share the wheel)

i'm thinking the amtrack might be cool. i checked it out, it would take about 40 hours to get there (sat morn. to monday morn), but no bathroom stops, no hotels to check into, dh doesn't have to drive. my dd would love it! it would be almost a vacation inside a vacation. and if you get a bedroom on the train, your meals are included. so its about the same $$$$ as gas, food, and hotels.

has anyone done this, tell me about your experience.

btw~ our train would leave holland, mi to chicago to wash. dc to orlando.

thanks!!

 

[kayebee]

We did this several years ago--we drove to VA from Philadelphia and picked up the train there. I would not recommend it to anyone. I'm surprised you found that the price is comparable to flying or driving--when we went, I think it cost quite a bit more than either. I thought it would be fun and a little bit of an "adventure" so I agreed to do it, but never again. It's very cramped (not only is the compartment small, you become "intimate" with anyone you pass in a hallway, the dining car and seating arrangements are tight and we had to share our--me, my husband and three year old--small table with another couple during meals, you can't turn around in the bathroom or showers) and boring, I found it difficult to sleep (but that may not be a problem for you).

I can't say strongly enough what a bad decision this was for us and we were just on the train overnight-- I can't imagine enduring it for forty hours.

 

[hubermom3]

It takes you 2 1/2 days to drive to Disney? We are just north of Detroit and Mapquest says that it is only an 18 hour drive. As kids we always took 2 full days.

We are going this summer and the plan is to leave at 8:00 pm and drive all night, which will get us more then 1/2 way there and then stop to eat and stretch our legs and drive the other 6 hours.

My aunt lives in Grand Haven and we are constantly driving back and forth over the summer, which is 3 1/2 hours and hte girls do great. We aso drive up north to Grayling and such, which is about 4 hours and they are good for that too.

Oh yeah my girls are 9, 7 & 2.

 

[Epcot242]

We do the train every time we go there. Normally it's the Amtrak AutoTrain (kayebee mentioned it) but last year we took a regular train from Philly. Here's some info on each:
AutoTrain-
-ride straight through; for example, leave at 4 on Saturday and arrive Sunday in FL at 9am.
-you have to drive to Lorton, VA in order get the train and you arrive at Sanford, FL (about an hour or so away from WDW)
-same accomodations as the regular train (this usually consists of coach seats; a single room with two seats facing each other which fold into a bed and a drop-down bunk, with single toilet; the biggest room has a chair, a couch which converts into a bed that sleeps two, and a drop-down bunk, with a small bathroom area that has a toilet room and doubles as a shower)
-movies every night at 9 (I think that's when they start)
-this one takes your car with you too, which, if you were planning on renting one down in WDW makes it that much easier

Amtrak from Philly (or just the regular train)-
-makes stops along the way
-seems more vulnerable to delays
-has a better selection for meals

Personally, we like the AutoTrain better. It's more convenient to have your own car down in FL and it rides straight through in about 22 hours. As for sleeping on the train, it really depends on you individually. I personally like the rocking sensation, my sister can sleep through it (she's six) but my parents have a harder time. If you need any more info just let me know. I hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[zoewmu]

Are you sure there aren't layovers in Chicago and Washington DC? We're from MI, too and we looked into it, because my DH is an Amtrak employee so we could ride for free. There were too many layovers to make it worthwhile. Unless you have a real train buff in the family, and then the trip is part of the vacation.

 

[luapgib]

My wife and i took the train from DC for our second anniversary two years ago. I am 6'3 and it was more than uncomfortable. But the worse part was that both ways it was at least 4 hours late. This might not sound bad when talking about 40 hours but if it was just 4 hours from dc imagine what it might be for you. We are going again in may and I will certainly drive this time.

 

[Selket]

I'm not all that comfortable flying myself but if you can find a good airfare then it *is* the safest and easiest way to get there. I realize how the impending fear of getting into an airplane can almost overshadow a trip to WDW. We went to WDW twice and drove once and flew the other time. Even when the plane couldn't take off due to thunderstorms it was still less wear and tear in some ways than driving. The trip back was flawless.

It is hard for us to fly now (youngest DS is extremely allergic to peanuts and the airline we flew on last summer that I felt comfortable with on that issue has gone out of business). I have read very few good things about Amtrak - usually getting a big enough sleeper for the family is very expensive - every time I've priced it it was WAY more than even what flying would be. I've heard better things about the autotrain - perhaps if you are committed to the train you could drive to Lorton and take it down with your car (that seems like it would be out of the way but I'm not sure!).

Flying is really quite safe - make your husband take care of the kid and get yourself some music on headphones and a good book and a stiff drink and let that distract you on the plane.

Good luck!

 

[Del]

Our friends took it from VA to disney last year...drove down from Philly to get there. She is afraid to fly. She told me she would never take the train again. It was a miserable experience. She will fly before doing that again. Good luck in your choice.

Del

 

[camdensmom]

We took the train once when I was younger. It was such a miserable experience that our trip was tainted because we all dreaded the ride home.