Have you ever traveled by train?

[bicker]

Just a note about reading reviews of train trips and applying them toward your own trip: Amtrak operates different equipment in different parts of the country. I think that the Northeast is one way, the rest of the Eastern half of the system is another way, and the trips that go out West (beyond Chicago, for example) are a third way.

 

[AnnaS]

We have taken it to Florida twice and the Autotrain once.

My son took Amtrak from NYC to Boston. Actually liked it.

My cousins visited us from Italy two years ago. They took Amtrak twice also. Once to Boston and once to Washington, D.C. Absolutely no complaints.

 

[aprilgail2]

- PACK FOOD!!! Our kitchen car became disabled and was left behind somewhere in Montana, and we did not get one for another state or two. They brought on KFC, DH is a vegetarian. We had Clif bars and snacks for him.

- If you have a LO, put them in a back pack or carrier. DD was 6 months old and LOVED walking the length of the train. The Dome Car and the library car had the most interest for her.

-- Old people love kids, commuters do not. DD has traveled from SF to Portland with her grandparents and was the belle of the ball and spent time on the Dome Car. On commuter trains we sometimes take, people are working or reading and seem to prefer it quieter. Pack games and toys, maybe a DVD player or laptop with DVD player. But kids are kids and need to run off energy, most people get it.

!

We took Amtrak From NYC to Buffalo and back- they ran out of food by Albany so I second pack food! Unfortunatly for us the family right near us packed tuna fish and the smell of that is just SO gross! By Albany the bathrooms were also so gross you did not want to step foot in them!
There were many commuters going from NYC to Albany and i found I did have to keep the kids VERY quiet because most of the people seemed to want to sleep so talking was not going to work! Lucky the kids were older and could read so I gave them books to read to keep them quiet and they also had their hand held video games they played with no volumn on!

 

[BELLE1109]

When I was living in NYC and my family was in Boston I would take the acela all the time. It was quicker than flying when you considered the time to get to and from the airport, security, etc.

Love the acela. my advice is to make sure to book a direct, the local trains can take forever. have fun!

 

[poochie]

I have taken the Amtrak train to NYC and back to Buffalo a few times. In fact I have gone with a group of us traveling to a Dance competition in July. No complaints. Yes it is cheaper than flying as kids are half fare. The airlines can learn from this. Yes we usually bring our own food. Much better than train food. In fact they even let the kids sit in the dinning car so they could play cards, listen to music and talk most of the trip. I remember the first trip I had my first White Castle burger. Never had one so I thought to try it was expensive but you got 2 of them for the money. When I got them and opened it up I mean they are so tiny. LOL Oh well live and learn. But we always took the early train 6:00 am. Kids were so excited they were wound for about an hour before they all started falling asleep.

Usually the train was not too full and we could sit almost anywhere we wanted. But right after 911 that summer the train was full and we had assigned seats. But when it was empty the kids prety well spread out and were sleeping across 2 seats. I always loved watching the landscapes along the way so many lakes and towns. Yes some more depressed than others but still interesting.

I say go for it. You might find a new way to travel.

 

[Syrreal]

We went from Chicago to Glacier NP last summer on Amtrack. We had a sleeper and it was a lot of fun. Much less stressful than flying or driving there and we got to see a lot of the country that we never would have before.
DS is practically obsessed with trains and loved every second of it

 

[Joyful3Heart]

We took the autotrain to WDW this past May and really enjoyed the trip. Just remember, taking a train is not about getting there quickly, but its part of the whole experience! Have fun!

 

[lillygator]

yep - in south africa to cape town!

 

[christiane]

We took the train from Toronto to NYC, changing to Amtrak at Buffalo. It was a long trip but the scenery was lovely through upstate NY. We went in winter so it was mostly snow-covered forests. There is no other way to see this scenery, except by train.

We didn't have children then, but I think it would be fine if they had toys, games, books to occupy them.

I remember it being a bit cold on the train. There was a cafe on board, but not a lot of variety. So I would bring something warm for them to wear (even in April) & a few snacks.

It really is a very relaxing & convenient journey & it's great ending up in Penn Station, ready to start your Manhattan adventure!

 

[Minnesota!]

We went from Chicago to Glacier NP last summer on Amtrack. We had a sleeper and it was a lot of fun. Much less stressful than flying or driving there and we got to see a lot of the country that we never would have before.
DS is practically obsessed with trains and loved every second of it

This is the route we are thinking about. Well, from MSP to Glacier.

I used to take the Amtrak 2x a week to/from school. Loved it!

 

[Syrreal]

This is the route we are thinking about. Well, from MSP to Glacier.

I used to take the Amtrak 2x a week to/from school. Loved it!

It was a nice ride, especially between East Glacier and West Glacier (where our inn was). The Empire Builder was a nice train and it was clean and we got food, which is always nice (bit was actually tasty too). We took snacks and toys for us and DS to have, but ended up taking WAY too much and will definitely downgrade the amount if we go next summer. A couple of snacks and my phone/ipad and movies was all we really needed.

 

[momrek06]

Come to San Diego everyone and ride Amtrak's "Pacific Surfliner" all along the coast line. It is amazing. My DH is the Chief of Rail for Amtrak/San Diego. We are on the trains all of the time!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

The route from BUF to NYC is served by two types of trains, the typical with a small cafe car and no sleepers and the larger ones with a true dining car and sleepers. I've taken the train once, and it can be very slow (my friend in NYC takes it more often and he's never on time) at times and if you're going in the summer expect longer delays as often do track maintenance and it limits the flow of traffic because freight still has priority.

The one big perk of the train to NYC though is not having to park/drive into NYC and where you get off is great and central to get around (Penn).

Keep in mind that the trains from BUF and NYC are nothing like the Acela trains from BOS to NYC to DC and are not nearly as nice.

 

[Freyja]

I´ve travelled by train in (and between) various European countries and it has always been a great experience. My most memorable train ride however was 18 hours from Beijing to Xi´an in China. We were "poor" students and stayed in economy. We slep in 3 story bunk beds, on rice pillows and the "toilet" was a hole in the floor. We loved the trip though!

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

WE went from Fairbanks to Denali park by train, then a few days later went from Denali park to ancorage. great experience.

we want to go from san diego to vancouver, then across canada.

 

[Syrreal]

Sorry, meant to say "but it was tasty" instead of bit. I just realized it! I am deficient in the typing skills and can hardly type THE without it being teh to save my life!

 

[emer95]

Sorry, meant to say "but it was tasty" instead of bit. I just realized it! I am deficient in the typing skills and can hardly type THE without it being teh to save my life!

LOL! I knew what you meant. My biggest typo is fo instead of "of." I do it almost every time!

Thanks for all of the great advice/insight, everyone! I really appreciate it!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have done a lot of train travel in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan. I think I have only once had a delayed arrival of longer than 30 minutes for any reason.

A. You don't have the hassle of airport security.
B. You can check luggage without a fee.
C. You will arrive (and depart) Penn Station in midtown Manhattan and will not nbeed airport transportation.
D. If you take the 9:00 train you will have the entire run in dayllight for the kids to see the countryside.

 

[SanFranciscan]

It has been a long time since I rode a train other than the local streetcars and subways.

Trains are a great way to see scenery that cannot be seen any other way and are the most environmentally-friendly way to travel, and it is nice to make friends with others on the train. However, if you want a comfortable shower and so on, it is a good idea to make a stopover and visit a city before your final destination during a longer trip.

We were thinking of taking Amtrak from California to Florida and learned that this is not possible. The tracks were torn up during Katrina and have not been repaired. Nor is there any federal funding to fix them. So to get to Florida from California would require a trip to New Orleans and then a trip to Chicago and then a trip to Florida.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

We took Amtrak from Detroit to Chicago for my daughter's cheer competition several months ago. It was fun! The train did rock quite a bit and there were a billion stops, but we arrived on time, it was a fun little adventure. I'd do it again.