HELP! with any info RE: Amtrak

[TandyR]

How early is early? We know we want to travel by train (a sleeper to be exact) for our next trip. I was planning to book 6 months out, but should I do it earlier then that. Like right after I book my room...which will be 11 months out? I have been reading www.trainweb.com but never saw any answers to this question.

thanks for any help.

 

[GoofyinNY]

Booking Amtrak 6 months ahead seems find. However, it would depend on whether you would be traveling during Disney's peak season. I booked 4 months ahead for an off peak time at WDW.

It is possible for you to reserve Amtrak before you book your hotel? When I reserved my ticket, I had to "play" with several dates during the time period I wanted to travel. The difference in dates resulted in a savings of $700.00 for a roundtrip deluxe room. (As soon as I booked my ticket, the price for the same accommodations on the same train went up by $450.00.)

 

[TandyR]

Well we are kind of stuck with a set time of going because of my girls school and DH responsablities. Amtrak.com doesn't let me book as far out as we want. Our trip that I am planning now is next Feburary.

 

[GoofyinNY]

Perhaps if you call Amtrak, they will let you reserve for 2004. If you're really lucky, your call will be answered by Minnie in the Philadelphia Amtrak office. She is the nicest, most helpful person. She helped me fine tune my reservation and get the best price.

When you book your sleeper, try to avoid standard sleepers 11 and 12 as they are over the wheels. Deluxe sleepers "A" and "B" and standard sleepers 1 through 8 will give you the smoothest ride.

Also, if you have a choice over what time a train leaves and arrives, it can make a difference. There are two trains from NY to WDW (Orlando). One train leaves at 11:45 in the morning, and arrives the next day at about 11:30. The other train leaves at 7:00 p.m. and arrives at WDW late the next afternoon. Personally, I didn't care for the 7:00 p.m. train. When I wake up after a night on the train, I want to be close to WDW.

 

[GoofyinNY]

Oops. The above sleeper recommendations are for a viewliner train.