Need help figuring Amtrak prices for MA area to Orlando!

[SplshMtn99]

I'm so confused by their website. I must be doing something wrong.

OPTION #1 Drive from Worc, MA area to Lorton, VA to take AUTOTRAIN
Depart Lorton VA 10/3 4pm
Arrive Sanford FL 10/4 8:30am
2 adults with 1 Superliner Standard Bedroom

Return trip
Depart Sanford 10/12 4pm
Arrive Lorton 10/13 8:30am
2 adults with 1 Superliner Standard Bedroom

Using PROMOCODE H315 (book online by 6/15) I come up with total $705.52 for 2 adults & our car --ROUND TRIP


OPTION #2 AND HERE'S WHERE I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING WRONG!!
Trying to figure a way from Worc/Boston/Prov/Springfield area to Orlando. Using Prov to NY, then NY to Orlando --- for 2 adults ONE WAY with standard sleeper..... I'm getting prices like $600ish! So then I would have to book the return trip for another $600ish! ????? $1200 for 2 adults round trip???? And I wouldn't even have our car in FL when we arrived, so then we would need a rental or a ride?

I must be doing something wrong on their website. How do I book a round trip multi city. What trains are you using? What cities are you using? What prices should I expect?

 

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

This summer will be like our 4 or 5th time on the train. We leave out of Dedham,Ma. We have not had the sleeper car because it seems like everytime I call the prices are so exp. that we end up with coach seats. I know the earlier you call , the cheaper it is. My sil called one year and it was one price, then 2 days later it was almost double. They told me that for 4 of us, we would need 2 sleepers. It turned out to be so EXPENSIVE I told them it would be cheaper to rent a LIMO. lol. I guess what it is, you pay for the sleeper room, which sleeps 2, but they also charge you for the seat price. So say if the 2 coach seats were 300.00, then they would add the price for sleeper also. I would love to try it , but i cant see spending that much.

 

[DC7800]

For two adults in standard sleeper, using the dates you listed for Auto-Train and the same code, I get a fare of $494.52 round-trip using Amtrak's website. This is a standard sleeper on trains 91/92 (the Silver Star) from Washington D.C.. You would need to price a coach ticket seperately from Washington to Providence, but the final total should still be about $600 for the entire trip. Railsale has a current price of $164.80 for coach on the segment north of D.C.. It isn't currently valid for your travel dates, but that will probably change as we get closer to October (most of the current specials are for June 2003, although there is an Auto-Train special fare for September-November already listed).

Several factors can sometimes make a BIG difference in the price of an Amtrak ticket. Prices can be radically different depending on how far in advance you reserve (this is actually determined by how full that particular train already is. If it's nearly empty just a few weeks before departure, you would almost certainly be quoted the lowest price level for those accomodations. However, for a train that looks to nearly sell-out, all remaining seats/rooms will go for the highest fares charged). Prices will therefore vary from one train to another (even just a few hours apart), from one day to the next, and even among types of accomodations.

The key to the lowest fare is to book far in advance (which you are), take advantage of specials (H315, Railsale, etc.), and "play" with the website, trying different combinations of trains, days, connections, and services to find the lowest fare. Also, since sleepers are the most expensive accomodations on the train, the less time you spend in that sleeper, generally the cheaper it is. Hence, change trains in D.C. instead of New York. Between Boston and Washington, avoid any Acela or Metroliner service trains in favor of just a regular coach seat on a standard train. You can book this segment later, though.

Hope this helps. Have a great trip, and enjoy the train.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Thanks for the great tips! That's the stuff I'm looking for.

 

[AuntMinnie]

Do you object to flying? I'm only suggesting because when I first started planing I looked into amtrack also and it was the most expensive option for our family of 4 from NY.

Airfare from Boston would be about $200 each for round trip for you and tou could get a mid-size care for around $225.

That's a total of about $625 to have more time with the mouse. You'd be paying for gas to drive around FL with your own car anyway.

But if you object to flying I think others have posted here that the Amtrack Coach seats recline almost fully, so it's not like you would really need the cabin to get comy and sleep. If the search is working, perhaps you can find the quote.