Price of the Auto-Train?

[Ducky4Disney]

I have been contemplating the Auto Train for months now and I'm kicking myself for not booking it a while ago when the family bedroom was at a very low price! Now it's back up again and I'm wondering: will it go down again? Do the prices tend to flux at certain times of the year or certain days of the week? Do promo's come out at particular times? What about waiting until we get to the train, if there are some still available will they be cheaper?

I think my DS would *love* the auto train (he'll be almost 4) and my 1 y/o DS would too. I've ridden on a Superliner from MD to MI so I have an idea of what the cars are like. There's more room then you'd expect and with the ability to move car to car it might not be so bad to travel with just reserved searts.

Advice? Tips? Encouragement?

Travel party :
Me
DH
DS - 3 (almost 4)
DS - 1
Dec 6-12, 2009


Hehe... when you type "Travel party" then a colon you get this Travel I posted it and thought "Where in the heck did that Smiley come from?"

 

[Galls]

Nope, Amtrak runs purely on bucket pricing, meaning that at pre determined intervals before the trip pricing goes up to the next bucket. Your best chance for getting deep discount on a "sleeper" is asking and then negotiating with the conductor, on board, if any bedrooms are available. You never see any discounts on the Auto Train, it is essentially another company within Amtrak, even has a different union. Basically the longer you wait the higher the prices will be. But this train will be on time, it will only go straight to Stanford.

Me and mine have taken Amtrak cross country before and she is having urges to go again, but the I-95 route is so incredibly boring at some points rows of pine trees out either window. Its not exactly some of the great Western or Northern routes. If you do it, spend a lot of time with your 4 year old in the observation car and bring a lot games for his entertainment.

Edit: Remember that coach seating is unreserved, so while there is a 99.9% chance you will sit with your family, as the conductor will move people around, slim chance the puzzle will not fit right.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Thanks for the info! If I remember correctly, the seats are a good size and there lots of room. I dont' see an absolute need for a family bedroom but if it's available when we get to the train I might take it. Can you really negotiate with the conductor? How does that work?

There may not be much scenery on the trip, but it's overnight for the most part. We'll be sure to bring games and books and such to keep him busy!

D4D

 

[Galls]

There are a few ways a conductor will do it.

1. Just walk into the waiting area or the coach "I have x amount of bedrooms and will sell them for $y"

2. When he collects tickets, perhaps on board or in the waiting area, you can ask him if any rooms are available, then haggle. The conductor will be the one collecting tickets.

Keep in mind that the auto train is already a high priced ticket, filled with old people and usually filled, so I would not rely on this method.

 

[alf]

I also would agree with the others but have saw recently where the rates did come back down after being at a higher price. I originally booked for early December back in March to go to Disney, but coming back was too expensive. I checked last week and the price dropped back down to what it was in March for the drive home. Just wanted to let you know to keep trying their site for it to drop... Good Luck...

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Thanks! I keep checking back for price drops. How easy is it to change a reservation? If I book the trip without an upgrade and just keep checking, can I add an upgrade if the price drops? What if the fare price drops, can I cancel and rebook with relative ease?

D4D

 

[Windjammer]

Ducky:

In my experience, as long as you don't get the tickets delivered to you, you can cancel without penalty. Check to make sure that the terms and conditions have not changed, however. When you book, you should indicate that you will pick up the tickets at the station

We generally book something early and then when the typical summer promotion of kids travel free, or kids travel for $19, is published we rebook. Note, however, that although the price of the passengers drops the price of the automobile generally doesn't, so the total may not be less, even with the promotion.

When you get to the station and check in you are given assigned seats for the train. They generally put families with kids in the same car or cars.

Hope this helps.

Steve