Taking Amtrak to save money?

[neatokimmo]

DBF, DD and I are headed to DC then NYC next May.

I discovered if we drive 120 miles northeast we can pick up a train stop and ride Amtrak to DC, DC to NYC then NYC back to the platform. It is $450 for all three of us for all three legs.

I figured by the time you add in parking at $30 a day (12 days), gas & tolls, you've hit $450 easy. Parking at the Amtrak spot is free. We were planning on using the metro/subway at both cities so I'm not including it in our "getting there" cash.

Had anyone taken Amtrak on a trip like that? Was it fun or a major pain?

 

[My2BabiesLexis&Dill]

I'm interested in this one also. We have always taken AutoTrain but that was NON-stop trip. I wondered if those going to NYC were or not.

 

[wdwfan16]

How long is it to and from your starting/ending point? What hours are you traveling. Will you sleep on the train? How old will your DD be?

It could be a nice adventure but many don't sleep well on a train.

We love and take the auto train to FL often.

 

[neatokimmo]

We will start in Montgomery WV early in the AM and arrive in DC around 4ish I think. It is much longer time wise by train than car, an extra 3 hours I'd say. If I'm reading the route correctly, the train stops several times.

The trip to NYC is short, maybe 3 hours.

Coming home from NYC we leave at 6am (eeck lol) and it is a 14 hour trip.

DD is a great traveler, when we drive to Disney (700 miles) I don't hear a complaint from her. So the trip back from NYC isn't much longer than that. She will be 4.

I'm just looking at regular seats, they look more comfortable that my car lol A bedroom doubles the cost so I think we'll skip it this time.

 

[wdwfan16]

If you daughter is a good traveler I would do it. The seats are wider than a plane and very comfortable. Have a great time.

 

[Micday]

We live in NC and where all booked to go to D.C. this way. The train was delayed 8 hrs and still they could not tell us when it would get to our station. We ended up driving. We parked the car in a long term parking and used the Metro all the time.

Not trying to turn you off, would of LOVED to take the train just have a back-up plan in case this happens to you. Also Amtrack refunded our money to us no problem since it was such a huge delay.

Have a great time!!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

It sounds like it could be lots of fun! I love travelling by train--more interesting than by car, you can get up and move around and stuff. Plus, it feels more exotic.

My only other thought is, can you travel light? Would there be somewhere along your journey thaat you could do a load or two of laundry? Only because you'd be carrying your own luggage, it makes sense to travel as light as possible.

Anyway, I hope you have a great trip.

 

[cuterlt]

DH and I have done this a few times from New Mexico to California - it's about a 14 hour or so trip too, overnight, so you get to sleep.
On one leg of one trip, we got a roomette - cost a lot, and not as comfortable. The only plusses were free meals and shower and a room to yourself. The room was beds only with about an inch extra space. During the day (not much of it), it was set up as chairs.
So, my recommendation is to do the regular coach tickets.
There are some discount codes out there. Just do a little google search and you can probably track some down.
You can take luggage, and they will store it for you. We took the train to take a cruise and had three suitcases, plus a little travel bag that we kept with us. Everything was fine with our luggage.
In our travel bag we took blow up pillows, eyeshades, ear plugs, a fleece blanket, and snacks. They do have a snack bar and a dining car. Honestly, except for breakfast, I preferred the snack bar (microwave cheeseburger was good and cheap!). I did not really like dinner on the train, but breakfast was pretty good.
If your kiddo is a good traveler, and you take some reading material, you'll enjoy it. The seats are much more comfortable than airplane seats and you have lots of personal space to stretch out.
Have a great time!!!

P.S. I can give you some great tips on train travel. Feel free to pm me if you like.

 

[prncess674]

I live in DC and regularly travel to NYC for work. It is less than 3 hours by train and a great trip. There are regular plugs at each seat on Amtrak that you can plug in a computer or DVD player to entertain the kiddos. Unlike airplanes there are no restrictions on food and beverage being brought on so be sure to pack extra drinks and snacks as the selection on the train is limited, overpriced and generally not very good. There are plenty of fast food options at New York Penn station and DC Union Station for you to stock up before getting on the train. Driving up and down the east coast can be a headache of traffic, expensive parking (especially DC & NYC) so if it saves you money I think it would be a great family adventure.

 

[neatokimmo]

Ok now I am super excited! I think since the train is already on route from Chicago, we'll know if it will be late (or not even show!).

And ya, I'll have to do laundry on vacation. POOR ME! lol

 

[disneybound31]

This sounds like a real neat way to get to NYC...we have been talking for years about taking the kids, but airfare around here is terrible and I will not drive that from East TN...

 

[mom2brina]

We just returned from our trip where we flew to DC, took Amtrak to NYC, and flew home. By far, the most comfortable leg of our trip was on the train. It was quiet, relaxing, and very easy. The only difficult part was the fact that we each had a suitcase that we had to lift up onto the train. It wasn't so much difficult as it was awkward because we weren't sure what we were doing. In our train car there was a place in the front where we could stow the luggage. (There are also overhead compartments for carryon type luggage.)

One word of warning, don't be in a time crunch when it comes to the train. Both times I have taken it (once to Chicago) it has been delayed on arrival, and never got caught up.

Kids enjoyed it too.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I took the kids from Detroit to Denver (and back) on the train when they were preschoolers. Regular seats--22 hour trip. It was fine sleeping on the train seats--bigger and more comfortable than their carseats

Now we take trains all over Europe--but they are a different (and wonderful) animal.

Anyway, the one advice I have is pack lots of snacks and drinks for the trips in the train. I had planned on buying one meal in the train just to break things up--but the dining car literally ran out of ALL food and beverages by 4 hours into our trip (before we went by it) and did not replenish at any stops (and none were long enough for me to get off, purchase something and get back on). I hadn't really packed enough to cover for that and everyone was pretty hungry and thirsty when we got to Denver. On the way back I packed more (and more substantial) food. I still told the kids we could buy something in the dining car for fun if it had food. Sure enough--it was already out (train came from California) by the time we borded

At that time (about 10 years ago), Amtrak ran movies up in the upper lounges for kids in the summer. My kids enjoyed going up and watching movies and they liked the freedom to be able to get up and wander pretty much whenever.

 

[nunzia]

I take AMTRAK to DLR from Albuquerque. I've also gone to San Francisco, Kansas City and Milwaukee. We really like train travel and the price is right. The only thing is, you have to be patient and not expect things to be on time. Lately we've had great on time experiences, but in the past we've had huge delays. I say give it a try

 

[neatokimmo]

I bought the tickets tonight, I can't believe how cheap they were!

Our station is going to be 3.5 hours away. Not the best but we don't live in train country.

From Lynchburg to DC to NY to Lynchburg it was just $342.50 for all three of us. Our delta flights were pricing out at $1045.

I didn't mean for it to be but this has ended up being a budget trip. I guess "cheap" is in my genes. Most of our touring in NYC is free through my company and most everything in DC is free. Our DC room ended up being $89 because I booked it in advance. We'll priceline the NYC room and cross our fingers for the 4 star I want. I hope I have as much fun on the trip as I've had planning it

 

[cuterlt]

Hi Nunzia, fellow New Mexican! Are you named after Nunzios, the old pizza place?
Nice to see someone else from NM here.

 

[MrsPete]

I took a train trip about a year ago and have another planned for next fall. In fact, we went to DC, so we were on the very train you'll be riding. I was very satisfied with our train experience, and I'll throw out these details:

-- The earlier you buy your tickets, the cheaper they are. Also, if you're a AAA member, take advantage of your discount.
-- The cost of those little roomlets is outrageous. You might as well fly.
-- The seats are wider than those on an airplane, and you'll have two electrical outlets for each set of seats, which is very convenient.
-- You can get up and walk about. You can go from car to car.
-- You can walk up to the cafe cart, though I warn you that the food isn't very good and it is expensive! I've heard that the people in the roomlets get better food. Next time I'll bring a little soft-sided cooler with snacks so I can buy just sodas.
-- There's a water-spigot for refilling your water bottles (it's on the wall outside the bathrooms).
-- The bathrooms became progressively more stinky as the trip progressed. As more and more people get on the train, they "open up" more cars to the back . . . so if you pay attention, you can go use a "brand new" restroom. Next time I'm bringing Lysol wipes anyway.
-- I can't say enough good about the conductors. I was with a youth group, and a couple young drunk guys were behaving badly towards some of our young ladies (up in the cafe car). Two of the girls came to get me, and before I could walk up there, the conductors had already taken care of the situation. The head conductor took them up to the cafe clerk and told her that he (the drunk) was to have no more alcohol served to him (he complained loudly, but to no avail), and he (the drunk) would be sitting out the rest of the trip in the little area reserved for the conductors. He did not look pleased to be sitting up there with the staff instead of walking around freely harassing 14-year old girls, but I made a point to thank the conductor for taking care of my girls.
-- The train does stop frequently, so it's not nearly so fast as a plane . . . but you're not doing the driving, so you're going to arrive better rested.
-- You'll have space above your seat (just like on a plane), and it'll easily hold a rolling carry-on suitcase. They also have a limited amount of storage space at the front of each train for larger suitcases -- but you must get those on and off the train yourself, and you might not be able to sit "with your luggage". I suggest packing lightly.

 

[Maybelle]

I bought the tickets tonight, I can't believe how cheap they were!

Our station is going to be 3.5 hours away. Not the best but we don't live in train country.

From Lynchburg to DC to NY to Lynchburg it was just $342.50 for all three of us. Our delta flights were pricing out at $1045.

I didn't mean for it to be but this has ended up being a budget trip. I guess "cheap" is in my genes. Most of our touring in NYC is free through my company and most everything in DC is free. Our DC room ended up being $89 because I booked it in advance. We'll priceline the NYC room and cross our fingers for the 4 star I want. I hope I have as much fun on the trip as I've had planning it

I would recommend looking at www.travelzoo.com for a hotel on NYC. Sometimes they have really great rates, and then you don't have the anxiety of finding out what hotel you will be in. We found travelzoo our least expensive option for a room.

 

[nunzia]

Hi Nunzia, fellow New Mexican! Are you named after Nunzios, the old pizza place?
Nice to see someone else from NM here.

I know! I think on all the DIS there are about 4 of us no, Nunzia is what my Dad called me..he was Sicilian and that's just my name in Sicilian.