Train from CT to WDW, how bad is it, Really?

[crzy4mickey]

We may be taking the train on our next WDW adventure. MY DH will not fly! He has been like that all his life, not even since 9/11. Anyway we are thinking we'd rather take the train than drive since neither of us like to drive for long periods of time. We opted to leave DH home every trip so far but the kids and I really want him to come next time. Anyone out there have any experience with the train? Thanks.

 

[Rootskate]

Im also curious about this.....

 

[Ms. Belle]

I've taken the autotrain several times and my son (age 11) really enjoys it and I have my own car. You will have to drive to Lorton, VA which is about 6 hrs from CT. The autotrain leaves from Lorton at 4pm (I think) and arrives in Sanford, FL around 8 or 9am, the next day. Also saves you from driving a long distance. I've done both coach and a sleeper car and prefer the sleeper car for the privacy, noise reduction and bathroom. I've also taken the Amtrak Acela from Old Saybrook to Penn to DC (changed trains) to Atlanta. That was less than enjoyable. No sleeper car (they were booked) and no meals included the way they are on the autotrain. Also, this was extremely crowded. This train ride was also overnight, but you stopped at tons of stations at all hours of the night and people got on and off, and it was hard to sleep. The toilets overflowed and the conductors wouldn't do anything to correct the situation. I exited in Atlanta, but the train went on to Florida. So, my first choice to FL is the autotrain.

 

[Ms. Belle]

I just realized my first sentence could be misconstrued. You take your own vehicle on the autotrain. There are separate train cars where you sleep and separate train cars where they load your vehicle. Just wanted to clarify!

 

[crzy4mickey]

How far is the drive from Sanford to WDW property? And what time of year did you take the acella train? We were thinking of just taking the train from New Haven to Penn to Kissemmee. Is the Autotrain expensive. Hey, I see you live close to me, i'm in Branford.

 

[Ms. Belle]

From Sanford to WDW, it is about 30 minutes. If you take the train to Kissimmee, you will have to rent a car or get a taxi to WDW. The earlier you book with the Autotrain, the less expensive it is. You can check prices online and also book online. I took the Acela in February and I would really not do it again. Give it a try though - you might like it. It's less expensive than an Autotrain sleeper, but might be the same price as Autotrain coach. I would take the Autotrain coach over the regular train. When we reached Penn Station on the Acela, there were a ton of people that got on in NYC and I remember alot of scrambling around for seats; I was glad I already had one.

When I take the Autotrain, I leave Madison at 3am and I'm in Lorton by 9am. There is a little town near the train station and I stop over there and have breakfast and head back to the train station by 11 am to get in the car line to board the train. It doesn't seem to matter how early you board your car, the cars are taken off the train in no particular order and you might be the first car off or the last. The longest I've waited for my car was about 45 mins. I've read on these boards that other people have been delayed by 4-5 hours on the autotrain, but I've never had any of these problems.

 

[crzy4mickey]

Forgive me if i ask too many questions, I usually fly....When you get into Penn do you have to get off the train and board another or just stay on that train?

 

[Ms. Belle]

We stayed on and actually, we stayed on throughout. I'm just remembering now, they change from electric to diesel trains in DC. But you don't get off until your stop.

 

[crzy4mickey]

Thanks for all your help. We're leaning more toward taking the train to Kissemmee and either taxi or town car service to WDW. We won't be going again for a while but I like to be prepared!

 

[cocowum]

Ms. Belle are you from Old Saybrook, my DH grew up in Old Saybrook!! IASW

 

[Cyndiu]

I've looked into Autotrain in the past and its seems wildly expensive. Are there ways to get discounts?

 

[beccasmom]

We took a quick trip by train in March, 2000. We left from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday and arrived in Orlando at approximately 11:00 a.m. the next morning. We found great seats on the train and there is lots of room – the seats recline and are very comfortable. We did not have a sleeping berth, but found sleeping in our seats relatively easy. There were a lot of stops, particularly between Philadelphia and Virginia. We brought our own food on board, so I can’t comment on the dining car or food. Our car was pretty quiet, considering there were a lot of children on board. We stored our bags right behind our seats and the ride down south was fairly uneventful.

Departing Orlando was another story – the train was exceptionally crowded and loud. I should say that this was prime Spring Break time, so the crowds, although annoying, were understandable. Many of the folks in our car talked on their cell phones well into the early morning hours. The train was running two hours late before we even left Florida and arrived more than 4 hours late to Philadelphia. So the trip home was far from enjoyable. However, there are limits to Amtrak being able to make up lost time since they run on freight line tracks and the freight lines have priority. We also had a grumpy conductor and a broken washroom in our car, so that added to the misery. If I were to do it again, I would spring for a sleeping compartment. I know that is an added expense, but there is privacy and some security for your baggage. And I would personally avoid the prime travel times due to crowds.

 

[Henlady]

Cyndui - The trick to affordable Auto Train rates is to book very far in advance and to have a AAA discount. We booked 2 weeks ago for our October 21-30, 2005 trip. The round trip cost for DH, myself, the car and a roomette was $761.20. By the time September rolls around that fare will most likely be in excess of $1100. If you go coach it is cheaper.
Our fare without the roomette would be $563.20. We have always traveled coach in the past with our 2 children, but this time it's just DH & I so we're trying the roomette.

Kris

 

[DC7800]

How far is the drive from Sanford to WDW property? And what time of year did you take the acella train? We were thinking of just taking the train from New Haven to Penn to Kissemmee. Is the Autotrain expensive. Hey, I see you live close to me, i'm in Branford.

From New Haven to Disney, you would take any southbound Amtrak train from New Haven to Penn Station New York, where you change trains. There are no trains to Florida which run North of New York, but since you would be boarding at the trains point of origin, you will be among the first onboard. It's a reserved train anyway, so no rushing for seats regardless. Really, you can change trains anywhere between New York and Washington, but since you have to change somewhere, may as well do so at Penn Station. If a sleeper fits within your budget, it is well worth the expense, though coach is far superior to a plane or bus.

Acela is Amtrak's high-speed premium train service from Washington D.C. to Boston. You can certainly use the Acela to reach New York, but you don't have to, any of Amtrak's "regular" trains will just cost less, and you won't be on this train for very long. Checked baggage service will be available from New York too.

Coaches and sleepers (and a full dining car) are available on both the Silver Star and Silver Meteor, the two trains to Orlando and Kissimmee. Either station may be used for WDW. While Kissimmee is slightly closer, Orlando has more transportation options to your hotel.

Auto-Train will always appear more expensive than coach on a "conventional" train, since you also pay to bring your car along, and all meals are included. But saving the expense of a rental car in Florida more than makes up the difference. Discounts are scarce these days, but lower fares can generally be found the farther in advance you book the reservation.