We use Amtrak all the time but we detrain in Kissimmee instead of the Orlando station. There are alot of car service options from the Orlando station but we've been using the same one from Kissimmee for 5+ years. This September is costing us 100.00 round trip with a 30 minute grocery stop. We feel thats pretty cheap considering about 5 years ago we used a taxi from the same location and one way it ran us 38 bucks plus tip and no grocery stop and I know cab fares have gone up. Ive sent you a PM with more details.
My daughter & I are going via AMTRAK in December. I was wondering why you choose Kissimmee instead of Orlando. I haven't bought my tickets yet and I have never taken the train so I would love any advice you have.
TIA!!
Thanks you so much for your clear review. That's a huge help. Sounds like Kissimmee would be much less stressful for a mom & 5 year old traveling alone than Orlando.
If I were in your shoes, I'd get off in Kissimmee. A lot less confusing and very easy to get a cab to your resort. Even if there are none in the cab line, the station master will gladly call one for you. The depot is very small but there is a person on duty, they do check bags at this station and there's a small inside waiting area. We're not ones for alot of people and mass confusion, Kissimmee is quite quaint and a nice station. Hope you enjoy your train trip, I see you're boarding in N. Carolina, your trip will be quite short compared to ours. Bring a blanket, it gets quite chilly to cold after the sun goes down on the train and feel free to bring a cooler with sandwiches, snacks and drinks, it make the trip alot easier than going to the club car or dining car and what you purchase on board is expensive. Also remember, any electronic items must use headphones so to not disturb others. Generally, in coach, lights out is at 10 pm, dimmed more like it. Just sit back, recline your seat, pull up the leg rest and crawl under your blanket and dream your way to WDW. Have a good and safe trip.
We are a party of 14 boarding in N. Carolina and picking up 4 more in S. Carolina. None of us have ever rode the train before and thought it would be a great adventure for the kids and save some money. You mentioned to bring a cooler along....what type of cooler - hard or soft side - and what size - lunch size or something a little larger? Where would we store the cooler and our carry-on bags while we are riding? When we stop at each station along the way, will we know it...do all the lights come on and are people constantly up and roaming by? Do we have assigned seats? We'll check into getting off in Kissimmee. We are trying to figure out how to get from the station to our disney resort without having to pay over $100 to rent a car (and that's not even keeping it over night) however that might be cheaper than using a car service for 18 people. Any other tips you could share would be much appreciated.