Why Would Anyone Take the AUTO TRAIN?

[brunette8706]

Hello All!

Okay, I'm just curious why anyone would take the AUTO TRAIN? It's not cheap, and by the time you get there (from Maryland) I believe it takes 16 hours, plus you have to pay a hefty fee for your car and if you have an SUV I believe it's even more money. But of course I could be missing something.

Any thoughts comments etc. on why you would take this auto train?

Thanks ALL!

Brunette

 

[joelkfla]

Because you are sleeping and enjoying dinner & breakfast instead of driving.

Because kids, especially, are free to roam around, instead of being strapped in a seat for hours, asking "Are we there yet?"

Because it saves the cost of renting a car if you had flown, and you can pack as much stuff as will fit in your trunk or cargo area.

 

[MeggerasMa]

Because we love trains!

We always enjoyed our drive down to the World, but the thought of the return drive was always a major downer to the last several days of vacation. The Auto train one way home was fabulous! It was very interesting to see how the vehicles were loaded...lots of fun to have dinner with china and linens on board a train ... and interesting to try to sleep in those little sleepers, especially when you were in the car right behind the engine!

We don't take the train to save money

 

[2disneyboys]

my sister has taken the auto train several times .. they (her DH) is stationed temporarly stationed in TAMPA and they have a house here. Her and the kids have spents summers here (not as hot in Virginia as in Florida most of the time) and it's a long drive for 1 adult to do alone, so she takes the auto train..

its not a money saver or even a time saver, but she hates "road" trips and feel's its more comfortable way to travel and still have her car.

 

[nono]

OK, I'll play.

Because as one gets older, it can be harder to do things (like drive loooonnnggg trips) that previously were easy to do.

 

[bdcp]

Because we love the train. I hate to fly and DH is willing to ride with me. I also hate that drive down 95. We live 40 minutes from the Lorton train station.

Riding the train is part of the vacation and the adventure. We have met some great people onboard and when we get there we have our car. The "hefty" cost for our SUV is ~$370 roundtrip. That's cheaper than renting an SUV for the 18 days we'll be in FL. Our seats are $398 rt for BOTH of us (can two people fly for that?). Our additional cost is the choice to have a bedroom on the way down.

So, in total, rethink whether or not it's cheaper to fly once you factor in other transportation, the cost of extra luggage (take as much as you can get in your car on the autotrain) and meals, cause they certainly don't feed you on the airlines, but they do on the auto train.

I'm just curious why you care if you think it's not worth it? Obviously lots of people do because the train is very popular.

 

[Sadie22]

We're rail fans. We like to ride different types of transportation. We prefer not to fly. We can pack as much as we want in our vehicle without worrying about checked luggage, TSA searches, etc. I can't drive more than an hour without a break these days. If we drove, DH would do most of the driving and it would still take at least two days each way and probably three.

On the train we get private accommodations from which we can watch the miles go by together or read if we choose. We are served two meals and plentiful snacks, water, fruit, wine and cheese. There are movies. We meet interesting people -- On our last trip we met someone who worked in the resort where we were going to stay. When we arrived in Florida we hopped in our vehicle and spent almost two days at Kennedy Space Center before our WDW vacation. There was plenty of room in the vehicle for souvenirs.

The train may not be for everyone, but it's the right choice for us.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Hello All!

Okay, I'm just curious why anyone would take the AUTO TRAIN? It's not cheap, and by the time you get there (from Maryland) I believe it takes 16 hours, plus you have to pay a hefty fee for your car and if you have an SUV I believe it's even more money. But of course I could be missing something.

Any thoughts comments etc. on why you would take this auto train?

Thanks ALL!

Brunette

I wondered this myself many times. By the time you pay all that, you could pay to fly and just be there in a couple hours.

I believe it's for people suffering from fear of flying. Maybe I'm way off but I don't see any other reason why I would drive 5 hrs only to sit another 20 on a train when I could pay a similar price and be in FL before my car would get us to Lorton, VA. It would add another 2 days of vacation days used at work also.

 

[maybegoofy]

don't like to fly and the drive home sucks.that said it will be my sixth year on the autotrain the kids love it and it gives them time to finished their school work on the way home ,were there are no distractions.

 

[Henlady]

We have driven, taken the AutoTran and flown to Florida over the past 25 years. Hate the drive(we always take 2 days to do the 18 hour drive), not afraid to fly, but dislike the hassle. It's a 2.5 hour drive to the nearest airport and we'd have to be careful about what and how much we pack. If we take an early morning flight, we get a hotel the night before the flight.
DH and I personally find the train trip very relaxing. We are not in a hurry. We have plenty of vacation time at work so taking an extra day to travel is not a problem. We get a roomette, so we arrive rested and well fed, and we have our own car packed with anything we wanted to take along to make our trip enjoyable. If someone is a "Hurry up and go" type, then train travel would not be your choice. But if you can sit back and relax, take time to read, or watch a movie, train travel might be for you. And, we've met some very interesting people during our train travels.

The cost for our upcoming November AutoTrain Trip: $1,010.80 = includes roomette both going and returning, a regular size car for 2 adults. Reservations were made in late May, 2011.
If we were to fly, the total cost for flights ($531 as of late May because I checked when I made the train ressies),transportation, hotel the night before for an early morning flight, meals comes to roughly $965. That's not much difference in price for us and it is a lot less hassle and much more relaxing.

 

[Lumiere Lover]

My Mom will not fly. The last time she vacationed, (Vegas from WI) she took the train. She will not fly, and paces like crazy anytime her kids or grand kids are in the air. She instilled a fear of flying in me that took a long time to get over.

 

[Tink's Pixieduster]

Hello All!

Okay, I'm just curious why anyone would take the AUTO TRAIN? It's not cheap, and by the time you get there (from Maryland) I believe it takes 16 hours, plus you have to pay a hefty fee for your car and if you have an SUV I believe it's even more money. But of course I could be missing something.

Any thoughts comments etc. on why you would take this auto train?

Thanks ALL!

Brunette

You asked for it - Here's my thoughts:

(For 2 ADULTS from the Northern VA suburbs of DC)

FLYING

Roundtrip airfare
cost = $250 per person, including taxes and fees
Room near airport night before early flight
cost = $130
Cheapest airport parking for 1 week
cost = $80
TSA security checks (take shoes off/empty pockets/put 3-2-1 bag in bin/don’t lose boarding pass/put carry-on on moving belt/put shoes, personal item and camera in bin/walk through metal detector/walk back to bins and put in watch after alarm goes off/walk back through metal detector/locate bins/put items back in pockets/get one shoe on/tell TSA agent that yes, we can walk over to a table so he can examine the contents of my carry-on/pick personal item and camera/don’t lose boarding pass/put on other shoe/pick up carry-on/follow TSA agent/go back to bins and retrieve watch/walk back to TSA agent and wait while carry-on is examined/finally get cleared to walk to gate/do head-smack at gate because 3-2-1 bag was left in bin at security
cost = my sense of humor
Waiting in a long line to board the plane while people that got on first sort out their carry-ons and block the aisle and then argue with the flight attendant when their carry-on is too large for the overhead bin
cost = 1 ton of patience
Finding out someone seated in the back of the plane put their carry-on in the bin over my seat
cost = my last nerve


DRIVING

4 tanks of gas at $65 to fill up each time
cost = $520 roundtrip
Expensive and unhealthy snacks from gas station stops @ $10 per person per stop x 4
cost = $120
Trying to stay with traffic and make good time for 13 hours while 1) getting out from behind slow moving trucks, 2) avoiding people who ride on my back bumper and 3) looking out for local cops with speed traps that will ticket for exceeding the speed limit by 1 MPH
cost = my sanity
Throwing in the towel and getting a hotel room in SC or GA for the night, round trip
cost = $260 (but get rebate on some sanity)
Hitting Orlando on I-4 at rush hour, even when used to DC rush hour traffic
cost = soap to wash my curse words out of my passenger’s ears

TRAIN

Train fare (bedroom w/bath), car fare and taxes roundtrip
cost = $1,230
Dinner
cost = FREE
Lounge car entertainement
cost = FREE
Ability to get up and walk around
cost = REBATE - Less Tylenol for bad knee and no sore rear end from sitting in one place for hours on end
Arriving in Sanford/Lorton rested after sleeping on the train
cost = REBATE - more alert for Orlando traffic/more energy for parks or home
Not having to worry about I-95 traffic
cost = REBATE - saved patience
Packing whatever we want however we want as long as it fits in the car
cost = nothing/priceless

 

[MinnieLynnie]

We took the Auto Train many years ago, for one reason: I'm terrified to fly. I hate it, dread it, have been known to cry for no reason while flying, etc. Yeah, I'm a real joy to fly with,

The Auto Train provided me with a worry-free trip. Longer, but worry-free.

For anyone else who's terrified to fly, you probably understand what I mean!

 

[labdogs42]

My six year old actually asked to take the Auto train again this time. I know he wouldn't be asking to do a 18 hour car ride more than once! And, by the time we fly, park, and rent a car in Orlando (yes, we have to rent a car!), it costs about the same as the train. Plus the train is really cool! And having your OWN car in Florida and being able to pack as much as you want is priceless! The Auto train is a fantastic way to go. Don't knock it until you've tried it!

ETA another reason is the great times for the train. You get to Snaford at 9:30 in the morning and you leave at 4pm. MUCh better than the flight times from my local airport.

 

[disneymarie]

I think Auto train much as Auto bus is the Snowbee gang. They can take their cars south for the winter and back in the Spring $$$$.
The discount prices for people going the opposite way intrigues the Disney crowd. OR if you do not mid the cost, sitting in coach .

I am doing it once one way with Auto train for the love of the Train A-holics in the family. Humor them.

The van is only $9 more as oversized. We can pack with whatever we wish, no check bag or overweight fee, worry over fluids.
There is a drive down and auto train home as the round trip is three times what the cost to fly round trip is.

So if anyone in the family wants train any further, they will have to ride coach with the car, and I will fly and meet them...

I am really worrying about the reliabilty of the vehicle driving it down the 1,000 miles.
Wish Autotrain had round trip program discount. In the fall going down is out of reach, and in the Spring coming back is $$$$.

 

[DC7800]

I believe it's for people suffering from fear of flying. Maybe I'm way off but I don't see any other reason why I would drive 5 hrs only to sit another 20 on a train when I could pay a similar price and be in FL before my car would get us to Lorton, VA

The primary reasons for traveling by Auto Train are to have your own car with you while in Florida and/or to avoid driving the entire distance.

While there might be a handful of people who travel by train because they are too afraid to get on a plane, there are many other far more important considerations (and some aren't afraid but rather are just fed up with the hassles and ordeal of modern air travel).

The train isn't really competing on price with the airlines either; Sometimes rail will be cheaper, other times more expensive. An inexpensive airline combined with Magical Express service will nearly always be cheaper, though the comparison there should really be with one of Amtrak's other Florida trains, since neither option involves a vehicle (and Amtrak coach cannot be directly compared with airline coach anyway) and the other trains are faster and less expensive. At the other extreme, flying to Florida and then renting a SUV or Minivan for two weeks or more can easily cost much more than Auto Train and having your own vehicle.

The train is generally faster than driving when an overnight stop is considered; Persons who would otherwise opt to drive straight through all night save 900 miles of driving by taking the train instead.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The primary reasons for traveling by Auto Train are to have your own car with you while in Florida and/or to avoid driving the entire distance.

While there might be a handful of people who travel by train because they are too afraid to get on a plane, there are many other far more important considerations (and some aren't afraid but rather are just fed up with the hassles and ordeal of modern air travel).

The train isn't really competing on price with the airlines either; Sometimes rail will be cheaper, other times more expensive. An inexpensive airline combined with Magical Express service will nearly always be cheaper, though the comparison there should really be with one of Amtrak's other Florida trains, since neither option involves a vehicle (and Amtrak coach cannot be directly compared with airline coach anyway) and the other trains are faster and less expensive. At the other extreme, flying to Florida and then renting a SUV or Minivan for two weeks or more can easily cost much more than Auto Train and having your own vehicle.

The train is generally faster than driving when an overnight stop is considered; Persons who would otherwise opt to drive straight through all night save 900 miles of driving by taking the train instead.

I agree it's expensive to rent a minivan or SUV but even though we have those at home, I don't need that much vehicle on vacation. For a week, a full size will do, which is much cheaper. For us, that something we're willing to sacrifice to get to FL in 2 hrs. We don't always need a car at all. If we're staying onsite or on a cruise, we either use a car service, DCL bus service or a one way car rental to the port. We don't need a car the whole time. For our Sept cruise, it's only $26 to rent a car for a couple hours to drive to the port.

Also we like to do a lot of long weekends. Our upcoming cruise is a 3nt since our kids are off Thurs & Fri so we can fly down after school Wed night, get a room, cruise Thurs and fly home Sunday post cruise and the kids don't miss any school. Now that they're in HS and middle school, that's important to us.

Southwest allows 2-50 lb bags per person for free. How limited is that? So for our family of 4, we could bring 8 large suitcases without a fee. Even on a 7nt cruise required dinner clothes, formal wear w/shoes, etc. we still only check 3 bags total. Dh would & call me a hoarder if I showed up with 8 bags. I wouldn't have 8 suitcases unless we were moving.

I agree the train is much better than driving but I wouldn't be doing that either.
In the end, it's all a matter of what is a priority to each family. For us, time off from work/school is the single biggest issue so flying works best. Every family has different needs.

 

[goofy4tink]

Every family is different. Even the same family may have different needs on various trips. So, sometimes a train ride, the entire way may be the best bet. Other times, a flight may serve. Or, a trip might be best if using the auto-train. It's not always about cost or time...there are many variables.
For me, the drive south of Va can be very boring. I look forward to the trip where we drive to Va, use the auto-train, have our car with us in Florida, then either auto-train back, or take our time and see some 'stuff' on the drive back.

 

[kydisneyfans]

There are so many variables involved to make the decision.

We have made 12 trips to Disney varying from 865 to 1,000 miles, and everytime we have driven. The autotrain is a route we would discuss if it were an option though, it sounds neat.

We like to take our own stuff, not what the TSA tells us we are allowed to take. The stress level is lower, we live a good distance from an airport with reasonable flight costs so we would drive over an hour to an airport, pay $70+ to park, arrive 2 hours early, and then fly, we can already be in Georgia. Airtran is an option but they only fly once a day on certain days from Lexington, so we might lose a day there too.

Again, it varys by family, but for us it's convenience #1 and cost #2. 13 hours of driving isn't worse than 6 hours of mixed driving/waiting/flying with additional stress in my book, especially when I'm saving hundreds of dollars as a result.

 

[dzorn]

Hello All!

Okay, I'm just curious why anyone would take the AUTO TRAIN? It's not cheap, and by the time you get there (from Maryland) I believe it takes 16 hours, plus you have to pay a hefty fee for your car and if you have an SUV I believe it's even more money. But of course I could be missing something.

Any thoughts comments etc. on why you would take this auto train?

Thanks ALL!

Brunette

Some may take it because they are snow birds and want their car in Florida for the winter. Some people do not like to fly.

Denise in MI