Auto train for transportation to FL

[twoofthem]

Anyone done this vs driving/flying to Port Canaveral?

 

We are doing this an arrive the day the ship leaves.

 

Thoughts on those who have traveled this method?

[bobsfamily]

Anyone done this vs driving/flying to Port Canaveral?

 

We are doing this an arrive the day the ship leaves.

 

Thoughts on those who have traveled this method?

I've never done it with the auto-train but have used the train to get the Tampa port and Miami port.

The ONE thing I would highly advise with the train is to do it the DAY before. Trains are notorious for not being on time.

[crewsweeper]

Go out to the Florida departures board under North American Home Ports and do a search. There are several people in the past who have done this. Agree with bobsfamily on getting there at least the day before or earlier. Also check the Park N Cruise parking near PC versus parking at the port or even getting park and cruise rates at nearby hotels. The Park N Cruise lot is very good and has good service. More secure than leaving car at hotel and cheaper all around.

[ladylikes2cruise]

Have done this 5x. but, not for a cruise

Do not, I repeat, do not scedule it to arrive on the day of the cruise.

4x it was between 6 to 10 hours late. I would have missed a cruise.:(

One time a CSX train broke down out of Jax, we had to get off the Autotrain, and wait for buses, took 3hrs for them to arrive. Had to leave our cars and all our luggage inside, then pick them up the next day. What a PIA to get taxis both to hotels and back to the Sanford station. They did pay the expenses, tho.

If you ever been at the Jax station, there is nothing around.

If you must take the Autotrain, or anytrain from the NE.

Def. leave a day or two ahead, with a arrival of at least a day before your cruise:D

[lizjoemom]

Yes, I have taken the autotrain numerous times, it is a great alternative and the bonus, no rental cars or shuttles to deal with. But as the others above have said, you should really get there the day before, just in case. Our last trip on the AT was great except we were delayed getting in for about 4 hours because there was a switch broken on the tracks and they had to bring a whole bunch of trains through the switch that were before us. We didnt get to Sanford until about 12:00 to 1:00, then you have to wait for the cars to unload and it is a crap shoot when you get your car, I have been one of the first and one of the last so you never know! That day, we were one of the last, if we were supposed to get on a cruise at PC we probably would have missed it. Play it safe and get there at least a day early.

[twoofthem]

We've ridden the auto train many many times (we ride free because my dh works for Amtrak). The biggest delay we've had has been 2hrs.. we have lucked out. We also have never had a reason to be there at a specific time.. I talked to my dh and we are changing it to leave a day early. Worst case we can have an extra day as a family before my dd and I leave on our cruise.

[lulu13]

To those who have done this, what would an approximate cost be from Pennsylvania to Florida? Is it less expensive than flying

if you have 5 or 6 people traveling?

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

To those who have done this, what would an approximate cost be from Pennsylvania to Florida? Is it less expensive than flying

if you have 5 or 6 people traveling?

 

 

http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/autotrain

 

you can look for prices here.

[Soupernerd]

Yes I have done this once and I would do it the day before, the reason being:

 

Initially when you get on the train it is daytime/ late afternoon. There will be kids running all over the place yelling, or at least there was on my ride. When it's bedtime they will shut up but it can be annoying. They will serve you dinner and snacks so That was pretty cool. It wasn't horrible the food and they even give you a dessert lol!

 

When it is time for bed, a lot of people go to sleep early, so of you are a night owl you have to find something to do that is quiet. There is a car for activities that has tables and a movie playing, it was a kiddie movie when I went but I went in there and read a magazine and watched some of it. I do think they sell little bottles of alcohol like on airplanes at night lol.

 

I would recommend bringing something, because I ended up staying up all night and all my stuff was locked in my suitcase in the trunk of my moms car so I just sat there. Books, magazines, music, a laptop or something to watch movies on would have been nice. I almost wished I had a portable fan because I found it rather hot at night.

 

 

Now, the reason I stayed up all night was because we were upstairs in the train, as it has 2 level s of seating. There are stairs to get to the bathroom on the first level and they are lit up at night do you don't fall and kill yourself. Our seats were right next to the stairs so it was like having a flashlight in your face all night. I tried to put my sweater over my head lol. We also got the cheap sits with everyone else, and those seats are the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had to sleep on. I would definitely recommend spending the extra money on a sleeper car, as they are private and I think you get something to actually lay on. If you want to rough it and sit in the cheap seats take an extra day to recover, as I went home and took a shower and went to bed. I also ached in places for having to sleepin a weird chair. It doesn't have a lot of cushion and your butt will hurt in the morning lol. They don't have showers, just these scary little bathrooms you can barely fit in that are super tight and a little gross.

 

The train does make some noises at night so it could wake you up, and they do stop once in the middle of the night to refuel and stuff. Walking in between cars is a little scary, and watching the door open and close and seeing the in between part sort of freaked me out. In the morning there is a super early breakfast, and then you have to wait for your car, which could be quick or take forever, based on how they loaded it on. Our car was one of the last ones loaded so we got it first.

[Torbiemart]

I've never done the auto train, however I've done the NY to Nola route often. One thing to remember as a previous poster stated, if you are not in a sleeper car remember to bring something to keep yourself occupied during the trip that will not disturb your fellow passengers. Also food is not included with standard coach seats. Believe it or not, the food is actually not bad (depends on the chef and your tastes), but the prices are not cheap.

 

If you can do it, go for a sleeper car; the price of food is included, there are beds, you have all the coffee, tea, juice that you can drink provided by the car steward and you don't have to share a toilet with 50 other passengers;) There may be a discount for taking the train to cruise port - check out the following link to see if you qualify

 

http://www.railserve.com/amtrak_coupons.html

 

Good luck!

[ibcnusoon]

We "attempted" to take the Autotrain once. DD was going to college in Florida and wanted to take her car. I thought it would be neat (and less wear and tear on her car) if we drove the couple hours to Lorton and took the autotrain to Florida.

 

easy peasy, right?

 

WRONG! We got to Lorton early and waited until passengers were allowed to board the train. Once we got on board we waited .... and waited ... and waited, decided to nap in our sleeper car and wait, wait wait.

 

About an hour PAST when we were to leave, an announcement came over the PA:

 

THERE IS AN OVERTURNED CARGO CAR ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF LORTON ON THE TRACKS. THE TRAIN WILL NOT BE LEAVING TODAY.

 

Ugh! They gave us 2 options, wait until the cargo was removed in a day or two, or get a refund and start the drive down ourselves.

 

We chose to drive, because DD needed to be down there in 2 days. By the time we applied for the refund and got our car back, it was almost 7pm. I was determined to put some distance ahead of us so I ended up driving until about 3:00 in the morning, slept for 3 hours, then drove the rest of the 12 hours the next day.

 

NEVER AGAIN! Do not take the Autotrain is you are relying on getting to Florida at a certain time. Anything can happen.

[rferr]

My parents and grandparents have taken the auto train many times and my advice to you is if you can just drive it instead. Its a pain and takes forever.

[lizjoemom]

I've never done the auto train, however I've done the NY to Nola route often. One thing to remember as a previous poster stated, if you are not in a sleeper car remember to bring something to keep yourself occupied during the trip that will not disturb your fellow passengers. Also food is not included with standard coach seats. Believe it or not, the food is actually not bad (depends on the chef and your tastes), but the prices are not cheap.

 

 

http://www.railserve.com/amtrak_coupons.html

 

Good luck!

 

actually, on the Autotrain in coach the meal is included in the price.

[Holders3]

To those who have done this, what would an approximate cost be from Pennsylvania to Florida? Is it less expensive than flying

if you have 5 or 6 people traveling?

 

It's been many years since we used it. However it dos not run from Pennsylvania. It runs from Lorton, Va to Sanford, Fla.

 

It was less stressful than driving all the way to Disneyworld but it is risky when you have a schedule to keep.

[MrFunInTheSun]

Here's a link of someone who had just boarded it heading for Freedom of the Sea's.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1683279

[lizjoemom]

To those who have done this, what would an approximate cost be from Pennsylvania to Florida? Is it less expensive than flying

if you have 5 or 6 people traveling?

 

Cost varies, it really depends on the time of the year and if they are booking fast or not. In the winter Jan. and Feb. and in the summer when the kids are out of school, it's pretty expensive, but in the off season (when the snowbirds arent travelling) it can be a reasonable alternative. just go to Amtrak.com and check your travel dates.

 

Also, you have choices on accomadations on the train, you can get a roomette or a family room and that adds to the cost. I used to travel in coach, but I booked a roomette once and that was it for me, I wont travel in coach anymore! I just cant do that sleeping sitting up thing!

 

For both coach and sleepers they have a lounge car where there is a bar and you can get snacks, they serve you dinner in the dining car that is included in your fare and after dinner they show a movie in the lounge car.

 

The train isnt necessarily the best mode of travel, but if you need your car with you, it is the best way. Driving just takes too much out of me now that I am older, at least you can get up and walk around on the train. Whatever you decide, have a great trip!

[Silent Penguin]

Our order of preference for making our way to Florida is Autotrain, drive, fly. We've taken the Autotrain several times and have never had a bad trip. In fact, we've always enjoyed the social aspects. We've played a lot of cards and board games with other passengers and met a lot of interesting people. The foods pretty good in the dining car. That isn't to say we haven't experienced delays and cancellations. Our southbound trip was cancelled once due to flood damage on the tracks down in South Carolina. That was a bummer.

 

We are a family of five. Costwise, the expense has varied depending on the time of year we traveled and what kind of sleeping arrangements we booked. The cheapest trip was our first trip when the kids were 4, 7 and 9 years old. We booked an early September trip during a kids-ride-free promotion that ran all summer into mid-September. I don't know if that's still going on.

 

That first trip, the cheapest one, even cheaper than flying due to the kids being free, we also saved money by sleeping in our seats. That wasn't so bad -I could do it again - but we decided thereafter, we would book a roomette. The kids were still little enough to double the younger two up in one bunk, so we got by with two roomettes.

 

Supernerd's observations, as far as I am concerned, could have been made on any of our own trips. So true - lots of active kids in the day, but it was pretty quiet at night. Since we travel while school is in session and we have 3 kids, I was relieved that there were other kids about their age on the train for them to socialize with.

 

The behavior of the children is somewhat like that on the ship. We've been on trips where the kids were fine, but we did take one where there was a family of little boys who couldn't stay in their seats to save their lives. Early in the trip, they would jump in empty seats and jump out or climb over them, run in the aisle, impose themselves on other passengers. They wouldn't leave my daughter alone - kept availing themselves of her books and toys without asking. It didn't last. Once the conductor was made aware of it, he made it clear there would be consequences if it did. Too bad that doesn't happen on the cruise ship. To tell you the truth, I didn't mind the boys as much as their whiny mother. I can still hear her wailing every couple minutes, "Paaatriiick, stooop that."

[Silent Penguin]

Cost varies, it really depends on the time of the year and if they are booking fast or not. In the winter Jan. and Feb. and in the summer when the kids are out of school, it's pretty expensive, but in the off season (when the snowbirds arent travelling) it can be a reasonable alternative. just go to Amtrak.com and check your travel dates.

 

Also, you have choices on accomadations on the train, you can get a roomette or a family room and that adds to the cost. I used to travel in coach, but I booked a roomette once and that was it for me, I wont travel in coach anymore! I just cant do that sleeping sitting up thing!

 

For both coach and sleepers they have a lounge car where there is a bar and you can get snacks, they serve you dinner in the dining car that is included in your fare and after dinner they show a movie in the lounge car.

 

The train isnt necessarily the best mode of travel, but if you need your car with you, it is the best way. Driving just takes too much out of me now that I am older, at least you can get up and walk around on the train. Whatever you decide, have a great trip!

 

Yep, that's it in the nutshell. If I wasn't so tired, I would have said the same things

[Sh1035]

When I moved to Florida used it was cheapest way to move my classic cars.

 

Departure was 9 hours late but they tried to make up for it with free wine and food. Obviously not thier first time at the rodeo.

 

Rolled in about 4 pm and had the last 2 last cars. Needless to say missed my walk thru and closing by a day.

 

But was an experience and we had a sleeper. Being August we had the college crowd hooking up in the same train :) food was actually better then a cruise.

[txmom11]

OP, my husband works for Amtrak too. I'm glad you have decided to schedule your arrival the day before. You know about heat restrictions (something he rarely experienced in VA, but has become very familiar with here in Tx) and delays to to CSX trains.

 

Hope you have a great trip.

[Tcas1]

We are taking the Autotrain in 9 days for our Dream cruise. Staying in 2 roomettes. My brother and his family are also going and they have traveled by Autotrain already and loved it.

 

They offer a wine and cheese reception from 3:00 to 4:00 (definitely for the passengers with rooms - don't know about the coach passengers) and everyone gets dinner with wine.

 

We are looking forward to it. To us it's an exciting beginning to our vacation. But we are getting in the day before our ship leaves.