Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Amtrak vs. flying

Firsttimecruiser2016

By Firsttimecruiser2016,
in Ask a Cruise Question

 Share

Recommended Posts

Cruisin' Chick

Cruisin' Chick

Posted
Posted

I don't know how on time the trains are on the east coast (only been on the NYC to Wash DC train back in 1982) but here on the west coast, one needs to pad in extra time as the trains can be notoriously behind. For one cruise, we took the Coast Starlight from Oxnard to Seattle and booked it to arrive Friday night for a Sunday cruise...which was good as it was four hours late.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Treven

Treven

Posted
Posted
I don't know how on time the trains are on the east coast (only been on the NYC to Wash DC train back in 1982) but here on the west coast' date=' one needs to pad in extra time as the trains can be notoriously behind. For one cruise, we took the Coast Starlight from Oxnard to Seattle and booked it to arrive Friday night for a Sunday cruise...which was good as it was four hours late.[/quote']

Only 4 hours late? That's pretty good. Several years ago I took the train from LA, after a cruise, up to Sacramento. 13 hours later we finally arrived. I've flown across country in a shorter time than that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Talisker92

Talisker92

Posted
Posted
We were planning on leaving 2 days before because it's a 24 hour train. I wasn't sure if it was worth it or not or if we should spend the extra $ and fly

If you are planning to sleep in your seats it is one thing, but if you want a compartment, it is a bunch of $$$, and may be cheaper to fly

Link to comment
Share on other sites
capriccio

capriccio

Posted
Posted
We are booking our tickets to come down to Fort Lauderdale for the cruise from Philadelphia. Has anyone taken the train there instead, and if so what did you like and what didn't you like about it...TIA!

 

This question comes up periodically on the Florida Departures Board.

 

Here's a thread that appeared on the Florida Departures Board more than a year ago that still might have pertinent information/opinions:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2048192&highlight=amtrak+to+fort+lauderdale

 

This one is about the Philadelphia to Florida on Amtrak from February 2014:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1998270&highlight=amtrak+to+fort+lauderdale

Link to comment
Share on other sites
WaveSplasher

WaveSplasher

Posted
Posted

Good idea....

 

We were planning to take the train down to Fort lauderdale for our cruise as well. But then realize after looking at the history(On time Status) of Silver Star and Silver Meteor and that it arrives late in the evening(A day of sightseeing wasted) we decided it was too risky to risk taking the train. And ended up flying. So we did the reverse instead...Straight after the cruise, on the train and relax all the way up.

 

Which train are you planning to take? There is two of them, one reaches quicker than the other(only 30 mins early)

 

The train we took up was the Silver Star and we took coach, since the room was quite expensive. Seats were comfy and large and the service was good.

Food and drink, unless you bring your own snacks, you will have to buy it from the cafe or the dining car. The food isn't bad, but it is definitely not 5 star. However if you took one of the sleeping cars, everything is provided for you including meals.

 

Overall it depends on your budget for the train, and the room you are choosing

 

One note is that the train ride is pretty long, so either bring a book, some game to past your time or just sleep, or just enjoy the view. But if you don't enjoy long rides and you get bored easily. My suggestion is to fly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bonnie J.

Bonnie J.

Posted
Posted

We loved taking Amtrak for a crazy trip to the ship. It was NCL's Majesty (which is now owned by Louis Cruises in England). The 14 day cruise- not a B2B- started in Philadelphia and ended in Charleston, SC. We live on the NC coast and Charleston is a 4 1/2 hour drive. Our cruise buddies from MI were driving to our house and we'd go together to the ship.

My husband looked at all the ways to cruise from Philly then get to our car which we'd have in Charleston. We all ended up driving to Charleston two days before the cruise. We took Amtrak from there. It was $75@. We left at 10am and got to Philly at 10:30pm. The scheduled time for arrival.

The seats were so comfortable! We were used to bench seats, commuter seats. There were leg rests (?) that came up from the front of the seat so your legs were on them from your knees down. The seats also reclined. There was a LOT of space between the seats so even my 6' husband could stretch his legs out.

We took subs for lunch and KFC for dinner in collapsible cooler. They had a food car which had hamburgers, hot dogs, beer etc.but we weren't sure what food they had.

The bathrooms were spotless.

When we got to Philly we went to our hotel then the ship the next morning.

Amtrak is know for being late so I'd plane on leaving two or three days before your cruise to be safe.

We looked at Amtrak for a cruise but decided it was much too long a trip to FL and we'd have to drive to station- there are none around us. So now we just drive to FL. ports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
notentirelynormal

notentirelynormal

Posted
Posted

I remember years and years ago my grandfather decided to take the train from LA to Medford for a wedding he wanted to go to. I had told him I was leaving in 3 days and would be happy to get him there for his Sunday wedding. No, no, he insisted. He wanted to get there early. Okay. So he left on Wednesday and I left early Saturday morning. I beat him there. The train broke and they were delayed that long. Two days late. It was a rough trip for them. I've always been dubious since then.

 

I would love to take the train from LA to Vancouver but the cost and the length of time is way too much. There is no way I could sit up that long so I'd have to get a sleeper. I could almost fly first class to Italy cheaper. Just kidding. Almost.

 

However, I find the Amtrak schedule incredibly hard to understand. If you don't know the train name/type or the actual stations you are screwed. I figure if I have to spend over an hour just trying to figure out how to get from A to B then I tend to think it is not worth it.

 

So that's my opinion - don't do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Oppalopa

Oppalopa

Posted
Posted
We were planning on leaving 2 days before because it's a 24 hour train. I wasn't sure if it was worth it or not or if we should spend the extra $ and fly
I love the train wonderful scenery, good food, nice people on the train much better than flying. :)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
lola2013

lola2013

Posted
Posted

I've only done Amtrak once...from Chicago to LA and LOVED it...with the exception of trying to sleep (mom wanted the nice compartment with bathroom inside). She got two great night's sleep on the couch which turned into a nice lower berth, while I wasn't able to sleep at all in the top berth (way too close to the ceiling for me)...first night I tried the chair and that was bad so I just moved the mattress onto the floor on the 2nd night and that worked. Anyway, we met some wonderful people on the way, saw great sights, had really good meals...and arrived in LA on time! I am considering the same thing for a trip to Ft. Lauderdale and know I'll have to allow an extra day. It also eliminates the hassle of packing liquids for a plane trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Essiesmom "Live from...." Rare

Essiesmom

Posted
Posted

We took Amtrak from Philly to San Diego to join a series of cruises. We had a bedroom all the way from Washington DC. Yes, it cost more than flying. but it was so relaxing, and we love trains and seeing the countryside.

Just be aware that through April 30, the Silver Star will not have a dining car. Sleeper fares reflect that. EM

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruisin' Chick

Cruisin' Chick

Posted
Posted
Only 4 hours late? That's pretty good. Several years ago I took the train from LA, after a cruise, up to Sacramento. 13 hours later we finally arrived. I've flown across country in a shorter time than that.

 

When I was checking on our return back south (after a few days post-cruise in Seattle), I found out that we just missed a tunnel fire in Oregon that happened a few days later. For almost a week (while the tunnel was being shored up), passengers had to get off the train on one side of that tunnel, get on a bus which traveled to a point that was on the other side of the tunnel and then board another train. Apparently this added about nine more hours to their trip. When we went through that tunnel, we can definitely tell as there was an obvious hole like a skylight and there was a distinctive smell.

 

We had a sleeper car both ways. When I was off to graduate school in the midwest, I took the train from LA to Kansas City and had a coach seat. There was some beautiful scenery on that trip -- the southern part of the Rockies at sunset and even missed the boring scenery as we traveled through Kansas at night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
pbnjrockette

pbnjrockette

Posted
Posted

Southwest to Fort Lauderdale is such an easy flight. I wouldn't risk the hassles of the train and toting luggage. Save the enjoyment of train travel for it's own journey. I've traveled the Northeast Amtrak corridor -- Philly to Boston and it's nice and relaxing but when going on a cruise don't think I'd want to travel by train. We're taking the PHL to FLL flights in January!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TinCan782

TinCan782

Posted
Posted (edited)

For us, the train is now our preferred mode of transportation and the train is PART of the vacation, not just a way to get there.

 

Last year it was the Coast Starlight LA to Seattle for an Alaska cruise. We overnighted in Seattle before the cruise and again after. Next year, we'll travel by train to Spokane for a Snake/Columbia River cruise and return from Vancouver, WA.

 

Not a cruise but, our vacation last August was train from LA to DC for a week of sightseeing.

 

We travel sleeper which is "paid" for with Amtrak's Guest Rewards Points.

 

Which will you prefer? It depends on you. Additional time and delays, cost of sleeper accommodations you need to analyze that.

 

Either way, enjoy you cruise!

Edited by TinCan782
Link to comment
Share on other sites
kelkel2

kelkel2

Posted
Posted
Plan on arriving a day or two ahead. We were once 36 hours late.

 

I concur. I have never taken the Amtrak that far, but frequently take it to Chicago...Amtrak's on time record isn't stellar. They're late a lot, and when I mean late, I mean anywhere from minutes to hours. If you plan on taking the Amtrak, plan on arriving 2 days in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Langley Cruisers

Langley Cruisers

Posted
Posted

Hi there. Have taken Amtrak before on the west coast, but not for the length of time you are describing. Personally, I would rather fly in 2 to 3 days ahead of time and spend time in Fort Lauderdale as a pre-vacation. It is glorious there. We just did this and had a blast. Personally, when I am travelling to get somewhere (to get to a cruise), I want to get there as soon as possible. Having said that, I fully understand that taking the train is lovely for the scenery and may be a relaxing way to travel, but when I read some of these posts about the delays and such, I know I would rather fly. :)

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...