Amtrak question in Ft. Lauderdale

[blossom]

My niece and I will be coming into Ft. Lauderdale on Amtrak for an upcoming cruise on HAL.   We will be coming in around 6:30pm the day before the cruise.  Has anyone used Amtrak for travel to Florida?  We could also could use some information about hotels nearby.  Thank you, in advance, for your help.

 

Blossom

[catl331]

The best place to find discussions of FL hotels is on the Florida Departures forum:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/386-florida-departures/

 

Here is one thread on that forum about Amtrak, and there are others.

 

Edited October 18, 2019 by catl331

[3rdGenCunarder]

OP, you didn't say where you're traveling from or if it's long enough to use a sleeper, but if you have taken Amtrak to Florida in the past, be prepared for a big change in meal service! The Star has no dining car at all, just cafe food. The Meteor has a dining car, but it recently got changed to microwave "bowl" meals. Not at all like it used to be. I'm so disgusted with the change that I'm flying to Florida for my cruise this winter.

 

OK, rant over. If you haven't taken Amtrak to Florida in the past, be aware that it sometimes runs quite late. I have always used Uber to get to a hotel. Even the time we got there at 10:30, my Uber arrived quickly.

 

There are no hotels near the station. Your best bet is to choose something closer to the port. FL departures board has lots of recommendations for hotels, and there was a thread about Fort Lauderdale hotels here recently. 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[cruiseapril]

We took Amtrak from Boston to Fort Lauderdale- the Silver Meteor- the day before our cruise.

We took a taxi from the Ft. L. station to our hotel,The Holiday Inn Express,

near the port.  We then walked to restaurants, shopping centers, and other places

without crossing the big boulevard. 

 

[*Miss G*]

We took Amtrak from DC to FTL.  It was supposed to be a 26 hour trip but ended up a 32.5 hour trip.  Sat for hours in the middle of nowhere with no cell or WiFi service.  A freight train had broken down in front of us which resulted in a Union/overtime issue for the crew so we had to wait for another train (which left 3 hours after we did) to arrive so we could hook up to it, which meant we had to stop twice at each station so each train could drop off/pick up their passengers.  Luckily we had planned to arrive two days early so there was no panic involved.

 

Came to a sudden stop in the middle of the night.  I would have fallen out of bed if there was room.  Luckily the wall stopped my momentum.  An 18-wheeler was on the tracks!  The attendant said it happens a lot.

 

I had brought a collapsible cooler full of drinks and edibles (and champagne) because we were on one of the trains which didn’t have a dining car.

 

All in all it was a great adventure.

[3rdGenCunarder]

On one of our trips south, we stopped around 3 AM. I woke, checked the time and went back to sleep. Woke around 6 AM, and we still weren't moving. I could see what looked like a freight car outside the window. But the "freight car" said Amtrak. My morning-befuddled brain was very confused. Amtrak doesn't haul freight. Then I realized I was seeing a car carrier for the Autotrain. Later, I found out that the Autotrain had engine problems, so Amtrak took one of our two locomotives and gave it to the Autotrain. We were able to go at regular speed with the one loco, but acceleration out of each station stop was painfully slow. I think we were 6 hours late into FLL. 

 

I don't like being late, but I understand why it happens.  Once you're outside the DC-Boston Corridor, Amtrak doesn't own the tracks. So the passenger trains are at the mercy of the freight lines. Nothing Amtrak can do about that. But the change in the dining service is unacceptable when I compare it to the cooked meals they used to serve. I had the new "dining experience" this June on my trip to Chicago. Sorry, but a microwaved bowl of stew is not my idea of a replacement for a cooked to order steak. A microwaved pre-cooked egg sandwich doesn't replace pancakes or bacon and eggs cooked to order. And the whole ambiance of the dining car has changed.  It's like the train's MDR has become the Lido with Mickey D's food. The sleeper is expensive, and Amtrak just lowered the value beyond what I consider acceptable for the money. I used to love taking the train, but not now.

 

 

[sevenseasnomad]

So sorry to hear about the dining car experience downgrade.  My then 5-year old son and I took the train from Charlottesville to Atlanta and back in 1991.  We had a sleeper room, and the dining service was one of the adventures we both enjoyed the most.

 

We have discussed taking the train to FLL from DC, but the previous responses have just convinced us to avoid this mode of transportation at all costs.  Since my son won't fly, driving is our only other option, but at least, we could stop at a decent restaurant should we choose.  It doesn't sound as if we'd get that choice with the train.

[3rdGenCunarder]

 

This is dinner in the diner. The plus side for you might be that the sleeping car attendants will deliver your meal to your compartment, so you could have a quiet, although cramped, meal there.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

I got my breakfast in the diner car and took it back to my compartment.

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

12 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

We took Amtrak from DC to FTL.  It was supposed to be a 26 hour trip but ended up a 32.5 hour trip.  Sat for hours in the middle of nowhere with no cell or WiFi service.  A freight train had broken down in front of us which resulted in a Union/overtime issue for the crew so we had to wait for another train (which left 3 hours after we did) to arrive so we could hook up to it, which meant we had to stop twice at each station so each train could drop off/pick up their passengers.  Luckily we had planned to arrive two days early so there was no panic involved.

 

Came to a sudden stop in the middle of the night.  I would have fallen out of bed if there was room.  Luckily the wall stopped my momentum.  An 18-wheeler was on the tracks!  The attendant said it happens a lot.

 

I had brought a collapsible cooler full of drinks and edibles (and champagne) because we were on one of the trains which didn’t have a dining car.

 

All in all it was a great adventure.

 

I do take snacks for a "bon voyage" on the day I board the train, but I do not want to pack dinner, breakfast, lunch for the trip to Florida. 

 

[*Miss G*]

Is anyone else having trouble seeing 3rdGen’s pics?  I updated my iPad last night so I am not sure if it’s related.

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I do take snacks for a "bon voyage" on the day I board the train, but I do not want to pack dinner, breakfast, lunch for the trip to Florida. 

 

I agree.  I would have loved to have had a restaurant car.  We did try the snack bar.  We didn’t spend much. Lol

[erewhon]

9 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Is anyone else having trouble seeing 3rdGen’s pics?  I updated my iPad last night so I am not sure if it’s related.

 

Not able to see the photos.

[sevenseasnomad]

10 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

This is dinner in the diner. The plus side for you might be that the sleeping car attendants will deliver your meal to your compartment, so you could have a quiet, although cramped, meal there.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  But if it's microwave food instead of stove-cooked, how glamorous is that?  On our previous trip, I loved the crisp linens, silverware, and china.  While we only had a late-night snack and breakfast, it was delicious.  I can't envision paying three to four times on the train with 3rd class amenities versus the cost to drive.  We'll drive.

Edited October 20, 2019 by sevenseasnomad

[3rdGenCunarder]

13 hours ago, sevenseasnomad said:

Thanks for the suggestion.  But if it's microwave food instead of stove-cooked, how glamorous is that?  On our previous trip, I loved the crisp linens, silverware, and china.  While we only had a late-night snack and breakfast, it was delicious.  I can't envision paying three to four times on the train with 3rd class amenities versus the cost to drive.  We'll drive.

 

Wow, it must have been a while ago if you had real china. My mother had a collection of railroad china, and I still have the Amtrak bud vase--flowers on the table, how about that!?!  Sadly, Amtrak went to plastic plates in recent years. But the food was still good. 

 

Glamorous is a good word to describe how it felt. Like something out of an old movie. We met a young couple who were inspired to take the train from Florida because they'd seen "White Christmas" so many times. They were disappointed that the napkins were blue instead of white, something to do with the scene where the actors sing the song about snow. 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

trying again to load pictures of dinner and breakfast

 

 

 

[sevenseasnomad]

yes, end of an era if that's what passengers receive.  So sad.  Does the trans-Canadian train still have all the amenities?  I'm guessing it should, as it is extremely expensive.  Does anyone know for sure?

[Himself]

This post convinces me to always fly to Ft. Lauderdale.  If I want to be near the cruise port I stay at the Hiton Maina, the Embassy Suites or the Hotel at Pier 66.

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, sevenseasnomad said:

yes, end of an era if that's what passengers receive.  So sad.  Does the trans-Canadian train still have all the amenities?  I'm guessing it should, as it is extremely expensive.  Does anyone know for sure?

 

Yes it does.  I am hoping it doesn’t change before I get a chance to do it.

[TiogaCruiser]

5 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

trying again to load pictures of dinner and breakfast

 

 

 

Actually that looks better than the “MRE”s in brown cardboard boxes LAN passed out 2 years ago. It was just 5 years before that they served a fabulous dinner and even breakfast on the LAX to EZE run.

[erewhon]

Thanks for posting the photos.

[fla_sunshine]

The traditional dining car meal/service is still available (for now) on the long distance Amtrack trains west of the Mississippi. Sadly, I don't expect that to last for long either.

[3rdGenCunarder]

9 hours ago, fla_sunshine said:

The traditional dining car meal/service is still available (for now) on the long distance Amtrack trains west of the Mississippi. Sadly, I don't expect that to last for long either.

 

As you say, for now. Many of those routes are two nights. It would be awful to have two days of that microwaved stuff. 

 

The other thing with this new food service is that it is "exclusive" for passengers in sleepers. In the past, people from the coaches could come to the dining room for a meal (which they would have to pay for). I don't recall seeing a lot of people come to the dining car from the coach end at dinner, but quite a few were willing to pay for a good breakfast.  

 

[montREALady]

On 10/18/2019 at 9:52 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

OP, you didn't say where you're traveling from or if it's long enough to use a sleeper, but if you have taken Amtrak to Florida in the past, be prepared for a big change in meal service! The Star has no dining car at all, just cafe food. The Meteor has a dining car, but it recently got changed to microwave "bowl" meals. Not at all like it used to be. I'm so disgusted with the change that I'm flying to Florida for my cruise this winter.

 

OK, rant over. If you haven't taken Amtrak to Florida in the past, be aware that it sometimes runs quite late. I have always used Uber to get to a hotel. Even the time we got there at 10:30, my Uber arrived quickly.

 

There are no hotels near the station. Your best bet is to choose something closer to the port. FL departures board has lots of recommendations for hotels, and there was a thread about Fort Lauderdale hotels here recently. 

 

 

So glad I saw your post! I was like "No it's not microwaveable meals from what I saw!" then I went back to read their website and saw under Meteor, "A menu with hot, ready-to-serve choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner"

WTH! Granted people get ready-to-serve meals now online and even in supermarkets so it's become more popular. So how were they prepared before? 

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Flexible-Dining-Menu-1119.pdf

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, montREALady said:

So glad I saw your post! I was like "No it's not microwaveable meals from what I saw!" then I went back to read their website and saw under Meteor, "A menu with hot, ready-to-serve choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner"

WTH! Granted people get ready-to-serve meals now online and even in supermarkets so it's become more popular. So how were they prepared before? 

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Flexible-Dining-Menu-1119.pdf

 

It was real food, much of it cooked to order. Things like lasagne would have been pre-frozen, but the steaks were cooked to order and probably some of the other items. I once had lunch from the kids' menu because there was grilled cheese, and it was definitely right off the griddle. Breakfast was cooked to order. Fresh eggs, omelets cooked to order. Now the hot breakfast is a pre-frozen egg mc-muffin kind of thing out of the microwave. 

 

West of the Mississippi, where the route is two nights, the train still has real food. Here's one of the menus. 

 

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Long-Distance-Dining-Car-Menu-1119.pdf