Amtrak Auto Train

[ljv1975]

We have decided to take the auto train instead of driving the whole way. We have to drive from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C., but then we have a sleeper car all the way to Sanford, FL, about 45 minutes from our resort. They load up our car, and we get it back when we arrive in FL.
The times worked out that we will basically be sleeping most of the time and will arrive refreshed and ready. The cost is less than airfare and slightly more than if we were to drive the whole way, but when you take into account wear on your car and the stress of driving, we found it to be worth the extra cash.

Just wondering if anyone has ever taken the auto train in the past?

[Donald Duck Fan]

Yes. My wife and I took Amtrak down from Philadelphia to Orlando for our honeymoon trip to disney. It was awsome. It was a nice quite relaxing ride. We enjoyed it and would definately do it again.

We also set up a town car service to pick us up and take us to the resort. I believe it only cost $100 for the round trip so like $50 bucks one way. That was great.

A side note: we were suppose to arrive in Orlando at 12:30 PM but were delayed about an hour and a half so we pulled in at like 2:00. This was no problem at all cause when we got to the resort at like 2:30 to check in our room was ready and we were able to go right there first.

Enjoy.

[AwPhooey]

I've taken the Auto Train from DC to Sanford twice and really enjoyed it. Both times my family got regular seats instead of a room and the ride was quite comfortable.

The first time down was a little crowded as it was right before Christmas, so you had all the people going down for the holidays plus those going to Florida for the winter.

There's not a whole lot to see (especially if you travel in the fall/winter, as the sun is down for most of the trip), but the train shows a movie (two showings) and there's a car where you can play cards, etc. Also, there's a car beneath the lounge (IIRC) that had electrical outlets; a fellow traveler brought a TV and an Xbox and played video games for the majority of the trip.

I'd definitely recommend taking the Auto Train at least once!

[MoFrazier05]

We have decided to take the auto train instead of driving the whole way. We have to drive from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C., but then we have a sleeper car all the way to Sanford, FL, about 45 minutes from our resort. They load up our car, and we get it back when we arrive in FL.
The times worked out that we will basically be sleeping most of the time and will arrive refreshed and ready. The cost is less than airfare and slightly more than if we were to drive the whole way, but when you take into account wear on your car and the stress of driving, we found it to be worth the extra cash.

Just wondering if anyone has ever taken the auto train in the past?

I'm actually a conductor for Amtrak and my family ONLY takes the Auto Train to go to Disney World!!! My suggestion is that you arrive early because that will allow you to get an early dinner reservation (5-7pm). Anything after 7pm takes away from the experience and I've found that the food doesn't taste as fresh. Other than that, you should really enjoy your experience!!!!

[mickey&missy]

We took the auto train in 05. We drove from NY to Lorton VA the day before and stayed in a hotel then boarded the auto train the next afternoon. DH and I found it hard to sleep on the moving train. But, our kids slept like babies. We had what I think they call a family room. The room went across the back of the train car on the bottom level.

It was a lot of fun! There really isn't much to look at, like the other posters said. When we took the train it was late Feb. and very cold in FL. When we got up in the morning in FL we passed through several areas with citrus groves. They had huge "burn bowls" out to try to keep the citrus from freezing. It looked very cool but we felt sorry for the farmers.

Anyway, enjoy the experience.

[Philakronk21]

We have driven to Orlando from Philly a few times and are going again this summer. In 2000 we took the Auto train home (Sanford, FL to Lorton VA). We enjoyed it alot and our kids (4 and 2 at the time) really loved it. We had a family bedroom and it served us well. In 2004 we drove both ways. This summer it is back to driving down and taking the auto train home. We are booking two roomettes vs. a family bedroom. The kids are now 12 and 10 and the roomettes should be enough for us. We find that the excitement of getting to Disney is enough to keep us going on the drive down. By the end of the trip we are exhausted and taking the auto train north is a great way to "relax" most of the way home.

[mouselover93]

every time my family and i go to disney we take the auto train in fact we just got back a month ago. its the same time length as a straight through drive but the only stops you have is for other engines or southbound crew change. although it is expensive its well worth saving the gas money and airfare. first class meals when we were on consisted of salad and rolls. steak,chicken, surf & turf ( steak and fish ), fish, i forget the other two and then choo choo chewies for kids ( chicken & mac & chesse ) the crew is very friendly. all in all the 17 1/2 hour ride is well worth the money

[ljv1975]

We find that the excitement of getting to Disney is enough to keep us going on the drive down. By the end of the trip we are exhausted and taking the auto train north is a great way to "relax" most of the way home.

I wish we were taking the train both ways, but we are planning to visit DH's family in northern Georgia on the way back, so we'll have to drive the rest of the way home from there.

Thanks for all of the input. After booking our reservations I got a bit worried about delays, but I figure no matter how you travel you can get delayed somehow!

[dechae]

MoFrazier05, read your post. I know this is for autotrain but the temptation of having a real, live conductor to question is too great for me to pass on so ......

It took 30 yrs but DH finally going on train. I'm looking forward to the freedom to move around while traveling but what is proper train etiquitte(where is spell checker when I need it?).

No poking my nose in every knuke and cranny ! We are also nite owls yet we can whisper. Anything else on your top 10 things riders do to irritate service personelle.

Is it Ok to tip half when we enter and half when we leave? Don't want the overworked staff to think we are "one of the dreaded THEMS" in regards to our behavior.

Looking forward to WDW trip via Cardinal, Silver Star then home by Silver Star, Capitol Limited and Cardinal. Thanks for reading.