Another old train lover. I am also a movie buff and I have an axiom: there never was a bad movie with a TRAIN in it! As a boy, I lay in my bed each night and listen to the train going by and always imagined I was in a sleeping car. I'm 66 now and about to take my very first overnight trip to Orlando out of Philly. Any advice?
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Well Mr. Warner ("out" over at another topic), I certainly hope such will be in a Sleeper.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Welcome aboard!! I have never taken the train to Orlando but lots of people on the forum have and You will probably get much advice. I agree with GBN do get a sleeper if possible. You will enjoy your trip much more.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Glad to have you on board. I see you are from the home of the old Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line. I think you may be our first member from that area.
Have fun on your trip. Have you already made trip reservations? You know, another option is to drive to Lorton, Va (just south of DC) and put you and your car on Auto Train. That is arguably Amtrak's best train and certainly better than the regular trains from Philly to Orlando. It also has the very nice Superliner equipment. While it costs more (because of your car) you would have it with you in FL and for that matter you could save more money by returning via a scenic drive (not I-95) up the east coast.
If you elect to take one of Amtrak's trains from Philly - I prefer the Silver Meteor. It has a more direct route with somewhat better track (smoother ride) through the Carolinas. Or you could take the Meteor south and the Silver Star north.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Concur with Palmland that the Silver Meteor will give you both a smoother ride and a shorter overall trip.
The Silver Star travels over what remains of the once grand Seaboard Air Line route from Raleigh to Savannah. That line was downgraded by CSX and is not in a good of shape as the parralel ACL line.
As Palmland, who lives along the Seaboard, suggests, the Auto-Train would be worth your consideration.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Meteor vs Star matters less to me when going only as far as Orlando, but I generally prefer the Meteor because it leaves later in the day southbound. I like to leave early, split my ticket and get a free stopover in DC, picking my sleeper up there. I can do that only with the Meteor (which leaves DC 7:30PM).
I agree with everyone who says get a sleeper if you can afford it, but I have no opinion re Autotrain, never having taken it. If you are 2 people, you might want a bedroom. Sharing a roomette can be difficult! But if you cannot get a sleeper, you should still be OK; Orlando isn't too far.
I have never gotten off in Orlando but I hear it is kind of hectic. If convenient, some people get off in Winter Park or Kissimmee, both of which are very close to Orlando; depends where they are going. Cost should be the same. In Winter Park, station isn't much, but staff is very nice and location is fabulous. You can walk down the street to some good places to eat.
Whatever you do, enjoy your trip!
Posted by Jerome Nicholson (Member # 3116) on :
By all means, get a room! The privacy and the better chance of being fed make it worth the cost. Since this is your first overnight trip it should be done right.My take is personal - My worst train experience ever was on the Silver Meteor in steerage - I mean coach. You don't say how long you will be in Orlando or what you plan to do. If you are staying at a Disney World hotel, you won't really need a car, unless you plan to venture off - property to Universal or Sea World. Orlando's transit system isn't all that convenient. Hertz has a desk at the Orlando Amtrak station, which is located downtown. You might pick up a rental car there, or have Hertz take you to where they store them. Do you smoke? If so, the Meteor or Star would be better for you, because you could grab a few puffs at station stops. The Auto - Train is non - stop.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
JayDublyew: I've ridden coach, and I've ridden sleeper, and sleeper is always better if never cheaper. (Sorry for the inadvertent, uh, lyricism.)
If you are a foul-weed fiend, the Auto Train does have a smoking car. (Amtrak evidently figured that forcing addicts to go sixteen hours without a fix might result in bodily harm to passengers and crew as well as derailments, mudslides and cornfield meets.)
I am eager to hear your report, whatever train you choose. I've never done the Eastern trains south of Richmond and have put them on my bucket list.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Warner, hope we didn't "run you off' around here with the stream of conflicting minutiae, but this is a group of experienced rail travelers who specialize in such.
If Auto Train can be considered (it IS pricey; but the 70+ Bennie-Caddy-Lex crowd could care less), I'd certainly suggest it. As a veteran with eighteen "voyages' (will be nineteen come Sunday) in my logbook and enough experience with other Amtrak Long Distance services to know that this is very simply Amtrak's best foot forward.
Possibly, like myself, you prefer your own auto to whatever wind up toy the auto rental concerns will serve up and so far as baggage goes, you have your own personal "pod' for such. Inevitably you will see an auto of aforementioned varietal loaded up to such extent you'd think the party occupying such was homeless.
Once aboard, there's all the "comp" wine you can responsibly drink - there is even a pre-departure wine tasting in the Lounge featuring varietals from various Virginia winemakers (Naked Mountain varietals on Voyage 18); there is also 'adequately drinkable" at Dinner (Williamsburg varietals on my last voyage). As far as any negative reports you may have heard regarding Amtrak's Simplified Dining (it's "not that bad' really), forget it when traveling on AT as Dinner is served using ceramic, glass, and metal as the case may be.
So, give AT a try; but, not sure if this is positive or negative, you won't meet other railfans as the likelihood of meeting such on-board is about the same as taking a ride on the Northeast Corridor. Otherwise, I'll be aboard Southbound this coming Sunday. As of a few moments ago, there's still space open on 53 (20) (has the Daytona become another Super Bowl???), and I'm real easy to find. I weigh about 300 and will be dressed in my Engineer's apparel complete with hat and bandanna and will have a scanner blaring away and videocam shooting indiscriminately about the train.
So "come on down' (oh, and with a dozen or so here knowing me face-to-face, anyone care to believe the above self-portrait? ).
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
I don't know, Gil........... This railfan has actually ridden in the NEC many times!!!
Concerning your "self portrait" on the AT for Mr. Warner, all I can say is "yeah -- right!..........." (I don't agree with your stereotype of railfans!!!)
Have a great trip, Mr. W! I've never ridden the AT, but I do believe what Mr. Norman says about it.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
I admit to being human; I stereotype (it seems like I still remember Professor Nash from Soc 101 stating how it is about the most common human trait out there).
Of course, other devotees have to dress for their occasions:
(this guy actually got his "fifteen minutes" on Local NBC News).
Otherwise, at "mecca' come this Sunday, I'm sure "#3" will be the "uniform of the day".
But guess what; I have been known to wear my Chicago Symphony hat when walking from CUS to Orchestra Hall. If this exceptionally warm weather holds; such may be the case this Thursday (all these concerts I selected with my subscription to hear Muti; but alas no Muti - and not even the scheduled programs - a lot of "play it again, Wolfie" has been substituted).
Oh and that event this Sunday some 70 miles to the Northeast of Rich's home; "don't get me going".
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Regarding the journey south on the Auto Train, one of the more experienced members of this forum has observed that the scenery is, well, of the "you seen one pine tree you seen 'em all" kind. I thought that should be mentioned.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jerome Nicholson: If you are staying at a Disney World hotel, you won't really need a car, unless you plan to venture off - property to Universal or Sea World. Orlando's transit system isn't all that convenient.
I haven't been to Disney World since Epcot was brand new, so it has been a very long time for me. However, I do know that things have really been built up since my last visit. What I'm wondering is, how can one of the most popular, most visited places in the world have a transit system that isn't convenient? I'm shocked to hear this.
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
quote:Originally posted by smitty195: [QUOTE]. What I'm wondering is, how can one of the most popular, most visited places in the world have a transit system that isn't convenient? I'm shocked to hear this.
Please note the next-to-last paragraph references SunRail. Our new governor just turned back the feddybux for HSR today, and he has ordered a "hold" on the SunRail project as well.
Interesting to see what happens, especially in the Sunshine State, when the price of a gallon of gas skyrockets, as it surely will.
Posted by 20th Century (Member # 2196) on :
Oh yes do travel in a sleeper. If possible take the Auto Train. I haven't tried it, but based on Mr.Norman's reports it sounds likea nice rail travel experience.
Posted by Jerome Nicholson (Member # 3116) on :
My first visit was in 1976, when there was only the Magic Kingdom and Sea World. Did each park in a day. I returned a few years ago. That was when Grand Luxe planned to run some of its equipment with some Amtrak trains. I bought a ticket to Florida, and since I'm not one to go somewhere just to turn around, I built a weeklong vacation around it. When Grand Luxe canceled, the vacation I had planned was too nice to throw away. So I took the Silver Star to Orlando (as planned), and Southwest Airlines back (substituting for Grand Luxe). Since the train portion took such a small portion of the trip, I posted it on Tripadvisor.com. I would have posted a link here, but I don't know how. It sucks to be old.
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