[The Mountaineer]

Originally Posted by TV MAN

Yep I too would recommend the auto train. I have taken it quite a few times back and forth between the villages and VA. It takes as long as it would to drive about 17hrs from No. VA.
But you can get several options from just a coach seat to a family or handicap bedroom arrangement. Plus you get dinner, movie & breakfast included in price. You can fit alot of stuff in your car that you would want to bring down.
But just take a small overnight case for the train, since you will not have access to your car once it is loaded.
Although a plane may be quicker you end up paying less for the train and get more for your $$ and a refreshing break from driving and airport hassles. Plus you have your own car when you arrive. The trip from the Sanford train station to the villages is only about 1 hr.

I am taking the auto-train for our 3 months in The Villages this winter because I will pay less for the train plus car than I would pay for a flight plus rental car for 3 months. Auto-train cost me $964 for the round trip, which is much more than airfare of $300 or less for a round trip. But since we'll have our own car for 3 months, there's no car rental. I figured it out that it takes about 6 weeks of not renting a car to break out even on the auto-train dealer over flight plus rental car.

As for the bedroom set, sometimes it's cheaper to sell the furniture and buy new after you arrive. I would check that part out, too, unless you're sentimentally attached to your furniture.