Amtrak
 

I'm thinking of an alternative to driving/flying for my yearly trip to New England.

The Amtrak website is terrible to get general information on such trips. Looks like there's overnight trips from Orlando to NYC, then on to Providence.

I'd probably do a roomette. From viewing YouTube videos, it looks like a relaxing trip.

Has anyone done this? Can trips be booked through AAA?

Thanks

I have taken the overnight from Orlando to NYC. If you want to take a train then it's not a bad trip; I would probably fly the next time if I had the choice due to the cost and the time involved (weather prevented it this time) but I would not dread being on Amtrak.

Here are some things I noted:

- Easy to navigate the stations
- Comfortable ride
- Was nice watching the landscape go by (while the sun was up)
- More expensive than flying
- Much longer than flying
- Was available when flights were being canceled due to weather
- Roomette was comfortable for one. Two could fit but would be tight, especially moving around when configured for sleeping.
- Food was edible but nothing special. Note: I was traveling close to COVID and food service might have been limited due to that; it might be better now.
- My roomette came with access to the lounge in NYC. This was very nice!

It would be so much easier flying South West to TF Green about a 2.5 hour flight.
A new airline BREEZE will be flying Orlando/Providence unfortunately starting July current rates to Prov $55 return Orlando $75.

I just booked Amtrak (autoTrain) through AAA, used the Trailwinds office. They were very helpful, and yes the Amtrack site needs some work, tried it twice, that was when I gave up and went to AAA.

AMTRACK traveling
 

I agree with the comment about the web site being hard to navigate. I am thinking about taking the auto train from Sanford to Lorten Va but could find little information - especially the schedules. I had to put in various dates until I hit on a date that the train is running and then I could see the costs. I could not find a train schedule anywhere even after searching on the internet. I also want to go from here to Burlington, VT but had the same website issues. Since I'm a AAA member, I have scheduled a meeting with a travel agent to have help - at least for this first and maybe last time. I to am looking at the private "rooms". Even if more expensive than flying - flying is no fun for us anymore. When we drive to VA or VT we spend 1-2 nights in a hotel each way so as not to exhaust ourselves driving. We will probably do this at least once. I wanted to go on one of the western excursions but there are no trains that I could see going west from FL. Good Luck

It would be nice if Auto Train went to Nj the easiest part of the trip is to Va destination then having to put up with DC and Maryland and NYC

My neighbors have been using Amtrack for years, about 14 now ! They come and go to their home here several times a year, not just for the winter. The always book their trips on line at the Amtrack site, and search often as there are frequent sales (I think Amtrack posts them on Tuesdays ?) and when they see one, they book it quickly since they are not tied into a specific date (being retired). They use the auto-train and absolutely love it, they do have to sleep in their seats, but they always have a delicious dinner, usually play cards with other passengers and/or spend time on the internet, they just really enjoy it (and all of their luggage and other things they take back and forth between their two homes are stored in their car. I've traveled to NYC, to Chicago, and taken a trip across the entire northern part of the U.S. to Seattle. Wonderful trip, food, and service. Have not taken any train journey's since Covid, so don't know how that has affected service, available staff, quality of food, etc. but planning a fall train trip. Friends just took VIA in October (Canadian system they connected with when they left U.S. Amtrack system and continued on to Canada) and said it was wonderful, didn't notice any difference from the Covid events. Additional: I've usually had a roomette, only had bedroom once when hubby also went, but I found roomette very adequate for one person. It is VERY compact, but I found what I thought might be the most negative aspect of roomettes, the communal shower room, was not as much a turn-off as I had anticipated ! Perhaps I just chose an idea time to go, but I found I was usually the only one in there !