Talk of The Villages Florida
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Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)
-   The Travel Forum (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/travel-forum-119/)
-   -   Amtrack AutoTrain (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/travel-forum-119/amtrack-autotrain-341439/)

JoMar 05-20-2023 11:29 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdFNJ (Post 2219399)
One of our friends just took it last week as well. It was a trip from hell. They paid for an expensive room and it wasn't available when they got there so they put them up in a linen closet :( . It takes up to 4 HOURS to get your car off the train unless you pay EXTRA for "priority removal." Autotrain has secondary track priority over Amtrak regular trains which means they might have to pull over to wait for a regular train to pass. You still have to drive to or from Sanford or Lorton VA. If the train has mechanical issues it's like getting stuck between exits on Rt 75. You can sit forever.

About 3 years ago another friend was taking it DOWN to FL from NJ and it was cancelled when they reached the boarding station at Lorton VA without notice so they ended up driving down anyway.

Edit: For us it's a 19 1/2 hr drive split into 2 days at a decent hotel to NJ from here. Otherwise it's ??hrs to Sanford and a bunch of hrs to (or from) Lorton then waiting for the car to get rolled off so the trip timewise is a LOT longer than driving.
Has NEVER taken 4 hours to unload our car (5 trips). They share the track with CSX who owns the right of way and has priority. The Auto Train is AMTRAK and is a regular train. AutoTrain is the most profitable so slowing it down for a less profitable train makes no sense. As has been said many times, if it doesn't work for you don't use it, not sure why folks who have never taken the ride continue to trust youtube or friends as a definitive authority.

dclemmons 05-20-2023 11:50 AM
Time is always an unknown
 
Last year train going north was 5 hours late and coming south was 9 hours late. With a roomette the food is free and tolerable. WiFi was almost nonexistent in the older train. Auto train uses more modern equipment so WiFi is better.


Quote:
Originally Posted by villagetinker (Post 2219065)
I would like to hear from anyone that has taken the autotrain in the last year or so. We used it several times between 10 and 12 years ago, and as I understand some things have changed.
Specifically:
Do they still supply pillows and blankets?
Do they still have a breakfast?
What is the procedure for getting seats, are they assigned when you arrive at the station?
Any other items we should know about?
Thank you, VT

DGlaus@aol.com 05-20-2023 02:25 PM
Many older folk are not able to make the long drive from up north. Traffic is just crazy. The auto train is very useful for those folks. My parents took it several times in the early 2000’s. For them, it was a Godsend.

villagetinker 05-20-2023 04:12 PM
[QUOTE=collegeref;2219281]
Quote:
Originally Posted by villagetinker (Post 2219065)
I would like to hear from anyone that has taken the autotrain in the last year or so. We used it several times between 10 and 12 years ago, and as I understand some things have changed.
Specifically:
Do they still supply pillows and blankets?
Do they still have a breakfast?
What is the procedure for getting seats, are they assigned when you arrive at the station?
Any other items we should know about?
Thank you, VT[/QUOTE

VT I don’t know how to pvt msg on here but if you do I can call or vice versa I am experienced
Driving it and AT can give you ad and dis vantages
I sent you a private message, BTW, if you click on my name (Villagetinker) you will get a dropdown menu, and the second item (I think) is send private message), click on this, and follow the
instructions.

Smalley 05-20-2023 04:48 PM
After about a half a dozen AutoTrain trips, I can offer these comments: we always reserved a private bedroom. The private space and bathroom are worth it to us. Download movies on your tablet prior to the trip. The Wifi on board is too spotty to watch a movie and enjoy it. We brought our own food but that's your choice. Paying for priority unloading is a good idea. It gets sold out. One time it was sold out and we waited almost to the end for our car. The drivers do a terrific job but there are just a lot of cars. All the porters were friendly and competent. It's a government operation and it shows. They could do so much to modernize and spruce it up.

UpNorth 05-20-2023 06:09 PM
They need to run the AutoTrain from somewhere just north of the NYC area down through Florida. Having the terminal in middle Virginia is just plain stupid. Once you get past Richmond going south, driving is usually easy. DC through Richmond, going north or south, can be a slow mess. AutoTrain now does the easy part, which makes it a no-go for me. Not much benefit for the money.

villagetinker 05-20-2023 06:34 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by UpNorth (Post 2219477)
They need to run the AutoTrain from somewhere just north of the NYC area down through Florida. Having the terminal in middle Virginia is just plain stupid. Once you get past Richmond going south, driving is usually easy. DC through Richmond, going north or south, can be a slow mess. AutoTrain now does the easy part, which makes it a no-go for me. Not much benefit for the money.
I asked about this years ago, and was told there were too many bridges (tunnels?) or other locations that restricted the height of the train so it was not practical to go any further North.

As an aside, I have driven 95 North and South, and I will never do it again, so it is train or fly. Now depending on how long you are going to stay, the car rental can easily offset the cost of the car transportation, and the airline fare would offset the cost of the passengers (we do not fit well in economy seats). So while I appreciate the comments about driving, it is not for us.

JoMar 05-20-2023 07:42 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by UpNorth (Post 2219477)
They need to run the AutoTrain from somewhere just north of the NYC area down through Florida. Having the terminal in middle Virginia is just plain stupid. Once you get past Richmond going south, driving is usually easy. DC through Richmond, going north or south, can be a slow mess. AutoTrain now does the easy part, which makes it a no-go for me. Not much benefit for the money.
Might want to research that a bit more before making that "stupid" statement.

Bay Kid 05-21-2023 06:58 AM
Brought a Miata north a few years back. Get a private room at the least. Pack your ice cold beer and snacks. Pick a room as far back as possible. Enjoy the view and the ride.

Wilson02852 05-21-2023 07:03 AM
I'd use if
 
I agree with loading further north. Say somewhere north of New Haven. The worst traffic is from Richmon, VA to New Haven, CT. Been making the I95 ride for years and it is only getting worst.

Just did trip last few days. NC highway shut down accident. Bypassed DC & MD on Chesapeake Tunnel. DE bridge construction. NJ Turnpike jammed with traffic. Garden State stop and go. Tappanzee jammed. CT 41 mile backup starting just north of NY. Good 5-hours of sitting on I-95 north of Baltimore alone. Never mine south of it. Probably 8+ hours delay all together on this trip.

Train would have given me and my car a break.

Sggboston 05-21-2023 07:12 AM
We’ve taken the Autotrain many times and find it’s a great way to cut out 12-14 hours of very boring driving. We generally get a room (not a roomette) with an in-room bath. Very convenient. The dining car is very nice and food good. Yes, it’s more expensive than driving with hotels, but for us, totally worth it.

Jolson 05-21-2023 07:21 AM
Cancelled train
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdFNJ (Post 2219399)
One of our friends just took it last week as well. It was a trip from hell. They paid for an expensive room and it wasn't available when they got there so they put them up in a linen closet :( . It takes up to 4 HOURS to get your car off the train unless you pay EXTRA for "priority removal." Autotrain has secondary track priority over Amtrak regular trains which means they might have to pull over to wait for a regular train to pass. You still have to drive to or from Sanford or Lorton VA. If the train has mechanical issues it's like getting stuck between exits on Rt 75. You can sit forever.

About 3 years ago another friend was taking it DOWN to FL from NJ and it was cancelled when they reached the boarding station at Lorton VA without notice so they ended up driving down anyway.

Edit: For us it's a 19 1/2 hr drive split into 2 days at a decent hotel to NJ from here. Otherwise it's ??hrs to Sanford and a bunch of hrs to (or from) Lorton then waiting for the car to get rolled off so the trip timewise is a LOT longer than driving.
We were scheduled on that same train three years ago when we moved here. We were coming down for closing and needed to be here at a certain time and the AT would have worked out perfectly. After watching every day to make sure the trains left on time we were confident it would work out well so we booked a ticket. The night before we were supposed to leave Virginia the train didn’t leave so we called Amtrak and found out that there had been a derailment with the train coming out of Sanford and that’s why it was canceled. So we got up early the next morning and drove the 12 hours to get here. Since we still have friends in Virginia, I’ve considered taking the train back up at least one way just to say we did it because it sounds fun.

bark4me 05-21-2023 07:27 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by villagetinker (Post 2219065)
I would like to hear from anyone that has taken the autotrain in the last year or so. We used it several times between 10 and 12 years ago, and as I understand some things have changed.
Specifically:
Do they still supply pillows and blankets?
Do they still have a breakfast?
What is the procedure for getting seats, are they assigned when you arrive at the station?
Any other items we should know about?
Thank you, VT
The seats are assigned when you check in. Pretty sure they will provide pillow and blankets but most people just bring their own. They provide dinner and then breakfast the next morning. Have used them twice recently and really enjoy using them. Enjoy

ffresh 05-21-2023 08:09 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilson02852 (Post 2219554)
...

Just did trip last few days. NC highway shut down accident. Bypassed DC & MD on Chesapeake Tunnel. DE bridge construction. NJ Turnpike jammed with traffic. Garden State stop and go. Tappanzee jammed. CT 41 mile backup starting just north of NY. Good 5-hours of sitting on I-95 north of Baltimore alone. Never mine south of it. Probably 8+ hours delay all together on this trip.
Wait until the day comes when we're all forced into electric vehicles and sitting on the jammed highways with every car out of "juice". We'll all remember the "old days" of traffic jams with fondness! :spoken:

Fred

charlieo1126@gmail.com 05-21-2023 08:17 AM
I drove home to Boston for many years , I always enjoyed the ride and did in 2 days always on the weekends.I never saw the reason for the train , because the hard part is after you get off the train .Having said all that I realize I was just wasting my time driving and then having the car just sit all summer . I have so little need of a car that Uber is sufficient and a rental for those few days when I want to go to the New Hampshire mountains


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