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Amtrak to port


Jeff

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hey all. we're 200 or so days til our cruise, and a question came up.... has anyone taken a long train ride to any port? we plan on taking one from raleigh to miami. curious for some do's and don't. it's a 22 hour trip, getting into miami the day before we embark. thanks in advance

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We are about to leave next week on the AutoTrain. This is our second time taking it. It runs from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL (no other stops). We don't book a room or anything, just the regular seats (which are like first class airline seats). The leaves about 4pm or so and arrives around 8am the following morning. 
 

The trip includes dinner and breakfast in the dining car as well as snacks in the lounge car. We bring some snacks with us, and everyone has PillowPets (Amtrak's pillows are tiny) and a fleece blanket to sleep with. We love taking the AT and it is in fact cheaper than flying as long as you book it well in advance.

 

This trip, we are arriving two days early and heading over to Universal before boarding the ship. :-)

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A "bus seat"....no private accommodations will be 100 buck per person via Amtrak....and a 24 hours in a "bus seat" will be quite uncomfortable.    A compartment will be 300 pp and you will still be 24 hours from your destination.    Driving your personal vehicle will be 50 bucks in gas...overnight in a motel....parking in MIA probably will add 100 bucks..    Train travel sounds SO GLAMOROUS.....but you need to rethink your travel plans.  

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Actually, this is our second time taking the AutoTrain. The seats are large with extended foot rests (similar to first class airline seats) and our family of four was extremely comfortable during the entire trip. The lounge car played a movie and the meals in the dining car were just fine (not high end cuisine, but tasted fine).

 

We arrive in Florida well rested and ready to start our vacation. We can take as much stuff as we want in our van... and don't have to rent a vehicle upon arrival.

...and it was $350+ cheaper than flying (not including what we are saving on a rental car).

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The Autotrain is quite popular and probably the only long distance route that Amtrak does right. A very seasoned cruiser who posts of his voyages as "Radio" on Cruise Critic has used it many times and loves it.

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We are about to leave next week on the AutoTrain. This is our second time taking it. It runs from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL (no other stops). We don't book a room or anything, just the regular seats (which are like first class airline seats). The leaves about 4pm or so and arrives around 8am the following morning. 

 

The trip includes dinner and breakfast in the dining car as well as snacks in the lounge car. We bring some snacks with us, and everyone has PillowPets (Amtrak's pillows are tiny) and a fleece blanket to sleep with. We love taking the AT and it is in fact cheaper than flying as long as you book it well in advance.

 

This trip, we are arriving two days early and heading over to Universal before boarding the ship. :-)

 

our doesnt have a dining car. only a lounge. what food is available for lounge cars?

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A "bus seat"....no private accommodations will be 100 buck per person via Amtrak....and a 24 hours in a "bus seat" will be quite uncomfortable.    A compartment will be 300 pp and you will still be 24 hours from your destination.    Driving your personal vehicle will be 50 bucks in gas...overnight in a motel....parking in MIA probably will add 100 bucks..    Train travel sounds SO GLAMOROUS.....but you need to rethink your travel plans.  

 

 

its a once in a lifetime thing my mom asked for. when we go on Oasis next oct.... we're gonna fly

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Just make sure you get up every couple hours and walk around and stretch. My 17 hour bus ride to carnegie hall ended up with me having a blood clot. Now im very careful to do ankle rolls and leg stretches even when sitting. It almost cost me my cruise on adventure! Jane

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We took Amtrak--Starlight Express--from Los Angeles to Seattle for an Alaska cruise and had a room both ways.  That made the trip much more enjoyable since it was approximately 38 hours onboard.  The food and service overall was quite good and reminded me somewhat of a cruise experience.  Onboard, we had a movie car, an afternoon cheese and wine reception, and three served meals each day.  In the lounge, unlimited nonalcoholic drinks were available as well.

 

While I do think my son would enjoy the experience, we haven't done it since, which was prior to his birth, simply because of the time on the costs involved.  The train with a room always costs more than what a flight and hotel would run.

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Just make sure you get up every couple hours and walk around and stretch. My 17 hour bus ride to carnegie hall ended up with me having a blood clot. Now im very careful to do ankle rolls and leg stretches even when sitting. It almost cost me my cruise on adventure! Jane

thanks Jane. we'll def do that

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