Amtrak train from NJ to Port canaveral... first timeplease help

[newcom]

Amtrak train from NJ/NY(don't fly) to port canaveral cruise port.  anyone travel this route, transpotation? hotels?

please help

[USFFrank]

The closest stops on Amtrak is either Sanford, Winter Park, Orlando, or Kissimmee. You would have to get other transportation from there to Port Canaveral.

[twangster]

Many people who fly spend a night in an Orlando area hotel before taking a ride-share or shuttle service from Orlando to Port Canaveral the day of the cruise.

There is no reason you couldn't do the same but by train.  Take the train to Orlando, either spend a night in Orlando or if you get in early enough take a shuttle or ride-share to the Port area and spend the night in a hotel there.

The same wisdom applies, don't fly or arrive by train on the day of the cruise.  Plan to arrive at least one day early and spend a night in a local hotel either in Orlando or near the Port.   

[USCG Teacher]

For the NY region, you'd be looking at one of the "Silvers," either the Silver Meteor or the Silver Star, and the trip is between 21 - 24 hours under the best of circumstances, and sleepers are pricey (coach is pretty affordable, but taking an overnight on coach isn't for the faint-hearted. It's not awful, but it sure isn't for everyone!).  That route is already running some of the updated Viewliner II cars, so be sure to actually call in and speak with an agent if you're booking this route to make sure you get in one of the newer sleepers.

3 hours ago, twangster said:

Take the train to Orlando, either spend a night in Orlando or if you get in early enough take a shuttle or ride-share to the Port area and spend the night in a hotel there.

The same wisdom applies, don't fly or arrive by train on the day of the cruise.  Plan to arrive at least one day early and spend a night in a local hotel either in Orlando or near the Port.   

This is always good advice, but even more so when using long distance rail.  Running the East Coast isn't normally quite as inconsistent as going through the center of the country, but that's a pretty low bar to clear.  Both the Silver Star and the Silver Meteor are scheduled to arrive in Orlando close to mid-day, and under absolutely no circumstances would I run the risk of meeting that schedule on embarkation day!  I love traveling on the rails, but you need to bake in a healthy dose of reality when doing so!

[PhillyLady]

Once I did  Amtrak Philly to Jacksonville RT (I had a lot of train points) for a cruise--it was a rigorous experience as I did not book a sleeping car.  Sitting up for all those hours becomes a bit taxing on the body, and it was extremely difficult to really sleep as the train had constant noise and activity.  I did go a day early, but ended up taking a taxi to my hotel (on the beach) which added a bit to the cost.

It was an interesting adventure, but in the future if I ever chose to do that again I would definitely book the sleeping car.  Take a lot of reading materials and try to see if you can reserve the dining room for a nice sit-down dinner.

[newcom]

Thanks everyone

[CruiseMom82]

Since you don’t fly, I guess you haven’t experienced the wonder of train travel in other developed countries: on time, clean, comfortable. I would not put my trust in Amtrak to be any of those things. After such a long train trip, you will certainly need a vacation! But will you make the same trip again in reverse afterwards? What about driving? I can’t think it would take much more time than the train. I sympathize if you are a nervous flier (or would be) but a long trip on Amtrak might just convine you to give it a try. It gets less scary the more you do it, and it’s the safest way to travel. Just my two cents. Happy travels whatever you choose!

[minniemouse27]

Our first family cruise we drove from the Philadelphia suburbs to Lorton, VA, then took the AutoTrain overnight to Sanford. 

That trip had us doing 5 nights at WDW and 5 nights on DCL. For four people w/ luggage for two very different halves of a trip, we needed a good amount of space to get between WDW and Port Canaveral...and all the choices were $$$ when looking at renting a vehicle or transfers. This had us decide to use our minivan, first by driving down and then we opted to use the AutoTrain. 

For our family of four, a round trip on the AT (with our minivan) has been less expensive than flying ...as long as we book our seats (coach) at least 6 months in advance. 

Taking the AT works out great for mixed Central Florida vacations. I pack two sets of luggage, one for parks and one for the cruise and leave the opposite set in the van when not using them. 

The overnight train trip on the AT is fairly painless. We travel in coach, the seats are similar to first class airline seats complete w/ lots of leg room, footrests, and electrical outlets to charge everything. The trip includes dinner and breakfast in the dining car as well as some snacks. We bring a pillow and blanket for each of us as well as technology, books, and cards/games to keep everyone amused during waking hours.

My understanding is that the regular passenger trains on Amtrak stop quite often on the eastern seaboard trips so your travel time may be longer. The AT leaves either station (Lorton or Sanford) at around 3 or 4pm (you have to be there by 1 or 2pm) and arrives around 8 or 9am the next morning. 

We really enjoy our trips on the AT and opt for it whenever our 17yo travels w/ us (he doesn't like to fly) or we need our vehicle in Central Florida.