Has anyone traveled...

Has anyone ever traveled by train to your cruise? DD, age 8, wants to take the train from NC to Miami for our October cruise. Neither DH or I have ever been on a train before and do not know what to expect. Time wise, it will take us almost twice as long to get there, but because of the rising gas prices, the train fare is less than roundtrip tickets on the train. We will save money and wear and tear on our SUV. I also think it will be fun for our kids to experience something new. What do you think?

I haven't been myself, but my father went on one last winter, going from Iowa to Denver, he was to meet my DS who was flying into Denver at a the station. His train was 6 hours late, he learned that in the US passenger trains are low on the list, if a freight train needs the track it gets it first and the passenger train waits. He enjoyed seeing the country, but he said he would never take it again when he was needing to be at a certain place at a certain time. So allow plenty of time to get there, like the day before.

Take the trane to the plane, take the train to the plane, take the train to the plane.......I don't know where that jingle is from, but now it's stuck in my head! :)

It sounds like a fun addition to your cruise. I'd be surprised if the trip was only double your drive. My experience on trains has been that they are the slow way to go, depending on the number of station stops it makes.

Gas is already 3.60 or so in Florida and climbing like everywhere else. Mark my words, the trains in the US are going to get a lot more use in the next 20 years. I actually think you'll see a resurgance of people moving back towards the train stations, and using mass transit to commute to work. That's another topic for another time....

Has anyone ever traveled by train to your cruise? DD, age 8, wants to take the train from NC to Miami for our October cruise. Neither DH or I have ever been on a train before and do not know what to expect. Time wise, it will take us almost twice as long to get there, but because of the rising gas prices, the train fare is less than roundtrip tickets on the train. We will save money and wear and tear on our SUV. I also think it will be fun for our kids to experience something new. What do you think?

Im a big railfan...I would recommend padding your time by a day or two. Since Amtrak doesnt own the rail, they always have to stop and let freight trains pass first. I have seen some train end up 5-10+ hours late.

Im not sure if they still do it, but at one time Carnival offered a discount on Amtrak tickets if you use the train right before or after the cruise. You can also save 10% buy using AAA.

Train travel is really slow, and some dont like it, I have never done the NC To Miami train, so cant comment on the scenery.

The previous post are correct about amtrack not owning the rails and having to stop for freight trains. We took the train from Texas to California and had to stop and wait every few hours, we arrived 12 hours later than we were supposed to, they actually ran out of food because they weren't expecting us to be on there for another meal. It was interesting but I'm not sure I would do it again. I would allow at least an extra day or so. Maybe you could go on a short train ride some other time.

We took Amtrak from Florida to California for our Panama Canal cruise.

It is a great way to travel, BUT as others have said go a day or two ahead of the cruise as they are always running late.

Also, be sure and get sleeping compartments that include the bathroom in the unit. The cheaper one is like sleeping in a small closet in bunk beds.

I would not recommend just traveling coach as you would have kids running up and down the aisles all night.

My only Amtrak experience was not so good. I booked a trip because I'd never traveled by train and knew the countryside would be beatiful traveling through the mountains of Virginia. My first leg was only a 2 1/2 hour train ride but we were 7 hours late. If I were you, I'd go at least two days early if taking the train to allow for delays but also check on the accomodations for that particular run -some of their trains are not so nice. :( Both legs of my trip (the return was from a different city and 6 hours) the trains themselves were awful -dirty cars, dirty restrooms, no food other than and expensive "snack car" and the staff was absolutely surly. No checked bag service and no one to help - you had to be able to heave your suitcase overhead yourself.

Not all the trains/cars are like this - some have sleepers and dining cars but depends on the run. I was dumb and didn't do my research ahead of time and while I really enjoyed the scenery on the way back, I was glad I was on a short trip. We were running so late on the first leg it was dark.

My DW and I have taken the Amtrak from Birmingham,Al to NewOrleans and back we loved it had dinner on the train and it was real nice.Planning on doing it again in Feb.We love the train:D

i LOVE the train. i've rode the train from new orleans to chicago and back, and new orleans to memphis. its an adventure. i would recommend getting a sleeping car is your ride is more than a few hours (like mine was over a two day period to chicago) all your meals are inculding in the price of the sleeper car. you should get the family car which has the bathroom in it because the other cars are smaller. but i don't think your trip will be long enough for all of that. the regualr train ride is i imagine pretty much like being on the cruise somewhat (my first cruis eis coming up so i'm not 100% on that) you meet interesting people. we met a nice older couple when we went to chicago, they travel on trains 6 months out the year. all ina ll the trains are fun and i plan to ride again soon.

With gas prices the way they are, I think that the train is a GREAT way to go! You can relax for the whole ride, not worry about traffic, actually enjoy the trip with the family. Your luggage is handled for you, so you aren't lugging it through the train on and off. Plus, no finding long-term parking for your car!

Like with any travel plans, allow for lots of 'insurance' time - trains (just like planes) can be late to their destinations. Bring extra snacks, some extra books, maybe an audio book on the ol' iPod for the kids (they LOVE this)!

Have a great trip!

There is a frequent cruiser on the RCCL boards, Radio, who has taken the auto train from the DC area down to South Florida many times. You might look for posts by him as he might be able to give you suggestions as well

Thank you all for the great advice and stories. We have already booked a hotel for the night before since we were going to drive. Now I'll make sure to book the train for the day before that since it travels overnight.

I only take the train if I am not in a hurry and know full well that I will NOT get to where I am going on time.

If I am not in a hurry I will take the train from here into Manhattan. Its a nice ride.

In the past I have taken the train from here to Ft Lauderdale and it took over 24 hours.

Why not pick a time this summer and take your daughter on a train ride someplace you can easily get back home from?

Unless you plan on adding an extra 2 or 3 days to your trip to Miami I wouldnt recommend it.

This country is so far behind in the transportation system its sad.

We took Amtrak from Memphis to New Orleans a few years ago and we really enjoyed it. We had a sleeper room. It had 2 seats and a table that could also be made into 2 beds. It was really a nice relaxing way to travel. If you decide to do the train spend the extra $$ and get the sleeper room.

I see a few of you have mentioned getting a sleeper room. Well, for our family of 4 it would cost $1150 round trip because we would have to get two. For that price (actually for $350 less) we could fly. I do hope those coach seats are more comfortable than coach air seats.:p

I see a few of you have mentioned getting a sleeper room. Well, for our family of 4 it would cost $1150 round trip because we would have to get two. For that price (actually for $350 less) we could fly. I do hope those coach seats are more comfortable than coach air seats.:p

The seats are very very comfortable. They are huge compared to airline seats. If I can find the links, I will post a few trip reports from NC-Miami. There is a site that has people that are addicted to trains like some of us are with cruising. Here is the site....just like here they talk in their own code :)

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?act=idx

We took Amtrak to Orlando and the kids loved it..and yes it was late...we left on friday night for our sailing leaving on sunday...good thing or else we would have missed the ship...Ive heard some say I wouldnt do that again...and how bad it was...but in all honesty I had no problems and knew we had plenty of time to get there. We saved alot...what we paid for train tickets for 4 of us.. would have only bought one plane ticket. The seats I thought were comfortable more leg room than on a plane and with a foot rest that came up from under the seats. now if you a extra tall person might not be that comfortable. Hubby is about 6ft and he did fine. Our bathrooms were cleaned at every stop and we had no problems with kids running up and down the ailse at all. To me it was no worse than driving...other than the delay and we could get up and go to the potty and sleep. We are also planning on taking it again in Dec back to Orlando, I asked the kids if they wanted to fly.. and the response was...NOOOOOOO....I wanna ride the train...LOL They really enjoyed it...even if we were late...:)

We have taken three trains for our cruise destination. Our first one was Indianapolis to NYC on the Cardinal (that train needed some help). It was clean most of the time. Towards the end the bathrooms got kind of icky. We traveled in coach that time. This was a family of four. The next year we took the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle in a roommette. It was okay for two people. We got lots of perks. Cookies at night, champaign, etc.

Last year we took the Texas something from Bloomington, Illinois to Texas. We had a family room or whatever it was called. It was the end room of a car (noone could go past you) and it had two adult beds and two kid beds.

Since I am short, I got to sleep on the kid bed. You could stand up in the room when the beds were put back and a little tiny room when the beds were ready for the night. This was for a family of three. It did not have a bathroom but the bathrooms and shower was right in the same car on the same level. From what I have been told, the bathrooms in the sleepers are very tiny.

Now for this years cruise we are taking the Lake Shore Limited from Chicago to NYC in coach. Our daughter's boyfriend is going so for the three of us round trip (AA discount of 10%) it is around $600 total.

I love the train. The first train we took was late and we ended up missing our next transportation but got a refund and drove home (3 1/2 hours) and came out ahead even renting a car.

Have fun.

The seats are very very comfortable. They are huge compared to airline seats. If I can find the links, I will post a few trip reports from NC-Miami. There is a site that has people that are addicted to trains like some of us are with cruising. Here is the site....just like here they talk in their own code :)

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?act=idx

Thanks for the link, it's helpful. BTW, love the Dallas helmet.

My son and I took the train from near our house (20 min drive) to San Diego to go on the Elation in Jan. It was a fun trip, only a couple of hours. The seats and the train the Pacific Surf liner were way more fun than sitting in fwy traffic. And best of all the Train is only 3 blocks from the pier. We did go the day before mostly to extent a 4 day cruise into a 5 day vacation.. Lots of hotels in the area ...

Tom in Long Beach

I almost missed the ship out of NYC when I flew from DC to NY at the tail end of a hurricane. I have taken AMTRAK ever since and love it. It is much faster to go from Baltimore/Washington on the train than flying now since you have to be at the airport 2 hours before your flight. We did AMTRAK last summer when we took the Miracle out of NYC. My granddaughter (who goes with us each summer) asked if we were taking the train to Florida for our cruise this year out of Miami. LOL I wouldn't go that far on a train!!

We took Amtrak to Orlando and the kids loved it..and yes it was late...we left on friday night for our sailing leaving on sunday...good thing or else we would have missed the ship...Ive heard some say I wouldnt do that again...and how bad it was...but in all honesty I had no problems and knew we had plenty of time to get there. We saved alot...what we paid for train tickets for 4 of us.. would have only bought one plane ticket. The seats I thought were comfortable more leg room than on a plane and with a foot rest that came up from under the seats. now if you a extra tall person might not be that comfortable. Hubby is about 6ft and he did fine. Our bathrooms were cleaned at every stop and we had no problems with kids running up and down the ailse at all. To me it was no worse than driving...other than the delay and we could get up and go to the potty and sleep. We are also planning on taking it again in Dec back to Orlando, I asked the kids if they wanted to fly.. and the response was...NOOOOOOO....I wanna ride the train...LOL They really enjoyed it...even if we were late...:)

How late were you? I figure that as the train is supposed to arrive around 6pm on Sat. and our cruise leaves on Sunday, that should be plenty of time for a late train. How old are your kids? Our kids are really excited about this vacation. First they get to go in a car to drive to the train station, to get on the train to ride to Florida to get on a ship ....... need I continue. The idea of just being able to ride and not have to trade off driving duties makes me happy.:rolleyes:

How late were you? I figure that as the train is supposed to arrive around 6pm on Sat. and our cruise leaves on Sunday, that should be plenty of time for a late train. How old are your kids? Our kids are really excited about this vacation. First they get to go in a car to drive to the train station, to get on the train to ride to Florida to get on a ship ....... need I continue. The idea of just being able to ride and not have to trade off driving duties makes me happy.:rolleyes:

We were to arrive about 10:15 that morning, but we were late getting on the train due to a freight having issues.. and we didnt get in til about 4 that afternoon on saturday. we werent scheduled to sail til sunday afternoon..My kids are 10 and 11...I would definetly give yourself plenty of time...just to be sure...:)

and I forgot...even with paying for transportation to and from the port...and the train tickets...was still cheaper and easier than driving and we didnt have to pay to park at the port....:)

We have taken three trains for our cruise destination. Our first one was Indianapolis to NYC on the Cardinal (that train needed some help). It was clean most of the time. Towards the end the bathrooms got kind of icky. We traveled in coach that time. This was a family of four. The next year we took the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle in a roommette. It was okay for two people. We got lots of perks. Cookies at night, champaign, etc.

Last year we took the Texas something from Bloomington, Illinois to Texas. We had a family room or whatever it was called. It was the end room of a car (noone could go past you) and it had two adult beds and two kid beds.

Since I am short, I got to sleep on the kid bed. You could stand up in the room when the beds were put back and a little tiny room when the beds were ready for the night. This was for a family of three. It did not have a bathroom but the bathrooms and shower was right in the same car on the same level. From what I have been told, the bathrooms in the sleepers are very tiny.

Now for this years cruise we are taking the Lake Shore Limited from Chicago to NYC in coach. Our daughter's boyfriend is going so for the three of us round trip (AA discount of 10%) it is around $600 total.

 

I love the train. The first train we took was late and we ended up missing our next transportation but got a refund and drove home (3 1/2 hours) and came out ahead even renting a car.

 

Have fun.

LOL - I think the Cardinal was the one I was on - did you come down through West Virginia and Virginia and then back up to DC and Baltimore? It didn't even arrive at my station to pick us up until 7 hours late - the people already onboard were cranky, upset, and had been stuck on that train for almost 24 hours already. Just not a great experience.

Sounds like a lot of the other routes are much nicer trains.

LOL - I think the Cardinal was the one I was on - did you come down through West Virginia and Virginia and then back up to DC and Baltimore? It didn't even arrive at my station to pick us up until 7 hours late - the people already onboard were cranky, upset, and had been stuck on that train for almost 24 hours already. Just not a great experience.

 

Sounds like a lot of the other routes are much nicer trains.

Yes, Cardinal is notoriously late. I was 9 hours late arriving in Cincy.

If you get a chance try the Southwest Chief, which goes from Chicago to LA or Empire Builder that goes from Chic to the NW.Since those cross country trains have lots of padding in the schedule, you stand a great chance of being ontime or even a little early.

Amtrak is running weekly specials..you can ride the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle for 96 bucks one way. Years ago Amtrak actually listed train trips on Ebay. They stopped because people were getting crosscountry trips for the starting bid of $9 r/t:p