STS-135/Silver Star

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RCrierie

Train Attendant
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May 9, 2011
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Location
SIlver Spring, MD
Just laid in ticket prices for taking the Silver Star from Union Station DC to Orlando on July 5th, and then the Silver Star back to DC on July 11th.

Cost is about $70 more than flying out of Reagan National to Orlando International (round trip cost of $200 vs $270), but each time I have flown to a DC area airport from Orlando International, I've always (twice in a row now) been delayed by five or six hours.

Plus, the TSA checkpoints at MCO are just horrible. All the more so given that it will be peak tourist season for the Mouse and Other Parks....
 
Currently scheduled for July 8, just before noon.

I'm trying to decide whether to make a run for it or not. I was down there for the first launch attempt of STS-134 and was bummed that I missed it.
 
What a great deal: $163 Railfare (Nwk-Orlando) PLUS $519 FOR THE ROOMETTE GOING DOWN. Only $442 coming back, a bargain! With discounts, $1211 R/T. It would be like staying at the Waldorf, only in a much smaller room! :eek:hboy:

This points up a strange feature of Amtrak pricing. As I understand it, NY - FL is a one-zone trip for AGR puposes, yet usually costs the same or more than a NY-California trip, which is three zones for AGR purposes.
 
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for STS-134 we took the auto train down and then drove home. it was a great trip! i'm trying to make plans for 135 but haven't quite gotten there yet, but taking the train is ALWAYS a strong option. I too get tired of all the waiting and the stresses of dealing with airports! and any excuse for a train trip is a good excuse indeed!! :)
 
Anderson said:
What's the actual launch date?
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8 July is the currently planned one. Looks likely to happen as the Orbiter processing is underway, with tank matings occuring in the VAB. What's not so sure is the launch itself. Which is why I gave myself the whole weekend. They could abort the launch on friday, then recycle and launch on Saturday morning.
 
reefgeek said:
What a great deal: $163 Railfare (Nwk-Orlando) PLUS $519 FOR THE ROOMETTE GOING DOWN. Only $442 coming back, a bargain! With discounts, $1211 R/T. It would be like staying at the Waldorf, only in a much smaller room!
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I did some researching on this for a to-be-posted article on my website.

Yes, Amtrak rooms don't depreciate much the longer out you plan them...BUT they are ungodly invaluable if something sudden happens and you have to go somewhere on VERY short notice.

A good example would be suddenly having to go to Florida following the death of a parent/grandparent to put their affairs in order.

A quick look on travel sites and booking systems during 5:20 to 6:00 PM on 14 May 2011 showed:

AMTK #97 Silver Meteor: 7:30 PM (2 hours from departure – WAS/ORL): $225 for coach, $583 in total for a roomette upgrade (17.5~ hrs)

United #260 10:05 PM (4.5 hours from departure – IAD/MCO): $1,187 (2~ hrs nonstop)

(Waiting for the next day's flight listings brought the price down to $500-600 if you were willing to put up with a connecting flight to Orlando.)

You can see that the cost of traveling down to FL is less than half that of the airlines -- and you can gain the extra advantage of being able to sleep on your trip, and such a late departure plays to the train's advantage:

Air: Arrive at Dulles at 9 PM, fly out at 10 PM, land in Orlando at about 12 Midnightish; then crash at a hotel you found at around 1:30 AM. Sleep late, get out of bed at maybe 9:30 AM for the day.

Train: Get to Union Station at 6:45 PM, leave at 7:30 PM, sleep in your roomette, and arrive in Orlando around 1 PM.

Essentially with the flight, you're paying twice the money to gain about two-three hours of time if you have to leave IMMEDIATELY that afternoon.
 
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if you don't take the auto train, but take one of the silvers instead, you will need to rent a car if you want to go out to the cape yourself. an alternative is to stay in the orlando area and buy launch tickets through a tour group. both gator tours and dolphin tours do pick-ups in the orlando area and then bus you out to kennedy space center. it's a good option if you're so inclined. i've done it and it's easy and fun. :)
 
Keep in mind that you and approximately a million other people will be descending on the Florida Space Coast at the same time; prime viewing locations will be snatched up days in advance & area hotels are already booked up. Don't expect to get anywhere near the KSC, public viewing areas in the actual space center are very few and sold via a random selection process. And of course, delays have been known to occur, which renders travel plans moot.
 
Even after STS-135, you will still be able to witness manned space launches. Of course, it will require a trip to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. How sad is that? John Kennedy is rolling over in his grave.
 
PetalumaLoco said:
PRR 60 said:
Even after STS-135, you will still be able to witness manned space launches. Of course, it will require a trip to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. How sad is that? John Kennedy is rolling over in his grave.
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Wrong. Space-X Dragon program.

NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo.

More NASA info here.

The only problem is we should have been doing this 10 years ago, before the Shuttle was retired.
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How long is the gap supposed to be on getting that (those?) into service?
 
RCrierie said:
Plus, the TSA checkpoints at MCO are just horrible.
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I have to agree, and that is the #1 reason I switched to taking Amtrak's Silvers to Orlando. The last time I flew, I was "randomly" pulled out of line for additional screening (those of Italian decent are apparently all on their watch list). They forced me to leave behind my then 3 yo, alone and without supervision, to wander about the terminal. while they took me to a private screening room. Never again.

I have been down to the Cape for a shuttle launch. On the topic of security, be prepared for something that makes TSA look casual. Going thru the screening at the Cape, I even had to prove my cell phone was a real phone by making a call on it.
 
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Cho Cho Charlie said:
Anderson said:
How long is the gap supposed to be on getting that (those?) into service?
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Realistically, about 10+ years, before they are operational and "shuttling" people to/from the ISS and beyond.
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...yeah, that sounds like it's going to be up the infamous creek.

One other thing: What's the range you can actually see the launch from north/south on the beach? I think the father of the friend down in Florida lives in Cocoa Beach, which would make this a lot easier.
 
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I live in Orlando and can see the shuttle launches on a clear/semi-clear day. Because of cloud cover, I was unable to see the last launch. From Cocoa Beach, you would have an excellent view of the launch.

The traffic from Orlando to the Space Coast is horrible on launch days and the hotels/motels in the area charge a very large premium, sometimes with minimum stays.
 
So only about what 32 hours left till I board #91 Silver Meteor at Union Station DC (WAS) bound for Orlando (ORL) at 3 PM on the 5th!

Wheee! I am so going to enjoy having a meal in the dining car as we pass through North Carolina or lower virginia -- and think about how much more fun this is than driving I-95, or being groped at Reagan National.
 
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