considering train travel

[bwilburn542004]

Hello all,

I am considering taking my family on the train to Orlando, FL from Cincinnati Ohio.

Last April we took the bus but were very uncomfortable. Couldn't see much either. I am tired of driving long distances and would appreciate any suggestions and tips anyone can offer.

I have read the posts here and see many pros and cons of train travel. I am hoping for a comfortable and scenic trip but finances only allow for coach seats.

One concern is of size, my son is 15 stands 6ft 3 in and I am a large person.

The bus squished him like an accordian.

We are only a family of four, myself and children 18, 15, and 9 so no young ones. Also info on the trains would be helpful. I see on the route it would be the cardinal and silver meteor.

Thanks all. :unsure:

 

[caravanman]

Hi, I am from the UK, and dont have such a good knowlege of the US geography as some enthusiasts on this website. I have taken several Amtrak train trips, and would like to reassure you that being tall wont be a problem. The coach class seats are very large & comfy. It is nice to be able to just get up from the seat and walk around too! There will often be a choice of routes, dont just rely on the amtrak website! If you can get to Chicago, it might be an interesting route to go down to New Orleans, and then across to Orlando on the Sunset limited? I just offer that as an idea, not a positive "good route"! The trains are often delayed, but if you have a relaxed mood, I imagine it being lots better than the bus. I have never taken either of the trains you mention, it might be worth taking some "comfort foods" from home if there is not a dinning car!

Bon Voyage!

Ed B)

 

[lepearso]

You have some good options. You can, as the earlier post said, ride the Cardinal to Chicago, take the City of New Orleans to its namesake city, then take the Sunset Limited to Orlando.

A faster and potentially more scenic route is to go east on the Cardinal and connect with the Silver Meteor, but you will have to make an Amtrak bus connection from Charlottesville to Richmond. (On the reverse trip you simply change trains in DC.)

A great way to save money is to plan your itinerary around the "Hot Deals" page on the Amtrak website. If you find an intinerary that works with your own schedule, book as soon as you can.

As for the trip itself, your family will be quite comfortable. You're not bound to your seat, the seats themselves are quite large, and you can visit with other passengers. The scenery is great, and you should plan ahead to eat at least one full meal in the dining car.

 

[bwilburn542004]

Thank you, I think what we have in mind is taking the cardinal from Cincy to VA then the Crescent to New Orleans, stay the nite and then the Sunset to Orlando. Of course taking advantage of the rooms on the Crescent.

We want to enjoy scenery and this seems like a pretty good way to do it.

On our way back we decided to take the Silver from Orlando to Wash DC and the bus from DC to Cincinnati. We are from Dayton and don't have service here.

We are a little scared of the bridges! But can't wait for the trip. Still a while to wait though.

Another question is how come the trip is so long from New Orleans to Orlando. I looked at the route and it says it is a 23 hour trip. Seems it would be shorter. Either way we are glad to have more time aboard.

Your tips helped quite a bit, again thanks.

 

[gswager]

The trip on Sunset has a history of excessive tardiness due to freight congestion on track. I don't know how many average hours late, but others on this forum will know. Be prepare for that. In rare chance if it is extremely late, you'll might be bussed from NOL to ORL.

 

[Trogdor]

As much as I wouldn't want to discourage people from riding the train or scaring them away, I'd have to recommend avoiding the Sunset Limited, especially if this will be your first long-distance train trip.

The Cardinal-to-Silver Meteor connection (with a small bus trip in between) should work fine (along with a similar return journey).

Unfortunately, the Sunset Limited (as noted earlier) is notorious for being hours late. With it's 10:30 pm scheduled departure from New Orleans, if it is late, you could leave New Orleans in the very early hours of the morning. Delays of 12+ hours on this route are not uncommon (even with the new schedule). If the train is running that late, they will likely terminate it in Sanford, FL, and put passengers on buses to Orlando (this is because the servicing facility is in Sanford, and if they want to have even the slightest hope of having the return train leave on time, they can't afford the couple of hours it would take to head down to Orlando and come back).

The Silver Meteor might run a little bit late, but it still runs much closer to schedule than the Sunset Limited does. It will also get you into Orlando earlier in the day, and will actually run through to Orlando and beyond (barring some extreme emerency).

If you want to go down and come back on different routes, I would recommend riding the Cardinal to Charlottesville, taking the bus to Richmond, and the Silver Meteor down to Orlando. Then, you can return by way of the Sunset Limited, City of New Orleans, and Cardinal (from Chicago). Since the Sunset Limited starts its westbound trip in Orlando, it has a much better chance of running on time (even though there is still the possibility that freight railroad congestion will delay the trip into New Orleans). Also, if you miss the connection to the City of New Orleans because the train arrives late, Amtrak will accommodate you somehow (such as a hotel room), because the connections are guaranteed. If the eastbound was hours late into New Orleans, you'd be stuck waiting in the train station late at night until it showed up.

 

[GG-1]

One concern is of size, my son is 15 stands 6ft 3 in and I am a large person.The bus squished him like an accordian.

Aloha

I am 6 foot and 300 Lbs. and never uncomfortable in either, a seat or bed, on the train but my toes and hair just cleared the end walls. Loved every minute.

Eric

 

[bwilburn542004]

Thanks again for the tip on the Sunset. I have been reading more trip reports and yep, it runs late on about 90% of all the reports. I like the idea of the westbound Sunset on the return trip much better.

We are open to other routes as well. Seems like the possibilities are many, but hoping by the time we are ready to go, Amtrak is still around.

My son appreciates the info on the height situation as well.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I think all of your concerns have been addressed except one. You asked about why the actual schedule itself was so long from New Orleans to Orlando, aside from the lateness. You were referring to the published schedule--not just the notorious lateness.

And,I think an answer that would be because the train goes all the

way over to Jacksonville before heading down to Orlando. Of course Jacksonville is a major population center and still has exisiting track. Some kind of short cut avoding JAX would probably not even be possilbe on the rails. Not sure what the interstate highways do, but I bet there is some way for the highways to avoid JAX. even if the railroad cannot. The highways, which we all help pay for, do lots of things the tracks cannot do.

And, to second what everybody else above has already said , no way will you or your son feel like accordians after the trip is over. Great seats in coach on the train!!

I think there used to be tracks which would take you from New Orleans to Orlando bypassing JAX, but if still there, they probably are not geared up for passenger train speeds. Besides, JAK is too large of a market for Amtrak to ignore and bypass just to cut a few miles off the route.