Newbie travelling on Silver line from FL to DC

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Well, my trip was great and it is definitely something I am going to do again.  I do think I will take the Meteor each way even though I like the southbound schedule of the Star better.  Going to the dining car for dinner was very nice and it breaks up the trip.  I also loved the interactions with other passengers during the short train breaks on the platforms; great way to meet people for interesting conversations.  My hubby is considering making the next run up to DC so he will get to experience it also.  Would love to travel together but with 2 pups, one of us has to stay home.  Unfortunately no RV parks near where we go, so driving the RV up is out of the question.

Unfortunately the problem with the laptop was a serious one.  The power dip on the train did screw up my charger and has also affect the computer.  Still waiting for one last part to arrive to fix this laptop but looks like a new laptop is inevitable.   Lesson learned - don't plug in laptop on train, find other ways to entertain myself, LOL.
 
Maggie's Mom said:
Well, my trip was great and it is definitely something I am going to do again.  I do think I will take the Meteor each way even though I like the southbound schedule of the Star better.  Going to the dining car for dinner was very nice and it breaks up the trip.  I also loved the interactions with other passengers during the short train breaks on the platforms; great way to meet people for interesting conversations.  My hubby is considering making the next run up to DC so he will get to experience it also.  Would love to travel together but with 2 pups, one of us has to stay home.  Unfortunately no RV parks near where we go, so driving the RV up is out of the question.

Unfortunately the problem with the laptop was a serious one.  The power dip on the train did screw up my charger and has also affect the computer.  Still waiting for one last part to arrive to fix this laptop but looks like a new laptop is inevitable.   Lesson learned - don't plug in laptop on train, find other ways to entertain myself, LOL.
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Could you share why you would pick Meteor over Star?  Is it because of the diner? 

I am torn between the two.  Star is cheaper and has better time on one end and Meteor has better time on the other. 
 
cpotisch said:
She explicitly said that is was because of the diner.
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Thanks!  Just wondering if there are other reasons, like Meteor has newer cars and beddings or something like that.

I think I can live with no diner to save a $100 but if there are other reasons it might not be worth it.  
 
Guest troo troo tcrane said:
Thanks!  Just wondering if there are other reasons, like Meteor has newer cars and beddings or something like that.

I think I can live with no diner to save a $100 but if there are other reasons it might not be worth it.  
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The dining car is the only difference when it comes to the equipment and experience. The times and different sets of stops are of course another story, and that very much depends on the person. But all things being equal, it's just the dining car. :)  
 
cpotisch said:
The dining car is the only difference when it comes to the equipment and experience. The times and different sets of stops are of course another story, and that very much depends on the person. But all things being equal, it's just the dining car. :)  
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Thank you!   :)
 
The diner is reason enough for me unless I’m going to Tampa. Additionally, I like the 9:08 AM departure from DFB on the Meteor.
 
JRR said:
The diner is reason enough for me unless I’m going to Tampa. Additionally, I like the 9:08 AM departure from DFB on the Meteor.
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Interestingly, I'm not a huge fan at all of the early northbound departure time. It means that even if you're taking it all the way up to NYP, you still have to make sure you're up and totally ready to disembark no later than 10:00 AM. I really prefer a late/later/latish departure such that you can just relax the next day. JMO.
 
When the Star had a diner, and I was traveling between Orlando and WAS or PHL, I would alternate between the Star and the Meteor.  I usually chose the Meteor when traveling to New York, since the arrival time was a bit late.  Either train worked fine for me traveling south.  When connecting to western trains,  I always took the Meteor, although sometimes I connected from the Capitol Limited to the SIlver Star in WAS on my way to Florida.
 
JRR said:
The diner is reason enough for me unless I’m going to Tampa. Additionally, I like the 9:08 AM departure from DFB on the Meteor.
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That's the thing. We *might* be joined by people who live near Tampa but they are not against traveling to Orlando for the Meteor.

It will be an interesting trip. I will start another thread when I have worked out a few more details.
 
I too prefer mid day departure and DC arrival.  Northbound Meteor departs at 8:50am and that's early especially since I will have to travel from 1.5 hours away from the station.   
 
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While I am looking forward to my Silver Meteor trips, I am not fond of the Northbound schedule either.  The need to be at the Fort Lauderdale station rather early to check luggage and the early morning arrival at Washington are not convenient for me.
 
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Guest troo troo tcrane said:
Could you share why you would pick Meteor over Star?  Is it because of the diner? 

I am torn between the two.  Star is cheaper and has better time on one end and Meteor has better time on the other. 
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The main reason is the diner.  The meal I had going NB on the Meteor was delicious and it was a great opportunity to sit down and chat with people.  Taking the Star SB had me eating my sub in the roomette for dinner and just not as pleasant.  However, I also felt that the Meteor was a smoother ride than the Star.  Could have just been my imagination but trying to sleep on the Star was very rough.  Twice I was almost pitched out of bed.  The Star is also almost 2 hours longer than the Meteor.  Since I was returning to FL on a Saturday, I needed to have my rental car back by Noon (before they closed) and the timing was perfect for the Star.  
 
Dakota 400 said:
While I am looking forward to my Silver Meteor trips, I am not fond of the Northbound schedule either.  The need to be at the Fort Lauderdale station rather early to check luggage and the early morning arrival at Washington are not convenient for me.
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Yes, that early morning arrival in Washington was rough.  I was sound asleep when the Sleeping Car Attendant banged on the door at 6am to let me know it was time to get up.  However, it was great that I still had a full day ahead of me instead of losing 1/2 of the day travelling.  
 
Ryan said:
You said you were taking the Metro to Greenbelt, right?  Where exactly do you end up around here?  There are a handful of places for RVs. 
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Taking the Red Line in the other direction --- Shady Grove.  No RV parks around that area, unfortunately.
 
Maggie's Mom said:
However, I also felt that the Meteor was a smoother ride than the Star.  Could have just been my imagination but trying to sleep on the Star was very rough.  Twice I was almost pitched out of bed. 
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I think that, too. I think the rough part is going in and out of the Carolinas at night, and you are fast asleep, and then you start going over rough tracks and get a rude awakening! :p However, on the other hand, you get some lovely scenery in the morning--I loved the cute station at Hamlet, and I remember a small family farm with two horses looking over the fence at us as we went by :) --a far cry from the giant agribusiness farms we had left back in Florida.
 
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