All about the Autotrain

Since our last trip which was maybe 5 years ago I understand they have done away with the wine and cheese after departure. What other changes have been made?


The last time I took the AT was in the fall of 2014, so if there have been any additional changes since then I’m not aware of them. The changes made in March/April of 2014, mostly affecting sleeper car passengers, included:

* Paper tablecloths and disposable plates and cutlery was being used in both the sleeper and coach dining cars (in 2015 some sleeper car passengers said they still had cloth tablecloths with the Corelle-type plates and metal tableware, but that was not my experience in the autumn of 2014).

* Sleeper car passengers are now served the same dinner as coach passengers.

* The sleeper lounge car was eliminated and there is now a single lounge car for all passengers.

* With the sleeper lounge car gone, they no longer offer wine or snacks for sleeper passengers before the train pulls away to begin the trip.

* No free wine at dinner for sleeper car passengers

* USA Today paper is no longer provided for sleeper cars.
 
There's no blankets or headrest cloth pieces. There are no snacks when it starts. There is still the hot beverage area with coffee, decaf, hot chocolate packets. I didn't notice tea, because I used the hot water for my own tea bags I brought.
At breakfast (this was 2 weeks ago and 1 week ago), on both the way up and back, they had all of the fixings on that old snack table so that if you wanted to use the trays they had and bring it all back to your seat you could, and didn't have to sit in the dining car. On the way down she said they sometimes do this, but it was both ways for us. It didn't appear to have any bearing on if you were late or early, since it was 2 hours late on our way down and only 15 min. late on our way up.
Also, no wine at dinner, but you can always purchase at the lounge car. However, any wine drinking I do I find to be most cost effective to bring those little "Copa" wine individual things, and I did ask him for a cup of ice at the lounge.

There are some great disposable head rest covers you can buy on Amazon.
 
We just got off the Southbound train yesterday.

We had head rest covers (coach) as well as cloth napkins and tablecloths in the dining car.
 
We rode the autotrain northbound back in 2014 and again this past December. We were in a family bedroom both times. We had tablecloths and cloth napkins as well as metal tableware on our December trip. There was spotty internet which allowed us to check emails but do not plan on streaming anything. I miss the free wine and cheese but we purchased a bottle with dinner.
 


We took the auto train in June, so I thought I would write a few thoughts on our trip. There were 6 of us total, me, DH, DS8, DS5, and 2 DSs 15 mon. We live in NW PA and had a 6 hr drive to the AT station. We had a bedroom suite each way, with priority unloading for our vehicle each way. I booked a couple of months ahead, and did book before they eliminated the AAA discount. It was our second trip on the AT, the first was August 2017 in the same accommodations.

* We stayed at a Springhill suites in Potomac Mills the night before. If you recall I asked a lot of questions about where to stay beforehand, and this worked out just fine. Not as convenient as the Comfort Inn at the same exit, but we had a huge room and it was quite a bit nicer than the CI. So thanks everyone for the advice you gave on nearby towns, etc...

*We went southbound on June 9th. We checked in early, at about noon and got our 5:00 dinner time, then went to the local grocery store for snacks and ate at Chipotle. We went back at just before 2:00 to leave the car and boarded on time. the door between our 2 bedrooms wasn't opened (that's how they make it a BR Suite, open a door b/w 2 of the bedrooms), we waited quite a long time before out attendant came around and when we asked him to open it he said he had to get a supervisor, and it was clear it wasn't a priority of his. OK, no problem. Finally quite a bit later I flagged him down and asked again, and he started to brush it off again so I mentioned that it we had asked for it to be open when we booked and really wanted to be able to settle in without going into the hall b/w rooms with 2 toddlers, and then he was amazingly able to find the keys within a minute or 2. Not a huge deal, just a bit annoying since the same thing happened Southbound last trip and northbound has been perfect both times. Our attendant was not stellar. Not terrible, just nothing beyond the bare minimum. We did have headrest covers.

*Dinner was fine, I'm pretty sure we had cloth napkins and table cloths, and we did have real silverware. The food was ok, not great but about what I would expect. 3 of our party has gluten allergies so they couldn't eat. We did buy a half bottle of wine to share.

*The lounge car was the one with glass domes, which was kind of neat The employee working the lounge car was extremely nice, and we met the conductor who was super nice as well. We bought a few snacks for the kids - I really wish they had Coke instead of Pepsi!

*I LOVE sleeping on the AT, I feel like its being rocked to sleep or something - whatever it is I could do it all the time. There is a lot less room in the bedroom after the beds are down. We only had them lower one bunk since we didn't need 2.

* we used one of the wet baths to shower in and the other for a toilet, and had no problems with water leaking/draining/etc.. Not the nicest shower, but it works.

*since we don't go to breakfast getting the room turned back to seating from beds is a pain, we would sit on one side while he did the other and then switch.

*We got in on time and were in our car within 10 min probably, I would say we were between the 10th-15th vehicle off. We pulled over to the regular parking to load up everything and the kids

*We went Northbound on June 22. We were running late, we underestimated how long it would take us to eat lunch at the Contempo cafe and then we had to do an emergency outfit change with a new shirt after one last Mickey Bar for DS5 :sad2:. By the time we got our car and loaded everyone up our GPS put us at the AT station at 1:57, so only a 30 min cushion for the last auto check in. We are not people to push things like that, so I was nervous. Luckily we had no issues and got there at exactly 2:00. Unluckily, the southbound AT also got to the Sanford station at 2:00 :crazy2:

* we checked in and had to take the 3rd dinner since we were so late, not ideal with little kids. Also not ideal were all of the passengers from the SB train in the waiting room because it was so hot out and their cars weren't being offloaded yet, and all of the people waiting for the NB train were there as well. We all fit better than expected, honestly. I waited in line like 15 min in the shop for snacks, but I could have waited and had no line later, it was more for something different to do. We did find seats, but keeping 2 toddlers occupied for 4 hrs wasn't fun. We took turns walking them in circles around the building and outside and around that way, and eventually I put them both in my double carrier but carrying an extra 60 lbs for 90 min wasn't fun! Most of the people on thr train with us knew who we were before we got on that day, from seeing us walk circles for hours. They boarded us at 6:00, the train left at 7:00, and they had 2 dinners at 7:30 and 9:30.

*The door between our bedrooms was open and the room was all set up for us, and our attendant was a very sweet woman who was great. Probably just coincidence, but for our 2 round trip AT trips we've had less than wonderful male attendants on the way down who didn't have our suite ready and did the bare minimum, and very nice female attendants who went above and beyond and had the room ready on the way north.

*3 of the 4 kids fell asleep at dinner, and the 4th and my DH were close. That's when the server told us we could have requested to have our meals brought to our rooms earlier! I wish I had known that!! At least now I do, so if it ever happens again we'll do it. Although I will just try not to be so late we have to get the 3rd seating.

*I had a great night, I still love sleeping on the AT, and in the morning my DH and DS8 actually got to go to breakfast since we had time because we were late. Based on what they said, it was nothing special.

*They have run out of ice in the ice bin early on all 4 of our trips - I wish they could/would refill that.

*We were supposed to get in at 11:00, but then we had to stop for a broken hose on an auto carrier, then flooding had caused problems with the signals in VA, so we ended up getting in sometime around 1:00.

* I was happy all of our delays were on the way home, with no missing Disney time. My DH would have much preferred it the other way, with a 6 hr drive home. At least we came home a day early, so he didn't work until Monday.

*Our car was actually the first one off, so no wait at all to speak of there.

All in all it was very successful, and we still love the AT and think of it as an extension of our vacation. It was better this time since we had 2 weeks so we didn't feel like we were losing as much time by not flying. Next time we'll have to pay for the 2 youngest, but it's still the way to go for us until they get old enough to be able to sit still for long periods of time and not need such constant supervision - maybe when they are 4 or so we'll attempt flying with 4 kids!
 
no more movies in the lounge area either! That was announced on our ride back late August 2017.
 
We are getting on Auto Train in Lorton today. We spent the night at Wingate in Springfield. I believe the Comfort Inn in Lorton is closed. I think the train is pretty full. It’s just me and my DH. We have a roomette.
We are spending some time with relatives and will be checking in at Pop Century on 8/24.
 


We are getting on Auto Train in Lorton today. We spent the night at Wingate in Springfield. I believe the Comfort Inn in Lorton is closed. I think the train is pretty full. It’s just me and my DH. We have a roomette.
We are spending some time with relatives and will be checking in at Pop Century on 8/24.

I wondered about that when I drove past it last week and didn't see their sign or cars in their lot. I also don't see it listed as an option on the Comfort Inn website. It would be a shame if they're permanently closed because the location is so convenient, but that building has been there for 15-20 years and I know was in need of upgrades. I'll check on it from time to time.
 
Fyi - as of 10 days ago, the $95 saver fares for coach are now available through the end of June '19 (had previously stopped at 6/9/19). Last I checked, only the northbound trip on 6/29/19 had jumped up past $95 for the saver fares - that was within two days of the price posting! Thankfully, I had been watching like a hawk and had the $95 fares for our 6/16 southbound and 6/29 northbound trips the first day they were available.
 
I wondered about that when I drove past it last week and didn't see their sign or cars in their lot. I also don't see it listed as an option on the Comfort Inn website. It would be a shame if they're permanently closed because the location is so convenient, but that building has been there for 15-20 years and I know was in need of upgrades. I'll check on it from time to time.
When I googled hotels in Lorton a Holiday Inn popped up. When I went to the site it said it wasn’t open yet. I am assuming it was sold. I am at a Wingate in Springfield. Not bad and only $99.
 
When I googled hotels in Lorton a Holiday Inn popped up. When I went to the site it said it wasn’t open yet. I am assuming it was sold. I am at a Wingate in Springfield. Not bad and only $99.
Eating lunch across the street. It’s closed but there are people working on it.
 
I'm going to give the AT another shot, this time taking some motion sickness medicine.
I just got off the off the northbound train yesterday, and the third time might have been the charm for me. My first two experiences on the AT were no so great...didn't sleep much (once in a family bedroom, second in a roomette) and was a little motion sick arrival morning my second trip.

This time I booked myself a bedroom and took some Dramamine (around 11 PM). I still didn't sleep much, but I dozed a bit between 12 and 5:30. The jostling and bumps are just too much for me to sleep through (I'm not the best sleeper to begin with). But I knew what I was getting in to, and the Dramamine staved off any motion sickness, so I was in okay shape yesterday. So in the end, the AT is better than driving, IMHO.

Other points: I arrived at Sanford around 1:30. I got priority offload 14, and had my choice of the three dinner seatings (5, 7, 9). They boarded us at 2:35 or so, but we didn't head out until 4. The sleeper section had a traditional lounge car (unlike my first AT trip when the sleeper lounge was a re-purposed diner). Kids menu was chicken nuggets or mac & cheese. Nothing special on the regular menu. Food quality was same as usual...I'd compare it to hospital cafeteria quality. My attendant was pleasant, but I didn't ask for anything. I only left my room for dinner.

I liked the bedroom and will probably get it again. It had good number of outlets to charge devices and I liked having my own bathroom....I think having my own bathroom kept me relaxed during sleeping hours, as I didn't have to go into bright lights and put shoes on when I had to 'go'. I took a shower which was a bit of a challenge in such a small space, but it was refreshing. Since I was alone, the upper bunk stayed in the storage position, and I was able to get a decent bit of air from the vent when I laid down (this was a problem for us in the family bedroom: the upper bunks were too cool and got all the air, while the lower beds were too hot since the upper bunks were blocking airflow).

We arrived in l Lorton before 7:45, but had to wait just a little as the station staff aren't on duty until 8:15.Once they arrived, everything moved pretty quickly and I was on 95 before 8:45.

I'm happy to answer questions.
 
Great to hear you had a better experience. We will be "roughing it" in coach and I don't expect to sleep much, if at all, but I've done some other overnight long-haul trains, so I'm used to that. At least this one won't be stopping at stations every hour! I'm very excited to take my daughter - I was about six months older than she will be when I took an overnight train to Florida for a Disney trip and I have as many memories of the train as I do of Disney at that age!
 
We’re thinking of doing the auto train again next April for school vacation week (we did it this past April). Hubby and I were going to take the train down and have our kids fly down the next morning and we would pick them up at the airport but the prices of flights are out of this world! My kids aren’t big on the train but I told them they can pay for their own flights or take the train with us, lol. They’re “leaning” towards the train. I have a roomette booked for me and DH, thinking I’lll put the kids in coach. We had a bedroom and a roomette last trip so they’ve been a little spoiled. So how bad is coach? Will my kids be miserable (they’re 18 and 15)? And is lower level better?
 
We took Amtrak from Philadelphia to Palatka, Florida in December. The ride going down was like something out of a horror movie. My mattress actually hydroplaned off the bed (with me in it!) because of the speed the engineer was driving and the way he took those curves. We were terrified all night. I know the ride back was nothing like that, but we also had a dining car on the return trip, so not sure if that made a difference in the speed they were allowed to go.

Can someone tell me if the ride on the autotrain is that horrible, or do they have to go slower because of the cars they are carrying. I'd love to do the autotrain, but am afraid after that last trip.
 
We took Amtrak from Philadelphia to Palatka, Florida in December. The ride going down was like something out of a horror movie. My mattress actually hydroplaned off the bed (with me in it!) because of the speed the engineer was driving and the way he took those curves. We were terrified all night. I know the ride back was nothing like that, but we also had a dining car on the return trip, so not sure if that made a difference in the speed they were allowed to go.

Can someone tell me if the ride on the autotrain is that horrible, or do they have to go slower because of the cars they are carrying. I'd love to do the autotrain, but am afraid after that last trip.

I have no idea about what speeds they go on different trains, or what they are or are not allowed to do, but we have taken the autotrain round trip twice and I never noticed anything more than what I would expect from being on a train. On our trip in June we had 2 17 month old toddlers who had only been walking for a couple of months and were very tottery (is that a word?), and they were actually able to walk around our bedroom suite without a whole lot of problem and with only a few tumbles - so to me that seems as if it was a pretty smooth ride! I sleep great on the train, it feels like being rocked to sleep, and I never noticed anything that seems remotely like what you describe thank goodness! We were very late for the return trip in June and they were trying to make up time and I still didn't notice anything, so I think you should be ok :-)
 
I have no idea about what speeds they go on different trains, or what they are or are not allowed to do, but we have taken the autotrain round trip twice and I never noticed anything more than what I would expect from being on a train. On our trip in June we had 2 17 month old toddlers who had only been walking for a couple of months and were very tottery (is that a word?), and they were actually able to walk around our bedroom suite without a whole lot of problem and with only a few tumbles - so to me that seems as if it was a pretty smooth ride! I sleep great on the train, it feels like being rocked to sleep, and I never noticed anything that seems remotely like what you describe thank goodness! We were very late for the return trip in June and they were trying to make up time and I still didn't notice anything, so I think you should be ok :-)

Yes, even our room steward rolled her eyes the next morning and commented on how "rough" that ride was. Apparently the engineer that got on in Washington, DC when they changed the engine was "in a hurry". My poor husband has mobility issues and using the bathroom was a real trick -- we usually waited until they pulled into a stop and ran for it. We were so nervous about getting back on for the ride home -- and that train ended up being 6 hours late, but they didn't drive like maniacs to make up the time and I still think it had to do with the dining car being attached. We had a glorious ride home because, being so late, we were able to put our feet up and really enjoy the views through the big windows, and they even provided lunch.

I did feel bad though for a few people onboard -- one couple from the UK was trying to get to the Manhattan terminal for their cruise. Considering that they had to board by 4 p.m. and the train wasn't going to get to Penn until around 5 p.m., I think they missed their boat (the original arrival time was 1 p.m. or so, so they would have made it otherwise). And another couple had tickets to Radio City at 4 p.m. Hopefully they got to exchange their tickets.
 
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An important point for a couple of recent posts:

The Auto Train is the only East Coast train that is a Superliner, rather than a Viewliner - it's two levels (as opposed to the horror show described on the long-haul train above). The ride is generally much smoother up top. Some people prefer lower-level coach - either because they can't/don't want to do the stairs to level two, or, since there are very few lower-level seats (the bathrooms are all downstairs, but separated off from the coach seats), so it can be quieter, and if you have a large party, you may have most of it to yourself.

The Auto Train also only makes one scheduled stop (for fuel and to change crews). That's not to say that it doesn't have to stop for other reasons (freight trains on tracks, etc.), but it's not pulling in and out of stations all night like other long-haul trains.
 
As for coach ... I've only ever ridden in coach on Amtrak. There is a TON of leg room on a long-haul train .... waaaaay more than you would ever get in first class on an airplane .... and electrical plugs at every seat. If you have a hard time sleeping while sitting up ... well, you'll have a hard time sleeping. I don't sleep well/much on the train, but I've learned to accept that. Others have no problem snoozing all night in coach.

This is an upper-level coach car on a Superliner train (what the Auto Train uses): http://www.kaemena360.net/FS/USA/Amtrak/Amtrak-Superliner-Coach/
 
Any travelers with reservations on the Autotrain or Amtrak in general need to keep an eye on Hurricane Florence around the Thursday to Saturday time frame September 13th to the 15th.
 

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