Amtrak from OH to WDW?

[ToyStory3]

I thought it would be fun to take a train from Ohio to WDW this fall. I know nothing about taking trains so just started with the Amtrak website. So far I'm very confused. There doesn't seem to be very many options for Columbus to WDW. I will need to go to Cleveland or Cinci, etc. which isn't a big deal. But, for some of the routes we have to take a train to a bus to a tain...which is not appealing at all. And, for a bedroom of any kind, for the 4 of us, it will be $1500 which is more than flights for us.

Am I doing something wrong? I thought it would be a wonderful option but it's going to be a pain and more expensive.

 

[FiggieFan]

We take the train all the time from Philly to Orlando. I also take it to Greensboro, NC to visit family. It is expensive, especially for a room, the earlier you book the cheaper it will be. They let you book 11 months in advance and I try to get it as soon as possible, once a room is taken, the price goes up for the remaining rooms. They never seem to offer discounts on rooms either and their rewards card isn't worth a thing for any type of room discount. And every year, the prices go up and up.

My fiance's family is in Missouri and we have looked into trains that direction - would be impossible - too many connections and too long a trip. Chicago is the main hub in that area so all trains have to go up to Chicago - there aren't really any trains moving east/west. Anything going to Florida looks like it has to go from the east coast - doesn't appear to be any other lines going straight to Florida.

The only way to really ride cheap on Amtrak is coach but I would not recommend that. The bathrooms get super nasty. I have done business class a few times, which is not offered on trains with sleeper rooms, and the bathroom still got nasty after a 10 hour trip. I can't imagine doing a 20 hour trip. The last 2 times I tried business class, I got dehydrated from not drinking so I didn't have to use the bathroom - pathetic, maybe, but the bathroom was Nasty!

In Feb 2013, we were on the train with a couple from Ohio, they got off in Washington DC and then caught a megabus back to Ohio. The megabus seems like a good option but they don't seem to have a ton of lines right now either. Maybe something to look into?

Would 2 roomettes be cheaper for your family than 1 family bedroom? You might want to look into that option. One time we were on the train with a big family from NY and they had a bunch of roomettes for everyone.

Good luck and happy traveling!

 

[malibuconlee]

I thought it would be fun to take a train from Ohio to WDW this fall. I know nothing about taking trains so just started with the Amtrak website. So far I'm very confused. There doesn't seem to be very many options for Columbus to WDW. I will need to go to Cleveland or Cinci, etc. which isn't a big deal. But, for some of the routes we have to take a train to a bus to a tain...which is not appealing at all. And, for a bedroom of any kind, for the 4 of us, it will be $1500 which is more than flights for us.

Am I doing something wrong? I thought it would be a wonderful option but it's going to be a pain and more expensive.

If you go East there tends to be more North/South routes. In the middle it they tend to be mostly East/West routes. Also here in the middle the trains run on many freight company owned tracks so they get the right of way. It's not uncommon for trains in the midwest to be several hours late.

I read about things like the auto-train and think how neat that sounds. We just aren't lucky to have stuff like that I guess.

 

[stasijane]

I dont have any suggestions to what you are asking, but I just wanted to put in that I have also wanted to do this some time and have looked into a time or two and found the website to be a bit confusing to figure out.

 

[rwdavis2]

You are not doing anything wrong. It is just that trains are not very efficient over the long haul in the USA. There is not enough demand for Amtrak to run more routes.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

One thing to keep in mind... Amtrak does not run on time. YOu can look at the past weeks status to see how late they run. So factor that in. Plus catching the train in Cleveland means you will be catching it at 2:00 a.m. that is when the east bound train is suppose to come in. Cleveland at 2:00 a.m. is not advisable.

I just checked the status of today train at is was 1/2 hr late arriving in Cleveland to head east. Then the connecting train was an hour late leaving


*** also the Cincinnati Amtrak station does not have check bag service so you can not take any checked bags with you. You have to put everything in your carry on.

 

[ToyStory3]

Do you typically go coach or bedrooms!family suites for that length? Is coach doable for that kind of a trip? Our kids are 7 and 10.

Can you reserve specific seats or it's first come first serve? Do they have four seats that face each other or are they all facing the same direction question? Thanks!

 

[Prose]

I agree with everyone that Amtrak to Florida is simply not feasible unless you are headed down the East Coast. For instance, from Indianapolis, I would have to take a bus to Chicago, get on the train in Chicago, take the train to Washington, DC, and transfer to a new train to take me to Orlando. Total trip time would be an estimated 38.5 hours. If I wanted to have a room with a bed (rather than sitting up for 17 hours straight), it would cost me $631.50. One way.

And that is why Midwesterners can't take Amtrak.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I agree Prose. To take the train from OH to WDW was take 27 hours and it includes a 5 hour layover along the way. Verses the $119 or $123 each way on SWA. out of Columbus.

 

[Rose23]

I thought it would be fun to take a train from Ohio to WDW this fall. I know nothing about taking trains so just started with the Amtrak website. So far I'm very confused. There doesn't seem to be very many options for Columbus to WDW. I will need to go to Cleveland or Cinci, etc. which isn't a big deal. But, for some of the routes we have to take a train to a bus to a tain...which is not appealing at all. And, for a bedroom of any kind, for the 4 of us, it will be $1500 which is more than flights for us.

Am I doing something wrong? I thought it would be a wonderful option but it's going to be a pain and more expensive.

Toy Story, my dear hubby and I have taken the Amtrak AutoTrain (we do not fly) from Washington, DC non-stop to Sanford, FL to go to Disney many times. It takes approximately 6 1/2 hours to drive to Lorton (southend of DC if you catch DC traffic at a good time) and we really enjoy the trip (70E, 79S, 68E to 40E/70 to 270 and DC loop). We have only done it one way since it is a little expensive. We haven't done it for about three years but drive roundtrip I-71/75 instead since we visit family in Atlanta.

You can always drive to Cleveland, leave your car at the train station and take the train to Washington, DC transferring to the Orlando, FL train. There are also overnight garages in downtown Cleveland if you do not want to leave your vehicle at the train station. Return trip will be the same from Florida to DC, transfer to the Cleveland, OH train.

Best wishes on whatever you decide. Important note, with the Amtrak AutoTrain, the earlier you book, the cheaper the price. Booking around high demand times (holidays, spring break, etc) drives up the price. Also, AAA gives a discount of 10% and you also get more off if you or hubby is a veteran.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Logistic wise it is a pain and expensive. Even on the East coast. It was so expensive taking auto train down. The train from Phila to Kissimmee would be about $200 each with out the room, an entire day to travel.

We enjoyed the auto train out of Lorton VA for the novelty but I wouldn't do it again because I could have bought two airfares for what it ran one way with a room.

If you are thinking of a novelty trip, just take it local, maybe to Cinny zoo or somewhere for a short day hop.
We get our fix with an hour just from Lancaster, PA to Harrisburg PA and back again.

 

[Prose]

the Amtrak website is really confusing. Maybe this map will help:

You can see that all of Ohio, plus everything between Cincinnati and Atlanta and Atlanta to Orlando, is a dead zone for Amtrak. That's why you have to switch trains, take a bus to a train, or go to DC or Chicago at some point.