train travel

[Sasharowan]

We are looking at going to NY for a wedding next summer. While looking into various travel possibilities, train came up. None of us has ever ridden a train. Does anyone have any tips or stories of train travel with kids?

 

Thanks

[Jen500]

:bigear:

We've always wanted to ride the train. The sleeper cars look fun, but they are so expensive!! Have you looked at the Autotrain?

[AK_Mom4]

It's been awhile now, but in 2000, we took the train from Seattle to Washington DC, down the coast to Florida and then back across to LA. Our kids were 7,5, and 3 at the time. We had a sleeper car and it was really really fun. I brought along lots of games for them to play, some cd's to listen to, and a few books. Alot of time was spent looking out the windows!

 

It wasn't cheap, but it was fun! I would go again!

[BikeBookBread]

It was several years ago now that I traveled from Everett, Washington (just north of Seattle) to Minot, ND -- it was about a 24 hour trip. We left in the evening, just before dinner, and arrived in Minot a few hours after dinner-time due to the time zone difference.

 

I was alone with my 5 month old daughter and then-2 year old. (eeek!) DH was deployed at the time, and we had been in Washington staying with family for 5 months. I had apparently purchased the wrong airline tickets as the change fee cost more than the cost of the original tickets. I was NOT NOT NOT happy with Northwest AL! I found that booking a fancy compartment with shower, toilet, in-room eating service (if desired) and being waited on hand and foot was cheaper than re-booking the airline tickets.

 

I had a great time! I just packed lots of activities and away we went.

 

I want to do it again sometime now that the kids are older, and DH can come along :)

[Sasharowan]

Yes. It only goes to VA. The sleeper cars are expensive. Coach seats are cheaper than flying but less space for the kids to wiggle in.

[BikeBookBread]

Yes. It only goes to VA. The sleeper cars are expensive. Coach seats are cheaper than flying but less space for the kids to wiggle in.

 

Cool thing about the train is you can get up and walk around -- go to the observation car, the club car, etc...

[kokotg]

On my way out the door, so mostly I'm posting to remind myself to come back later....we've done two long train trips with kids (Atlanta to Boston)...one with sleeper, one in coach. We had a blast! If we could afford to get a sleeper every time, we'd never fly. More later....

[kokotg]

Okay! First trip was a year and a half ago, so kids were 7, 5, and 2 1/2. We didn't have a sleeper for this trip. The train leaves Atlanta in the evening, so we pretty much got on and it was time to get the kids ready to sleep. It took awhile to get them to sleep, but once they did, they slept fine. DH and I, on the other hand, didn't sleep at all. Not at all. It was weird, because DH can usually sleep anywhere. But aside from that, it was fine. You have LOTS more room in coach seats on a train than you do on an airplane. There are also outlets, so you can bring along a computer and the kids can watch movies (don't forget headphones). There's the dining car which eats up a good bit of time, too, if you go there (the food is not great, and it's overpriced, but it's fun to eat on a train). There's also a snack car where you can buy chips and drinks and hot dogs and stuff or just sit at one of the tables and look out the windows or play games or whatever.

 

If you have a sleeper, it's heavenly (especially if you get a sleeper after riding coach the year before ;)). We had a "family suite" on our trip this past summer, which just means they open up a wall in between two sleepers for you (there's only one per train, I believe, so book early if you want it), so we had a good bit of space. DH and I still didn't sleep that well, but it was fine. Meals are included with the sleeper, and it seemed like they were constantly feeding us. Even though we didn't get on until around 8 or 8:30, we were offered dinner, then breakfast the next morning, then lunch right before we got off in the early afternoon. The kids LOVED the sleeper.

 

We have to change trains in Washington or NY, and the second stretch of the trip is much harder because it's a commuter train--smaller seats and not many other kids making noise to drown out the ruckus ours make.

 

I'm happy to try to answer any other questions....I love the train; I just wish it were cheaper.

[EmilyK]

I did an overnight trip with the kids last summer and they loved it so much they want to do one with their dad along too this summer.

 

That said, I didn't sleep at all. I have to get some prescription sleeping pills before we go again. One night without sleep is OK, but not 3.

 

We had one of the sleepers and if you can afford it, it was fabulous. I would compare it more to a fancy hotel or a cruise for a night, than to plane tickets between points A and B.

 

On some routes they have park rangers or volunteers talking about what you are seeing in the observation cars. My 10 year old loved that.

[milovany]

We are looking at going to NY for a wedding next summer. While looking into various travel possibilities, train came up. None of us has ever ridden a train. Does anyone have any tips or stories of train travel with kids?

 

Thanks

 

We haven't yet, but I'm hoping to go from Seattle to Chicago next summer with my dh and our 7 kids. We'll leave in the evening and arrive two evenings later. We won't be getting sleeper cars because of the expense, so will sleep in our chairs. We'll make it work! I also heard from someone who has done this that you can go "downstairs" to a lower level and there are benches instead of chairs that some can sleep in. We'll see. Anyway, I hope we get to go because I think it sounds like a blast.