mlktwins Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 We are planning to take the auto train from No Virginia to FL in December. It will be me, DH and 6 year old twins. I was planning to just get us 4 regular seats since it isn't really a long trip. DH will have one kid by him and I will have the ohter. A friend said I would regret not getting a private compartment. Has anyone done the auto train with littles and not gotten a private compartment? How did it go? Thanks so much! Mendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 We took the auto train to Florida when ds was almost 2, I was 9 months pregnant with dd and oldest dd was 13. We did not get a compartment. We thought it was great and DH (who is a frequent traveler and expects comfort) said he would do it again before flying with kids. -The seats were spacious and we were all able to stretch out without hitting the seat in front of us. There was enough room for ds to play with blocks on the floor in front of the seats. -You can get up and walk around the train, go to the lounge car and the dining car. They usually play a kids movie in the lounge car. -We bought a laptop and checked in early requesting a seat with a plug. The kids were able to watch movies and play games on the computer. -The bathrooms were kept pretty clean - definitely much better than any public restrooms I've been in. And being 9 months pregnant, I saw a lot of the bathrooms. -Bring your own blankets and pillows - it gets chilly at night. -The food was decent and even had selections for my extremely picky son. -My son slept in his car seat on the floor in front of dd. I don't remember if we got a separate seat for him or not. -When we went the first kid was 1/2 price and the second free (or something like that) and the kid age went up to 16 years old. -It was GREAT being able to have our own car, car seat, etc. down there. We were there for 2 weeks and a rental would have been extremely expensive. It's not that long of a trip and you spend a lot of it sleeping. Wear comfortable clothes if you don't want to deal with changing, bring a carry-on with wipes, toothbrushes, etc. I actually bought toilet paper and sanitizing wipes for the bathrooms (9 months pregnant remember) but didn't need them. We felt that even if we had gotten a compartment, we wouldn't want to be spending a lot of time in it except to sleep (they are very small). Didn't seem worth the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepymommy Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 We have good friends that do this every year with their 3 young kids. They love it, but I think they always got a compartment. We plan on doing this one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enough Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I've never done it, but recently a friend of mine did. She went by herself with 3 kids (13, 11, 7); they did not get a compartment. Overall, her experience was almost exactly like Dot's. The ONLY thing she said she'd do differently is bring Dramamine! :tongue_smilie:She and at least one of her kids is prone to motion sickness and although they were fine for almost all of the trip, the sleeping-while-moving was apparently a bit rough- and their inner ear wobbliness lasted for *weeks*! We took the auto train to Florida when ds was almost 2, I was 9 months pregnant with dd and oldest dd was 13. We did not get a compartment. We thought it was great and DH (who is a frequent traveler and expects comfort) said he would do it again before flying with kids. -The seats were spacious and we were all able to stretch out without hitting the seat in front of us. There was enough room for ds to play with blocks on the floor in front of the seats. -You can get up and walk around the train, go to the lounge car and the dining car. They usually play a kids movie in the lounge car. -We bought a laptop and checked in early requesting a seat with a plug. The kids were able to watch movies and play games on the computer. -The bathrooms were kept pretty clean - definitely much better than any public restrooms I've been in. And being 9 months pregnant, I saw a lot of the bathrooms. -Bring your own blankets and pillows - it gets chilly at night. -The food was decent and even had selections for my extremely picky son. -My son slept in his car seat on the floor in front of dd. I don't remember if we got a separate seat for him or not. -When we went the first kid was 1/2 price and the second free (or something like that) and the kid age went up to 16 years old. -It was GREAT being able to have our own car, car seat, etc. down there. We were there for 2 weeks and a rental would have been extremely expensive. It's not that long of a trip and you spend a lot of it sleeping. Wear comfortable clothes if you don't want to deal with changing, bring a carry-on with wipes, toothbrushes, etc. I actually bought toilet paper and sanitizing wipes for the bathrooms (9 months pregnant remember) but didn't need them. We felt that even if we had gotten a compartment, we wouldn't want to be spending a lot of time in it except to sleep (they are very small). Didn't seem worth the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 We will be taking our 3rd auto train trip in Feb. We all love it. My dc were 6 & 8 the first time we took it. My son, especially, enjoyed it (he was the 6 yo). DH was very skeptical--he had wanted to drive (I don't like to fly). But he was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't spend the extra $$ on a sleeper. The seats on the train are quite comfortable and go back pretty far. The only negative I can think of is the noise of the doors opening between cars once we're trying to sleep. So we try to get at least 3 cars away from the dining and club cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I've never done it, but recently a friend of mine did. She went by herself with 3 kids (13, 11, 7); they did not get a compartment. Overall, her experience was almost exactly like Dot's. The ONLY thing she said she'd do differently is bring Dramamine! :tongue_smilie:She and at least one of her kids is prone to motion sickness and although they were fine for almost all of the trip, the sleeping-while-moving was apparently a bit rough- and their inner ear wobbliness lasted for *weeks*! DD, DS and I are all prone to car sickness. DS can't do anything in the car (read, play games, etc.) without throwing up and sometimes he does even when he's not doing anything if we are stuck in a lot of traffic. DD usually sleeps on car trips and I'll get sick if I try to read or have to turn around to help the kids too many times. None of us had any problem on the train although I was taking Benedryl for allergies and that sometimes helps with my nausea for some reason. It's probably worth bringing along something just in case but I wouldn't expect it to be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 We did this when my oldest two were 2 and 4. We opted for the sleeper because I don't sleep well if I'm not lying down. The sleepers are VERY small, but there was plenty of room for everyone. We got the family car. I thought it was fun taking a shower on the train the next morning. Think of how you sleep and if you'll be able to get by on very little sleep if you cannot fall asleep in a half-reclined position. I travelled one other time by train with two littles and did not get the sleeper. The kids slept absolutely fine! I didn't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 If you go down on the train, how do you get around once you get to Florida? Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 If you go down on the train, how do you get around once you get to Florida? Dawn The car goes on the train! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 What is the price for taking a car? Dawn The car goes on the train! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 What is the price for taking a car? Dawn I just looked. I put in random dates in July.Depending on the size of your car, it ranges from $449 - $555. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 Thanks everyone! I'm feeling better about this. I will bring Dramamine. I have that has only been car sick twice (on the same winding road), but will do it just in case. My van is costing an extra $200. We are taking it to and from FL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) Ok, I think I found the site. It says the ONLY route you can take a car is from VA to FL????? And it would be around $1,250 for the 5 of us to go there and back with the car, not to mention 24 hours each way. Dawn Edited July 24, 2011 by DawnM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 What is the price for taking a car? Dawn We pay around $700-800 for the 4 of us and the car. Considering we all get 2 meals, I think this is a pretty good deal. The earlier ahead you book (I think you can book 11 months out) the cheaper it is. Prices rise the closer to departure date you book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Ok, I think I found the site. It says the ONLY route you can take a car is from VA to FL????? And it would be around $1,250 for the 5 of us to go there and back with the car, not to mention 24 hours each way. Dawn Yes, there's only one auto train route. The total trip is actually 17 hours; most of which you're either sleeping or eating :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogMom5 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 When we moved here to FL from VA, we took the auto-train. We did get a sleeper room though. The train is great. The boys kept coming back to our room with cookies and snacks that were in the bar for free. The 2 meals were really, really good too. The staff are very nice and don't mind the kids walking around. Unlike an airplane, children can stretch out and walk around a bit. I was afraid the kids wouldn't sleep but they slept soundly all night. The jerky movements and noise of the train kept me awake but put my dc, even the baby, into a sound sleep. Your kids will probably sleep fine in the chairs. The only drawback was the wait time to load and then unload the cars. The rest of the experience was excellent. Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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