Amtrak

[Quikster]

How likely is it that an Amtrak train that is supposed to arrive Saturday Evening would be delayed so much as to miss a Cruise departure on Sunday?

[starstruck05]

most trains average being about an hour or two off schedule. unless something big happens i doubt you will miss your boat. but just in case take the cruise companies contact info to call incase you need to use your cruise insurance. but honestly its highly unlikely that you will miss the ship. i'm been on Amtrak a couple of times and our have been delayed no more than 2-3 hours

[Quikster]

after looking at it a little more, it looks like it won't matter. We have to either have a 7+ hour layover in Savanna each way or we have to sit on a bus from Orlando to Tampa. :(

 

Bus is out of the question and I'm not waiting 7 hours in the middle of the night in Savanna.

[AllieInMD]

when I was looking at how to get from MD to FL for our cruise, I did look at Amtrak (my man loves trains!) - and it was a 24-27 hr trip - an in a sleeper car it was SUPER expensive. I booked flights for us on JetBlue for $104/pp/each way. Why take the train if you are only in SC?

 

after looking at it a little more, it looks like it won't matter. We have to either have a 7+ hour layover in Savanna each way or we have to sit on a bus from Orlando to Tampa. :(

 

Bus is out of the question and I'm not waiting 7 hours in the middle of the night in Savanna.

[Quikster]

when I was looking at how to get from MD to FL for our cruise, I did look at Amtrak (my man loves trains!) - and it was a 24-27 hr trip - an in a sleeper car it was SUPER expensive. I booked flights for us on JetBlue for $104/pp/each way. Why take the train if you are only in SC?

 

so I don't have to drive and with gas the way it is it would be the same price to take a train, or cheaper if you factor in wear and tear on the car (~200.00 roundtrip/2 ppl)

 

As it is, the ease is not worth a 7 hour overnight layover in Savanna.

 

So we will be driving after all

[pamouselover]

I have rode the train twice to Fla. I was younbger but hated it both times. By the next day the bathrooms are awful and the smell is the worst.

What I did enjoy was eating on the train and looking out the windows.

 

http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/TripGasprice.aspx

[AllieInMD]

Something to consider regarding driving - wear/tear etc. You can rent a car fairly inexpensively - gas is the same regardless or might even be better mileage than you get in your regular car depending on what you drive. There is no wear/tear on your car. No parking fees for days at port (that should more than cover your rental fee). And if it breaks down or anything, it's the car rental companies problem to take care of it - not yours - you aren't stuck hours from port tying to get your car fixed.

 

My friends and I did this when we left out of Port Liberty. I drive a Honda Civic - I rented a mini-SVU from the local airport branch for me, the 2 kids, and all the luggage - dropped it off at the airport in Jersey and took a cab to the port. It was my friend's suggestion - he and his family always rent a car when they are traveling.

 

so I don't have to drive and with gas the way it is it would be the same price to take a train, or cheaper if you factor in wear and tear on the car (~200.00 roundtrip/2 ppl)

 

As it is, the ease is not worth a 7 hour overnight layover in Savanna.

 

So we will be driving after all

[megr1125]

the amtrak trains to FLA are sort of old and get really scummy really fast! Plus they get PACKED....i have been all over the country on amtrak in both coach and sleepers...i will NEVER take silver service to FLA again without a sleeper.

 

heck, i went from tampa (well,....they BUSSED us from tampa someplace closer) to FLL across the state in a sleeper! booked it literally 15 minutes before i got on the train. they had to clean one for me, but at least i got a free lunch, my own, CLEAN toilet and a little peace, quiet and privacy!

 

don't get me wrong, i love amtrak, they just really need a better person in charge.

[Chacooe]

I live in Medford Oregon and I am taking a Mexican Cruise in Oct and I do not want to drive to LA, so I checked into Amtrak, to go 700 miles will take 23 hours and cost $208.00 round trip for 2 people, which I think the fare is great, but I also checked into Greyhound and I can get to the port where the ship leaves in 17 hours and it will only cost $157.00 round trip for 2 and we will arrive about 3 hours before we would have to board. I think I will take Greyhound because we can leave here in the evening and sleep all night and get there early in the am. I did check into flying, but that would cost almost $800.00 round trip for 2.

[azspring]

You might be safer taking the train that is supposed to get there the day before.

 

We took Amtrak from Jacksonville to Miami (part of the route you're thinking of) for a cruise in June last year. The train we boarded was coming from Washington DC and was 7 hours behind schedule pulling in to Jacksonville. It had to slow down during the day because of the heat and condition of the tracks and we had to pull over for every freight train (they have the right of way - their tracks). We were so late, they put the passengers going to Tampa on a bus at a stop just south of Orlando and skipped that part of the route all together. With all that the train finally got us into Miami 15 hours late. We planned to spend two days in Miami before getting on the ship, so we didn't miss the ship.

 

Granted this is a worse case scenario, but it does happen.

[simplelife]

Weigh all options - plane fare is sometimes cheaper or schdulie of trains may be prohibitive.

Sometimes it is to your advantage to drive or have someone drive you a couple of hours (such as from Charleston to Savannah or in our case from Charlotte to Raleigh) to avoid a big layover. Figure the cost of gas (and see if parking's free - at some Amtrak stations it is) plusthe fare and see what the savings (in money and convenience) are compared to flying or driving the whole way (with gas so high, driving may be an expensive option).

I personally prefer train travel to plane or auto when the schdule permits. It's much more relaxing; Seats are much roomier and aisles wider and you can get up and move around easily. Much less stressful than flying or driving.