Traveling by Amtrak to Disney?

Tara is right about the fact that if your kids need a break from being on the move, you cannot do that on a train, nor can you stop if a kid feels ill. Good points. A lot depends too on whether you make the drive itself part of the vacation, stopping at interesting places en route. You can't pop offf the train at stations and get back on. And please, do bring a TON for your kids to do. I remember a five-hour train ride in a seat across from a mom with three kids and she had nothing at all for them to do, see, read, no paper to draw on -- nothing. Of course they were a handful.

I haven't done that exact route (Disney) or a trip that long on Amtrak but I have taken Amtrak a lot, all my life. It's a great way to travel and lets you read or play games etc. or even work rather than focusing just on the road. But I would say that with kids you should be aware of the following:

You can get sleeper car berths so you and the kids get actual beds. Amtrak seats do not recline much at all and I would not want to spend an entire night sleeping in one. Kids might be able to do it, but as an adult I'd be a mess if I tried to sleep in one as my "real" overnight sleep. Also, you will be awakened every time the train stops, or every time someone in the seats around you decides to wake up and have a loud phone conversation at a ridiculous hour. Yes, that does happen.

Amtrak Superliner trains offer a "family compartment" that sleeps two adults and two children -- check their web site. It could be a real adventure for your kids! Compartments are private, just for your family, though the family compartments do not have private toilets (other compartments sometimes do). If your kids have issues with using a toilet that smells and has a wet floor, you will have problems -- I say this as an Amtrak fan: The shared toilets usually stink not long after the train starts and keep on stinking.

Another option is the Amtrak Auto Train -- you can take your own car ON the train -- but you would have to drive all the way to the Washington, D.C. area to board that train, which runs only between Lorton, Virginia, to Sanford, Florida. But it does at least enable you to have your own vehicle with you IF that matters and it might not.

I would think you'd do better to get a family compartment all the way from Boston to Florida. But you might find the cost ends up being as much as hotels on the road would be. The trade-off is that you don't have the hassle of driving that very long drive!

Have you checked out how to get from the destination train station to the Disney property you're considering? Does Disney run shuttles or are taxis readily available and is the distance reasonable so it's not expensive in a taxi? Something to consider too. You don't want to take the train only to find that it's a massively expensive cab ride or shuttle ride all the way to your destination.

The one thing that most people don't realize when they book a room with beds is the dimensions of the bed.

When you look at the Amtrak sight they'll show you the details for the rooms and what comes in them.

Look at the measurements for the beds. Take some newspaper and but it out to the sizes and then lay down on it. Really let it sink in how small they are.

We thought one of the rooms that slept 2 adults and 2 kids would be find but when I put the "beds" down on the floor in that L position our feet would be intertwined or our heads would be bumping. Also the top bunks were narrower than the bottom ones and hubby and I are both larger. So one of us would be sleeping on something that might feel like we were laying on a park bench and the other might feel like sleeping on a church pew.

For the most part it's a lot of fun for kids if you make it interesting. We have books on each state we go through when traveling. There are tons of travel books in the local libraries. Kids versions too. IF they read some books beforehand about things that happened in the areas you'll be passing through they may have more interest in the landscapes too.

We did the Amtrak Auto Train some years ago and it was fabulous. Our son was about 7 I think. My husband and I had done it before our son was born, and we enjoyed it. We drove from Massachusetts to Virginia so we had the joys/hassles of a road trip. We stayed overnight en route (I think somewhere in NJ), then went the rest of the way the next day. We put the car on the train in Virginia and traveled to Sanford Florida. Then I think it was about an hour's drive to Disney (not sure but it wasn't all that long). We rented a compartment on the train and I recommend it. It's not cheap but it's part of the experience. It gave us a toilet and shower in the room which our son found fabulous. There are also compartments that have a shower just a door or two away and I think that would work fine as well. The train is a virtual express so, no, you can't get off, and there is limited scenery because the tracks go through isolated areas and most of the travel is at night.

We had to be on the train about an hour before departure, so we sat in our compartment and played games, read books, etc. We had lots of activities for our son. We ate dinner in the dining car (included) and we also spent some time in the observation car with the extra glass. A steward came to our compartment a couple of times (once to welcome us and introduce himself, another time to find out when we'd like our bunks made up). He returned to make the beds -there are a couple of layouts but usually there is something that either folds down from the wall or is pulled down from the ceiling. We did stand in the corridor to give him room to operate but our son watched the process with fascination as locks were unlocked and hidden gems were revealed, tables collapsed and became the base for part of a mattress, etc. And he got to see a man whose job it is to make beds, so that bought us some mileage later on!

Each berth had little gadgets and features like reading lights and safety bars that kept him fascinated. The bathroom was tiny with just a toilet and a tiny sink. If the toilet lid was lowered, there was an operating shower and all the water just ran down the drain. He thought this was awesome. Not a lot of room to move around but fun in the way that camping and "roughing it" is fun.

We got up in the morning and had breakfast, then watched them unload the cars from the other part of the train, and when our number was called, we hopped in and drove away. We had only taken the necessary luggage for overnight onto the train, leaving the bulk of our stuff in the car. (Do not forget anything because you can't get into your car en route!)

Being able to move around and to be in a private space were really important. Traveling from car to car is easy - and not nearly as precarious as trains were when I was a kid (we traveled a lot from Long Island to central and western PA). I cannot imagine sitting in the seats (no matter how comfortable) all night and keeping kids entertained. We did not have a lot of electronics, just little hand-held travel games, so we didn't have the problem of kids complaining or having a game that made sounds that annoyed other passengers.

Sleeping isn't great so plan to be tired the next day, although I think kids sleep better than adults! There aren't a lot of stops (I think just 1 and that's in the middle of then night) but still you feel the rocking and a few bumps on the rails. For us, having the car at the other end was worth it because we were doing other things. I don't know how close regular Amtrak trains get to Orlando but this one doesn't get all that close so you need some way to get to Disney.

We have stayed on the property on several occasions and also off-site. Most hotels have Disney shuttles on regular schedules. Parking is relatively easy and Disney is extremely efficient at moving people via tram from parking lot to theme parks. The on-site hotels are expensive but an experience themselves. Understand that your kids will get pooped out easily and tire of rides and waiting. So being able to go back to the hotel to hit the pool is a great option. We stayed at the Polynesian which has a little boat that runs back and forth to the Magic Kingdom, and the monorail to Epcot is at the edge of the property. Other parks are a bus ride away and service is easy and reliable. As you say, if you stay on the property, you don't need a car - but you have to get there somehow from train station or airport! But staying on site eats up a lot of your budget (although they do give some extra benefits), and it's not necessary. We know plenty of people who stayed off site and used the pool at the hotel or who rented a small house with a pool, and everyone just went back there to chill out. They did their own cooking which kept all those restaurant bills down. We've all taken our own food into the Disney parks in cooler packs - snacks alone will break the budget if you purchase at the parks.

So decide where you want to spend - either on the train or air travel, rental car & parking, or for on-site hotels.

Taking the train is a lot longer then driving, and costs more (busses are just as long but not as pricy).

Staying on the property is the easy part, there are a lot of options. There are also a lot of less expensive places outside of the parks that offer transportation to and from all the area parks. If you were to drive down you can rent a house/condo for much less then staying on property and have most of your meals there.

The only quick way to get here is to fly and those prices vary.

I remember traveling by train when I was about 8-9 with my mom & sister (6-7). We went from Chicago to Washington DC.

Trains... can be very boring. You need to know how your children respond to boredom. If they are easily occupied, then bring along plenty of games, books, snacks. But if they are easily distracted, & will be bothering other passengers, it will get very small, very quick.

Also, remember, trains are confined spaces. There is likely a separate dining car (with very very expensive food), not all cars will have a washroom, there may not be a "normal" bed, and the train doesn't stop if your kids aren't feeling great.

Your 9 year old would likely be fine, but I'd seriously consider how well your 5 year old would travel under those conditions.

Hope you have a wonderful vacation, regardless of travel! T.

Do it! You only live once and it's a long, beautiful ride.

I actually made the trip from DC to Disney once with my daughter. Didn't book a cabin, slept in the car.

Priceless experience. Been there, done that, loved it!

I took Amtrack train with my husband from Los Angeles to Grand Canyon. It was a shorter trip (I think about 12 hours?), but it was an over nighter. It was just my husband and me so we got one of those smaller rooms. My husband loved the experience, but I didn't. Although I personally did not like it, I think your kids may really enjoy the experience.

As far as staying on Disney property, if you can afford it and you're looking for convenience over anything else, then do it! However, if you want to save some money, it may be cheaper to rent a car and stay at a non-Disney hotel.