Amtrak Auto Train
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 524
Likes: 1
From: South Florida
Amtrak used to allow you to "supervise" the tie-down of the bike. Last year a forum member from FL "Murph" took the train and they no longer allowed the supervision. When the train got to VA his bike was on it's side and had suffered extensive damage. He had a bitch of a time settling the claim with Amtrak.
YMMV.
YMMV.
Regarding some of the other questions, the Autotrain is run by Amtrak, but this train only stops in Lorton, VA and Sanford, FL. There is a stop in the middle of the night in Florence, SC for fuel and water but no passenger on/off.
I've only ever used the sleeper cabins and I go for the family sized bedroom. They claim it sleeps 4 and imagine if could but I use it for myself alone because I prefer some space. I sleep great in there. Even has a private shower and toilet. Fee for family sized bed room and bike transport is about $600-$800 depending on time of year so it definitely is not cheap.
Meals are really good. Expect a nice steak dinner with all the trimmings, wine/beer etc. I elected to have my meals served in my cabin. (If you prefer, you can eat in the dining car.) Room attendant left me the bottle of wine every time.
There is still a smoking car on the train. The only one remaining on Amtrak.
I've ridden my bikes from PA to FL more times than I can count and let me tell you I95 is not fun I don't care how cool you are. The train beats it by a country mile regardless of price IMO. Too bad they don't have a run out west.
Last edited by dgdamore; Apr 29, 2014 at 11:03 PM.
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 524
Likes: 1
From: South Florida
I looked at amtrack and it looks like they do make a number of stops, unless I'm looking at the wrong info. http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak
I looked at amtrack and it looks like they do make a number of stops, unless I'm looking at the wrong info. http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,552
Likes: 81
From: Largo, FL
The Amtrak site says the Auto Train is non-stop. I figure it will save me close to 2 days of riding from Orlando to VA. Since I work midnights, I can use the train time to start getting used to a normal days schedule. My Plan is to leave FL on a Sunday, arrive in VA Monday morning, and head out on the bike after that. We're planning to be back home by Saturday or Sunday the following weekend. That gives us 6-7 days on the road down through the mountains. So we can either make more stops and have shorter days, or cover more ground and see more. This is a not have a schedule, do what we want, slow paced trip.
"The Auto Train transports you and your car (or your van, motorcycle, SUV, small boat, jet-ski or other recreational vehicle) nonstop from the Washington, DC area to sunny Florida, just outside of Orlando. This IS the best way to drive I-95. And remember, you can pack your car as if it were your suitcase."
"The Auto Train transports you and your car (or your van, motorcycle, SUV, small boat, jet-ski or other recreational vehicle) nonstop from the Washington, DC area to sunny Florida, just outside of Orlando. This IS the best way to drive I-95. And remember, you can pack your car as if it were your suitcase."
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Advanced
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota, Florida
I appreciate the info on this thread. Planning a 14-day trip to Maine this summer. We were just going to slab-race the Southeast part anyway. Cutting out 1700 bike miles saves on four days' gas, food and hotels, (not to mention wear and tear on our bodies and bikes). For four people and three bikes, I figure the net added cost is only $400 total for two sleeper cabins, round trip. I'm certainly willing to throw my extra hundred, now to talk with the others!
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,552
Likes: 81
From: Largo, FL
True. On road trips, we always have one "jump bag" to use each night in the hotels. The rest stay locked up on the bike. We just swap out clothes as needed. I just pop it off the rack and lock up the rest. Makes stopping much easier. We combine our clothes and toothbrush, etc in the one bag.
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