Amtrak's Auto Train

A lot of people have asked how we like the Auto Train. So, this blog post is devoted to telling you all about it.  Before you get on the train, you have a few hours to wait.  For the younger kids, there is a small play area.  Nathan and Drew enjoy playing on the equipment and it gives them a chance to expend some energy before being loaded on to the train.

You are required to check in at the train station by 2:00pm.  By 4:00 you are boarded and ready to roll.  There are two floors to each of the passenger cars.  The bottom level holds about 12 people and the top level holds many more.

Before boarding, you can watch the engines pull in and hook up to the cars.

By the way, everyone loads in Lorton, Virginia and the train goes straight through to Sanford, FL.  There are no stops where you can get off.  There is one stop in the middle of the night where Amtrak switches conductors and staff but none of the passengers are allowed to get off.

All aboard!!!  We've gotten our seats.  This time, we are on the lower level.  There's plenty of leg room in our seats, there are power outlets along the window and the seats recline.  There are curtains that cover the windows and just like in any airplane, there are overhead lights that you can use when the sun gets low.  Amtrak provides a small blanket and pillow for your use.  We prefer to bring pillows on with us and blankets for the kids if they get cold in the night.  We must also bring things to keep the kids occupied. 

This is one of the non-smoking lounge cars.  This is where people come to play games, watch the evening movie or just socialize with the other passengers.  The door at the other end of the car only opens when you push the button to get through.  It's not hard to transfer from car to car.  There are metal plates that connectIt most likely leads into one of the dining cars.  The dining cars are set up similar to this.  You sit in sets of 4 and they serve you dinner.

There is a little time before dinner to relax.  Mom and Dad usually choose to play games on their phones or read a book.  Nathan chose to lay on the floor and read a book.

This is the dinner menu.  We'll show some pictures of the food below but you won't see the Lemon Pepper Cod because none of us eat fish.  The dinner is included with your train ticket and is served at either 5:00, 7:00 or 9:00.  When you check in, you get to choose your dinner time.  It's good to check in at the station early for several reasons.  First, you get your dinner time choice. Secondly, you usually get your preference as to where you would like to sit (upper or lower deck).

Back to dinner.  At dinner, you are given complimentary wine for the adults.  If you drink the first round, they give you a second.  The Amtrak crew likes to make sure that the adults get a good night's sleep.

Now for the dinner shots that were promised.  This is the crispy chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and beans.

Choo choo chewies for the kids.  Our kids prefer to eat off of the adult menu and this is allowed on the Auto Train.

The braised short rib of beef is one of my favorites.

We normally eat at the early dinner so that we can get the kids fed and back in the passenger car before it gets too late.  The staff shows a movie in the non-smoking lounge car after the early dinner.  It's usually a kid friendly movie but we've never watched one on the train.  We've always just hung out in our seats until bed time.