Hi again! Some months back I mentioned that my Mom passed and left a car in FL that was of interest to me. I live in central PA, so it wasn't a trivial matter to get that car here from there (Pompano Beach), about 1,300 miles by my estimation. I crunched some numbers and decided that the most economical and expedient thing for me to do was to use FF miles to fly down to FLL, collect the car, drive it to Sanford, FL (north of Orlando) to put it and me on the Amtrack Auto Train, take that service for 855 miles to Lorton, VA (near DC), then drive the rest of the way home. I did exactly that! The total time from when I left until I arrived back was less than 48 hours, including the total driving time/distance of about 7 hours and 450+ miles. All told I spent about $622 net of wear and tear on the car but including gas. (I guess you'd also have to include an "opportunity cost" for the FF miles used, but I have more than I'll ever need as it is!)
What really impressed me was the experience on the Auto Train !! It was clean, reasonably modern, and efficient. And the level of service I received, even as a lowest-priced "coach class" passenger, was superb! The seats were enormous with lots of leg room and reclined nicely to serve as a bed. (The train being only about 1/3 full in coach meant I had no "seatmate", thus even more room for sleeping accommodations.) There were two excellent meals included in the price in the dining car, and a lounge car right behind me to allow me to get a couple of beers and watch some "TV" (recorded stuff) including a movie in the evening. The train left about 15 minutes early and arrived a full hour early (!!) about 16.5 hours later. The employees/stewards/waiters, etc. were always friendly and accommodating. I even had cell phone service the whole way! The total price of that leg (included in above) was $331, plus a couple of beers and tips. All-in-all a GREAT experience that I would highly recommend for anyone! Seeing part of America by train is something that not too many of us do anymore. Give it a chance when you can!
Contrast the Amtrack experience to that to which we have all become accustomed in the airline industry - delays, cancellations, rude employees, lost baggage, and generally poor "service". I realize that Amtrack is gov't subsidized and wouldn't exist otherwise. Regardless, it does serve to demonstrate that there are possibly superior alternatives. Since we're all paying for this service, we should all take advantage of it when we can. Who knows, perhaps it will survive another 4 decades...!
Anyone else have a similar experience with Auto Train or Amtrack?
BRgds all...!
What really impressed me was the experience on the Auto Train !! It was clean, reasonably modern, and efficient. And the level of service I received, even as a lowest-priced "coach class" passenger, was superb! The seats were enormous with lots of leg room and reclined nicely to serve as a bed. (The train being only about 1/3 full in coach meant I had no "seatmate", thus even more room for sleeping accommodations.) There were two excellent meals included in the price in the dining car, and a lounge car right behind me to allow me to get a couple of beers and watch some "TV" (recorded stuff) including a movie in the evening. The train left about 15 minutes early and arrived a full hour early (!!) about 16.5 hours later. The employees/stewards/waiters, etc. were always friendly and accommodating. I even had cell phone service the whole way! The total price of that leg (included in above) was $331, plus a couple of beers and tips. All-in-all a GREAT experience that I would highly recommend for anyone! Seeing part of America by train is something that not too many of us do anymore. Give it a chance when you can!
Contrast the Amtrack experience to that to which we have all become accustomed in the airline industry - delays, cancellations, rude employees, lost baggage, and generally poor "service". I realize that Amtrack is gov't subsidized and wouldn't exist otherwise. Regardless, it does serve to demonstrate that there are possibly superior alternatives. Since we're all paying for this service, we should all take advantage of it when we can. Who knows, perhaps it will survive another 4 decades...!
Anyone else have a similar experience with Auto Train or Amtrack?
BRgds all...!
