# Possible trip before zones go away



## tonys96 (Nov 12, 2015)

Looking at a long trip before zones go away. Thinking, maybe, Dal to Mia next summer. Or somewhere else in Florida that has beach.

If I take TE to Card to Silver Meteor, we get a few hours in Was.....maybe time to take subway to mall to see Lincoln Memorial?

Advice for this possible trip?


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## Rail Freak (Nov 12, 2015)

Two suggestions: 1) in WAS, take the "Old Town Trolley" . it's a hop on/hop off that covers all memorials, monuments etc & 2) consider the Gulf Coast of Florida. Amtrak has a bus that goes Orlando - Lakeland - Tampa - St Pete/Clearwater - Sarasota - Fort Myers!

HAVE FUN


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## tonys96 (Nov 12, 2015)

Rail Freak said:


> Two suggestions: 1) in WAS, take the "Old Town Trolley" . it's a hop on/hop off that covers all memorials, monuments etc & 2) consider the Gulf Coast of Florida. Amtrak has a bus that goes Orlando - Lakeland - Tampa - St Pete/Clearwater - Sarasota - Fort Myers!
> 
> HAVE FUN


Does the Meteor go to Tampa?


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## rrdude (Nov 12, 2015)

tonys96 said:


> Rail Freak said:
> 
> 
> > Two suggestions: 1) in WAS, take the "Old Town Trolley" . it's a hop on/hop off that covers all memorials, monuments etc & 2) consider the Gulf Coast of Florida. Amtrak has a bus that goes Orlando - Lakeland - Tampa - St Pete/Clearwater - Sarasota - Fort Myers!
> ...


Nope


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## tonys96 (Nov 12, 2015)

rrdude said:


> tonys96 said:
> 
> 
> > Rail Freak said:
> ...


Darn.


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## I always rode the Southern (Nov 12, 2015)

The Star goes to Tampa


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## pennyk (Nov 12, 2015)

tonys96 said:


> rrdude said:
> 
> 
> > tonys96 said:
> ...


One could take the Meteor and thruway bus from Orlando to Tampa. Many people traveling to and from the Tampa area are doing this to avoid the Star.


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 12, 2015)

Tony: If you want to do the Tampa Bay thing, I suggest that you take the Meteor from WAS-Orlando, rent a car and drive over to the Destin area!

Great beaches,plenty of condos, motels etc.

Its a younger crowd than the Tampa/St Pete area and not as expensive as a rule.

If you do want to do the Tampa Area beach thing go South to Bradenton or Sarasota.

Greater Miami has a million places to stay, cafes etc. and if you stay out of South Beach and the Ghetto parts of mainland Miami, you should be OK. I'd go to Miami on the Meteor myself, others may differ!


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## chrsjrcj (Nov 12, 2015)

If you take the Cardinal to the Meteor, you have to take a bus through Virginia. The reverse, Meteor to the Cardinal, involves no bus (3 hour layover in DC).


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## tonys96 (Nov 13, 2015)

chrsjrcj said:


> If you take the Cardinal to the Meteor, you have to take a bus through Virginia. The reverse, Meteor to the Cardinal, involves no bus (3 hour layover in DC).


I can take Cap Ltd and have a few hours in Was, right?


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## chrsjrcj (Nov 13, 2015)

tonys96 said:


> chrsjrcj said:
> 
> 
> > If you take the Cardinal to the Meteor, you have to take a bus through Virginia. The reverse, Meteor to the Cardinal, involves no bus (3 hour layover in DC).
> ...


Yeah, the Cap is the only all train option to go east from Chicago to Florida. Going back west, you can take either the Cardinal, Cap, or LSL.


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## tonys96 (Nov 13, 2015)

Ok.....so if I take the Meteor, can I get to Destin or Tampa area, maybe in a rental car? Is there car rental around whatever station we would need to get off the train at?


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 13, 2015)

tonys96 said:


> Ok.....so if I take the Meteor, can I get to Destin or Tampa area, maybe in a rental car? Is there car rental around whatever station we would need to get off the train at?


Yep, ride the Meteor to Orlando,pick up a rental and head for Destin or the Tampa area.!

If you want the train to Tampa, you would have to take the Star ( no Diner is looking like a permanent "experiment") or ride a bus from ORL to Tampa after riding the Meteor to Orlando.

You could also ride to Kissimmee or Winter Haven on the train and get your rent car there, but Orlando would be quicker!


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## Rail Freak (Nov 13, 2015)

If you're going to Tampa Bay area, why not take the bus to Tampa or St Pete/ Clearwater? Included in the fare & ya don't have to fight the Orlando & I- 4 traffic!!!!!!


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## tonys96 (Nov 13, 2015)

Rail Freak said:


> If you're going to Tampa Bay area, why not take the bus to Tampa or St Pete/ Clearwater? Included in the fare & ya don't have to fight the Orlando & I- 4 traffic!!!!!!


Does the bus let out anywhere near an open car rental place?


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## crescent2 (Nov 15, 2015)

On the Destin suggestion of Jim's--i think the FL panhandle area ("Redneck Riviera") has the prettiest beaches in the state, but Tampa to Destin is a relatively long drive. I don't know how much time you have to spend after getting to Orlando, but Tampa-Destin is not just a hop, skip, and jump for sure. From Destin, if my memory serves me correctly, the nearest Amtrak would be New Orleans.

Have fun on your trip. One of the converts and I are trying to plan a last-zoney trip, too.


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## tricia (Nov 15, 2015)

Belatedly responding to OP...

One thing to note about cross-country AGR trips under the soon-to-end zone system is that stopovers at zone boundaries can be free: A three-zone redemption costs as many points as a 1-zone plus a 2-zone redemption.

I too, am planning a "last-zoney" trip, west coast to southeast, with a stopover in Denver or ABQ.


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## tonys96 (Nov 15, 2015)

Ok.....so if I take the Meteor, can I get to Destin or Tampa area, maybe in a rental car? Is there car rental around whatever station we would need to get off the train at?


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## pennyk (Nov 15, 2015)

tonys96 said:


> Ok.....so if I take the Meteor, can I get to Destin or Tampa area, maybe in a rental car? Is there car rental around whatever station we would need to get off the train at?


There is a Hertz counter in the Orlando station. Tampa is about a 2 hour drive from Orlando, but traffic can be awful. Destin is in the panhandle of Florida, which is a pretty long drive from Orlando. Destin may be closer to Jacksonville than it is to Orlando.


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## Ryan (Nov 16, 2015)

When we rented a car at Tampa, there was a shuttle van from the station to the rental car joint. Not optimal, but doable.


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## jis (Nov 16, 2015)

Frankly, to go to Destin I would take the train to New Orleans and rent a car there and drive. I would not go to anywhere in Florida by Amtrak to get to Destin FL. Destin is west of even Panama City in case you have not noticed.


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## tonys96 (Nov 16, 2015)

Ryan said:


> When we rented a car at Tampa, there was a shuttle van from the station to the rental car joint. Not optimal, but doable.


So, does the bus from Orlando let out at Tampa Amtrak station? If so.....which rental car company should we consider?


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## pennyk (Nov 16, 2015)

tonys96 said:


> Ryan said:
> 
> 
> > When we rented a car at Tampa, there was a shuttle van from the station to the rental car joint. Not optimal, but doable.
> ...


Yes, the bus from Orlando will let you out at the Tampa Amtrak station. I cannot answer the second part of the question. Maybe Ryan can.


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## Ryan (Nov 16, 2015)

I think we used Hertz, but that was quite a few years back. They're all about the same to me.


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## crescent2 (Nov 17, 2015)

jis said:


> Frankly, to go to Destin I would take the train to New Orleans and rent a car there and drive. I would not go to anywhere in Florida by Amtrak to get to Destin FL. Destin is west of even Panama City in case you have not noticed.


I would, too, because of the long driving distance from Orlando-Destin.


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## tonys96 (Nov 17, 2015)

Ryan said:


> I think we used Hertz, but that was quite a few years back. They're all about the same to me.


Thanks!


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