1st time on Amtrak with 3 kids

[teletubbymom]

My husband & I have decided to take our 3 girls 12, 8, & 7 on a cruise out of Miami in September and will be taking Amtrak from Boston to Miami. This is our first trip and I & the girls have lots of questions.

1) Is there assigned seating? My concern is that I want to make sure I am seated with 1 child, then 2 children together & my husband will be behind them. I am worried that we will be spread all over the car and I won't be able to watch them. I have read somewhere that the seats can do a 180. Would they be willing to do that so I could face the kids?

2) Is there a bathroom in each car or do you need to go to different cars for restroom breaks?

3) I notice from the schedules that we will either stop in NYC or DC. Will we have to deboard the train & then reboard another? I am nervous about missing the "connection".

4) I know that Amtrak has a contract with Pepsi so I am going to assume they have Pepsi & Diet Pepsi. Is there any other soft drinks?

5) Is there a list of prohibited food items that cannot be brought on the train?

6) Is there a list of prohibited items that can be carried on the train? Is it similar to airline restrictions.

7) Is there wi-fi availbale on the train? I heard somewhere that sometimes you can pick up signals in stations. Is that true?

8) Are the bathrooms big enough for one of my daughters & myself to be in together? I am wondering about them freshening up in the morning. If I leave them alone, the train may end up flooding!

9) Is the snack car vending machines or an actual person? Also, if we purchase food from the snack car and bring it to our seats, is there trash receptacles on the train that we can dispose of the trash ourselves or do the workers do that?

10) Final question, How safe is it to move between the cars while the train is in motion?

I know that these are alot of questions, but I always try to be as prepared as I can before a vacation.

Thanks for all your help.

Michelle

 

[AlanB]

1) Is there assigned seating? My concern is that I want to make sure I am seated with 1 child, then 2 children together & my husband will be behind them. I am worried that we will be spread all over the car and I won't be able to watch them. I have read somewhere that the seats can do a 180. Would they be willing to do that so I could face the kids?

On your first train from Boston to either NY or DC, there will be no assigned seating. It's just find a seat and sit in it. For this reason, it would be best if you can board from South Station so as to have your pick of seats. The train fills up as it stops at Back Bay and then Route 128.

On your second train, it is likely that they will assign seats. The crew usually does try very hard to keep families together, but it's not always possible. And yes, they might be willing to rotate your seats. The problem however with that is you now have no tray tables.

2) Is there a bathroom in each car or do you need to go to different cars for restroom breaks?

There is a bathroom in each car, so unless it fails or is occupied, there should be no need to walk to another car.

3) I notice from the schedules that we will either stop in NYC or DC. Will we have to deboard the train & then reboard another? I am nervous about missing the "connection".

As long as you make one reservation with Amtrak, it will be a guaranteed connection. That means it's Amtrak's responability to get you where you are going. They may decide to hold the connecting train for you, they might bus you to catch up with it, or they might put you up in a hotel for the night at their expense and then put you on the next day's train. While it does occasionally happen, it's pretty rare for there to be a misconnect between the Boston train and the Florida trains.

4) I know that Amtrak has a contract with Pepsi so I am going to assume they have Pepsi & Diet Pepsi. Is there any other soft drinks?

They'll have Sierra Mist, possibly Mountain Dew, juices, water, iced tea, and milk.

5) Is there a list of prohibited food items that cannot be brought on the train?

Amtrak doesn't have a banned list, but out of consideration for your fellow passengers you might wish to avoid foods with particularly strong aromas. Also keep in mind that Amtrak cannot and will not warm any foods that you bring, so don't bring anything that requires heating. Similarly, Amtrak will not refridgerate anything for you either.

6) Is there a list of prohibited items that can be carried on the train? Is it similar to airline restrictions.

Scroll about halfway down this page for the list.

7) Is there wi-fi availbale on the train? I heard somewhere that sometimes you can pick up signals in stations. Is that true?

No Wi-Fi on board yet. One can occasionally pick up a signal at a station stop, but I wouldn't want to count on it and it won't last for long either.

8) Are the bathrooms big enough for one of my daughters & myself to be in together? I am wondering about them freshening up in the morning. If I leave them alone, the train may end up flooding!

Yes, one bathroom should be more than large enough for two. Every car has at least one bathroom that can handle a wheel chair.

9) Is the snack car vending machines or an actual person? Also, if we purchase food from the snack car and bring it to our seats, is there trash receptacles on the train that we can dispose of the trash ourselves or do the workers do that?

There are trash receptacles at each end of the car and the workers usually won't throw away the trash for you.

10) Final question, How safe is it to move between the cars while the train is in motion?

It's relatively safe, but you certainly don't want to spend time hanging out in between cars. There are red/white stripped grab handles to assist you when walking between cars. If your kids are too little to reach those handles, then you may want to hold their hand. Also make sure to step over the slight gap in the metal plates where the two cars join together. You don't want a pinched toe if the cars bounce.

Finally, you may wish to take a read through of these hints & tips from OTOL.

 

[PRR 60]

in addition to Alan's suggestions, if possible you should book your southbound trip so your connection to the Miami train takes place at New York. That way you will be boarding at the origination point of the train and will almost certainly get seats together. Even boarding at Washington you should be OK, but it's a sure bet at New York.

Also, be sure to allow at least an overnight in Miami between the arrival of the train and the departure of your cruise. Amtrak trains occasionally run late, and sometimes very late. You don't want to be worrying about missing the boat, so to speak.

 

[Upstate]

Another benefit of connecting at NYP is if the regional is late so that you do disconnect they can put you on an Acela at no extra charge to catch up to the Silver in Washington.

 

[MrEd]

Once in miami, its about 10 miles to the hotels near the cruise terminal.

About a $40 taxi ride if I recall correctly.

One possible hotel:

Intercontinental Miami

100 Chopin Plaza, Miami, FL 33130

 

[wayman]

9) Is the snack car vending machines or an actual person? Also, if we purchase food from the snack car and bring it to our seats, is there trash receptacles on the train that we can dispose of the trash ourselves or do the workers do that?

Alan already answered everything except the first part of this question, so that's all I'll address. On your first train (Boston to New York--and I also recommend changing trains in New York rather than Washington, for seating purposes) there will be a cafe car. It's a staffed car--in the center of the car is a service area with a counter where the attendant can sell you sodas, coffee, tea, milk, a few sorts of alcohol, and various sandwiches and small meals. The rest of the car is tables for eating. The cafe car food isn't anything to write home about--it's pre-packaged and heated in a microwave--but you won't be on this train very long anyhow.

One note on the cafe car: you have the option of eating anything you buy in the cafe car either in the cafe car or at your seats in coach. But for food you bring onto the train, you can only eat it at your seats. You can't bring it into the cafe car and eat it there.

Once you're on the train to Miami, you have options. There will be a cafe car almost identical to the one on your first train, which is always an option for your snack or meal needs, but there will also be a dining car. It's like a full restaurant on wheels, where the waiter takes your order and the chef prepares your meal in the kitchen and you eat with real silverware (not plastic as you'd find on an airplane). They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner; someone will come through the train each afternoon to take reservations for dinner and they often also take reservations for lunch, while breakfast is unreserved. It's not a four-star restaurant, but the food is really quite good, and the scenery as you eat is better than any non-moving restaurant you've ever eaten in!

See here for some of my photos of Amtrak dining cars and meals. The dining car on your train to Miami will probably look like this:

 

[the_traveler]

Welcome!

These are all good suggestions. Hope you enjoy your trip and your cruise! Please let us know how it went after you get back.

 

[Tony]

My husband & I have decided to take our 3 girls 12, 8, & 7 on a cruise out of Miami in September and will be taking Amtrak from Boston to Miami. This is our first trip and I & the girls have lots of questions.

Hi Michelle.

Since this is your first time, and no one has yet mentioned it, I thought I would point out that there are two classes on the Long Distance train to Miami.

There is coach, which is what all the answers were centered upon.

However, there is also "sleeper class" which is basically first class. With that, you get an assigned room, with at least your own private toilet and sink. Also, includes all your meals, and you get first crack at reservations in the dining car (which many times leaves very few openings for coach passengers). There is also unlimited "self service" drinks, like coffee, tea, apple juice, and bottled water in each of the "sleeper class" cars.

Personally, I have always gone with "sleeper class". I get the smallest room, a "roomette", which is for two. I pull the upper buck down, and my kid uses the upper bunk during the day as a play area (almost like a tree fort), while I sit in one of the two seats.

Having a private room is nice. You can always close the door and keep others from bothering your kids late at night, or your kids from bothering others.

Plus, I sleep a lot better in a flat bed, than I do in a chair.

 

[teletubbymom]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I just want to make sure everything goes smooth & we come back home with the same # of children we left with. As far as delays....I'm always prepared for those. My husband & I had gone to Arizona on a trip & on the way back when we checked in at the airport they said the flight was running 20-25 minutes late. 7 1/2 hours later we finally left. They had to hold the connecting flight in Baltimore. Needless to say the other 100 passengers that had to wait for us were not happy.