You guys are gonna laugh at me...

[radsmom]

Okay so after 3 weeks of A LOT of research and itinerary planning we finnally booked our trip. We ended up booking the Sunset Ltd to Orlando from LA.

Okay, yes this is the exact same trip we did last summer but after a lot of discussion I just couldn't get over the fact that 3 nights on the Sunset was CHEAPER than booking one night from LA to SEA on the Coast Starlight.

And the fact our 3 year old loved Disneyworld last summer and we know exactly what to plan and how to do it it made sense.

After planning and pricing out itineraries it was still quite a bit cheaper to do the Sunset Coast to coast and a week at WDW than the CS, the EB or the CZ and hotel, car, etc.

Well hopefully our trip this summer will have less pre-trip drama than last summer when that UP train de-railed the weekend before we were supposed to leave. The big drawback with the SL is the limited schedule it runs.

Anyway thanks for all the advice as usual - I'll be lurking and reading posts until then. If I have a brilliant thought (not likely) I will chime in.

Radsmom C.J.

 

[sutton8596]

have a great trip! I'll be taking that train in year or so (if it's still around)

 

[AlanB]

I'll second that. Have a wonderful trip! B)

 

[Viewliner]

I'll second that. Have a wonderful trip! B)

I third that, enjoy your trip. B)

 

[socalsteve]

We're also taking the SL from LA to Orlando this summer. One question we have is about checked baggage. There will be four of us in a family room. We're thinking of checking most of our suitcases so we'll have a little more room. How quickly would we get our baggage when we arrive in Orlando? We're probably going to be taking the Coach USA bus to our hotel, and I don't want to miss it.

 

[gswager]

Picking up the baggage is a little more strict than at the airport. The Amtrak attendant checks every baggage with the passenger's tickets to make sure that the baggage is belonging to specific person.

As for transfer from train to bus, most stations will transfer the baggage from train to bus. However, I strongly recommend for you to keep eye on the baggages to make sure it's in the bus, not at the train or station.

 

[battalion51]

Checked baggage is usually recievd within five to ten minutes of the arrival of the train, sometimes longer though. When you detrain in Orlando the checked baggage area will be to your left (and likely across a set of tracks) inside a green fence. Radsmom, I hope you enjoy your trip. A buddy of mine is going to take the same trip except west to California this summer in a deluxe sleeper. But I will give the same speech here that I give many people about sleeper pricing. It all depends how full the car is, time of year, and how the sleepers traditionally fare occupancy wise at that time of year. Just out of curiosity, what was the accomodation fare?

 

[radsmom]

Chief - well I had priced out a BUNCH of different itins searching for the best prices on the best days. The best price on a deluxe sleeper accomodations was $815 - for 3 nights!

In comparison the price for 1 nights accomodation in a dlx slpr on the Coast Starlight best price I could find was $890 (accomodations portion) - that's for 1 night! I guess the Coast Starlight can command a higher yield for Amtrak hence the pricing.

Anyway I just thought what the heck so FL here we come! Anyway I am sure my son will have a ball at WDW - probably more fun than he would have in a week in Seattle. But it will be A LOT hotter in FL that's for sure!

 

[radsmom]

SoCalSteve-

I did this last summer and so I can tell you how it went then. We had checked our bags and a car seat too. It is a good idea to check baggage and travel as LIGHT as possible in your room. You check the bags in LA at the check in counter. When you arrive in ORL they pull the bags off the train right away. Don't worry the Coach USA shuttles do these transfers 3 times a week for the Sunset (and probably the other trains too) so they know the drill. The Orlando station is not very big at all and the parking lot area that you meet them in is small so you wont miss them.

Be warned - if the train is 6 hours or more late they will end the trip at the Sanford station and put all the passengers (after you claim your bags) on busses to the Orlando Station. The ride takes about a half hour. Coach USA was waiting for the passengers to arrive (our last trip it was around 2 am if I remember correctly).

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions -

 

[amtrakadirondack]

Hope You Have A Nice Trip!!! When You Get Back Post The Details Of You Trip.

 

[socalsteve]

radsmom:

Thanks for the input! We took the Coast Starlight last summer and loved it, but we didn't check our luggage. For one night it wasn't too bad in the Family Bedroom, especially since we spent most of our time in the Pacific Parlour Car. Obviously, we don't have that option this time, so we're probably going to check our baggage.

Thanks for the Coach USA info as well. Sounds like that shouldn't be too much of a hassle. I figured it would be better to take a bus to a hotel, then rent a car the next day, rather than worry about getting in late and having to deal with renting a car from the airport or something.

 

[battalion51]

Radsmom, the decision on whether or not you will go to Orlando depends largely on how late you are and how much time your crew has before they go on the law (each Conductor-Engineer crew can only have 12 hours of service per day, they must then have eight hours of rest before they can work again). Essentially if you reach Sanford after 2 AM you will terminate there. The train pulls into Sanford Auto Train Station on 3 rail (right in front of the station) where passengers are then transferred to the waiting bus(es) with baggage coming out of the baggage car and going under the bus. One thing many people don't realize is that the crew must Deadhead with the equipment back to Sanford for service after the revenue service has been completed. Once the train goes out of revenue CSX is free to stick 'em as much as they want because the trip is no longer revenue, and therefore there is no incentive to get them into Sanford in a timely fashion. Also remember that crew that brings the Sunset into Sanford goes out the next day, so many variables are involved in the decision in whether or not to go to Orlando.