Amtrak from NYC

BlueLilac

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 2, 2018
Hi! :wave:

I’m new to the site and also to Disney World! I will be going to Disney World for the very first time in just a couple weeks. While I’m very excited, I’m experiencing a lot of travel anxiety. My boyfriend and I had plane tickets booked months in advance, however I HATE flying. I’m terrified of it and while I am aware it is an irrational fear, flying feels so unnatural to me that I can’t cope and learn to accept the statistics. I used to fly more frequently in the past, but over the past few years my fear of flying has really revved up.

The other day after receiving our magic bands in the mail I freaked out realizing that I soon would have to board a plane and in a panic I shelled out waaayy too much money for Amtrak roomette tickets. I added on the insurance policy and I think I can still get a refund from Amtrak, but I’m not sure if that’s what I want.

Has anyone traveled to Disney on the Amtrak Silver Star 91 from NYC Penn Station? If so, how was it? I will have a roomette, which will be shared with my boyfriend. I found out there is no longer a dining car on the Silver Star, which bums me out a little, but it’s not the end of the world.

Can anyone tell me their experience? Anyone else with an intense fear of flying?

I think sleeping on an overnight train in a roomette seems like it can be an adventure and seems cozy and fun but I’m sure I’m just romanticizing it. It’s not a pretty train, I know...

I’m even starting to fear derailments now. I’m especially worried about delays too. I’ve read these trains can easily be delayed on average 3-4 hours and can even be delayed as much as 13 or so hours, if not canceled. If we do take the train though, even if we are late arriving, we will have an extra day at one of the parks that we wouldn’t have had if we stick with the flight since our flight home is early in the morning and the return train departs late in the evening. My boyfriend is pretty chill about it all, he understands my fear and just wants me to be relaxed and stress-free so I can fully enjoy Disney World, even if that means 23 hours on a train. He’s super understanding.

Anyone love Amtrak? Hate it? Something inbetween? I’d really appreciate any type of feedback on your Amtrak trips to Orlando.

Sorry for the long post. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a huge worrier! :worried:

Thanks!!!
 
Wow you are getting very stressed out about things. If you can deal with NYC then really what is the concern? Travelling by train is an adventure, it relaxes you, you can sleep, watch the sights etc. Many people on these boards have taken the AutoTrain which goes from the DC area to Orlando - search for threads on this subject.

You are going to Disney! You need to think happy thoughts! It might take a bit of pixie dust!
 
I really enjoy taking the train. Those roomettes are cozy and quite comfortable. Yep, we've been delayed a few times. Nope, we've never derailed.
 
Wow you are getting very stressed out about things. If you can deal with NYC then really what is the concern? Travelling by train is an adventure, it relaxes you, you can sleep, watch the sights etc. Many people on these boards have taken the AutoTrain which goes from the DC area to Orlando - search for threads on this subject.

You are going to Disney! You need to think happy thoughts! It might take a bit of pixie dust!

Thanks! I’ll do a search for the AutoTrain threads.

The funny thing is I live in NYC and take metro north often and the subway everyday, but for some reason the thought of a 23 hour train ride is making me feel nervous. But not as nervous as flying! I’m not a good traveler at all. I’m prone to panic attacks, so I’m trying to figure out what will be best. A 3 hour flight in full on panic mode or an overnight train ride where I might feel panic and claustrophobic for much longer than 3 hours. It’s a toss up!

I agree, I need to think positively and remember that before I know it I’ll be in Disney, somewhere I’ve always wanted to go since childhood. :woohoo:
 


I really enjoy taking the train. Those roomettes are cozy and quite comfortable. Yep, we've been delayed a few times. Nope, we've never derailed.

Happy to hear they’re comfy. I’ve read mixed reviews on Google. Also happy to hear you’ve never derailed!
 
I like train travel. Though not having a dining car is weird.


Just plan on a long delay. Going up/down the west coast it gets more and more delayed with every single stop.


The fear you have about the train can happen. Just did in my area. I probably wouldn’t fear train travel bc of it, but then don’t have anything planned right now so that’s easy to say.
 
Mixed reviews are the norm. Nothing will ever make everyone happy. And people who are upset are far more likely to post a comment than people who are happy.
 


In high school, our church youth group took two Amtrak trips from Milwaukee to Montana and NYC, respectively. I'll never step foot on an Amtrak train again. lol
If not flying with my kids, I drink a few of those mini bottles of Jack Daniels just before takeoff and it really helps my flying anxiety and to relax. Maybe a thought...
 
you can always drive....if you are thinking about the train anyways....not so bad down I95 for you. I've driven down from Ontario a number of times and we get a lot of family time together :)
 
Hi! :wave:

I’m new to the site and also to Disney World! I will be going to Disney World for the very first time in just a couple weeks. While I’m very excited, I’m experiencing a lot of travel anxiety. My boyfriend and I had plane tickets booked months in advance, however I HATE flying. I’m terrified of it and while I am aware it is an irrational fear, flying feels so unnatural to me that I can’t cope and learn to accept the statistics. I used to fly more frequently in the past, but over the past few years my fear of flying has really revved up.
!

Totally not related as I've never taken the train but my husband has the same irrational fear and has to fly for business. What helped him was a low dose of ativan :)

I think spending 23 hours on a train would drive me more bonkers than any mid flight panic attack, and I like trains.
 
In high school, our church youth group took two Amtrak trips from Milwaukee to Montana and NYC, respectively. I'll never step foot on an Amtrak train again. lol
If not flying with my kids, I drink a few of those mini bottles of Jack Daniels just before takeoff and it really helps my flying anxiety and to relax. Maybe a thought...

May I ask why your train experience was bad? Was it because of delays and comfort issues? Did you have a sleeper car or travel in coach?

I don’t drink at all so Jack Daniels isn’t an option for me unfortunately :sad:
I have Ativan lying around my apartment somewhere, just gotta find it! Although that doesn’t ever seem to help much when I fly.
 
May I ask why your train experience was bad? Was it because of delays and comfort issues? Did you have a sleeper car or travel in coach?

I don’t drink at all so Jack Daniels isn’t an option for me unfortunately :sad:
I have Ativan lying around my apartment somewhere, just gotta find it! Although that doesn’t ever seem to help much when I fly.
Train experience was bad because it just took soooo long. At first it was cool, sleep for a few hours, watch a movie, eat something but then you realize only 6 hours have passed and you're 25% of the way there. We did have a sleeper car that fit several people so it was nice to be able to stretch out but by hour 12 or so, people were so beyond ready to get off and still had a long time left. Plus, not sure if it's common but there were A LOT of stops to make.
 
You really should get help for your flying anxiety. There are effective treatment programs. Flying is a lot safer than train travel anyway. I hope you didn’t loose too much money on those plane tickets.
 
I used to avoid flying and have driven and taken Amtrak (from Boston to NY Penn, NY Penn to Orlando). The past few years, I decided there are too many places across the country that I want to see so I suck it up and fly. It usually goes very smoothly.

The flight from NY to FL is only a couple of hours. Maybe do a combo of take the flight down, and the train back?

I still get anxiety on travel day and a few days before.
Airports are stressful.We got TSA precheck to avoid some of that stress and buy More Comfort/Legroom seats to board early and settle in.

We have taken Amtrak all over the country and enjoy the train travel. It is slow and delays happen.

Try to focus on the destination: You will be in Disney!
 
Can anyone tell me their experience? Anyone else with an intense fear of flying?

I don't fear flying, but I dislike it. Mostly because of all the new security, get to the airport multiple hours early, fewer flights, crowed and cramped airlines, crowded airports and other reasons. All of that has really taken the fun out of flying. I'm glad that I no longer have to fly for business anymore!

I’m even starting to fear derailments now. I’m especially worried about delays too. I’ve read these trains can easily be delayed on average 3-4 hours and can even be delayed as much as 13 or so hours, if not canceled. If we do take the train though, even if we are late arriving,

Like airplane crashes, Amtrak derailments are uncommon events. But, they get media coverage out of proportion to the number of incidents.

I've traveled on Amtrak several times in coach, but its been 20+ years. Sadly, Amtrak either doesn't go where I want to go, or the closest train is an hour and a half drive away with limited safe parking facilities. Maybe one day we'll have a better passenger railroad system.

Amtrak does get delayed because it uses the tracks belonging to freight railroads. Sometimes, the railroads give priority to moving their freight trains, so Amtrak's performance suffers. Sometimes, Amtrak gets delayed because of delays in freight trains. If the tracks are blocked because of a freight train derailment, Amtrak service may end at a station before the incident - but in those cases, Amtrak can bus you to your location.

Also, Amtrak does pad their schedule to take delays into account.

I wouldn't stress about Amtrak. Travel by train is relaxing, much more so than flying.
 
I don't fear flying, but I dislike it. Mostly because of all the new security, get to the airport multiple hours early, fewer flights, crowed and cramped airlines, crowded airports and other reasons. All of that has really taken the fun out of flying. I'm glad that I no longer have to fly for business anymore!



Like airplane crashes, Amtrak derailments are uncommon events. But, they get media coverage out of proportion to the number of incidents.

I've traveled on Amtrak several times in coach, but its been 20+ years. Sadly, Amtrak either doesn't go where I want to go, or the closest train is an hour and a half drive away with limited safe parking facilities. Maybe one day we'll have a better passenger railroad system.

Amtrak does get delayed because it uses the tracks belonging to freight railroads. Sometimes, the railroads give priority to moving their freight trains, so Amtrak's performance suffers. Sometimes, Amtrak gets delayed because of delays in freight trains. If the tracks are blocked because of a freight train derailment, Amtrak service may end at a station before the incident - but in those cases, Amtrak can bus you to your location.

Also, Amtrak does pad their schedule to take delays into account.

I wouldn't stress about Amtrak. Travel by train is relaxing, much more so than flying.

After reading this I felt confident in choosing the train as i know it will be the most relaxing for me. If a person doesn’t share the same type of anxiety I experience for flying, I really don’t think they can understand how much it messes with a person. My anxiety has been known to throw off my hormonal balance, I had a flight back in June and only recently have I felt like things have balanced back out for me. (I speak with someone about my anxiety, don’t worry! lol).

However now I just read the news about the Amtrak train on my route that derailed early this morning due to the big snow storm on the east coast and because of a frozen switch. Now I’m back to being undecided. I’m wondering if it’s worth risking serious delays for winter train travel. Maybe I should just suck it up and fly? :confused3

I guess I’ll give it a few more days to make a decision. Vacation shouldn’t be this complicated! I need to get a grip.
 
Is driving an option ?
You can take your time and your in control. Plus you’ll have your car there. It’s much cheaper than flying or the train.
I too have a fear of flying.
We have taken the Auto Train in the past but drive now.
 
Is driving an option ?
You can take your time and your in control. Plus you’ll have your car there. It’s much cheaper than flying or the train.
I too have a fear of flying.
We have taken the Auto Train in the past but drive now.

Driving would be kind of difficult, as I would be the only driver and we don’t have a lot of time. I know it’s technically shorter than the train, but I know myself and would not be able to drive through in one shot without resting overnight at a hotel or Airbnb. And (surprise, surprise) driving makes me really anxious. I used to drive back and forth from NYC to CT on a weekly basis but have had one too many close calls (people drive crazy around here) so I now take Metro North anytime I need to go to CT. I think driving would cause me more stress than the train.

At this point I’m leaning towards the train but I’m going to give it a couple days to officially decide. I’ve been keeping an eye on the train status to determine the average delay. This weather I’m sure isn’t helping, though.
 
I hear you. My son refuses to fly. He used to. He also went skydiving once. No more.

I hate/fear flying. I don't let it stop me 100% but wish I did not have such a fear of it (mechanical more than anything else). If I did not have this fear, we would be traveling by air more often (quicker) and visit more places.

We drive more than 50% of the time to Disney/HH. We are flying in May. I do stress over it. Hoping to drive when we go back in October.

I have taken Amtrak to Disney (twice) and to West Palm (once) - Coach. Since I have a fear flying - I have no issues with it and would rather take Amtrak. The only issue I have is that the bathrooms get filthy. They are not cleaned until they reach the end of the route. After the first trip on Amtrak, I was prepared. Mask, gloves and Renuzit. I kept the Renuzit (air freshener) opened by my seat. Think overnight people, eating, etc........It is an adventure. You can relax, bring a book, play cards, bring food, get off at each stop for 5 minutes, etc. etc.

One year, I convinced hubby to take the Autotrain. Since I was worried how he would like it - we drove down and took the Autotrain back. We did get two roomettes. Much nicer than coach of course. This would be the ideal way to go. (no getting off/no stops).

We don't mind driving but also know there could be delays, accidents and nuts out there. We mix it up a bit.

You need to give it a try - you might have a great first experience or you might not. Good luck. Let us know what you decide and how you liked Amtrak if you take it.
 

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