Advice for Trip to Florida

[Kim1977]

Could someone please offer some suggestions for me, planning a trip from RTE to MIA and then a return trip from ORL to RTE? I would like to travel in a bedroom on either of the Silver Service trains. I would like to travel on Acela from RTE to either NYC or WAS for the transfer. Acela is not an option in any bookings so I will book that portion seperately. Which is a better station to transfer at, NYC or WAS? I will be checking luggage at either one or the other. Also, is there any preferance to either of the Silver Service trains?

My next question, will be which meals are served? On train 91 for example, would it be Dinner, then Breakfast and Lunch the next day? The train gets to MIA at 6:05pm, so I assume there is no dinner on the 2nd day.

I will be renting a car in Miami (not at the train station) and I will be later driving to Orlando, where at the end of the trip I would like to return the car at ORL. Does anyone have experience returning Hertz cars here?

Thanks,

Kim

 

[pennyk]

I live in Orlando and normally take the Silver Meteor when I travel southbound or northbound. The southbound Silver Star goes through Tampa and makes the trip from Orlando to South Florida much longer. I may be wrong, but I think that the Silver Meteor is on time more often.

I have never rented a car and returned it to Orlando, but I have noticed there is a small Hertz counter in the staff and it seems to be staffed when they know someone will be renting or returning a car.

When I take the Silver Meteor (97) southbound from WAS to ORL, I get dinner on the train, breakfast the next day and lunch the next day. When I have taken 97 southbound from ORL to Ft. Lauderdale or Hollywood, I get lunch (but no dinner - even when the train is late). I have not been to the Miami station since 1970 and my guess it has changed a lot.

I think the NYP and WAS waiting rooms are both very nice. For me, there is more to see just outside Penn Station than just outside Union Station - if you want to go walking.

I hope you enjoy Florida.

 

[the_traveler]

The Acela will not come up as a choice on any "normal" booking (just putting in RTE and MIA). To get the AE as a choice, you will need to use the "multi-city" button. Then input (for example) RTE-NYP and NYP-MIA.

As far as which connecting city is preferable - both are preferable.

Advantages of Penn Station:

• The Silver trains start at NYP, so you can get an extra meal each way in the dining car.
  
• There is more to do outside right near Penn Station
  
• If you take the Acela to NY only, it will be less
  

Advantages of Washington:

• The train does not begin or end the trip at WAS
  
• There is more to do inside Union Station, but less nearby outside
  
• If you take the Acela to WAS, it will cost more than to NY only
  

Since you will be taking a roomette, you can use the Club Acela at either NYP or WAS. I personally rate WAS the better of the 2.

I also rate the baggage claim system at WAS better.

Either way, it's your choice which way to go. Enjoy your trip!

 

[caravanman]

Hi Kim,

I have often noticed quite a marked difference in sleeper fares between the two trains, something you might want to consider.. I guess by changing at WAS you would be covering a longer portion of your trip by Acela. You would not have to leave home so early if you decide on the Meteor, but that tends to have the more expensive sleepers. Sorry I can't advise on the meals or baggage situation...

Ed

 

[AlanB]

While DC's Club Acela might be nicer, if you board the Silver Star (train 91) in NY, then you'll get lunch on the train for free. If you go to DC on Acela, unless you are going to ride in First Class, you'll be buying lunch. So that might be a good reason to board in NY.

If you decide to ride the Silver Meteor, then it won't matter where you board as you'll only get dinner that first day.

 

[Shanghai]

Alan, are you on the Crescent now??

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

I have never rented a car and returned it to Orlando, but I have noticed there is a small Hertz counter in the staff and it seems to be staffed when they know someone will be renting or returning a car.

I have rented a Hertz car in Orlando many times.

Yes, the in-station counter is staffed whenever they know a customer is coming in on one of the Silvers. They are also quite experienced in knowing about, and dealing with, late trains.

Hertz has a small area right at the station where they keep cars for that day's rentals.

For drop off, you will only find the counter imanned if it is for other reasons. Normally, you just leave the car in the Hertz car area outside, and drop the paperwork and keys into the locked drop box on the counter.

BTW, after you finish your Amtrak online reservations, you can get xfer'ed over to the Hertz website with an Amtrak discount to be applied to the Hertz rental.

 

[jis]

Alan, are you on the Crescent now??

Yes he is. Just received Tweet from them that they have a 7:15pm dinner reservation

 

[Kim1977]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I ended up booking RTE to WAS and then WAS to MIA (and the same on the way back except from ORL). I wanted to take Acela First Class the whole way to WAS.

I found one strange thing when booking. I tried to book a multi-city trip so I could book an Acela and then a Silver Service train. But when doing that and it asks the passenger type, you can only select one type so I picked AAA Adult to get the AAA discount for the Silver train. But, it doesn't allow you to pick that type since it's not a valid type for Acela. I knew there was no AAA discount for Acela and I just wanted the discount for the Silver Service portion of the trip but there seemed to be no way to do that? So I booked it as two separate trips to get the discount.

Also, for the trip back, I found a nice discount code on the Orlando Magicard website. You don't have to actually have the Magicard (though they are free) but they have a discount code for 20% off Amtrak trips that involve Orlando area train stations. I didn't see this discount mentioned here on the forums before. Is there anyplace here that discount codes are kept (I may have missed it) or is it best to just search the web?

Thanks

Kim

 

[Upstate]

So I booked it as two separate trips to get the discount.

Since it is two trips the connection is probably not guaranteed. I would sure hope the Acela doesn't misconnect, but its probably best to call Amtrak and see if you can combine them or cancel and rebook. The phone agents can do a heck of a lot more than the website can. They should be able to get the discount on the Silver and not on the Acela.

 

[the_traveler]

I didn't see this discount mentioned here on the forums before. Is there anyplace here that discount codes are kept (I may have missed it) or is it best to just search the web?

AU doesn't keep a list of Amtrak discount codes, but FlyerTalk does HERE.

 

[darien-l]

Here's another good source for Amtrak discount codes: http://www.railserve.com/amtrak_coupons.html

 

[Chris J.]

So I booked it as two separate trips to get the discount.

Since it is two trips the connection is probably not guaranteed. I would sure hope the Acela doesn't misconnect, but its probably best to call Amtrak and see if you can combine them or cancel and rebook. The phone agents can do a heck of a lot more than the website can. They should be able to get the discount on the Silver and not on the Acela.

I thought (quite possibly wrongly) that multi-city trips didn't have guaranteed connections anyway.

 

[transit54]

So I booked it as two separate trips to get the discount.

Since it is two trips the connection is probably not guaranteed. I would sure hope the Acela doesn't misconnect, but its probably best to call Amtrak and see if you can combine them or cancel and rebook. The phone agents can do a heck of a lot more than the website can. They should be able to get the discount on the Silver and not on the Acela.

I thought (quite possibly wrongly) that multi-city trips didn't have guaranteed connections anyway.

No, that is correct. Multicity bookings are not guaranteed.

 

[VentureForth]

I would suggest the Silver Star over the Meteor. The trip is longer and and tends to be less expensive. If you want to get a sleeper roomette, it tends to be cheaper and since the ride is longer, you get more meals.

You're probably fine taking the Acela into DC and then switching to the Silver. Coming back, though, the risk of switching from the Silver to the Acela is much greater. Maybe on the way back, you can keep your sleeper all the way to RET and enjoy 90 - 110 MPH (rather than that super 125 MPH of the Acela).

 

[the_traveler]

Maybe on the way back, you can keep your sleeper all the way to RET and enjoy 90 - 110 MPH (rather than that super 125 MPH of the Acela).

You mean RTE! And the Silvers only go as far as NYP, not to RTE. BTW: AE between WAS and NYP are limited to 135 MPH. They only go 150 MPH in RI and MA!

 

[AlanB]

So I booked it as two separate trips to get the discount.

Since it is two trips the connection is probably not guaranteed. I would sure hope the Acela doesn't misconnect, but its probably best to call Amtrak and see if you can combine them or cancel and rebook. The phone agents can do a heck of a lot more than the website can. They should be able to get the discount on the Silver and not on the Acela.

I thought (quite possibly wrongly) that multi-city trips didn't have guaranteed connections anyway.

No, that is correct. Multicity bookings are not guaranteed.

Amtrak won't guarantee any connections between Acela and long distance trains. Even if the Acela for some odd reason is late going south to DC to connect with the Silver, you are on your own. They will only guarantee connections between Northeast Regional's and Long Distance trains.

To that end Kim, I hope that you gave yourself at least 3 hours between the northbound Silver and your Acela. Southbound you should be ok, but still keep your eye on the clock and speak to a conductor if something does go wrong. He/she may be able to get Amtrak to hold the Meteor if you're running just a few minutes too late to actually connect to the Meteor.

Coming north, again you are on your own with that one. Since you have booked first class, remember that you must call Amtrak to cancel the first class seat no later than one hour before the scheduled departure or you will loose that money. Amtrak will give you credit for the railfare, but if you don't cancel in the event that something goes wrong and you're going to miss the Acela, you will loose the money paid for the first class upgrade.

If you cancel, then all monies can be applied to the next Acela due out of DC, but understand that the bucket price for the railfare may go up from what you had originally paid and you will be asked to pay the difference.

 

[Kim1977]

Thanks for the advice Alan.

I do have several hours in between when coming North and 2 hours 10 minutes in between when coming South from Acela to change trains in WAS. I looked at the Amtrak "guaranteed" connection and it would only allow 30 minutes in Penn Station NY. It seemed like not enough time to get off the Regional, get into Penn Station, find out where baggage check is, wait in line to check my bags (I assume it may be a long line), then go to to the lounge or track to find the Silver train. I assume they don't hold a train for you if your in line waiting to check bags and I don't want to be stuck there till the next day. So I feel safer with my two hours coming off the Acela even though it is not guaranteed.