A couple of thoughts here: first, I find "why would you take the train" happening much less in the post 9/11 world of more crowded roadways and airport hassles. People regard my explanations with mild curiosity and have a look on their face that seems to say "maybe I'll look into that sometime soon". Having said that, I find it hard to defend my position when the person gives me a good reason why, such as "the last time I took Amtrak I had to stand in the aisle because there wasn't enough seats on a reserved train." or "the food was awful", or "the coach was so hot/cold I couldn't stand it". These kind of "never again" comments are hard to argue with, and the best you can do is say "try it again because things have improved." Also tough to defend is the cost factor vs. driving, especially with a family of more than two people; even with crowded interstates it is usually far cheaper to drive, especially in the northeast where Amtrak fares are high. This also applies to commuter lines; I can drive down to New York City and pay to park on a Saturday for little more than 1 round trip Metro north ticket (I live near Southeast on the Harlem line); fares get better as you get closer to the city though.
If I was dealing with people that had those type of experiences I would probably state my feelings a lot differently; keeping in mind that people are prone to exaggerate the negatives to make their point. The problem with many Amtrak newbies is they expect the Hilton or the Hyatt when it comes to cuisine and sleeping compartments. While most of us consider the train to be more than it is, it's still just a train, and not a Carnival cruise ship. The amenities are functional, designed to fit the vehicle, but by no means luxuries; on a ship you can easily forget you're on one, especially with the gaudy way they are designed these days, resembling some of the cheesier Vegas style hotels and getting worse, IMO.
Off Topic: Why would you hide the fact that your on a boat? That is part of the excitement of it all, perhaps cruise lines will return to their former glory and someday drop these "themes".
The comments from my local peanut gallery were all from simple, unsophisticated, cars are IT type folks who don't understand the concept of travel for pleasure, they associate it with a means to an end. And Seattle might as well be on the other side of the planet as I get a lot of blank stares after my "the other Washington" explanation.
If I still have some patience left I will inform them that by the time you add up the hours spent on air travel, not just flight time, but standing in line for ticketing/security, traffic, parking, luggage carousels, and countless delays (weather, gate, taxiing, holding), at two or more airports; and don't forget bio breaks since airlines seem to have forgotten that coach passengers need to eat too (I didn't even get the proverbial bag of peanuts on my last flight). If you add up all of that baloney, then, well, the hours spent on a train aren't really all that bad. Except I can go from the taxi to the train in about 10 minutes. Yes I have an overnight layover, but only because I chose to do it that way. And most of the time, trains can run in all types of weather (yes, I know there are exceptions). But I have yet to be on a train and be told we're stuck in a "holding pattern".
And finally, on a more personal note, there's the fear factor. I'm terrified of heights. I know, who ever heard of a construction worker that couldn't get on a ladder? Well, let's just say I will do it if I have to, but back in the day I would simply avoid projects that involved being perched on scaffolding 100 feet in the air. But most of the time the conversation never gets this far.
In recent weeks I've had to go back and forth from Philly to Boston, by car none the less. I don't have much of a problem with that. It's about a 5 hour drive. I don't mind a long car drive every once and a while. But it was going on and on. Luckily I don't have to do it anymore. Getting through the New York area was always a pain. More so on the GW Bridge and parts of the Merritt parkway in Connecticut. But it was a nice drive. But why should I drive when someone else can do it? I enjoy sitting back and relaxing, and should I want to take my shoes off, do that, eat what ever I wanna do, I do! 
