Ever been on the silver service?

[Squeakz2001]

My husband and I are going on a trip for our 2nd anniversary from Cincy, OH to Kissimmee, FL. If you have been on it, could you please tell me your favorite parts of the trip? What sights should I look for along the trip? Anything particularly stand out to you? How are the trains (Cardinal and Silver Meteor)?

We are also going to the 'Medieval Times.' Its a restuarant/stage show. Anyone been to it? It sounds neat!

Thanks! Kim

 

[j berry]

My husband and I are going on a trip for our 2nd anniversary from Cincy, OH to Kissimmee, FL. If you have been on it, could you please tell me your favorite parts of the trip? What sights should I look for along the trip? Anything particularly stand out to you? How are the trains (Cardinal and Silver Meteor)?We are also going to the 'Medieval Times.' Its a restuarant/stage show. Anyone been to it? It sounds neat!

Thanks! Kim

i have been on the meteor a number of times from boston to sc and miami. it would be more pleasant if you're booked on a sleeper. you usually spend the night travelling through the carolinas and virginia. daylight takes you to savannah, ga and down the ga coast to jacksonville, fl. i used to be able to detrain in jacksonville to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. the rest of the way to kissimmee will be mostly through woods. too bad you werent going just a little farther for you would travel through the orange groves in auburndale-- you can almost reach out and pick a orange right from the tree. you might be too late for supper in the diner at washington but should be able to get breakfast and lunch at the diner. enjoy the trip

 

[AmtrakWPK]

A sleeper probably would be a good idea on the Meteor. You pass Charleston SC very early in the morning, but it goes through industrial areas quite a distance from the picturesque Charleston areas. Then Savannah. Then Jesup, I think, then the major stop of Jacksonville, where you change crews (engineers and conductors), and get fuel for the engines. That is usually about a 20 minute stop. A few miles south of Jacksonville station you pass over the St. John's River, and you go over it more than once on the way south. Those passages over water in Florida are beautiful, and especially leaving Jacksonville I would be on the east side of the train (left side, southbound). The station in Palatka has a rail museum in it that's only open one weekend a month, I think, (it's a very short station stop so you don't have time to leave your train anyway) but it also has an old caboose parked outside, which is neat to see. The station in Deland was recently refurbished, and of course you get a number of college students from Stetson there. The train no longer stops at Sanford. Next stop Winter Park, which is a very nice station, right next to a beautiful little park, all in downtown Winter Park. That's our home station. The station at Orlando is an old Seaboard Coast Line station, in fairly good shape and interesting to walk around. That (Orlando) station is the one before Kissimmee, and they stop for 15-20 minutes there, as a LOT of passengers get on and off at Orlando. Kissimmee is an interesting old station, in old downtown Kissimmee. On your left nearby is the main library. Off a couple blocks is a very large lake, a senior center, some playgrounds, and is nicely kept up. To your right, half a block away, is the old main street in old downtown Kissimmee. If you look at the backs of those buildings as you get off the train, you will notice quite a few rather lifelike murals painted on them. It goes on for a couple of blocks. If you walk from the station, at right angles to the train, you pass the Greyhound station, and then on your right is another mural, painted on a two-story building. It is a VERY realistic mural, of the old downtown main street, with horse-drawn carriages, a few very early cars, and people walking around. They had to put a steel rail up in front of the bottom of it, I think, because they must have had somebody try to drive down the street in the mural, which would have been hard on the brick wall it's painted on (and hard on the car they were driving). That building is the oldest continuously operated hardware store in Florida. An interesting place to browse. Several of the storefronts around there are small mom-and-pop restaurants, with pretty good food and reasonable prices. It's an interesting place, and not the "touristy" area.

'Medieval Times' is a very different kind of "theme park, I suppose you could say, but don't wear good clothes, and expect some messy eating. You're back in medieval times, remember. It's a fun evening, but a very noisy one. I guess we've been there two or three times over the years. We've lived in the Orlando area since 1971. Hope that gives you some useful info.

 

[AlanB]

Since others have commented on the Silver trains, I'll talk about the Cardinal that you'll be riding out of Cincy. This train sadly does not run with a dining car, only a cafe car, a major drawback IMHO. I hope that this is one train that at least gets one of the new Diner Lite cars and soon, if it can't get a full diner back.

On the other hand, IMHO the Cardinal is the most scenic Amtrak ride east of the Mississippi. The run through New River Gorge in West Virginia, between Montgomery and Hinton, is one of the most spectacular runs around. You can't view the gorge from anything but a white water raft and the train. There are no roads in the gorge itself.

I once had the pleasure of watching a couple get married by the train's conductor as we went through that beautiful gorge.

Much of the ride through West Virginia and Virginia, even without the gorge, is still very pretty.

It's also important to note for your planning purposes that the poor Cardinal only runs 3 times a week, not daily.

 

[Squeakz2001]

Thanks for those wonderful replies!!! I am so excited to be going on this trip, and I know my train obsessed husband is doubly thrilled. He's been driving his little model Amtrack train around the train set in our basement.

 

[AlanB]

He's been driving his little model Amtrack train around the train set in our basement.

Just make sure that he knows that he's not allowed to try that with the real thing. :lol: :lol:

And of course understand that Amtrak isn't the Queen Mary or the Ritz and you'll be fine. There is no better way to see this country IMHO, but Amtrak isn't the most luxurious form of travel either.

 

[sentinal]

it may not be the most luxurious form of travel. but the pleasure of knowing that once set foot on board the relaxation of my vac has started and i just sit there and watch the country side flow by. and also know that at that point time has little meaning to me cause i am on vaction B)

 

[GG-1]

but Amtrak isn't the most luxurious form of travel either.

Aloha

But the trains coach seat is better than a plane's first class. And on a train more meals can be had while seeing the country.

 

[PRR 60]

but Amtrak isn't the most luxurious form of travel either.

Aloha

But the trains coach seat is better than a plane's first class. And on a train more meals can be had while seeing the country.

GG: I thimk you have been flying the wrong airlines. Amtrak coach seats are basically airline coach seats with more legroom. Airline domestic first class seats are wider, have a large space between the seats in each pair, and are much more comfortable than Amtrak. International business and first class seating, which deals with trip lengths closer to Amtrak long distance trains, are in a whole different world. They are like self-contained living units and many convert to flat beds. Amtrak is a seat and nothing else.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

I've gotta agree with Eric on this one. Amtrak LD coach seats have always seemed wider, more comfortable, and with more space between rows, than ANY airline coach seat I've ever been in. Maybe corridor trains are more like the airline cattle cars, but not the LD coach seats.

 

[rmgreenesq]

GG: I thimk you have been flying the wrong airlines. Amtrak coach seats are basically airline coach seats with more legroom. Airline domestic first class seats are wider, have a large space between the seats in each pair, and are much more comfortable than Amtrak. International business and first class seating, which deals with trip lengths closer to Amtrak long distance trains, are in a whole different world. They are like self-contained living units and many convert to flat beds. Amtrak is a seat and nothing else.

Having spent a fair amount of time in Amtrak's coach and Northwest's, Continental's, and Delta's first class cabins and NWA's "World Business Class" cabins, I think the analogy of Amtrak's long distance coach to an airline domestic first class cabin is fair.

Airline domestic first class cabins have been downgraded to bring them closer to Amtrak. The market for domestic first class seats has really dried up. 99.9% of leisure travelers do not buy first class seats, and major corporations have implemented travel rules stating that if the flight is less than 6 hours, the corporations will only pay for coach. With the rise of smaller and cheaper business jets and fractional ownership of said jet, executives that would normally demand to fly in first class on the airlines are now in the corporate jet.

With these changes in the market, the airlines have turned their domestic first class cabins into "perk" cabins for their elite frequent flyers. All the airlines have a system to automatically upgrade their most frequent flyers to first class. You can read all about these changes over on Flyertalk. As a former NWA Platnium Elite, I've never purchased a first class ticket and don't remember the last time I rode in coach. In order to deal with the revenue loss in first class, the airlines have significantly downgraded the level of service given up front.

I think the analogy between airline domestic first class and Amtrak's long distance trains is fair. Amtrak's LD coach and airline domestic first class seats are about the same size. Amtrak is more generous with the legroom than domestic first class on the airlines. The airlines have removed first class seats and moved those that remain closer together to make room for more coach seats. Check out www.seatguru.com for the size dimentions and seat pitch for alirline seats.

The airlines are more generous with the food and alcohol in the first class cabin than Amtrak's coach. The meal that used to be served to all coach passengers for free is now being served to the first class passengers for free, assuming your flight is at "meal time". Amtrak is selling about the same caliber food and booze in the dining & cafe cars. The airline's seats are also newer and better looking than Amtrak's, and this goes along way towards perceptions of quality.

International business class is probably better than Amtrak's coach. It has not suffered as great a reduction in service levels as domestic first class becasue most business class flights are longer than six hours. Also, elite frequent flyers are not automatically upgraded. They may be upgraded by a gate agent in a coach oversell situation, but it is by no means guaranteed.

I still think the biz class and Amtrak seats are about the same size, but the legroom up front on airline long haul is more generous. I know some of the seats lie flat or close to flat. I'm not sure what is meant by "private living spaces". That sounds like a sleeper compartment to me. The closest I've seen to privacy in a business class seat is a "privacy hood" that envelopes the top of the seat. Since I'm 6' 7" tall, this hood whacks me in the back of the head. The food in business class is way better than anything I've eaten on Amtrak. The booze is also free and there is usually a wider variety of it to choose from. International business class has in seat audio and on-demand video entertainment. This is akin to (or sometimes is) the digEplayer. The difference here is that Amtrak expects you to pay for the digEplayer. The airlines supply it for free.

My $0.02

Rick

 

[Trogdor]

An Amtrak coach seat is (or at least, seems) slightly wider than a standard airline coach seat, partly due to the lack of a middle armrest separating the two seats. They might be a bit wider even without that, though. Amtrak definitely wins in the legroom.

If one was going to compare an airline domestic first class seat to anything on Amtrak, it would be the club seating as found in club-dinettes and (as I understand) on Acela Express first class.

It seems we go over this every other month. The only thing Amtrak coach and airline first class have in common is two seats on each side of the aisle (and with airlines, that's only in the case of a narrowbody that would otherwise be equipped with five or six seats across instead of four).

 

[haolerider]

An Amtrak coach seat is (or at least, seems) slightly wider than a standard airline coach seat, partly due to the lack of a middle armrest separating the two seats. They might be a bit wider even without that, though. Amtrak definitely wins in the legroom.
If one was going to compare an airline domestic first class seat to anything on Amtrak, it would be the club seating as found in club-dinettes and (as I understand) on Acela Express first class.

It seems we go over this every other month. The only thing Amtrak coach and airline first class have in common is two seats on each side of the aisle (and with airlines, that's only in the case of a narrowbody that would otherwise be equipped with five or six seats across instead of four).

As I see it, the issue, and the real benefit from an Amtrak coach seat is the leg-room. Most passengers are not all that concerned with the width of the seat - unless there is an issue with the width of the seat not comparing favorably with the width of the body! Leg room is the issue and Amtrak has plenty of it. Plus, you are not having to climb over someone to get into the aisle - nor are you trapped in the middle of a 5 seat coach set-up as you are with many airline wide bodies.

 

[Guest]

Leg room aside, these Florida trains are usually packed to the gills. You won't see coolers, bags, duffels, chicken bones strewn about everywhere on an airplane. Just my 2 cents, but having traveled almost every long distance Amtrak line, I find these to always be the dirtiest, including the restrooms. There are always tons of children, which is great if they are there to experience train travel, but more often than not they are unsupervised as they skip thru the cars. Noise levels are often very high, and plenty of brown bag drinks are being had in the coach seats. If you can afford a roomette, try it.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

You do see a lot of families, and a lot of small children, on 91/92 and 97/98, heading to or from the Orlando area theme parks, I suspect. With the exception of the Sanford Auto Train terminal, Orlando is the busiest Florida Amtrak station, with I believe somewhere between 120,000 and 170,000 annual passenger counts, depending on what year you're looking at. It's been down a little the past couple of years, probably because of the loss of Sunset Limited, which no longer runs east of New Orleans (but we haven't given up the fight to get it restarted!!).

 

[Squeakz2001]

My hubby and I are planning on booking Roomettes for each leg of the trip, to avoid all of the crazyness. Sound reasonable?

 

[AlanB]

My hubby and I are planning on booking Roomettes for each leg of the trip, to avoid all of the crazyness. Sound reasonable?

Sounds very reasonable to me. Just book it as soon as all of your plans are firm. Every day you wait to book, could potentially see the prices rise.

 

[amymaree]

My husband and I are going on a trip for our 2nd anniversary from Cincy, OH to Kissimmee, FL. If you have been on it, could you please tell me your favorite parts of the trip? What sights should I look for along the trip? Anything particularly stand out to you? How are the trains (Cardinal and Silver Meteor)?We are also going to the 'Medieval Times.' Its a restuarant/stage show. Anyone been to it? It sounds neat!

Thanks! Kim

we live in orlando and are going north to d.c in may on the silver meteor, we are excited to be taking the little ones on this train ride. they are very excited. we have a room and seats so it will be allot of fun.

as you approach winter park look out the window the view is great. when my three chidlrne were little we used to spend all morning watching the amtrak trains come and go, and of course wave.

winter parks train station is like stepping back in time. there is a great park along the tracks with quaint little shops on the street.

at medieval you eat family style and i believe with your fingers. personally i would say don't waste your money and use it to go somewhere else that is nicer, there are allot of really neat restaurants in the area.

being a local we have learned not to go to these places. but i have been to sleuths mystery dinner theatre and i would say they have a great show and the food is very good.

 

[Squeakz2001]

Thanks for all of your great advice! We have booked our trip (and got the tickets in the mail yesterday!) and are very excited. On the trip we are in roomettes #2 and #8 throughout the trip. 2 on one train and 8 in the other. Its kinda cool to see the layout to know where we will be!

Gotta get my hubby out the the train room in our basement so he'll stop driving the little Amtrak around!

 

[Foodman53]

As mentioned earlier, the scenery from Palatka to Winter Park is the best of the trip. The train will run parallel to and cross the St. Johns River a couple of times in that stretch. Also, from about 30 minutes south of Palatka forward, some orange groves can be sighted. Again, Winter Park station is in the park, which is a bit of "Back to the Future" moment.

No,scenery-wise, this isn't the Rockies or the Painted Desert...but, once beyond downtown Jacksonville, it's not urban/industrial blight, either!!

From the "Florida Funnel"

Foodman53

 

[caravanman]

The Silver Meteor..

How tarnished now is the silver, and how slow the meteoric speed..

My 13 year old son and I took the silver service south from NYC to Orlando a few weeks ago, and back up to NYC again on Wed 14 March.

The trip down in sleeper was a couple of hours late departing New York, and arrived about 4 hours late to Orlando.

The return coach class journey was a nightmare, we expected to catch our train about 1 PM and eat our lunch aboard.. the train arrived about 5.30pm, and we were told that all the early dinner times were booked up, so no lunch, no early dinner. Although running so late, there was no arrangement made for lunch the next day, save a "free meal" which was either nothing if you were vegetarian, or a thin beef soup with rice if you were desperate..most of us were! It was like "we aint going to waste our revenue giving you edible food" ..not a great impression! The best bit of the trip for me was getting off the train in New York about 6 hours late, and as you know, that comming from a rail fan like me ain't a good thing!

Ed B)

 

[AmtrakWPK]

If you haven't already, please contact customer service and lodge a detailed complaint - you should at least get some sort of a voucher.