Should I cancel my trip? What are your opinions?

[des1rees]

First time Amtrak journey coming up on the 12th from CYN to ORL, with a hubby and 2 small kids in tow, we are going to WDW. Now with Hanna coming, and Ike right behind, I am not sure if this was such a good idea. Couple of concerns - Amtrak cancels service at the last minute. Second, the train gets delayed tremendously. Third, we get there ok, and then some other hurricane comes and our return on the 21st gets messed up and we get stuck there. The initial plan was to drive down, and we can still do that. What would you do if you were in my shoes? I have used AGR points to book if that matters in the decision.

Would really appreciate your opinions.

Thanks again,

D

 

[Walt]

IMHO, it is rather difficult to second guess both "mother nature" and Amtrak.

What will the weather be like on 9/12? What will the weather be like on 9/21?

I do know that WDW seems to weather weather pretty well, and WDW isn't on a coastline, exactly.

If you don't go 9/12-21, then when would you go?

Just bring an extra days worth of clothes in your carry-on. Are you taking a sleeper? If so, Amtrak will keep feeding you, if you get delayed somewhere in route.

 

[des1rees]

IMHO, it is rather difficult to second guess both "mother nature" and Amtrak.
What will the weather be like on 9/12? What will the weather be like on 9/21?

I do know that WDW seems to weather weather pretty well, and WDW isn't on a coastline, exactly.

If you don't go 9/12-21, then when would you go?

Just bring an extra days worth of clothes in your carry-on. Are you taking a sleeper? If so, Amtrak will keep feeding you, if you get delayed somewhere in route.

Thanks for responding.

My plan was we would still go, but drive instead of taking the train. And yes, we are taking a sleeper.

 

[AlanB]

Well if you're not leaving till the 12th, then you still have some time to see how things play out. Since you're on an award, you can pretty much cancel right up until the last minute and still get all of your points back. I wouldn't suggest waiting until an hour before departure to decide, but I do think that you can give it a bit more time before you decide what to do, just so you can see how things play out.

IMHO, unless you feel that you need more time to plan the road trip, I would say that you can easily wait until the 7th or 8th to make a decision and assuming that you're comfortable with the idea, you could probably even wait until the 10th to decide.

 

[profwebs]

I don't think Hanna is going to be much more than alot of rain across the eastern US, so it shouldn't affect either of our travels. Ike will be the one to watch. I'm not sure of the cancellation policy on sleepers booked with AGR points or else I would tell you to hold off until early next week since Ike should be where Hanna now is by then.

Even if you plan on driving, I'd watch Ike closely...

 

[Walt]

My plan was we would still go, but drive instead of taking the train. And yes, we are taking a sleeper.

So you are betting that the roads would be OK during a hurricane, but the tracks not? Yea, tracks can be washed out, but so can highways.

I usually go down to ORL in the winter, and tend to believe Amtrak would still be running, even when the roads are in poor condition.

 

[the_traveler]

I agree.

During a period of heavy rain, flooding, high winds or heavy snow (not specifically the case now), I would much rather be on a train (letting someone else do the "driving") than on the roads with thousands of others "rushing" to get out! And if the tracks are flooded or the trains are not running, what makes you think that the roads will be any better? :huh: And if there are high winds, I'd much rather be in a train weighing hundred of thousands of pounds than in a car weighing 5,000 or 6,000 pounds! i doubt the railroads would operate if conditions are not safe, but a driver of a car might!

 

[des1rees]

Thanks for the replies...