When we went to Florida we decided to take the train down south and back. AMTRAK has a train that goes from Lorton, Virginia to Sanford, Florida (just north of Orlando). You can load your vehicle onto a train car and it will be offloaded in Sanford when the train stops (hence the name Auto train). We purchased an upgrade to a sleeping car on the way down and back and honestly (and somewhat surprisingly), it was a very nice way to travel. Very relaxing and the service was AWESOME! The Stewards were great, very helpful and courteous. I will consider AMTRAK from now on whenever I take leisure travel and AMTRAK provides service to the area I am going. On the train, during meals or in the club car, strangers actually struck up conversations and talked to each other. How unusual is that in our modern society? Never happen on a plane or in the airport. Of course there were also some self absorbed morons with cell phones but hey, you can't completely get away from jerks and technology anymore. Gosh, I must be getting old.
AMTRAK offered free wine and appetizers on the train just prior to departure. They had smoked salmon and scallops, some cheese, crackers and vegetables as well as a chips / party mix. Here's a couple of glasses of wine for Mommy and Daddy and a tasty Similac cocktail for baby.
On the way back we missed out on the salmon and scallops because we boarded a little late. We did get some party mix along with a couple of tasty beverages to wash down the junk food.
A shot of the menu from the train. How was the food? Better than airline but not five star. I had steaks on both legs of the trip and found them to be good. Misao had roasted chicken and that was also good. Food is served on ceramic plates with silverware in the dining car. Wine is complimentary. Tipping is appreciated. Good chow and the service was great.
Look who has bunny ears! How come giving someone bunny ears never gets old? Momoka loved the train. We propped her up on a pillow in front of the window and she laid there and watched the world go by. Better than TV!
Watching the world go by is hard work Daddy! I think I'll take a little nap to get my energy back up.
The rocking motion of the train made for some good sleepy sleepy time. In both rooms we had on the train the baby slept with Mommy in the lower berth. Daddy slept in the upper berth. The train leaves both stations at around 4:00 pm and it takes approximately 17 hours to go one way. Takes about an hour for your car to get offloaded. The trip probably wouldn't have been as much fun, or as enjoyable, if the baby had been fussy but she was great and slept through the night on both legs. What a great girl.
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