This is Part 3 of our series on the Auto Train.  Visit Part 2 here.

Arrival for Loading

Once you have your tickets (and accommodations), all you need to do is show up to enjoy your trip.  You must arrive no later than 2:00PM (two hours earlier than the scheduled train departure).  As you enter the station grounds, you will encounter a manned guard position (think guard shack).  You will show your identification to the attendant, who will check it against the manifest.  Once they have verified your information, they will place a magnet on your car with an identification number.  They will also give you information regarding your trip along with the identification number for your vehicle which you will need the next morning to claim your car.

Once you leave the attendant, you will pull your vehicle up to the station.  You will be directed to one of several available rows.  You will turn off your vehicle and gather the belongings you need for the overnight trip.  Since space is tight in the seats or passenger compartments, don’t overpack — it’s helpful to have a few small toiletries, a change of clothes, your own pillow, and some activities to keep you occupied on the train, but you won’t want to overdo it.  It’s also helpful to have some cash on hand to tip your waitstaff at dinner and breakfast, and tip money for your stateroom attendant.

Once you have your belongings, you will head inside the station.  At this point, you will need to check in at the desk.  There is generally one attendant for Coach passengers and one for passengers that are staying in the sleeping cars.  You will receive your exact accommodations (train car and compartment) and be able to select the dinner time you prefer.   If the train has lots of passengers, there might be up to three dinner times.  The dining times can fill up if you arrive closer to 2:00 PM.  We prefer to show up as early as possible so we can pick the dining time we prefer.

Boarding

After all the cars have been loaded on the car carriers, passenger boarding will begin.  You will then find the exact accommodation information to your car and your seating.  (We have never sat in the coach seating, so we can only address the sleeping compartments.)  Once you board the car, you will be greeted by your car attendant.  They will direct you to your room and help you get settled.  They will ask your dining time and ask what time you would like your room converted into its sleeping configuration.  They will also give you invaluable information on how to find the dining car, including how to get upstairs (if you are on the bottom level) and what direction to travel, forward or backwards.

Dining

As the evening rolls on (in more ways than one), the different dining times will be announced over the loud speakers.  Once your time arrives, you will make your way to the dining car.  The dining car is setup in tables of four.  If you are not in a multiple of four people, you will most likely be seated with other people.  As we have always traveled in our party of four, we have had a table to ourselves.  The dinner menu will be presented to you again (they are usually displayed when you check in inside the station) and you can select your options.  You will be served a salad, rolls, and you can select beverages.  There is soda, coffee, tea, milk and probably other options.  Adults can select from red or white wine, which is included in the cost of dinner.  In addition to a main course, you will have several options for dessert.  We have found the service to be friendly and efficient, and the food is surprisingly good considering it’s prepared en masse.

In addition to the dinner seating, the Auto Train also has a lounge car which has complementary snacks available at certain times of the day.  At boarding time, it’s generally fruit and salty snack mix, and cookies are available in the evening after dinner.  Other types of snacks, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages are available for purchase in the cafe part of the lounge car.  The lounge car also features movies in the evening, for passengers who are interested in getting out of their seats or compartments.  We’ve never tried this, but it might be a good way to meet other travelers.

Sleeping

Once you finish dinner, you will return to your room.  If I remember correctly, our room had always been converted at this point into the sleeping berths.  We would spend some time watching movies in our room and getting ready for bed.  After that, it was always an early lights out so we would be ready to hit Disney the next day!

Morning on the Train

The train stops in Florence, SC very early in the morning for refueling and a crew changeover.  I don’t know quite what happens, as we have always been asleep.  In the morning, you can make your way back to the dining car for a continental breakfast, which features juice, coffee or tea, fresh fruit, cereal, bagels, and muffins with butter, cream cheese, and jelly. Once that is done, you can return to your compartment that the attendant will have changed back over into its seating configuration.

At about 10:00 AM, your train should be approaching its destination.  Once the train has stopped, everyone will be instructed to disembark the train and head inside the station, while the vehicle unloading process begins.  The vehicles will be offloaded and the numbers will be called out on the loud speaker.  We’ve been one of the first cars offloaded and we have also been the last car.  I believe there is now an option to pay to have your car be one of the first to be offloaded, but we’ve never tried that.

Travel Disruptions

One disadvantage of the Auto Train is that it is subject to random disruptions. We had our trip canceled one year due to a hurricane coming up the east coast. Amtrak called a day or two beforehand to let us know, so we decided to get up early and drive. We manage to miss the storm and had an easy drive because there wasn’t much traffic.  Additionally, the Auto Train can experience delays due to disruptions on the Amtrak corridor.

Conclusion

We’ve taken the Auto Train numerous times and have greatly enjoyed it. It usually ends up costing about the same as flying and renting a car. We consider the Auto Train to be part of the vacation, which is good since it takes about 22 hours from when you arrive at the station to when you get your car at the other end (Noon to 10 AM).  If you enjoy train travel and Disney, this is a great way to combine those loves!

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