Hi - I was rummaging around in the train travel section of the internet, and found it quite interesting.
My 13 year old daughter and I took a trip to Disney World in Florida in January. We went by train. Neither one of us had ever traveled by train before, say nothing about ever of gone to Florida. We had a friend with us who had done both so that was an enormous help.
We left on the morning of January 20, 1996 at 3:55 am via Amtrak bus to Springfield, Mass., where we picked up the train. We travel from there to Philadelphia where we had a couple hour or so wait before taking the next long extent of our trip, that being Philadelphia to Kissimme, Florida. We had coach reservations. The acommodations were wonderful. The food was good. The movies were child proof, of course. It was a very long ride, but for someone never seeing any of the country south of Connecticut it was an experience I shall never forget, nor will my daughter. We arrived in beautiful weather, and had beautiful weather for the five nights, six days we were in Florida/Disney World.
We left on the 26th of January and arrive home the next night, two and a half hours late. We left in very rainy, flooding, snowy weather and we were arriving home in the same. We went from Kissimme to Philadelphia where we had a three hour wait. From there we took the train right through to our home stop, Waterbury, Vermont. As I previously stated we left in awful weather and returned in it. When we got to northern Massachusetts, southern Vermont we ran into high water and rain. We had to stop several times and wait for a period of time while Amtrak employees were checking the tracks ahead for high water etc. They were watching out for the safety of us all and the train. Thank God. After we got a ways into Vermont things were better and we were able to speed right along, but were still as I said two and a half hours late. I would rather be later then never arrive.
I had and have no complaints about my travel to Florida. I am very fearful of flying (have never and will never fly). It was a long trip 30-33 hours (with hold overs etc), but I will go that way again. Presently I am trying to save and arrange for my next trip to Florida in January of 97.
If train travel in other areas of the United States are like it was or me I would encourage train travel.
Sandy
