Amtrak Auto Train Experience: Sanford, FL to Lorton, VA - Roomette Sleeper Car
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- čas přidán 7. 12. 2021
- Lorton, VA (Washington, DC) - Sanford, FL (Orlando)
17 hours 29 minutes
Daily Departure
The Auto Train transports you and your car (or van, motorcycle, SUV, small boat, jet-ski or another recreational vehicle) nonstop from the Washington, DC area to Florida, just outside of Orlando (or vice versa) - amtrak.com
"Instead of being stuck in traffic on I-95, you and your vehicle could Get Carried Away on the Auto Train. Simply pack your car with everything you need for your trip between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington DC) and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando) and leave the driving behind."
"Once you’re onboard you can break out the cards, enjoy a meal and binge-watch your favorite series. Comfortable seats mean you can stretch out with miles of legroom or experience the ride from the privacy of your own sleeper. And with new low fares starting at $89 (plus the cost of your vehicle), it’s time to welcome the end of road trip hassles and enjoy a stress-free route by rail aboard the Auto Train."
In this video, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew documents a November 2020 trip aboard Amtrak's Auto Train from Sanford, Florida, to Lorton, Virginia. Vehicle loading, relaxing in an Amtrak Roomette, and vehicle unloading are all shown. This trip lead to some of the rides linked below.
Amtrak - amtrak.com
Links of Interest:
The Gravel Roads of Loudoun County, Virginia, USA: Middleburg & Beyond! - wp.me/p4V4se-boo
The Gravel Roads of Loudoun County, Virginia, USA: Leesburg & Beyond! - wp.me/p4V4se-blG
The Gravel Roads of Northern Virginia, USA: Haymarket & Beyond - Prince William, Farquier & Loudoun Counties - wp.me/p4V4se-bk9
Exploring the Outskirts of Washington D.C.: Upper Marlboro & Croom, Maryland - wp.me/p4V4se-bCg
Washington D.C. - A City Tour by Bicycle! - wp.me/p4V4se-bql
Gravel Cyclist's Route Library - www.gravelcyclist.com/gravel-...
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Thanks. We're leaving on the AutoTrain this week. We're excited about it as it cuts about 900 miles of driving in each direction. This was the best video on the roomette. Your camera was slightly wider angle which gave me a better sense of the roomette than other videos. Also you showed the rest of the train better than other videos.
You are welcome, you will love the experience and losing 900 miles each direction!
Thank you for documenting your auto train experience. My family and I appreciate it and looking forward to our first time on the auto train.
Thanks for posting. Taking this train tomorrow for the first time.
Nice one, good luck, I hope you enjoy the journey. I plan to take the train northbound sometime soon. Some great deals on Amtrak at the moment.
I never knew Amtrak had this. When I first saw the title, I figured you were taking your bike on the train, not the whole car. Very cool.
My father and I just shared a roomette and row it is way too small for 2 adults. Gong out to dinner was the best thing about the trip as it gets you out of the cramped roomette. This guy ate in the room which I don’t get.
1. I shared a roomette with my GF during another trip. I fitted in there just fine with her. She's 5'6", I'm 5'11". Granted, sleeping with the bunks is a tight fit. A larger room would be better for sleeping.
2. I ate in the room because it was mandated at the time I recorded by the video by Amtrak. See Covid, which was happening at that time.
Fantastic Journey, informative as always, thank you for charing such good moments. Cheers from Portugal.
Great video. Thank you!
Thanks for taking us along!
Thanks for the interesting insights from the auto train and welcome to MD.
Thank you 👌
Very cool to see this "in person." I've always been curious about this, especially now that we have relatives down in Orlando. Cheers!
Hi George, this was my fifth time on the Auto Train. It isn't necessarily cheap, but life is about experiences, and chopping 800+ miles off I95, priceless!
@@GravelCyclist anything to avoid driving on I-95, especially between DC and Richmond, would be a blessing! If the rest is as bad, then I'm on board (no pun intended!). Happy Holidays JOM.
Looking forward to your VA rides. Another tuber did cool rides off i81 exit 205 raphine, VA. I'll be driving from NYC to Huntsville, AL so while I'm in the neighborhood....
Hi Steve, this particular video is from November 2020, along with my following VA rides. Take a look in the video description, I linked all five of them from this trip. Enjoy your riding!
Jom, the diverse video content on your channel is awesome....from bike reviews to trip documentaries. Keep up this style of travel/bike review videos and stay safe.
Thank you, Paul!
Excellent video and very informative
Thanks Great Idea to make next trip
Very cool Jom. Didn't know you could take your car on board.
For some reason I enjoyed that 😁
Bombardier is making the next version of the Disney Monorails
I will say when going onto the Amtrak with your car near the i-95 north entrance by lorton VA it is so fucking tricky. I haven’t had to use it but it gets so congested that the line will be backed up a good distance and the police come and direct the line due to the amount of traffic it causes
Thanks for chiming in. I rode the Auto Train from Sanford into Lorton just a few weeks ago, and I noticed the vehicle line already building significantly at around 1pm. I can only imagine how much worse it gets closer to the vehicle boarding cut off time.
What an awesome way to travel! I definitely need to give this a try. I think you can take your bike aboard as well but I need to figure out how to do that. Thanks for the informative video!!
Hi Rob, you can take a bicycle on board, but not all Amtrak railway stations will accept them due to the lack of platform length. However, the Amtrak website indicates this when making a booking, so all good. I have two older videos on the channel where I rode the C&O Tow Path Canal Trail from Washington DC to Cumberland, Maryland, one way. I took the Amtrak back with the bike. So much fun, but book a spot for you and your bike ahead of time. Good luck!
@@GravelCyclist thanks again for a very informative and motivational video 👏
Pretty nice!
Hi there im bringing some things for personal protection seeing im traveling alone. I do have permits but im still wondering if you had to go through tsa?
That sleeper looked a lot like the inside of your trunk
Exactly, too much crap.
Did you have to disarm your Prius and if so, how did you do it?
Nice Video! I may have missed something but did you say how you can bring your bikes on the Train? If you don't want to break down your bike and pack it in a case/bike back what is the way and charge of taking your bike? thanks!
Hello there, you can indeed bring your bike onto the train, sans packing.
See these videos, in particular Part Two from late in 2018:
C&O Trail / Amtrak, Part One - czcams.com/video/kkvPNJSqDxM/video.html
C&O Trail / Amtrak, Part Two - czcams.com/video/_WZd4GpVwvs/video.html (jumps to the train / bike loading).
what time did you arrive to the station? and how long did it take to get your car back when you arrived? DId you buy the priority unload?
See the Amtrak website for load time, it may have changed. During this trip, I had my car in 20 minutes. The trip after, almost an hour to receive my car. I was in no hurry, but if that's a concern, you may want to pay the priority fee.
Nice quality camera m8, what type and model is it
GoPro Hero 7.
Train service in the US is subpar at best. Lots of room for improvement.
Agreed. I'm thankful this little gem exists.
I also drive a Prius (white) and I was wondering if you have to disarm it and if so, how?
Hey Victor, I did nothing special to the Prius. Handed Amtrak my keys, and collected the car at the other end.
Hi, do you have a train leaving from Birmingham,Alabama?
You need to visit Amtrak.com to have your railway questions answered.
Too expensive with all the problems with the bath and delays. The food is great.
This Was Nice! How Much Is The Fare?
It depends on the time of year, so you'll have to figure that out by poking around on Amtrak's website. Auto train goes between two stations only, Lorton (LOR), and Sanford (SAN).
Well done. What was the travel time in total from loading to unloading?
Thank you. Off the top of my head, you need to be at the Amtrak station by 2pm for them to load your car. Train departs at 4pm, and generally, I've been on the road around 8:45am to 9:00am after unloading. You're looking at about 17 hours, which is slower than driving I95, but I'll take relaxing and not worrying about that mess to enjoy the train. It isn't cheap, but life is too short, IMHO.
Are the meals included with the roomette?
Meals are included.
how was the wifi on the train?
Hello there. Spotty at times, I generally stuck to using my personal Wifi hotspot on my phone.
Would you tour with Ekar 13?
I guess that depends on your definition of touring? Ekar 38 x 44 is a low gear, you can climb a lot of hills and mountains in that low gear.
@@GravelCyclist i guess i was wondering parts availability in a crisis
How early did you arrive at the station?
Check Amtrak's website for the latest update, 2pm was the latest arrival time for having your vehicle accepted onto the train. Good luck!
How much was the trip with the car?
I suggest pricing it for yourself on the Amtrak website, as it can fluctuate depending on the time of year, and direction of travel.
@@GravelCyclist Thank you!
How do you lock your room?
Lock from the inside on the door, barring the conductor, of course.
@@GravelCyclist So do you take all your stuff with you when you go to the dining car? I'd be worried about leaving my stuff unattended if the rooms aren't lockable.
@@rogaineablar5608 Just my wallet etc.
The food sucks big time
I've had good and bad experiences with the Amtrak food, so I know what you mean.
good video however the maSK thing is a hoax. does nothin g
Thank you, and no worries.