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hedgehog1 · 04-28-2011, 09:52 AM

We have taken Amtrak from Jacksonville Florida to New York for the past 3 Thanksgivings. It is an 18 hour trip (~5:45pm - 11:45am). We love it!

Our kids were 5 and 7 the first time we went. There wasn't much boredom -- but we found out that it is impossible to get dinner reservations when we get on the train so late. Now, we bring our dinner in a cooler, eat dinner at ~6:30pm, read, then sleep. (We sleep in our seats -- they are quite roomy).

At 6:20am we wake up and head to the Dining car for our traditional French Toast breakfast - finishing up as we pull into Washington DC. We read some more, play games and watch the scenery for the next 3.5 hours, and then we are in NY Penn Station. We quickly run up the stairs and back down to catch the Long Island Railroad.

Again, we LOVE it. Not security lines, plenty of room to move around, no fighting the airport traffic, no baggage claim wait, not charge for our suitcases, and we SAVE money.

From our city to NY at Thanksgiving is over $2000 for the 4 of us. Amtrak for all 4 is $620 - $850 with a AAA discount, depending on when we purchase our tickets.

FYI -- Amtrak is running a special until the beginning of May -- kids travel free.

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!

04-28-2011, 09:52 AM	#6
hedgehog1 Member Posts: 12 Karma: 190 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Florida Device: jetBook, Libre Pro x 3	We have taken Amtrak from Jacksonville Florida to New York for the past 3 Thanksgivings. It is an 18 hour trip (~5:45pm - 11:45am). We love it! Our kids were 5 and 7 the first time we went. There wasn't much boredom -- but we found out that it is impossible to get dinner reservations when we get on the train so late. Now, we bring our dinner in a cooler, eat dinner at ~6:30pm, read, then sleep. (We sleep in our seats -- they are quite roomy). At 6:20am we wake up and head to the Dining car for our traditional French Toast breakfast - finishing up as we pull into Washington DC. We read some more, play games and watch the scenery for the next 3.5 hours, and then we are in NY Penn Station. We quickly run up the stairs and back down to catch the Long Island Railroad. Again, we LOVE it. Not security lines, plenty of room to move around, no fighting the airport traffic, no baggage claim wait, not charge for our suitcases, and we SAVE money. From our city to NY at Thanksgiving is over $2000 for the 4 of us. Amtrak for all 4 is $620 - $850 with a AAA discount, depending on when we purchase our tickets. FYI -- Amtrak is running a special until the beginning of May -- kids travel free. ENJOY YOUR TRIP! Last edited by hedgehog1; 04-29-2011 at 11:14 AM. Reason: typo on the plane ticket price -- "over $2000", not "over $200"