Between work, school, sports, and community commitments, we sometimes find it a bit challenging to get away on an extended vacation. On our most recent trip to Orlando, we had to split up and arrive on separate days. I was working out the logistics of being the solo driver on a 12-hour road trip when it hit me… we could take the Auto Train!
What Is the Auto Train?
The Auto Train is a car-carrying, double-decker train that only runs between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida. (These two cities are just outside of Washington, DC and Orlando, Florida, respectively.) All passengers are required to bring a vehicle to ride the Auto Train. The train leaves at the same time each day, runs overnight, and arrives at the same time each morning. In either direction, the ride is about 17 hours long.
Accommodations on the Auto Train, which is a SuperLiner II, include coach seats and three sleeper options: roomettes (up to 2 travelers), bedrooms (up to 2 travelers), and family bedrooms (up to 4 travelers). All travelers receive complimentary breakfast on the Auto Train; travelers in sleepers also receive complimentary dinner.
As a family of five, we usually don’t fit neatly onto the Auto Train. We were able to make it work this time around because my husband traveled separately, flying down a few days after our arrival.
Fun Facts About the Auto Train
The Auto Train has been in service for nearly 40 years (since 1983).
At over 0.75 miles long, it is the longest passenger train in the world. Two engines pull the 51 cars (18 passenger cars and 33 auto carrier cars). When full, it can hold 330 vehicles and 650 passengers.
The Auto Train transports over 130,000 vehicles and 250,000 passengers per year.
Loading the Vehicles
On the day of our trip, we arrived at the Lorton station after a half day of school and work. Thankfully traffic was not an issue, though it commonly is in Northern Virginia. We arrived in about 30 minutes. It just after 1:00PM, right in the middle of vehicle loading time (11:30AM – 2:30PM).
Signs at the entrance direct cars to the loading or visiting areas. We joined the line to the right to load our vehicle and waited no more than two minutes. We were given our check-in paperwork and hopped out of the van. The attendant took over, added a magnetic number to the van, and loaded it right up! The process was much simpler than I anticipated.
We headed into the station and checked in our passengers at the main check-in counter. We were assigned our car and room and told how to find it. It was the very last passenger car! We were also able to choose our dinner time and between 7:00PM and 8:00PM, we chose 8:00PM. We were given a paper copy of the menu so we could plan ahead.
I knew we had a long ride ahead and that the kids really needed to burn off some of their excited energy. I took them outside to a small tot lot and encouraged them to shake their sillies out. It was a beautiful day for February with temperatures topping 60°!
We grabbed some snacks in the shop and moved down the platform to watch vehicle loading. (The snacks were very expensive. Pack some of your own!) It was very fun to watch and kept us entertained till we were able to board our car around 2:30PM.
The Family Bedroom
We boarded at the center of the train car and went directly to our family bedroom, which spanned the front end of the car on the bottom level. There were windows on both sides with foldout tables underneath each, plus a modest closet that was just deep and wide enough to hang up our coats on provided hangers.
The family bedroom has two long bunks and two short bunks. The long bunks ran longways across the car and the short bunks were perpendicular to them. When we first entered our room, the two upper berths were raised so that the room could serve as our seating area until bedtime. The long lower berth was also in a semi-upright position, sort of like a sofa.
Our attendant asked what time we’d like our beds turned down. We had chosen 7:00PM for dinner, so we figured 8:00PM would work well for turndown. We were also able to place our orders for dinner ahead of time, an adjustment made due to COVID. (They’re typically served in the Dining Car.)
We’d each packed a small bag of activities for the trip, one outfit, and the toiletries we needed. I also packed a small cooler.
It felt very private in our family bedroom, almost like we were the only ones on the train. The kids excitedly chatted about which bunk they’d like to sleep on and we explored the train a bit before we all settled in to wait for the 4:00PM departure.
We ended up leaving a bit early, around 3:30PM, and received regular updates about the departure as well as continued updates about cities we passed through. Announcements ran until 10:00PM, when quiet hours began.
Exploring the Cars
The bathrooms, which included three toilet rooms and a shower room, were centered in our car. We didn’t use the shower/changing room, but it seemed Complimentary tea and coffee were readily available upstairs in our car, too! The kids enjoyed hot chocolate.
The only time we needed to move to a separate car was to spend some time in the Lounge. We ate dinner and snacks there when we were able.
Dinner
We’d selected a 7:00PM dinner at check-in and it gave us ample time to enjoy the scenery before the sun went down around 5:45PM. It seemed to be perfect timing for our family.
We headed to the Lounge and our attendant delivered our dinner to our table. This was a COVID adjustment as there is typically a Dining Car with full-service meals.
Our drink choices were dropped off first.
The offerings included a flat-iron steak, pan-roasted chicken breast, tortellini, and salmon. All entrées were served with a roll and vegetables. Children could choose from an all-beef hot dog or macaroni and cheese. Dessert options included cheesecake, chocolate torte, carrot cake, vanilla ice cream, and sugar-free gelatin.
We ordered the steak, the tortellini with pesto cream, and the macaroni and cheese. For dessert, we ordered cheesecake, carrot cake, and vanilla ice cream.
The food was good and the portions were large. The kids’ macaroni and cheese, broiled in small pans, was our favorite!
One pleasant surprise at meal time was that I was also able to order a complimentary glass of wine! I had the chardonnay.
Full and sleepy, we headed back to our car to relax until bedtime.
Sleeping on the Auto Train
Retrieving our toiletries and making our way to the shared bathrooms to prepare for bedtime was not as complicated as I thought. There were multiple restrooms on our car and we quickly returned with our teeth brushed and faces washed.
Auto Train beds are turned down and made with a pillow, sheets, and a blanket that is thin, yet warm. It is fleece on one side and cotton on the other. I had encouraged my children to bring small fleece blankets with them and we found them useful both as comfort items and for additional warmth. The pillows are flat and I’d recommend bringing an extra if you need a thick one.
Curled up on our bunks, we all fell asleep quickly despite the excitement of the day.
The room was suitably dark, but there was a thin line of light that shone from the door to the rest of the car. We put a bag in front of it to block it. There was hardly no traffic outside of our room and the hum of the train drowned out most ambient noise.
I woke once in the night, when the train stopped to change out the conductor. I was quickly back asleep as the train plugged along.
The early morning announcement came… well, early. Instead of 7:00AM, it came at 6:00AM! We were running about 45 minutes ahead of schedule and needed to grab breakfast so our rooms could be turned over. I really didn’t mind; I’d slept surprisingly well on a train and was excited to be in Florida! Once the children were up, we took turns preparing for the day.
Breakfast on the Auto Train
Breakfast was served in the Lounge, grab-and-go style. We received hard-boiled eggs, a banana, our choice of cereal, milk, orange juice, and a coffee cake.
Arrival in Florida
We arrived early at the Sanford station, around 8:00AM instead of 9:00AM. We had to wait to disembark as the platform is not long enough to accommodate the entire set of passenger cars. That took about 15-20 minutes.
We made our way down the platform, through the station, and to the car unloading area. The priority cars were unloaded first, starting around 9:00AM.
Though we were warned it could take up to an hour and a half, our car’s number was called around 9:15 and we were on our way out! We even made it to our resort in Orlando before 10:00AM.
Overall Impression
We really loved our time on the Auto Train. I don’t think I’m built for several days on a train, but 17 hours was just about perfect. The views were spectacular and the time we were awake on the train flew by.
Our favorite thing about this trip was that the travel was part of the fun.
We also liked having our car while on vacation and being able to bring practically anything that could fit. We bought drinks and snacks and didn’t need to make a grocery stop when we arrived in Florida!
I recommend bringing a cooler and a long charging cable for any device you may want to use overnight.
If you’re claustrophobic at all, maybe skip the sleeper. I’m not sure my husband would have made it, but it was crucial for us! I doubt we’d have been as rested or comfortable during our time and arriving tired would have likely ruined the next day. We also would’ve had to wear masks all night long as they are still required on all common areas of trains.
