Traveling from Sanford Auto Train to Terminal -- How Long?

[DisneyPoly]

Has anyone traveled to the Ship after leaving Auto Train in Sanford? If so, could you give me some idea of time? Thanks!

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

I have a map and directions at my web site.

www.dcltribute.com/directions/autotrain.htm

About 5 miles of city streets and 61 miles of expressways.

 

[DisneyPoly]

Thanks Dave! I knew you would be the one to know!!!!

 

[gometros]

I did this trip in November. It took us one hour door to door. The Beeline is 70mph most of hte way, which really helped.

 

[DisneyPoly]

Thanks gometros. What time did you arrive at terminal, if you remember.

 

[gometros]

That's easy. We arrived at 2:30. By that time, there weren't as many people checking in and we were processed within five minutes and on board, in our stateroom, by 3:00.

 

[DisneyPoly]

gometros -- thanks for the info. Did you feel the pressure to arrive at the ship by 12:00? It seems every thread I read says that you should be there first thing. Do you know the exact time you "have" to be there? I'm concerned that if the train is a little late, we will be going crazy.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[gometros]

Yes, I felt the pressure and I never expected to get there past 12:00. The two previous times we cruised Disney, we drove and were on board with the first cruisers each time. I wanted to be on board for two reasons - Palos and the spa. I wasn't really nervous about missing the ship. I believe you have until 4:00 to board. I was nervous about not getting the reservation times I wanted. My fears were unfounded though. We got the dinner seating and the day we wanted at Palos and even though our choices were limited with the cabana massages, we were able to reserve those as well. Mind you, this was for the 7-day cruise where there are more nights to eat at Palos, so I'm sure that helps.

The only thing we really missed by boarding so late, was the welcome aboard buffet. I wanted to eat in Parrot Cay this time, just for a change of pace. It closed at 2:00. The buffet at Topsiders still was going strong, but since we had the early seating, we didn't want to kill our appetite.

 

[DisneyPoly]

Do you mind me asking how come you arrived later? Was the train late? Were the cars being unloaded delayed? These are all things I am considering having had both good and bad experiences with the AutoTrain. Overall, I love it, but there have been times we were late.

 

[gometros]

Of course I don't mind. We were stopped for three hours in the middle of the night due to a train ahead of us having mechanical problems. A crane had to be brought in to lift the train off of the tracks. Then , because we were late, we had to stop south of Jacksonville to get a new train crew. Federal regulations do not allow crews to work longer than 12-hour shifts. We pulled into Sanford at 12:15, got off the train at 12:30 and didn't get our car until 1:30 (Murphy's Law: When you are in a rush, your car will be one of the last ones off of the train.)

 

[islandhoppers]

Hi everyone,

We're thinking about using the autotrain for an upcoming cruise this April and were wondering if anyone had an suggestions on how to get the lowest fare? Right now the best rate I've found is the AAA discount of 10%.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions.

Thanks!!

JoAnn

 

[DisneyPoly]

Hi islandhoppers!

We've traveled Amtrak's Auto Train in the past -- as you probably have read from my postsa. In the past, I have found that there have been Spring discounts, they usually come in the form of a mailing received or keep checking their website. I don't know if it will occur this year due to the boost in their travel attendance. But, if memory serves me correctly, they usually discount the trip one way (I think it's northbound). If I hear anything, I'll be sure to post.