Using the holidays to give the kids an Amtrak experience

In our quest to hit the major Orlando amusement parks and spend time with my parents in South Florida, we decided to fly into Orlando before the holidays, have fun at Universal Studios, take an Amtrak to South Florida for Christmas, and then drive back up to Orlando afterward. We can officially say we experienced our own version of Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

It may seem strange, but I have never had an opportunity to bring the kids onto a train trip, so our travel south was a new experience for them.

I set up the trip on Amtrak’s website with reserved seating so we wouldn’t have to battle for seats together. I’m really glad since there were a lot of people taking the train for the holidays. I sat with Jordan while Randy sat across the aisle with Cameron. Both kids got to sit by a window. (Yay, no fighting!) The trip from Orlando to the Ft. Lauderdale area on the Silver Star is long since it includes a stop in Tampa first, but the kids enjoyed how they had a lot of space, their own plugs for the iPads and the chance to walk over to the food car and get something yummy. Jordan stubbornly managed to stay upright while walking back with a pile of food in her arms.

The travel was slow, but it was a great chance to knock out holiday postcards (until I realized I left them in my seat after I left the train station), the kids had some quiet time and Jordan and I loved looking out at the different terrain, especially the orange groves. We had a fantastic attendant and it wasn’t too difficult to get our luggage from the last car before my dad picked us up. A drive to my parents would have taken about three and a half hours while the train ride took seven and a half. But we saved money by not renting a car and we didn’t have a bad time. It was quiet and new for the kids. I’m not sure when they will consider traveling by train without a sleeper car (and that would mean an overnight trip… I’m not sure when and where we would go). But I’m glad we gave it a try!