Many Americans physically travel by train tracks daily, but never stop to actually contemplate traveling on a passenger train. The purpose of this blog post will be to assist you with planning the basics for train travel to Orlando Florida. Moreover, now that you’ve considered traveling by train, we hope you’ll also choose to stay in an Orlando vacation home rental.

– Just as modern train travel is growing and being considered by millions of Americans, vacation home rentals are fast becoming an alternative to traditional hotels.

How Do I Book Train Travel to Orlando?

The first preliminary step for booking travel is to take a look at the Amtrak train travel schedule. In terms of time and unless your plans are very flexible, the Silver Service line serving Florida and the Eastern seaboard will be your best bed. Click here for the Amtrak Silver Service to Florida details and fare schedule.

The Silver Service line extends from New York’s Penn Station to the north all the way to Miami in the south. There are approximately 44 stops in between including Philadelphia, Richmond, Charleston, Jacksonville and Tampa Florida. If you are convenient to some of the Mid Atlantic and coastal destinations, the Silver Service may be feasible for you.

If you are looking at booking train travel to Orlando, there are actually 3 stops in Central Florida. These are Winter Park, Orlando and Kissimmee. Orlando is a large station and is located at 1400 Sligh Boulevard in Orlando. The one that may be more appropriate for you if traveling to Disney will be Kissimmee. This smaller station was built in 1910 and is located in the Kissimmee Downtown District at 111 East Dakin Avenue. Although the local schedules vary, it will take approximately 25 hours to travel from Kissimmee to New York’s Penn Station. Consult the Amtrak schedules for specific times and dates.

What Amenities Are Onboard the Train?

Depending upon what arrangements one selects, there are plenty of amenities to make your train travel more comfortable. In the smaller private Viewliner roomette:

  • Soap and shower amenities
  • Climate control in the cab
  • Personal service including turndown
  • Fresh towels and bed linens

The larger Viewliner bedroom includes all of these services plus an additional sitting area. Both accommodations include a lounge area and dining car onboard. Wireless internet will be available on Florida legs of the trip.

How Much is Train Travel Relative to Air Travel to Florida?

We did several searches on some popular travel sites. If you do choose to upgrade to the Viewliner roomette accommodations for such a longer trip from New York to Florida, the train travel will cost you more. Again, this would include an upgraded private overnight bedroom for 2 persons.

Keep in mind that there are special discounts for seniors, military personnel, and kids ages to 2 to 15. Kids can travel at a significant discount. Check the Amtrak website for the full pricing schedules.

Other Florida Train Travel Considerations

Hertz Car rentals are available by reservation in both the Kissimmee and Orlando Amtrak stations. We strongly recommend you call Hertz in advance to make sure your rental car is waiting for you upon arrival at your selected train station.

amtrack orlando kissimmee

Amtrak Orlando Kissimmee

The other recommendation has to do with planning your actual itinerary. This post has been provided as a starting point, and that there are alternatives to traveling by air. We suggest you take advantage of the online “virtual assistant” for planning your train travel to Orlando. Prices do change frequently and there may be options I have not mentioned here.  Although it does take longer to travel by train for many travellers, the experience will be unique and one that you will rememeber for a lifetime.

Orlando Vacation Home Rentals – A Viable Alternative to Hotels

Check-out why vacation rentals are a fast growing alternative to hotels. They offer comfort, space and value especially when you have 4 or more traveling together. The Orlando Vacation Homes 360 site (OVH 360) is organized as a booking resource for reservations along with details on over 70 resort communities. Give the friendly and knowledgeable team at OVH 360 a call (407-966-4144 or 1-888-926-0551 toll free) if you have any questions or need help planning your vacation home stay in Central Florida.