NY to Florida by train

On 01/20/2004 4:14 AM Lasitha plucked Senior Frog's Magic Twanger and said:

Hi,

I will be visiting NY in early April and would like to travel to
Florida (and back) by train. I would like to get an overnight train
with sleeping facilities.
What's the cheapest way of getting Amtrak tickets?. Is the Rail Pass
the best option?.

Thanks for any ideas/suggestions.

Lasitha
London, UK


Lasitha,

Please be advised that the US rail system (Amtrak) is sadly not up to
the same standards as the British Rail System. A trip to Florida could
be grueling even in one of the better sleeper cars. You won't really
see much of the country either. A large portion of the rail route goes
through industrial and abandoned factory sites, or depressed
neighborhoods. There are some exceptions but not a whole lot.

If you are a rail enthusiast, direct your rail interests to one of the
scenic trains that go through the midwest and western states, or
Alaska. Those experiences will be much more rewarding. As for New York
to Florida, there are many no frills airlines like ATA that will get you
there for less time and money.

--
________
To email me, Edit "xt" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

Brian K wrote in message link.net...
On 01/20/2004 4:14 AM Lasitha plucked Senior Frog's Magic Twanger and said:

Hi,

I will be visiting NY in early April and would like to travel to
Florida (and back) by train. I would like to get an overnight train
with sleeping facilities.
What's the cheapest way of getting Amtrak tickets?. Is the Rail Pass
the best option?.

Thanks for any ideas/suggestions.

Lasitha
London, UK


Lasitha,

Please be advised that the US rail system (Amtrak) is sadly not up to
the same standards as the British Rail System. A trip to Florida could
be grueling even in one of the better sleeper cars. You won't really
see much of the country either. A large portion of the rail route goes
through industrial and abandoned factory sites, or depressed
neighborhoods. There are some exceptions but not a whole lot.

If you are a rail enthusiast, direct your rail interests to one of the
scenic trains that go through the midwest and western states, or
Alaska. Those experiences will be much more rewarding. As for New York
to Florida, there are many no frills airlines like ATA that will get you
there for less time and money.

Brian,

Thanks very much for the info. I didn't realise the train took that
long to travel the 1000 miles or so.

I am now considering flying or driving. The cheapest fare I've found
was on SEAL (www.flyseal.com). ATA seems to be much more expensive.
Are there any other airlines that have low cost fares from NY to
Florida?.

Lasitha

US Airways often has low fares from Philadelphia (PHL) to most points
in Florida. Recently they had a $138 r/t sale, and normally they run
around $180 or so. It's easy to take Amtrak from NYC to Philadelphia
and then catch a train to the airport.

FYI, US Airways is the dominant carrier on the east coast, and
probably has the most flights to Florida, so it's worth looking into.
Plus, on their site you can search by lowest fare.

I am now considering flying or driving. The cheapest fare I've found
was on SEAL (www.flyseal.com). ATA seems to be much more expensive.
Are there any other airlines that have low cost fares from NY to
Florida?.

Lasitha

In article . net,
Brian K wrote:

Please be advised that the US rail system (Amtrak) is sadly not up to
the same standards as the British Rail System. A trip to Florida could
be grueling even in one of the better sleeper cars. You won't really
see much of the country either. A large portion of the rail route goes
through industrial and abandoned factory sites, or depressed
neighborhoods. There are some exceptions but not a whole lot.

I did the NY-Florida trip a couple of times in the 1980s (sleeping while
sitting in coach). The Florida part of the trip had mostly pleasant
(although not spectacular) scenery between Jacksonville and West Palm
Beach. South of West Palm Beach the route mostly has the I-95 expressway
on one side and light industry on the other.

--
Jon Bell Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA

If you are considering flying to Florida and back check out Southwest and
Airtran. I can not say how the flights are on Airtran as I haven't flown
them as of yet. But comparing a round trip from Baltimore MD to Burlington
AL. using Southwest outbound and USAIR on the return I prefer Southwest. I
have flown Southwest multiple times and have found them to provide the most
direct and no stop flights.

Hope this helps
Frank