It appears that I may be in the minority here but we have taken the Auto Train dozens of times and enjoy it quite a bit. We also have found that, unless driving straight thru, for us it's shorter in time than driving. We live approximately 2 hours from Sanford so we do not need to leave for the train station until about noon, it is requested that you get to the station 2 hours before departure which is 4 pm. If the train is on time departing and arriving, which has been for us all but one time you will arrive between 8-9 am, it can take over an hour for your vehicle to be removed from the train so you may not be leaving the station until after 10 am. There is no way I could leave my home in Port St Lucie Fla. at noon and be in Lorton Va. at 9 am the next day with an overnight stop. As I stated earlier you can drive straight thru and get there faster, I have done it, many times, the last time I left at 4:30 pm and was in Philadelphia by 9 am and was so wiped out from the travel that the day was completely a waste to me.
Financially, if you get your trains tickets well in advance, we have calculated it to be about even driving, with an overnight stop, or taking the train (coach) and that is for 2 adults and 2 children.
As for the train itself I have found it to be a pleasure. I have always found the attendants to helpful and courteous and it's always fun conversing with others that you meet on the trip. My children love it! When they were younger it was so much easier on them not to be stuck in a car seat for 18 hours. They could get up and move around and my daughter always seemed to make a new friend. It's not always so but we have noticed when assigning seats the Auto Train tries to keep the train cars segregated to families with children and separate cars of adults traveling without children as much as possible. The coach seats are comparable to a first class airline seat. They do recline but for some it may not be enough for an enjoyable night sleep. If you can sleep in a recliner then you will have no problem at all. If you get lucky enough, as we have on some occasions, the train car will not be completely fully so you can move to a space where you can stretch out and occupy both seats. The only thing my wife has complained about is on occasion after getting off the train she said she still had the sensation that she was still moving and rocking, such as when you get off a boat that you've been on all day, and this comes from a roller coaster nut so she is not really prone to motion problems, it has not been a problem, she doesn't feel nausas or sick just an observation and something she has mentioned in the past. As for a rough ride, your on a train what do expect, but we're not talking about a roller coaster either, sometimes walking can be challenging after a few glasses of the complimentary wine at dinner though. I have never really experienced anything more than the gentle rocking back and forth myself. My final take on it is you should really try it at least once if not for anything else but to say you have tried it. It's most likely is not for everyone, especially for the one just can't get there quick enough, but if you want to slow down just a bit and enjoy the journey you just may find that you can't see why you didn't do this before.
