My cousin, Rob, and his bride to be, Karin, decided to forgo the usual rubbery chicken and bad d.j. to get married on a cruise ship, before it leaves on a cruise in the Caribbean. Most of the family is in Canada and are all flying out of Toronto to Miami, but we so do not want to cross the border just to have to go through customs again just to be on the same flight as my parents. Besides, i hate flying and it and to be fraught with hassles these days, particularly in the colder weather.
Today, (e:Uncutsaniflush) had what i think is a brilliant idea. The train! It would take longer than flying. We would travel from Buffalo to New York (8.5 hours) and from New York to Miami (27 hours).
We thought, with such a long trip, that it would be good to get a room... or, as we found out we could get, a Roomette.
Small, but at least it would be private. And what better, someone named Leette making reservations for a roomette! tee hee hee. So, has anyone here ever taken a long train ride and might have any insight, good, bad or indifferent?
And now, the bad news.
My mom emailed us late this afternoon. Their dog, Ralphie, has gone into kidney failure. Poor spoiled puppie... old puppie, but to me, all dogs are puppies. He has to be kept at the vet with an i.v. drip for a while... not sure how long. I think my dad is falling apart over this. I hope he does well, and they can take him home soon. Poor thing has always had anything and everything he has ever wanted, so he is probably stressed out right now... he's never been alone for more than an hour or 2. I hope, too, that my dad can handle having to give him a needle every day... or Subcutaneous Fluid Administration like i did with my friend Mark's cat, Emo.
poor ralphie! (was he named after 'a christmas story'?) couple things. if you don't have passports you can't fly out of toronto into miami. as for trains...i would avoid it. like previous peeps have noted, food sucks, and 27 hours (if on time) is a bitch of a time to spend on a train. i've done several trips, and while they are a step up from the bus, it's no picnic. most of the time they cost more than a plane ticket anyway. i'd really only recommend using this method if you were taking one of those scenic cruisers through the mountains or something. how's your knee??
One time my supposed 16 hour Amtrak trip from South Carolina to Buffalo took 3 days. Including two engine switches and no heat in th middle of freezing winter. At least they gave us blankets or were those towelettes. Eventually, they put us up in a hotel in New York City.
I've only taken shorter train rides; primarily to NYC. I've also taken the bus. I really have no preference and both seem to take about the same amount of time and in my experience kept to the schedule. With the longer trip and that you are leaving for a cruise, schedule in any possible late-factors.
Now.. 27 hrs all the way to Miami? wow. I would totally do it if I had a cool sleeper car!! I would pack a bag or little cooler of munchies for sure. Ooh, if you can, give yourself some time between train transfers so you can roam around the city. I believe that the trains out of Buffalo go into Penn Station. You can hop the subway and hit up a few neat spots before your next departure! Unless ofcourse you have a lot of luggage (didnt think of that till just now) as the station no longer has lockers to store your stuff.
I'm rambling..
whatever you decide, it seems like it will be fun!
Don't do it, man.
There are two trains that run to New York City. The Metroliner/Maple Leaf runs between New York City and Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Toronto. It is usually less than an hour late. The Lake Shore Limited runs between Chicago and New York City, and is known to Amtrak employees as the Late for Sure Limited. It runs an average of 8 hours late. Oh yeah, and the electricity in the cabin cars was out. In December. [I was in a coach car. We only had to deal with a leaky toilet.]
With that track record [pun intended], I would be astonished if you made it to Miami any less than 12 hours late. Oh yeah, and the food is pretty wretched.
- Z
A train-ride is better than doing the greyhounds. I am sure you will have a swell time.
I have been in many a long train ride, but in a different country, so I can't offer you any particular insights here. I imagine trains here would surely be much better than the ones I rode. :)
Aww, I'm sorry about Ralphie. :(
But roomette!!! I have ALWAYS wanted to do that. I think it looks super fun.