Does anyone here travel by train?

[JSD]

I tried to navigate through Amtracks website but it's under construction and limited. I just have a couple questions:

- What's the cost for tickets? I was looking to travel with my wife and son (2 years old) from Boston to North Carloina.

- How do you go about booking a trip?

- How long does it take to get on the train after arrival? I'm looking to avoid the molestation of flying so I was curious about this.

- What's the experience like?

- How's the food?


TP's to the helpful

[TheGreenMonster]

I travel by train to work every day.....unfortunately I'm in Scotland so I'm of no real use to you 

[JSD]

I travel by train to work every day.....unfortunately I'm in Scotland so I'm of no real use to you 

well TP anyway

[RJ87]

Whoa, you're in for a long train ride lol. It's not the cheapest either (from Boston to NC, it'd probably be around $300 round trip for 1 adult). Try calling South Station or the Amtrak customer service line to book tickets if you can't do so on the site.

You could definitely get there about 20-30 mins before boarding time. Security is not as stringent as flying.

Food is meh. If you can pack snacks, I'd recommend it. I know from NYC it's about a 12 hr ride to NC, so I'd figure it's about a 15 hr ride from Boston. 

[D.o.s.]

Echoing RJ, you should be able to call/pop in to South Station and get a price quote.

If I have the time, trains are my preferred way to travel.

Longest I've ever spent on a train ride was ~44 hours. I was by myself, so I just read a bunch of books.

[slamtheking]

take the commuter rail every day to Boston.  See the people getting off Amtrak at Backbay.  not too many look happy when they get off.  take that for what you will

[Cman]

I've done NY-Boston and NY-Philadelphia a bunch. It is really easy. Getting to the station 30 mins early is all you need to do. Pretty straightforward -- print your ticket out at home or at a kiosk at the station (no need to wait in the long line to talk to an agent at the window, unless you have a problem), and watch the big board for the track announcement. There is no security to go through or anything like that.

A few other notes:
(1) It will probably be cheaper for you all to fly to NC, and it will certainly be faster.

(2) The portion of the trip along the CT coastline is really pretty, always a highlight for me.

(3) The food is pretty meh, and overpriced, though my dad happens to love the cheeseburgers. You can bring your own food onto the train.

(4) Not sure if this is of interest to you or not, but Amtrak does serve alcohol (again, over priced). I believe you can bring your own with you (at least that seems to be what everyone in NY does), but you might want to confirm.

(5) There is a "quiet car" all the way in the front right behind the business class car, and given you are with a 2-year old you probably won't be welcome there -- just letting you know ahead of time

Best of luck!!