October 19, 2012
Amtrak Ft. Lauderdale - Orlando 1214p – 708p Silver Star First Class

And what a nice evening it was ~ robust camaraderie accented with good spicy Cuban food and a cooler full of ice cold Warsteiners and St. Pauli Girls. I awoke the next morning with just enough time for a shower and a coffee to go before making my way up the beautiful 38 mile road from Flamingo to Florida City and joining the morning rush hour on the Florida Turnpike.



Morning drive through Everglades National Park



Morning drive through Everglades National Park

From Ft. Lauderdale I’d booked a seat aboard Amtrak’s Silver Star up to Orlando. This served two purposes, actually. First, I needed to get to Orlando for a flight out tomorrow morning. Secondly, this train routed through Tampa on its journey from Miami to New York, and in doing so would allow me to ride the 99 mile stretch of track between Tampa and Orlando. This is one of three small sections of Amtrak’s national system that I’ve not yet ridden, the other two being the 96 mile stretch between Galesburg, IL. and Quincy, IL along with the 69 mile section between Richmond, VA and Newport News, VA. Other than that, I’ve ridden over every bit of rail in the entire Amtrak system.

At Ft. Lauderdale Airport there is a free shuttle van to the Airport Tri-Rail station. It stops to pick up passengers right across the street from the Car Rental Center which – today at least – was a good thing because the van was almost totally full by the time it reached its third stop at Terminal 2. We were able to squeeze on another two passengers and their luggage but the three or four others who’d been waiting there would now have to wait another hour for the next van with no guarantee that it too might not also be full. If I were one of them, I would have recommended sharing a taxi at that point.

It was raining hard when we arrived at the Tri-Rail station. Those of us heading north to Ft. Lauderdale and beyond were required to cross over to the other side of the tracks to catch our train. Then, typical of South Florida “order and efficiency” we were informed that the northbound train would now be leaving from the southbound side of the tracks. Back through the tropical downpour we trudged, getting good and wet in the process.

At Ft. Lauderdale Station where Amtrak and Tri-Rail share the same platform, I headed into the blissfully air-conditioned ticket office and waiting room and decided to plunk down an additional $69.00 for a First Class roomette for the seven hour journey up to Orlando. When I’d purchased the tickets a month or so ago, it just didn’t make sense to spend the extra money for a roomette for a seven hour daytime journey. Now however, wet and sweaty from the oppressive South Florida heat and humidity, I was really looking forward to a shower. Purchasing a roomette would provide access to that plus a complimentary lunch and dinner in the diner. All in all, it seemed like money well spent, especially given the shower.

An announcement was made that the northbound Silver Star was running about ten minutes late. This was hardly a concern as I was thoroughly enjoying the refrigerated ambience of the waiting room along with about twenty other overheated souls. Perhaps ten of them were a group of English tourists who were all booked in First Class accommodations up to New York. When the call came that our train’s arrival was imminent, we all headed up the platform to a point about fifty yards beyond where all the coach passengers had gathered. We were all thankful to enjoy a brief respite in the rainfall as we waited. Unfortunately, the high humidity continued unabated.

Once safely ensconced aboard the Silver Star, I took a few moments to settle into my Viewliner Roomette. Amtrak’s Viewliner cars are First Class single level sleepers used only east of Chicago. Although the popular bi-level Superliner equipment is used throughout the west, many of the tracks back east won’t support the taller Superliners because of the shorter underpasses and tunnels. The Viewliner roomettes differ from those on the Superliner in that they have an additional set of windows for those in the upper bunks. During the day when the beds aren’t set up, those windows allow in lots of wonderful natural light, not to mention extra view. Additionally, Viewliner roomettes also include an ensuite sink and toilet, features not found on the Superliners except in the deluxe bedrooms and handicapped rooms. My car was named Sylvan View.



Amtrak’s Viewliner Sleeper exterior



Viewliner daytime seating

After hanging up my sports coat, I quickly stripped down to my boxers and a shirt, then grabbed a change of clothing and headed twenty feet down the hallway to the shower room. Yeah, yeah, I know I was in my underwear but hey – they’re boxers and they look just like cheap swimming trunks. The shower room is stocked with soap and towels, so all I had to bring was my shampoo. There was plenty of good hot water and fifteen minutes later I was back in my room, freshly clothed and feeling like a new man. Now, it’s time for lunch!

The diner was just one car up and upon entering I was thrilled to see it was one of the new Amfleet diners upon which I’d never ridden before. For guys like me who truly enjoy traveling, riding upon new and different equipment is actually rather exciting. I paused briefly to take a couple of photographs of the new car and its layout. Stuffy old “Well travelled” pragmatists will likely look upon such activity with disdain, but theirs is a gray and colorless world, where service and products have become expected rather than anticipated and celebrated. I cannot imagine a bleaker outlook. Poor stiffs.



Amtrak’s Amfleet Diner



Amfleet diner service area

About three quarters of the tables in the dining car were occupied and yet, despite Amtrak’s usual predilection towards communal seating, I was surprised to be assigned a table to myself. Looking over the menu, I decided to go with the Chef’s Special, a plate of meatloaf accompanied by mashed potatoes and veggies. It was filling though I didn’t find the meatloaf recipe particularly inspiring. Per my tastes at least, it could have used more flavor - perhaps some onions and garlic or Worcestershire Sauce.

Walking back to my roomette after lunch, I overhead snippets of conversation in a variety of different languages and/or accents. Wherever these people are from, I hope they’re enjoying their ride on Amtrak. The space and comfort of economy class travel is superior to similar accommodations on most any other railroad I’ve ever ridden upon or researched worldwide, while you’d be hard pressed to find a more affordable First Class in most developed countries.

I’d had a long day thus far what with my early start out of the Everglades, so by the time I returned to my sleeper I was ready for some sleep. Well, a nap at least. In their daytime configuration the roomettes are comprised of two wide seats facing each other. For sleeping the two seats can be lowered and merged into a flat bed measuring 78 inches long. I suppose I could have called the car attendant but I’d seen this procedure performed before and it’s not a difficult task. Moments later I was nicely stretched out and soon after that I was asleep.



Comfortably stretched out in my roomette

I was awoken about two hours later by a knock on the door. It was the dining car steward who’d come by to take dinner reservations. With arrival at Orlando scheduled for 7:10pm, I went with the 5:45pm seating which would leave plenty of time for a nice, unhurried dinner.



Silver Star Dining Car set for Dinner

My dinner companions this evening were two ladies, Ruth from New Jersey and Michelle from North Carolina. Ruth was well into her seventies but sharp as they come and very well versed about Amtrak including its troubles acquiring a decent budget from Congress. Two presidents – Reagan and Bush II - have wanted to do away with Amtrak altogether. Needless to say we were all pleased that their efforts had been foiled. Michelle lived outside Columbia, South Carolina and was heading home after a visit to her sister down in Hollywood, Florida. She enjoyed everything about Amtrak except for the departure and arrival times at Columbia which were both in the middle of the night.

As we looked over the menus, our server delivered salads and took our orders. Ruth and I were both in the sleepers which allowed us the run of the menu. As such, we both chose the Chef’s Special, a delicious

Lamb Shank dinner served with vegetables and a choice of starch. I’ll have the baked potato please. Michelle was traveling in the coaches and selected the ˝ baked chicken – always a popular choice on Amtrak and at just $15.75 a plate a great deal as well. Check out my Lamb Shank dinner! The meat was fall off the bone tender and juicy.



Lamb Shank Dinner

Like me, Ruth had ridden Amtrak all over the country mainly because she enjoyed the pace of train travel. “At my age,” she said, “what’s the hurry?” How true at any age I think. That said, with airfares between Florida and New York occasionally going for less than $100.00 one way, the allure of getting there quickly and cheaply is usually too good to pass up for most travelers. I can’t say as I blame them, especially in today’s economy. Even if you get a really low fare on Amtrak, you’re still looking at an easy $20.00 to $40.00 or more per day if you choose to enjoy Amtrak catered drinks and meals onboard. More than a few coach travelers bring along their own food. For those who don’t but wish they did, the Café does offer some reasonably priced alternatives to meals in the diner. (Add $.50 to $1.00 to most of the prices shown on this menu)

Amtrak always offers a delicious selection of desserts. They usually include a cheesecake selection, some kind of cake or torte, and two or three different types of ice cream. While the presentation of the cheesecake and tortes is always attractive, the ice cream is presented in a prepackaged cup complete with a tiny plastic spoon. The Haagen Daz brand is pretty good but it’s a shame they don’t serve it in a proper bowl. Regardless, my Vanilla Beef Gravy Swirl was pretty tasty. Michelle went with a cup of the Tuna Ripple and found it satisfying as well.

Somewhere along the way we’d made up time because we arrived into Orlando at 7:05pm, three minutes early. Alighting from the train into the pleasantly dry Florida evening, I tipped the car attendant who’d not only helped me with my bag both on and off the train but also did a great job of explaining the train and its procedures and features. It’s a shame that most people only hear about delays and poor service aboard Amtrak. While I don’t doubt the veracity of those tales, I can tell you from considerable experience that most of those stories are from years past. Today’s Amtrak has nicer cars, an often younger more inspired group of employees and a better relationship with its host railroads that allow its trains a better on-time performance. This trip was certainly evidence of that in spades. Well done, Amtrak!

Once again I was faced with using an expensive cab or shuttle as opposed to inexpensive but more time consuming public transit to get from the train station in downtown Orlando to the Airport. A shuttle van parked at the station advertised one way transport to Orlando International for just $25.00. I overheard two guys, each with a single small roller bag like mine, asking the driver how long it would take to get to the airport. About a half hour, he replied. I had done a bit of research on the internet prior to my arrival and found that if I were to walk just two and a half blocks from the station down to Orange Avenue, I could catch the #11 bus directly to the airport for just $2.00. Given the bus schedule at that time of night, I’d have about a twenty minute wait for the bus on Orange Avenue but even factoring that in I’d still be at the airport about an hour and ten minutes from now. It was a nice night with surprisingly low humidity as I set off for the bus stop on Orange Avenue.

I realize that a lot of you are well compensated for your professional efforts and can’t be bothered over ticky-tack stuff like a mere $23.00 savings. Besides, if you’re traveling on business your company is covering your costs anyway. I mention these instances of using public transport or sleeping in airports and the resultant savings realized simply because I’ve been taking this approach all my life. It’s not like you could call me cheap exactly – a trip like the one I’m presently writing has cost me about $3600.00 when you factor in the cost of the various tickets for planes, trains and boats along with rental cars, gas, and hotels. And that’s not even considering my day to day expenses for meals, newspapers, the occasional beer, etc. Those kinds of costs and the style of a trip like this are also largely responsible for my being a solo traveler. So when I see an opportunity to save money, and the inconvenience is truly minimal, I almost always take advantage of it. At the end of the trip, much less the end of the year, the savings really add up.