Advice on Amtrak

I haven't taken the train but looked into it when my daughter was quite young because I was worried about taking her on a plane. I am not sure how much it costs to go to Florida but when I was looking I found the price to go from Delaware to Minnesota much much more expensive than taking a plane and getting a rental car.

I would do some price checking on line you might be surprised how little you can fly for. Also my husband and I use priceline to get cheap rental car rates.

As for traveling with car seats, check out gogobabyz.com. They sell this attachment that goes on most car seats that turns the car seat into a wheeled car seat. We travel with ours all the time and wheel our two little ones through the airport right in their carseats. We then check them at the gate which has no cost compared to checking them with regular luggage.

Whichever way you choose to go, goodluck.

We took Amtrak from MSP to Chicago and then rented a car from Chicago to visit family in Indiana.

Taking the train is MUCH better than driving with little ones. We took our 6 month old (at the time). Like the last person said, there is tons of room at your seats and you can take a cooler with you and just about anything else you need. You will need to read Amtrak's policy on carry-on luggage and checked luggage. I would highly suggest getting a cabin for such a LONG trip. You will want to sleep in a bed and you will want your little ones to nap easily. Taking the train will take longer than driving, but can be a lot easier depending on your children's attitude and behavior in a car.

Even if you rent a cabin, you can still sit in the general coach sections while traveling. There is a snack/observation car which is a lot of fun to hang out in. They have tables where families can sit and eat or play games. The snacks are pizza, burgers, etc. that are microwaved and expensive. The dining car is nice but also very expensive. With a family of 4 you will get your own table, otherwise they put people together to fill a table (we shared a table with two other men).

Everyone can go between cars very easily and safely. Every car has a bathroom that is decently sized...but similar to an airplane restroom.

They have water fountains that you can fill a cup with on each of the cars. And at every set of seats (2 on each side), there is an electric plug-in for you to use your laptops or DVD players. They have some seats that face each other so you can sit across from your family.

When you board, you get to sit where you want to and move around if you choose. You will just have to take your paper tickets that they give you and place overhead of you with you (if you move).

You may really want to compare prices. Now with Southwest flying out of MSP, it is much cheaper to fly. If you fly, take the car seats with you on the flight and put the kiddos in them.

If you take the train and plan to rent a car when you get there, I'd highly recommend "renting" the carseats from the car rental places. There is no need to take them on the train.

If you have any more questions about Amtrak or flying, let me know. We've done it more times than I would have liked to!

I don't know about taking a train, but as far as flying goes we have left our car seats at home and rented them from the same place we rented our car. Much easier then having to drag them along! If you can find a decent price, flying to Florida isn't that long of a trip. We've done it several times with two young kids. As long as you go prepared with activities for the kids to do while you're on the plane it shouldn't be any big deal.

Hi. We've flown with our kiddos a couple times. The first time out daughter was 8 months old. We did NOT purchase a seat for her. Just rented a carseat from the same place we rented the car. The second trip was when our daughter was 2 1/2 and our son was about 6 months. She had her own seat that time but our son did not. We again, rented the carseats from the car rental place. We are going to FL again in Jan and the kids will be 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. We will NOT be bringing the carseats this time either. I think it's just easier to fly and the price can be reasonable if you watch. Good luck.

You still won't have carseats with you though if you take the train :(

We just did the Amtrak Train from Mpls./St.Paul to Chicago last Thanksgiving with a 7yr.old and a Newborn. We loved it! There is SSoooooooo much room where you sit. I was able to put to sit in my chair have it reclined and still fit my newborn in her infant carseat in front of my feet. My 7yr.old played on the floor in front of our seats when she got bored. My fiance walked my daughter around to the observatory deck and to the snackbar. There is bathrooms the whole works. There is a dining car to eat in like a restaurant but it's very expsensive. You can bring your own food on or get things from the snack bar though. If your going on a really long trip I would highly recommend a sleeper car worth the extra little bit of money. More privacy etc.

I can email you pictures of my family on the train if your trying to see what it looks like or how much room you actually have. We just did regular coach seats. We went during a very very busy Holiday week and only paid $300 for round trip tix for a family of 4.

We had a great experiance on the train, way better than being cramped in a car with lil ones. I absolutely loved the view and scenery we got to see while riding the train it was a awesome experiance for my older daughter.

We didn't need carseats on the train because there isn't a need. No seatbelts to install them with. My 7yr.old was out of her seat more than she was in it, and my infant was on the floor infront of my feet in her infant seat.