OUR OVERNIGHT AMTRAK EXPERIENCE FROM NEW YORK TO ORLANDO

Travelling on an overnight train is such a fun experience, which is why we jumped at the opportunity to take the Viewliner II from New York all the way to Orlando, Florida.

After saying goodbye to the Big Apple, we made our way to Penn Station to catch our train. Once we arrived, we grabbed our tickets and went to wait in the Amtrack lounge (passes were included since we booked a sleeper car).

We heard the conductor call our train and we went down to the tracks to start our journey!

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The Train

We hopped aboard, unloaded our bags, and explored what would be our home for the next 24 hours. There wasn’t much to see, although the Viewliner II did have a dining car. And with our tickets, all our meals were complimentary – including snacks and drinks.

We heard that in non-COVID times, food would be served on plates with nice cutlery. But instead, we got prepackaged meals which were still nothing to complain about!

Although our experience was a little different due to the pandemic (there weren’t any other guests in the dining car with us), we were still able to enjoy several nice meals together as a family.

The Room

You can book three different types of tickets on the Viewliner II – a seat, a roomette, and a bedroom. As it was a 24-hour ride, we opted for the bedroom for more space and comfort (especially since we had a toddler).

Our private room had tons of space, with a sofa and chair that converts into bunk-style beds. The lower bunk was quite large, which you don’t usually find on other sleeper trains. It was great to sprawl out and sightsee during the day and have plenty of space for three people to sleep at night.

But best of all, we had a private bathroom and shower (towels and toiletries included), which meant we didn’t have to share the toilet with hundreds of other guests on the train! And being able to shower before we arrived in Orlando after such a long journey was a huge blessing.

The Ride

Boarding the train was easy, and it took off from the station a few minutes after we got on. We wandered through the halls, ate a few meals in the dining car, and spent a lot of time hanging out together in our room.

To be honest, it was hard to sleep through the night. However, it was much better than it would have been in a regular seat, which we're very happy about.

The next morning, we had breakfast and coffee (which was much needed). Then we showered and changed and went back to the dining car for lunch. With just a few hours until our arrival in Orlando, the three of us were almost too excited to eat. But overall, we made it to Florida full, refreshed, and ready to tackle our next adventure!

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