BTW.....I finished what I was working on this afternoon, so out of curiosity I looked to see what the one-way train fares are if you wanted to head down to spring training two days before the first home game on March 5. I set the departure date for Tuesday, March 3, not March 4, because it's an overnight ride and if the train is substantially late, you risk being late for a 1:05 PM game in Viera.
Bear in mind that just like the airlines, the fares vary depending on how heavily booked the train is. Mid-March is spring break time, so weekend trains may be especially in demand with people going to or from the beaches or Disney World. Also, Easter is April 5 next year so you can expect the trains the weekend before that to be busy. (The last game in Viera this coming spring is March 31.)
With no discounts:
Cost to bring an ordinary car that day is $239.00
Cost for two adults combined in coach class is $212.00 (this is the "base fare" for the passenger—the sleeping accommodation costs listed below represent the upcharge above coach class)
Total in coach class is thus $451.00
Add $143.00 for the Superliner Roomette ($594.00 total)
Add $322.00 for the Superliner Bedroom ($773.00 total.....usually we find the Bedroom is cheaper than this, so maybe there's heavy demand that week)
Add $378.00 for the Family Bedroom ($829.00 total....usually the Family Bedroom costs a lot more than the Superliner Bedroom. There was only one left that day)
It isn't offering the handicap-accessible room. As I noted in a prior post, the accommodation charge is a single charge per reservation. If you have two people, only one of them pays for the room.
AAA saves you 10% on the base passenger fare only—no discount on the charge for your vehicle or the sleeping accommodation. So in this case, with AAA you subtract $21.20 from each of the above amounts. Note that you have to produce a AAA card for each person you book as a "AAA Adult." When I go to the station to make the reservation, I have to get Ms1995hoo to give me her AAA card so I have both of them. They do ask to see them. I don't know how it works if you book online because I've never done that.
I compare the cost of driving by figuring if I take the most direct route south, it would be about 860 miles (two tweaks: I-295 around Richmond adds distance but saves time; I-295 around the east side of Jacksonville is similar and adds a scenic bridge). I never take the most direct route. But on an 860-mile drive, I'd fill the tank before leaving and then fill it again somewhere in South Carolina. If gas is $3.50 a gallon (my car takes premium) and I put in 15 gallons, that's $52.50 per fillup, so $105 for gas. (I usually wind up putting in a third tank of gas because I never take the most direct route. On the Interstate I can usually get around 410 to 430 miles per tank before my yellow light comes on.) Breakfast at McDonald's somewhere near Hopewell or Petersburg would run maybe $15 for two people. Lunch somewhere in South Carolina at a fast-food would be around another $20. Overnight stop in Georgia or near Jacksonville ought to run around $100 for an ordinary Hampton Inn. Since we hit the road around 7:00 AM, we try to stop around 6:00 PM or so to allow time for a leisurely dinner at a sit-down restuarant. Figure $75 to $100 for dinner. Breakfast at the hotel the next morning if we're at a Hampton Inn. We may or may not need to get lunch depending on how far we made it before the overnight stop, so that would be another $20. So the cost for driving is around $360 if you count two tanks of gas, closer to $410 if you figure three tanks. Maybe add another $10 for soda from a vending machine at a rest area or some such.
So the cost of driving compared to coach class on the train is actually pretty damn close, bearing in mind the train fare includes dinner and a continental breakfast. Amtrak has pretty good coffee, BTW. If you find some way to account for the value of your time spent driving versus reading or sleeping on the train, the train might in theory be cheaper.
