Amtrak - Willow Springs,IL

We love taking Amtrak... but only do it rarely. For one thing, the train tickets are often more expensive (even for general seating) than plane tickets. How comfortable it is depends on a lot of things, in part whether:

- you have your own cabin or are in general seating
- if you are in general seating how crowded the seating is
- how much stuff you have to bring with you
- what time of day the train runs to where you are going (here in seattle, there are a lot of places we would go by train, but the only time the train either picks up here OR drops off there is in the middle of the night)

Having driven all over the country, however, why does "everyone" think it's not safe? Does your vehicle need repairs? Do you have to cross a pass with ice in it still?

I have done plenty of long drives with my nieces and I don't know why it wouldn't be considered safe, if you are otherwise a confident driver and have a reliable car.

However, I took the train for a shorter trip (3 hours) not too long ago and OMG it was NICE! WAY better than flying (and the hassles that come with it). I am actually planning an Amtrak trip with my daughter this summer, since she loves trains and it was SUCH a nice experience.
Good luck!

I haven't done Amtrak with my child, but I did it all the time when i was in college and the few years after. My mom takes it frequently when she visits...and we even have to do a bus/train combo on the route we take! I'm sure we've had a delay or 2, but it's almost always been a great experience. My mom took my nephew (4) on a short trip and he LOVED it. :)

I have traveled often on Amtrak and highly recommend it. You and your children are able to get up and move around. You can take snacks/a meal and eat when you want or you can go to the snack/dining car. Personally, I recommend taking your own food. The dining car can be expensive tho, in my experience the food has been good. I've done it both ways. I avoid the snack car. It is expensive and sells the little packaged foods that are easy to take with you.

Riley's list of how comfortable it is is a good list. I've never purchased my own cabin and always sat in general seating. I've found general seating to be comfortable even when it's crowed. You will have less room but you can still get up and move around.

I don't know why driving would not be safe. I've driven cross country and back. Seven hours is not long at all even with kids as long as you take along toys and things for them to do. My granddaughter, at around age 2, and I drove several times for 3-4 hour stretches and she was fine. We did stop a couple of times so that she could get out and run around. And we did stop to eat.

Now a days you can have a cell phone and call for help if you do have car trouble. Several years ago my daughter and I had to stop in an isolated area at night because of car trouble and had to rely on a stranger to see us and stop. He called AAA for us. It turned into an adventure.

You don't say how old your children are or how well they get along. That would make a difference. However, if I had the choice between driving and taking Amtrak with 2 children I would take Amtrak. I recently went to Seattle with a friend and we took Amtrak and enjoyed it.

I took my kids on Amtrak and we loved it. We got general seating. I brought games and snacks but told them we would get one snack on the snack car. They were 4 and 6. I would definitely do it again.

Personally, I've never ridden on Amtrak, but many in my family have. Most of the trips have had at least a delay and at most a disaster. I don't know if I'd go with that option, but others may have better personal experience!