Down to Earth (aka Disney)

The journey begins...

Train cars that got to carry our cars.

     So your arrival is going to begin, as far as I’m concerned, about 5 days before your check in day when you receive the email with your arrival time. I received mine on Thursday, August 27^th and my arrival time is 7:30-8:30 AM. Early, yes, but in my opinion, likely well worth it. From everything I have been told, the earlier your arrival time, the faster check-in and casting go and the quicker you have the opportunity to get fully moved into your apartment. So waking up that early is a small price to pay to enjoy the benefits that (should) come along with it.

     Last night I made sure my car was (for the most part) completely packed, minus the carry-on bags I would be taking on the train with me. I tried to be as minimalist as possible but that is because my car is pretty small, so the less stuffed in it the better. I brought a backpack with my laptop, chargers and a few mags to read. With that I have a duffle bag with my changes of clothes for the next two days rather than trying to dig through my car to get to my suitcase…just much easier.

     A few immediate recommendations if you choose the Auto Train, its hot, but bring sweatpants, a hoody and a pillow. The train can be a bit chilly at first, and especially overnight, I was frozen and it was no fun. Also consider bringing a change of comfortable clothes to wear on the train, it will make your trip much less miserable. Lastly, reach out on Facebook to see who else is taking the Auto Train, trust me, you’ll be happy you did.

     From the area of Jersey I am from, it took me about 5 hours to get to the Lorton, VA Auto Train Station with minimal traffic and a few rest stops. Overall pretty painless, I left at 8AM and arrived in VA at 1PM giving me about an hour and change until they began boarding the train that departed at 4:30PM. As I sit on the train typing this, I just wrapped a glorious game of Apples to Apples with 7 other CPs….beauty of this mode of transportation, I can almost guarantee other CPs will be with you because we all want our cars and this is an easy option if you are from the Northeast. 

The next morning....

     Sitting in the station in Sanford feels fantastic right now. If you take the Auto Train and ride coach, sleeping will be horrible, just is what it is. We got here at around 9:30 and they are unloading the cars as I type this so myself and a few other CPs are just sitting, waiting, anticipating the greatest shower of our lives when we get to our respective hotels.
     All in all it wasn't a terrible experience, sleeping was tough but when you connect with other CPs you are no longer alone and the trip is much more enjoyable. I'm now less than 24 hours away from check-in and it is still surreal!