My daughter, grand daughter, and me took one from Slidell,La., to Charlottesville, Va., in 2016. My grand daughter was about 10 months at the time so it was a wonderful way to travel with a little one. We got a cabin. The conductors were wonderful and the fellow travelers we met were nice. Met a really nice couple in which the guy was a navy vet so we had a nice conversation about the military, current events, politics, fishing etc. It was a 24 hour trip but it was nice. Not cheap though but taking into account the time, gas and stress of traveling with a little one by car it was well worth it. On time too.
As an avid AMTRAK traveler, I’m so disappointed that all long distance travel from Florida west is now discontinued unless you take the train north from Jacksonville to DC, NY and then northwest to Chicago where you must choose a route northwest, southwest or west to the west coast.
My halcyon days of traveling to California, Oregon, etc. via the Sunset Limited and Coast Starlight are long gone due to an AMTRAK accident in an Alabama bayou many years ago that was never repaired — thus, no more west bound trains from Jax west.
Train travel with a sleeper (a must have for long distance) is pricey, but the comfort, safety and experiences of train travel is well worth it. Florida is now an AMTRAK unwanted step-child.