For some odd reason one night I went down a black hole on YouTube of Amtrak sleeper train videos (please don’t judge). Anyway, there are a plethora of videos of Amtrak enthusiasts that vlog their trips. I would watch some of these to get a better idea of the pros and cons.

Biggest cons: the trains are often late, food and water can literally run out so you should always bring your own.

It’s not like in the movies.

+1 on the AutoTrain. It’s not the best sleep of your life, but I was pretty functional the next day.

We go south on the AutoTrain, visit grandparents, and then drive back.

The car train! Goes direct from dc to Orlando (lorton va to just outside Orlando) and you can bring your car. 1 full day each way and kids love Orlando. You don’t have to do Disney, we have liked Lego land and Kennedy space center. We did this at 3 and 5 I think. Booked 2 compartments across from each other which was cheaper than a suite

Ah too bad I can’t think of any in the U.S..l I’ve had great experiences in central/Eastern Europe with sleeper cars. I’d recommend doing a trip there when the kids are older. I sleep like a baby on trains and miss taking them all the time. Wish we had better rail service in this country.

My friend whose son is obsessed with trains has done this several times to Chicago. It's uncomfortable and I don't think the sleep is good, but for someone fascinated by trains it's a cool experience.

I have watched some videos and read about them. The ones that take 3 days seem like too much. What I will probably do at some point is fly to Denver and take the one to San Francisco, takes 2 days. Day one is through the Rockies and into Utah, then overnight across Utah and Nevada. Day two across the Sierra Nevada and down into the Bay Area.

I wouldn’t romanticize this too much. Might be fun for one night but not more than that.

Make sure you check for bedbugs in the sleeper cars.

Yes Amtrak does some sleeper lines. Kids have a good time and the food is surprisingly decent

I doubt this exists, but are there any charming rides with overnight sleeper cars thst would be fun for kids that aren’t too far away?