Silver Meteor With Kids: Every Stop, Sleeper Rooms and Kids Tickets
Yes, the Silver Meteor can work with kids if you plan the night: kids 2 to 12 pay half the rail fare, and a Bedroom Suite sleeps a family of four. It’s Amtrak’s overnight train from New York to Florida, about 28 hours to Miami, with Orlando in the early afternoon of day two. Since the Silver Star stopped running in 2024, it’s also the only Amtrak train from New York to Florida.
The short version
- Kids 2 to 12 pay half the rail fare, but sleeper room charges are never discounted.
- Southbound leaves New York at 2:30 p.m., reaches Orlando at 1:19 p.m. the next day and pulls into Miami at 6:59 p.m.
- There’s no Family Bedroom on this single-level train; a Bedroom Suite (two Bedrooms joined) holds up to four.
- Riding coach? Since March 2024, a limited number of coach riders can buy meals in the dining car.
- You can’t book it for short hops between New York and Washington or within South Florida.
Silver Meteor at a glance
- Runs between
- New York City and Miami, by way of Washington, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville and Orlando
- States
- New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida
- Distance
- about 1,389 miles
- End to end
- about 28 hours (one night on board)
- Trains
- one per day each way (97 southbound, 98 northbound)
- Train cars
- single-level Amfleet II coaches and cafe lounge, a Viewliner II dining car and three Viewliner sleeping cars
- Four-seat tables
- not in coach; tables are in the dining car
- Upstairs seating
- none
- Quiet Car
- none listed on Amtrak’s route page
- Food
- dining car with traditional meals (included for sleeper rooms) plus a cafe car
- Sleeper rooms
- Viewliner Roomette, Bedroom, Bedroom Suite and Accessible Bedroom; no Family Bedroom
- Checked bags
- yes, checked baggage service is listed for this route
Look inside the book
Overnight to Florida? Rally rides along.
Rally Takes the Train ends with grandparents waving at the station, the same moment many families ride the Silver Meteor for. Turn a few pages here.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
See the full bookPage 1 of 8
Like it so far? See the full book
25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
Do kids need a ticket on the Silver Meteor?
Kids 2 to 12 ride for half the adult rail fare with an adult 18 or older on the same reservation, and one baby under 2 rides free on each grown-up’s lap. Once a child turns 13, they pay the full adult price.
The catch on the Silver Meteor is the room. Amtrak’s child discount doesn’t apply to sleeping accommodation charges, so a sleeper costs the same whether the second person in it is 8 or 48. The rail fare part of each child’s ticket is still half price.
Room size is where families get tripped up. A Roomette is for one or two people, and so is a Bedroom. The only room on this train for four is the Bedroom Suite, two Bedrooms opened into one, which Amtrak says holds up to four; the Superliner Family Bedroom you may have read about isn’t on the Silver Meteor.
Two booking limits surprise people. Between Newark and Washington, the southbound train only picks up passengers and the northbound train only drops them off, from Alexandria north, and in South Florida it works the other way below West Palm Beach. So you can’t buy short local rides on the Meteor in those areas; book the Northeast Regional or Tri-Rail instead.
Free for train families
A free activity book made for the Silver Meteor
A stop tracker for all 33 stops, a word search full of Silver Meteor stops, window bingo, a maze, a ticket to fill in and a page to draw the view. It fits in a folder with a few crayons and weighs nothing in the diaper bag.
Get the free Silver Meteor activity bookEvery Silver Meteor stop, from New York to Miami
The Silver Meteor makes 33 stops. It takes the coastal route through Fayetteville, Florence and Charleston, so it skips Raleigh, Columbia and Tampa, and there are no stops between Sebring and West Palm Beach.
New York- New York, Moynihan Train Hall (New York Penn Station)
- Newark Penn Station
- Trenton
- Philadelphia (William H. Gray III 30th Street Station)
- Wilmington
- Baltimore Penn Station
- Washington Union Station
- Alexandria
- FredericksburgLook for: Point out the 1910 brick depot, now a restaurant, one block from the Rappahannock River waterfront. VRE commuter trains share the platform, so there may be extra trains to watch.
- Richmond (Staples Mill Road)
- Petersburg
- Rocky Mount
- Fayetteville
- Florence
- KingstreeLook for: This town dates to the early 1700s and is known for its many live oak trees. Have them look for the wide, low branches around the historic downtown.
- North Charleston
- Yemassee
- SavannahLook for: Walk them past the bright murals inside this mid-century modern station. They tell the story of the city and the port of Savannah.
- JesupLook for: This 1903 Atlantic Coast Line depot was fixed up so well that it won the town a historic preservation award.
- Jacksonville
- PalatkaLook for: Tell train fans that the old Atlantic Coast Line depot here holds a railroad museum. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.
- DeLandLook for: Since August 2024, this 1918 depot has also been the north end of SunRail, Orlando’s commuter train. Ask kids how many kinds of trains they can spot.
- Winter ParkLook for: Look up at the peacock weather vane on this Craftsman-style depot. It faces the town’s Central Park.
- OrlandoLook for: This is the stop for central Florida’s theme parks. Ask kids what they notice about the building: it’s Mission Revival, a style borrowed from the old Spanish missions.
- Kissimmee
- Winter Haven
- SebringLook for: A good story for kids: George Sebring founded this town in 1912 after a fishing trip to Lake Jackson, and he laid it out after Heliopolis in Egypt.
- West Palm Beach
- Delray Beach
- Deerfield Beach
- Fort Lauderdale
- Hollywood
- Miami
What kids can see from the Silver Meteor
What you see in daylight
Southbound leaves New York at 2:30 p.m., so the Northeast Corridor and northern Virginia go by in the afternoon and evening. The Carolinas pass at night (Charleston is at 4:56 a.m.), and kids wake up near Savannah, reached at 6:49 a.m. Then all of Florida is daylight, from Jacksonville at 9:49 a.m. to Miami at 6:59 p.m.
Northbound is the mirror image: a full Florida day after leaving Miami at 7:05 a.m., dusk at Savannah, then night until Virginia. Heading south through Florida, the morning sun is on the left-hand (east) side and the afternoon sun is on the right, so plan to move the napper as the day goes on.
The first diesel streamliner to Florida
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad started the Silver Meteor on February 2, 1939, as the first diesel-powered streamliner between New York and Florida. Its name came from a contest with 76,000 entries, and its first trip south left from a station at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. That’s a fun one to share at bedtime in the roomette.
In 1956 the railroad added a Sun Lounge car with a glass roof, because full dome cars were too tall for the Northeast Corridor tunnels. Amtrak took over the train in 1971.
The coastal route
South of Selma, the Meteor runs on the CSX A-Line through Fayetteville, Florence and Charleston, while the Floridian takes the inland S-Line through Raleigh and Columbia. The two meet again at Savannah and share tracks into Florida. Past Kissimmee, the Floridian makes a side trip west to Lakeland and Tampa and doubles back, but the Meteor goes straight on to Winter Haven and Sebring.
Where to sit with kids on the Silver Meteor
Coach is a reserved seat in a single-level Amfleet II car: wide reclining seats, no middle seat, an outlet and reading light at each seat, and restrooms in every car. You can’t choose a specific coach seat ahead of time. Car seats can’t be fastened to Amtrak seats, so a lap baby sleeps on you overnight.
For a night with kids, a sleeper changes everything. A Viewliner Roomette has two seats that turn into an upper and a lower bed, with shared restrooms and showers in the car. A Bedroom adds its own sink, toilet and shower, and a Bedroom Suite joins two Bedrooms, with two of each, for up to four people.
Every private room comes with meals and a First Class attendant. Amtrak lists no Family Bedroom on this train, because that room type is only on double-decker Superliner trains, such as the Auto Train.
Seated apart on the Silver Meteor? Here’s the plan
A room settles it, because your family shares one door. For coach, put every name on the same reservation; Amtrak tries to seat one booking together, though a coach ticket means a seat, just not a named one. Amfleet II rows have no middle seat, so think in pairs: one grown-up with each kid works even with the aisle between you. Families with small children often get called first at Moynihan, so stay close to the gate.
Split worse than that? Walk forward and back through the coaches, and try the next car before giving up. Ask for a swap before people settle in for the night, in one line: “Could we trade? I’ve got a three-year-old two rows back.” Make it an even swap, their window for your window or their aisle for yours. No hard feelings if they say no.
On a long-distance train like this, the conductor and car attendants can help. Catch one at the door or when tickets are checked, give the quick count of adults and kids, and ask about another car. They can lead you to free seats and get luggage off seats that paying riders need, but they won’t move a seated rider. Overnight, a young child never sleeps away from you.
The best first Silver Meteor ride with kids
For a first Silver Meteor ride, we’d stick to Florida or Georgia in daylight, where you can board and get off freely.
- Jacksonville to Orlando, about 3 hours 30 minutes. Southbound train 97 leaves Jacksonville at 9:49 a.m. and reaches Orlando at 1:19 p.m., stopping in Palatka, DeLand and Winter Park.
- DeLand to Winter Park, under 1 hour. Train 97 leaves DeLand at 11:53 a.m. and reaches Winter Park at 12:41 p.m. For the trip back, SunRail commuter trains serve both stations too.
- Jacksonville to Savannah, about 2 hours 30 minutes. Northbound train 98 leaves Jacksonville at 4:11 p.m., stops in Jesup and pulls into Savannah at 6:45 p.m.
Amtrak posted service adjustments south of Washington for October 16 to 26, 2026. Check alerts if you’re traveling then.
Food, bathrooms and naps on the Silver Meteor
The Silver Meteor has a real dining car. Traditional dining, with meals cooked on board, came back to this train in June 2023, and since March 4, 2024, a limited number of coach passengers can buy meals there. Sleeper passengers get meals included, and Amtrak says kids can order from a selection of kid-friendly items.
Breakfast runs 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., so ask about a reservation as soon as you board. The cafe car sells meals, snacks and drinks to everyone, which helps when someone gets hungry at an odd hour.
Pack pajamas and a small bag you can reach without opening the big suitcase. In coach, a pillow, a blanket and a familiar stuffed animal make the night a lot easier, and a stack of free coloring pages covers the long hours between meals.
A train book for the ride
Rally Takes the Train ends with Rally’s grand-paw-rents waving as the train pulls in. For many families, that’s the whole point of the Silver Meteor: an overnight ride to see grandparents in Florida. Read the arrival page the night before, then again as the train slows into Orlando or West Palm Beach.
Earlier in the book Rally rides through a dark tunnel into bright light, a lot like leaving New York through the Northeast Corridor tunnels. Pack the free Rally activity pack and coloring pages for that long first afternoon.
A bedtime book for the Silver MeteorRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in watercolor. Read it in your roomette before lights out. Ages 0 to 8, $13.99 on Amazon.
Buy on Amazon
More for train families
- Every Amtrak route with kids: find another train by city or station
- The complete guide to Amtrak with kids: tickets, car seats, changing tables, family tables and what to pack by age
- Free Rally activity pack and coloring pages to print before your trip
- Palmetto with kids
- Floridian with kids
- Auto Train with kids
- Carolinian with kids
Sources
- Amtrak: Silver Meteor and Palmetto route page
- Amtrak: Silver Meteor timetable
- Amtrak: Child discounts
- Amtrak: Sleeper accommodations
- Amtrak: Viewliner Bedroom Suite
- Amtrak: Viewliner Roomette
- Amtrak: Dining car
- Amtrak: Reserved coach
- Wikipedia: Silver Meteor
- Wikipedia: Silver Service
- Wikipedia: DeLand station
Checked against Amtrak and partner railroad pages in October 2026. Schedules and policies change, so confirm on amtrak.com before you ride.
Silver Meteor with kids: questions parents ask
How much is a child’s ticket on the Silver Meteor?
On the Silver Meteor’s rail fare, kids 2 to 12 get half off when they’re booked with someone 18 or over, and at 13 they pay the full adult price. Sleeper rooms are different: the room charge isn’t discounted at all. So in coach the child fare is the whole bill, but a Roomette or Bedroom costs the same for a 7-year-old as for a grown-up.
Do babies ride free on the Silver Meteor?
Yes, the Meteor lets each adult-fare passenger hold one baby younger than 2 on their lap for free. More babies than adults, or a baby who gets their own coach seat, means paying the child fare. Overnight in coach, a lap baby sleeps on you, and on a 28-hour ride we think a sleeper room makes that night much easier on everyone.
Can I use a car seat on the Silver Meteor?
Not buckled in: no Amtrak seat, coach or sleeper, can take a fastened car seat. An unclaimed seat can hold one only if no paying rider needs it; otherwise a Meteor baby under 2 rides in your arms and the car seat is stowed. If grandparents are driving you from Orlando or Miami, bring it; there’s no fee, since it replaces a bag.
Are there changing tables on the Silver Meteor?
We couldn’t confirm any for this train. Amtrak hasn’t set an official diaper-changing policy, and it differs car by car. Pack a portable changing pad. In coach, the larger accessible restroom gives you the most room. If you book a Bedroom or the Suite, you get a private toilet and sink, which makes overnight changes far easier than squeezing into a shared restroom.
What are the bathrooms like on the Silver Meteor?
There’s a restroom in every Meteor car, no stairs involved, and a light tells you it’s occupied. Little kids need a grown-up along for the lock, and maybe a warning that the flush is startling. Roomette riders share the car’s restrooms and showers; Bedrooms come with their own, which is a big plus for a 2 a.m. potty run.
Can I bring a stroller on the Silver Meteor?
Yes. A folding stroller can come on board as one of your bags, free, and with a child under 2, an infant item like the stroller or diaper bag rides outside the carry-on limit. A jogging or double stroller may be too big to keep on board, and the Meteor does check bags. If you won’t need the stroller until Florida, checking it frees up room around your seat.
Can I breastfeed or get help with bottles on the Silver Meteor?
Yes to both. Nursing in public is protected by law in all 50 states, so feed your baby in your seat or a private room. Amtrak tells families they can ask the dining car crew for a hand preparing bottles, and the Meteor has a full dining car. Still bring enough formula and bottles for the night, since the diner keeps set hours and the cafe is your backup.
Can kids eat in the dining car on the Silver Meteor?
Yes. Sleeper passengers get dining car meals included, and Amtrak says kids can choose from kid-friendly items. Since March 4, 2024, a limited number of coach riders can buy meals there too, so ask as soon as you board. Breakfast runs 6:30 to 9:30 a.m.; then lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., and dinner is served from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m. The cafe car fills the gaps.
How do I keep kids busy on the Silver Meteor?
Save the windows for daylight. Southbound, Florida is all daylight: count trains at DeLand, where SunRail commuter trains stop too, and look for the peacock weather vane on Winter Park’s depot. The first afternoon out of New York is long, so pack our free printable Rally activity sheets for it. A trip to the cafe car breaks up the hours.
Can my family sit together on the Silver Meteor?
In coach, seats are reserved but you can’t choose a specific one ahead of time. Coach on the Meteor means Amfleet II recliners with no middle seat, each with its own outlet and reading light. For a family of four that wants to be sure, book a Bedroom Suite, two Bedrooms joined, or two Roomettes. Every private room includes meals and a First Class attendant.
What if we can’t sit together in Silver Meteor coach?
Pair up first. With no middle seat in the Amfleet II rows, one adult beside each child keeps everyone covered, even with the pairs on opposite sides. Then walk the coaches and peek into the next car for a better spot. Settle it before bedtime, since a small child should never spend the night apart from you. Asking a stranger to switch? Offer a seat just as good.
Can the conductor or car attendant help us sit together on the Silver Meteor?
They can try. Look for the conductor or an attendant as you step aboard or while tickets get checked, give the number of adults and kids, and ask whether another coach has space. Either one can walk you to empty seats and have luggage moved, since luggage never gets its own seat. They won’t tell a seated passenger to move, so speak up early, ideally as you board at Moynihan or Washington.
Is there a Quiet Car on the Silver Meteor?
Amtrak’s route page doesn’t list one for the Meteor, so we can’t say there is. On an overnight train, quiet matters even without a special car: kids’ shows and games need headphones, and voices should drop once people start sleeping. If a toddler wakes up upset in the night, a sleeper room with a door is the kindest spot for everyone.
What should I pack for kids on the Silver Meteor?
Pack for one night and about 28 hours. Each child gets a little overnight kit, pajamas, toothbrush and a bedtime buddy, kept apart from the big suitcase so you can reach it fast. Add headphones, wipes, diapers, a changing pad, spare clothes, snacks for between dining car hours and a folder of train coloring pages and mazes. In coach, a pillow and blanket matter most.
Does the Silver Meteor have a family room for sleeping?
No Family Bedroom, because that room is only on Superliner trains. Instead, a Viewliner Roomette turns two seats into an upper and lower bed, a Bedroom has a private sink, toilet and shower of its own, and the Bedroom Suite sleeps up to four. In coach, kids sleep in wide recliners or on a lap. Southbound, they’ll wake up near Savannah, reached at 6:49 a.m.
What is the best first ride on the Silver Meteor?
DeLand to Winter Park is the short one: train 97 leaves DeLand at 11:53 a.m. and gets to Winter Park at 12:41 p.m., and SunRail serves both stations for the ride back. For more train, Jacksonville to Orlando takes about 3 hours 30 minutes, 9:49 a.m. to 1:19 p.m. Both run in Florida daylight, where you can board and get off freely.
Can teens ride the Silver Meteor alone?
Nobody 12 or younger may travel alone on Amtrak. For 13 to 15, it’s possible only through the unaccompanied minor program: you reserve by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL, then the Meteor trip needs daylight travel, staffed stations at both ends, no changes of train and an adult fare. An overnight run to Florida doesn’t fit, though a daytime Florida segment might if both stations are staffed. At 16 and 17, teens ride on their own.
How early should we get to the station for the Silver Meteor?
About 30 minutes before departure. At Moynihan Train Hall and other busy stations, families with little ones are often invited aboard first; keep close by. The southbound train leaves at 2:30 p.m., which gives you a calm morning. Northbound leaves Miami at 7:05 a.m. and Orlando at 12:36 p.m. Keep the night bag on your shoulder so it boards with you.
What if my child gets scared on the Silver Meteor?
Tell kids what’s coming. Leaving New York, the train runs through Northeast Corridor tunnels, so it goes dark for a stretch, and the horn is loud. Before the trip, flip to the tunnel scene in Rally’s book together. At night, a strange bed on a moving train can unsettle a toddler, so a familiar blanket and a closed sleeper door help a lot.
Is the Silver Meteor safe for kids?
Yes, if you keep a few habits. Platforms are hand-holding zones, and everybody stays back of the line until the train has stopped. Head to the dining car together, and have kids sit down or grip something whenever the train is rolling. Shoes go on for every walk, even a 2 a.m. bathroom trip. In a Roomette, settle kids in before the beds come down.
What if the Silver Meteor runs late?
Keep the Amtrak app open: its live map shows where the Meteor is, and the travel advisories list changes, including adjustments Amtrak set for October 16 to 26, 2026 on the line below Washington. On a 28-hour trip, a late arrival can mean an extra meal, so pack more snacks, diapers and printable train puzzles than the schedule suggests. Meeting grandparents in Orlando? Send them the live map too.
Can we ride the Silver Meteor from New York to Philadelphia?
No. Between Newark and Washington, the southbound train only picks up passengers heading farther south, and northbound it only lets them off. The same kind of rule applies south of West Palm Beach. For short rides in those areas, book a Northeast Regional or Tri-Rail. Since the Silver Star stopped in 2024, the Meteor is Amtrak’s only New York to Florida train.