Taking a day trip to Church Street Station in Orlando via SunRail can be both relaxing and entertaining.
So for the first time in over fifty years we decided to go to Orlando via SunRail – the comminutor train that goes from DeBary, Florida through downtown Orlando to Poinciana, Florida. We were pleasantly surprised by how easy the whole process was and how relaxing the train ride was.
"The process is very easy…you can get your ticket at the station from one of their kiosks using either credit card, debt card or cash. Simply enter your destination, number of tickets in each category (adult, senior, etc.) and payment method and the ticket prints out."
SUNRAIL
SunRail has sixteen (16) stops and the prices varies based on the pickup and destination location. To go from one end to the other – Debary to Poinciana is 49 miles – it costs $9.50 for adults; $4.75 for children 7 - 18 or seniors, 65 and older; and children under 7 are free. It takes about 88 minutes to go the entire length. Sunrail does NOT run on the weekends or holidays unless special events are being held downtown, i.e. Orlando Magic games, etc. The last train departs Poinciana station at 9:55 pm and the last train departs DeBary at 8:10 pm.
The process is very easy…you can get your ticket at the station from one of their kiosks using either credit card, debt card or cash. Simply enter your destination, number of tickets in each category (adult, senior, etc.) and payment method and the ticket prints out. Before boarding, swipe your ticket at one of the yellow embarkation/disembarkation posts. Once on board you just pick a seat and relax. Each car has an up stairs and a down stairs seating option, with most seats with a table. The ride is very smooth and not jerky at all. Each stop is very brief…less than 3-4 minutes depending on the number of people boarding. THE TRAIN DOES NOT WAIT so make sure you are there in plenty of time before boarding.
One of the stops is the main Lynx bus terminal which is the tri-county transportation system. From there, you can go just about anywhere, including Universal Studios, Seal World, or the Walt Disney World transportation center. Unlimited, full fare single day adult passes are $4.50; children $2.25; and seniors $2.25. You can also get 7-day and 30-Day full fare passes.
If you were so incline, you could take SunRail to the Lynx station and take a bus to the Disney transportation center and then hop onto the Disney transportation system for under $10.00 per adult. Now, that may seem like a lot of trouble, and there are some limitation, i.e. SunRail does not run on weekends or holidays, but it is an alternative with the I-4 Ultimate construction project and the high potential of accidents on the interstate causing 20-60 minute back ups.
CHURCH STREET STATION
On our trip, we got off at the Church Street Station which is in downtown Orlando and considered the entertainment district. I would have to say, it is definitely the entertainment district - there a virtually no shops - just bars and a few take out places like Jersey Mikes, Jimmy Johns, Wahlburgers, etc. but mostly bars. We were, to say the least, disappointed. The main street running through town – Orange Av – again has mostly bars, one movie Theater, a couple of offices, and of course a number of high rise buildings with offices. It also has its share of homeless people panhandling.
THE GRAND BOHEMIAN HOTEL
We did stop off for lunch across from Orlando City Hall at a place called The Bohemian Hotel and the restaurant called The Boheme. It is more up scale but for lunch a certain degree of causal appears to be acceptable. Having said that, the service was great, the food was good, but the pricing is a little over the top. If one were to look at the pricing as it relates to the food, I would have to say it was not worth the money. I had what was called a Nuester BLT – tasted good but it was on toasted wheat and the crust was so hard that I bit into one piece and ended up with a small scratch at the roof of my mouth. By the way, the décor was fabulous with black and red accent colors and a splash of gold.
WAHLBURGERS
Okay, so we did try out Wahlburgers and were pleasantly surprised. It is like any other burger joint but better (and pricer). We went for the 1/3 burger with lettuce, tomato, etc. for $7.95. That does not include fries. If you want regular fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries, it was an additional $3.50 plus your drink. Between the two of us, we shared a tater tot so it came out to $24.99.
Service was okay…nothing stellar. Our food was on the pick-up counter for about 4-5 minutes before our waitress had another waitress picked it up and deliver it (she was busy ringing up her checks). The burger, however, was very, very good. Cooked as and to order (med), juicy, and flavorful. Tots were luke warm, probably because they were sitting on the counter for a while. Overall, would do it again.
They also have the WahlBowl which is nothing more than a salad with a cheeseburger mixed in. If you are looking for a low carb (no bun) diet solution that may be your answer. It about the same prices as the burger and was good.
"The trip by train was well worth it. Stopping off in downtown Orlando, unless you are headed there for business, is not. Little to no shops, and if you are going there for the night life, the train schedule won’t allow you to stay too late and really enjoy yourself."
The trip by train was well worth it. Stopping off in downtown Orlando, unless you are headed there for business, is not. Little to no shops, and if you are going there for the night life, the train schedule won’t allow you to stay too late and really enjoy yourself. The Sunrail is truly designed around the business commuter. There are several deli places to eat in the vicinity of Church Street but if you want a reasonable priced lunch, try Wahlburgers.
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