Amtrak travel question

I'm planning a Disney World trip for later this year and my wife and I hate flying so we're looking at going by train this time. We don't know anyone who travels by train.

The Amtrak site answered all but one question: Do I have to get there 2 hours early to get through security like I do at the airport?

I'm getting outdated and vague search results, some sites say the TSA is only involved in D.C. stations. I tried calling Amtrak to ask firsthand but got stuck on hold for 10 minutes.

Anyone travel long distance by train recently?

Maybe this might answer your question. Bottom line-for various reasons a train is a way less tempting terrorist target than a plane. Any bomb small enough to sneak on board will at best kill a few dozen passengers and damage, but likely not derail, the train car it's detonated in. I'd arrive perhaps 45 minutes early (at most) just to make sure you find the right track and in case you are subject to a random search. Believe me, train security checks will never need to be as long or intrusive as airline checks. There are about 100 more tempting terrorist targets than a train (I'm obviously not going to enumerate them here).

You can show up and if you have the ticket already, you board and find an empty seat. Seats are not assigned. First come first served.

The the conductor comes by and takes your ticket once the train is underway.

I'd arrive at least 45 minutes early, just in case.

Thanks, that's just what I was looking for.

As a reinforcement of EV-007's comments -- I once took an Amtrak back to Boston from NYC. It was overbooked, sort of. The way train tickets worked at the time was you could use your ticket any time you wanted, so there was no way for the service to know how many people were coming. After the MacWorld Expo was over the train was completely jammed, leaving many passengers bewildered that they needed to stand or crouch in the aisle for 4 hours. Lots of unhappy newbie customers on that train. I was very lucky to have gotten a seat.

I don't know if that's still the policy of the way tickets work, but EV-007 did mention that it's first-come, first-served.

I think 1st class is different, but that's the way it was for the other class (I think there are only 2 classes).

Sometimes traveling by train is faster than by plane. Awhile back I started taking the Acela from NY to Boston. Flying takes less than an hour, but for my line of work, I have to carry this HUGE pelican case full of computer equipments, and I have to get to the airport 1.5 hour earlier to check it in. Then I have to wait another 30 minutes once I get to boston. By taking the Acela, I was able to just relax and enjoy the ride.

I've never encountered any kind of security on a train (Amtrak). You might want to get there a little early just so you can be one of the first to board and pick your seat. Boarding and departure happens very quickly so it just depends on how long you want to stand in line.