Am I cRaZy????

So, DS graduates 8th grade in May and he originally wanted a DC trip as a present. I just recently saw a good price on a 7 day out of Baltimore (DS loves cruising as well), and am wondering if both are doable. Our original plan was to take Amtrak from Chicago to DC. Now, I am thinking Amtrak to Baltimore. Take the cruise and then take public trans to DC and spend a couple days there. SO my question is.....am I being too ambitious? How far (how much?) from Baltimore train station to port/hotel area? How far (how much?) from Baltimore to DC? Also, another thing that was killing me as I researched the DC trip was the cost of hotels! Honestly, that is why I am looking at making the DC portion shorter and take the cruise. It is just cheaper! LOL! BTW, we are from Chicago and are not afraid of pubic trans. As it will be just DS and I, though, I want to make sure I am in a safe area. Again, I am from Chicago so I know how to navigate through a big city.

TIA for al your help!

Paula

So, DS graduates 8th grade in May and he originally wanted a DC trip as a present. I just recently saw a good price on a 7 day out of Baltimore (DS loves cruising as well), and am wondering if both are doable. Our original plan was to take Amtrak from Chicago to DC. Now, I am thinking Amtrak to Baltimore. Take the cruise and then take public trans to DC and spend a couple days there. SO my question is.....am I being too ambitious? How far (how much?) from Baltimore train station to port/hotel area? How far (how much?) from Baltimore to DC? Also, another thing that was killing me as I researched the DC trip was the cost of hotels! Honestly, that is why I am looking at making the DC portion shorter and take the cruise. It is just cheaper! LOL! BTW, we are from Chicago and are not afraid of pubic trans. As it will be just DS and I, though, I want to make sure I am in a safe area. Again, I am from Chicago so I know how to navigate through a big city.

 

TIA for al your help!

 

Paula

Hi Paula,

Personally, I think you should choose either one or the other. It's a a lot of running around pre and post cruise and the expenses can add up quickly. Perhaps take the train to Baltimore stay in a nice sleeper car and book a really nice hotel in Baltimore for a couple of nights pre-cruise.

First off what is your budget for this trip and what are your exact dates of travel?

I just did a quick search on Amtrak for May 25 Chicago to Baltimore. It's an eighteen and a half hour train journey with a fare of $182 ($91 per person). You don't want to have to sit in a chair for that length of time.

If you add a sleeper it's an additional $255 flat for a roomette or another $636 for a Superliner bedroom. The roomettes are very small with bunk beds and bathroom facilities down the hall. The Superliner bedrooms are really nice with bathroom/showers and decent space for two people. All of your meals are included in your train fare when you book a sleeper on Amtrak.

So just your train journey from Chicago to Baltimore would cost between $437 or $818 depending on the sleeper choice for your son and you.

The Amtrak sleepers fill up quickly around that time of year so once you lock in your dates try and book your tickets.

For Baltimore Hotels the Harbor East area is very close to the cruise port only ten minutes by car. You can find several selections at

http://www.harboreast.com/hotels/

According to Tripadvisor.com the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront is a four and a half star hotel. A room here will run you approx. $249 a night. I always call the hotel and ask to speak with the reservation manager and work out the best rate possible.

Perhaps stay a couple of nights in Baltimore take in a Orioles game, have some crab cakes and then board your cruise ship.

So pre-cruise expenses (not including taxes and fees) train and hotel $937 to $1318.

Planning of a trip is a enormously fun. Go to Tripadvisor.com for hotels. Here's a link to the Baltimore discussion forum at tripadvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g60811-i165-Baltimore_Maryland.html.

You can use these tools to figure out Baltimore to Washington with hotels and so on. Whatever you decide hope you have a great trip.

Jonathan

I love Amtrak I do Amtrak quiet frequently. and Amtrak you don't have to sit in your seat the whole duration you can. Amtrak can be pricey adding sleeper cars. These sleeper cars are really really small, my DH opted for bigger one glad we did. To me Amtrak is more relaxing and food is not half bad. If I had the time I would do Amtrak more for longer land based vacations.

Baltimore is a quirky city, If you do get a hotel stay in Inner Harbor area a bit more pricey but that's where I'd stay if I go to Baltimore. Nice shops restaurants, and touristy stuff

Thanks for your replies. I understand some people might question why we are choosing to travel by train, it is because my son has just wanted to experience train travel. We do not plan on getting a sleeper. I should add here that we are used to long rides. We drive to south FL at least once per year.