Cruising out of Norfolk, VA. What would You Do?

Looking for ideas and/or suggestions.

Our restrictions or limitations

1. Coming in from Seattle

2. Will be flying on Alaska Airlines metal (non negotiable)

3. Airport options are ATL or one of the DC area airports.

4. Will then either take Amtrak or rent a car to the port.

5. Will be flying in 2 - 3 days early

6. Will fly out after a day or 2 post cruise

Looking for ideas or suggestions on where to stay etc. Thinking of the DC thing. Wife has never been to our capital city. Then again, our hotel choice (Marriott family of brand) is charging $320+ a night. (I'm not a motel 8 kinda guy, nor a penthouse kinda guy,,,, but DAMN :eek: )

Not even sure what I'm looking for. Just feedback I guess.

There are less expensive Marriott options near BWI. There is a commuter railroad that will take you from the airport to Union Station DC in about 40 minutes. Also, there is a Marriott in Greenbelt, MD right near the DC Metro.

I would definitely look at a hotel on/near the metro. DC hotels are not cheap, but I would try to stay in Alexandria if you can find any Marriott brand hotels near King Street Metro. Great area, loads of places to eat, and you can jump on metro to get into DC. Also, Reagan National Airport is short metro or cab ride away. Crystal City also has a few Marriott hotels on the metro, but this is more business offices area. If you are flying into Dulles, they have opened metro out to Tyson's Corner - so there are a few hotels close to metro, or may have shuttles to metro. It is a fair bit outside DC, but may be more affordable.

If you do go to DC - definitely take the Big Red Bus. You can catch this HOHO bus in front of Union Station. Great way to see a bunch of DC quickly.

Just a note - Norfolk is kind of a haul from DC, so if you are going to drive it, just make sure you get out of DC way ahead of rush hour. :)

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What time of year and what days of the week?

There are several Marriott properties downtown, as well as in Crystal City. Crystal City/Pentagon City can be very affordable on a weekend during the right time of the year, and you can occasionally find deals downtown as long as you're not set on the JW Marriott. Check AAA rates! Marriott, even around DC, frequently does a AAA special that can be a fraction of the rack rate.

Crystal City is definitely a business area and can be pretty dead on weekends, but there are a fair number of restaurants in the area.

Amtrak doesn't have a lot of trains to Norfolk, and it looks like you actually have to transfer to a bus in Newport News for all but one train. I agree completely that if you're going to rent a car and drive, you want to be on the road fairly early; it's a long drive in the first place, and any little thing (like 2 inches of snow this morning) will turn traffic into a nightmare. If you look at Amtrak, the trains to Norfolk do stop in Alexandria, so the previous suggestion to look at hotels in Alexandria is a very good option as well.

I would look around BWI as the others have said. Way cheaper then DC hotels. As far as getting to norfolk I would do amtrak but come in the night before the cruise. There is a Marriot hotel a quarter mile from the cruise terminal. The Marriot is also less then a mile from the Amtrak Station.

Another option if you decide not to stay in DC and like history would be a few days in the Williamsburg area. Lots of hotel choices with good prices. Less than an hour drive to Norfolk. Or if you want some beach time before your cruise stay at Virginia Beach. Oceanfront hotels on the boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic!! You will really need to rent a car to get around with any ease south of DC. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the feedback

We're coming out in late October 2015. Doing the Bermuda cruise out of Norfolk.

We would fly into the Baltimore/DC area on Tuesday. That gives us Wednesday/Thursday for the tourist thing. Head south on Friday. Sail on Saturday

Another option if you decide not to stay in DC and like history would be a few days in the Williamsburg area. Lots of hotel choices with good prices. Less than an hour drive to Norfolk. Or if you want some beach time before your cruise stay at Virginia Beach. Oceanfront hotels on the boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic!! You will really need to rent a car to get around with any ease south of DC. Hope this helps.

I second the Williamsburg suggestion. You also have Jamestown and Yorktown just minutes from Williamsburg. And then, of course, there is Monticello. So much to see and do in that area. :) I believe DC is an easy day trip from Williamsburg and there are several very reasonable Marriott facilities in Williamsburg.

Cole

I don't know of any Amtrak that goes from DC all the way to Norfolk. I live very close to Norfolk (15 miles away). The closest I think you'll get from DC area is Newport News, and the Amtrak station in Newport News is near absolutely NOTHING you would want to visit. DC is a really nice area to see some sites, but it's expensive. One suggestion if you want to stay in DC area is to look at hotels in Crystal City. There's a metro station within walking distance of the hotel. I've stayed at the Embassy Suites there and it's very nice. DC traffic is a nightmare. I wouldn't rent a car from DC to the port. But one option would be to take the train down to Richmond. Amtrak does go to Richmond. Then the drive from Richmond to the Port of Norfolk would be about an hour to 1.5 hrs depending on traffic. That stretch of highway isn't congested like it is in DC. One last thing to keep in mind is that to get to the port of Norfolk you have to go thru the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT). This gets extremely backed up during morning and evening rush hour and can delay your drive by over an hour. I always try to avoid morning and afternoon trips thru the HRBT.

Oh... one last thing... I second the suggestion for Williamsburg. It's lovely in October! Colonial Williamsburg is so beautiful. And there are plenty of places to stay there. If you took the Amtrak to Richmond, the drive in to CW (Colonial Williamsburg) would be about 20 minutes. It's so beautiful there.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the feedback

 

We're coming out in late October 2015. Doing the Bermuda cruise out of Norfolk.

We would fly into the Baltimore/DC area on Tuesday. That gives us Wednesday/Thursday for the tourist thing. Head south on Friday. Sail on Saturday

No reason why you can't do both DC and Williamsburg.

Here's what I'd do.

Tuesday: Fly into DC, stay at a hotel close to the airport. Most importantly, a hotel near the Metro. No need to rent a car at this stage. Everything is on the bus line.

Wednesday-Thursday: Tour DC.

Friday morning: Rent car. head to Williamsburg. I don't think traffic would be horrible. While others are heading into DC, you'll be going out of DC.

Friday afternoon - Saturday: Leave early enough, you should reach Williamsburg by early afternoon. Tour Williamsburg

Sunday: Drive to Norfolk, drop off rental, head to boat. Norfolk is less than an hour away from Williamsburg, and traffic should be light.

There are trains that come directly into Norfolk now. I believe there are only 2 per day. The train station is in a secluded area that borders a not so good part of town. If you end up taking the train, and if you will be arriving after dark, be sure to have a cab waiting for you. It's only about a 5 minute ride to downtown where there are several Marriott properties within walking distance of the cruise terminal.

Be sure to check your entire route on Amtrak as some of the options into Norfolk include a bus ride. Not bad or anything just wanted to point out.

The other suggestions for driving and stopping at some of the other historical areas are great. Be aware that Norfolk experiences the phenomenon of tunnel traffic for absolutely no reason at any time (even other than rush hour) that can delay your trip to Norfolk up to an hour.

Thanks for the feedback

 

We're coming out in late October 2015. Doing the Bermuda cruise out of Norfolk.

We would fly into the Baltimore/DC area on Tuesday. That gives us Wednesday/Thursday for the tourist thing. Head south on Friday. Sail on Saturday

Better check your dates. The Carnival Splendor sailing to Bermuda leaves on Friday, October 23.

Better check your dates. The Carnival Splendor sailing to Bermuda leaves on Friday, October 23.

:eek:

System Reboot

Thanks for the feedback

 

We're coming out in late October 2015. Doing the Bermuda cruise out of Norfolk.

We would fly into the Baltimore/DC area on Tuesday. That gives us Wednesday/Thursday for the tourist thing. Head south on Friday. Sail on Saturday

We are going on the Bermuda cruise, too. We are from Indiana and we are going to spend 5 days in DC before. Thanks to everyone who posted suggestions. my husband does not want to drive in DC so we were looking for information on the Metro.

We are going on the Bermuda cruise, too. We are from Indiana and we are going to spend 5 days in DC before. Thanks to everyone who posted suggestions. my husband does not want to drive in DC so we were looking for information on the Metro.

Are you driving from Indiana? Do you have a hotel yet? What would you like to know about Metro?

Most of the major tourist attractions in DC proper are easily reachable by Metro. The system is generally easy to ride, there are phone apps to plan trips, etc. It's far easier to ride with a SmartTrip Card than with a paper ticket, so I'd check that out as well. Basic information is here: http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/visitor_info/

Metro offers a 7-day "short trip" pass for $36; info here: http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm

You can order a Smart Trip Card with a one day pass online, or order a Smart Trip Card online, create an account, and load the card with a Metro pass. You can also load value and pay as you go. You need a card for each traveler.

If you haven't picked a place to stay yet, then look in DC, Crystal City and Pentagon City, and Alexandria. Look for a hotel near the Metro; hotels in Crystal City and Pentagon City will be near Metro, but check a map or post here asking; some of them just aren't that convenient to Metro. Hotels in the King Street area of Alexandria will be both near Metro and near things to do; other areas of Alexandria may not be that close, or they may be hanging out with nothing around. There are a lot of hotels in the Penn Quarter in DC, near the Verizon Center that are convenient to things to do, places to eat, etc. You will likely walk more than ride if you're in the District, especially if you are in the Penn Quarter, so keep that in mind.

That's a start...

darn you all, now I want to visit the DC/Williamsburg area and just play tourist. I guess I better get this move of mine to Charleston out of the way first then can work on road trips. :D

If the cruise leaves on Friday, Oct. 23, you have 3 options from the Amtrak website for the day before:

Depart DC Union Station at 3:55, arrive Norfolk 8:38 p.m.

Depart DC Union Station at 7:30 a.m., arrive Newport News at noon. Then take Amtrak Thruway bus to the Norfolk station. Bus gets to Norfolk station, depending on traffic, at 12:50.

Depart DC Union Station at 2:30 p.m., arrive Newport News at 6:52 p.m. Then take Amtrak Thruway bus to the Norfolk station, arriving at 7:50.

Taxis should meet the train. The station is right next to Harbor Park, the city's baseball stadium. You are on the fringe of downtown there and it should be a short taxi ride to hotels.

There is the Norfolk Waterside Marriott in the downtown area, a short walk away from the cruise terminal. There is also a Courtyard by Marriott, but that would be a slightly longer walk to the terminal. And there is a Residence Inn on the opposite fringe of downtown.

Hope this helps.

Are you driving from Indiana? Do you have a hotel yet? What would you like to know about Metro?

 

Most of the major tourist attractions in DC proper are easily reachable by Metro. The system is generally easy to ride, there are phone apps to plan trips, etc. It's far easier to ride with a SmartTrip Card than with a paper ticket, so I'd check that out as well. Basic information is here: http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/visitor_info/

 

Metro offers a 7-day "short trip" pass for $36; info here: http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm

 

You can order a Smart Trip Card with a one day pass online, or order a Smart Trip Card online, create an account, and load the card with a Metro pass. You can also load value and pay as you go. You need a card for each traveler.

 

If you haven't picked a place to stay yet, then look in DC, Crystal City and Pentagon City, and Alexandria. Look for a hotel near the Metro; hotels in Crystal City and Pentagon City will be near Metro, but check a map or post here asking; some of them just aren't that convenient to Metro. Hotels in the King Street area of Alexandria will be both near Metro and near things to do; other areas of Alexandria may not be that close, or they may be hanging out with nothing around. There are a lot of hotels in the Penn Quarter in DC, near the Verizon Center that are convenient to things to do, places to eat, etc. You will likely walk more than ride if you're in the District, especially if you are in the Penn Quarter, so keep that in mind.

 

That's a start...

Thanks so much!

We are sailing on the Regatta and one of our ports is Norfolk. I know that Williamsburg is about an hour from there. Does anyone know of any tours or private guides who will take you to Williamsburg? We would like to be picked up at the pier and returned to the ship. Is this feasible?

I would say it depends on how long you are scheduled to be in port, the time of year and what day of the week. Williamsburg is about an hour from the port as long as there is no traffic. Unfortunately the only ways out of Norfolk are over/under water. The slightest hiccup can cause all of the alternate routes to become congested very quickly or even come to a dead stop. I'd allow at least 2 hours each way if you can find a tour. This is one I'd definitely suggest booking through the cruise line.