Bus station to cruise port

[dbrown84]

I've never been to Boston, so I'm not sure if I'm mapping the correct location....I'm looking to take a bus into town (coming from DC) and it lets out at South Station.  I"m not sure if this is the same as the Amtrak station, but I mapped the address from the bus station to the cruise port, and it looks like it's only 1.5 miles.  does this sound about right?  This would be a great walk, assuming that there are sidewalks, and not over a highway.  Bus is scheduled to get into town at 9, and I generally don't like getting to the port before Noon.  So hopefully I can find a way to pass the time a little 

[latebloomer56]

We sailed out of Boston in April. There are several restaurants and stores in the general area of South Station. However the whole area has different construction projects going all the time. This has been going on for years, but they do have signs for pedestrian walkways you need to stay alert though with the traffic. Once in the actual port area it's simple to find and several people walk this. Our adult sons walked to the bus city stop and back in under an hour but they didn't have luggage and weren't in a rush.

[1025cruise]

Yes, both busses and trains call at South Station. Though I'm not sure I'd want to do the walk with all the luggage. I'd probably opt for an Uber/taxi.

[Nitemare]

Easy but not a short walk.  I worked in that area a few summers ago and walked from South Station to about half way to the cruise ship dock daily.  And sweated like crazy doing so.

 

Lots of construction, as @latebloomer56 mentioned, but it's fairly well signed and lots of crosswalks with walk signals

[GTJ]

15 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

I'm looking to take a bus into town (coming from DC) and it lets out at South Station. I'm not sure if this is the same as the Amtrak station . . . .

South Station consists of two buildings close by to each other, and which one day may actually be connected. The older building, opened in 1899, serves railroads, including Amtrak intercity and MBTA commuter trains. The newer building, opened in 1995, serves bus lines, including Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines, among others. For the time being, one must walk on the sidewalk outside to connect between the two buildings. Note that there is no single "Amtrak station" in Boston, and use of that term could cause confusion and/or misdirection. Best to use the term "South Station."

 

Ordinarily I would be inclined to walk between South Station and the cruise terminal, at least if time permits and the weather is not an obstacle. Otherwise, "Silver Line" bus rapid transit service, route SL2, goes direct from South Station (below the older railroad building) to the cruise terminal in just a few minutes.

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

South Station consists of two buildings close by to each other, and which one day may actually be connected. The older building, opened in 1899, serves railroads, including Amtrak intercity and MBTA commuter trains. The newer building, opened in 1995, serves bus lines, including Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines, among others. For the time being, one must walk on the sidewalk outside to connect between the two buildings. Note that there is no single "Amtrak station" in Boston, and use of that term could cause confusion and/or misdirection. Best to use the term "South Station."

 

Ordinarily I would be inclined to walk between South Station and the cruise terminal, at least if time permits and the weather is not an obstacle. Otherwise, "Silver Line" bus rapid transit service, route SL2, goes direct from South Station (below the older railroad building) to the cruise terminal in just a few minutes.

Thanks.  Unless it's raining, I'm definitely walking.  It's always nice to get your steps in early.  It makes me feel like I earned those beers later 🙂 

[dbrown84]

Thanks everyone for confirming what I had researched.  Time is not a problem since we're supposed to arrive at 9AM at the bus station and the cruise departs at 4PM.  I try to walk at least 5 miles a day, so this will be a nice jump start to that.

[neeuqdrazil]

I'm also going to be sailing out of Boston this fall, and have rough plans to walk from the Yotel to the cruise port, which is only about a mile, according to Google Maps. I'll also probably be walking into 'downtown' Boston that morning to visit Newbury Yarns (gotta get that souvenir yarn somehow!), so I'll get a bunch of walking in before getting on board.  

[jcl410]

DC to Boston by bus? What time does the bus leave? D o you have to change busses?

 

 

Amtrak has an over night train that costs less than $40 pp. (If you book early enough.) You get a lot more space on the train.

 

Aloha,

 

John

[CaribbeanBound]

Agree, you can take the Silver Line bus SL2 from South Station to Drydock Avenue stop which is within a 5 minute walk of the cruise terminal.  Cost is $2.40.

 

You can catch the Silver Line bus SL1 for free FROM the airport to South Station and switch to get on the T to any other Metro T line for free (if you don't exit the building).  You can also change to the SL2 bus (you will get off at Silver Line Way, cross over from the inbound side to the outbound side track and get on an SL2 Bus.  The fare for the SL2 bus is $2.40).  Otherwise, it's a 14 minute walk (0.6 miles) from Silve Line Way if you don't want to wait on the SL2 bus.

 

Do this in reverse at the end of the cruise.  $2.40.

[GTJ]

On 8/11/2023 at 4:14 PM, jcl410 said:

DC to Boston by bus? What time does the bus leave? Do you have to change buses?

Most trips between Washington, D.C., and Boston require a change of buses in New York City. There are, however, a few trips that operate direct without change. These are operated by Peter Pan Bus Lines, Greyhound Lines, and Cheng Ya/Tribal Sun.

 

As to Peter Pan Bus Lines, schedule 5629 departs Washington, D.C., at 7:00 a.m., arriving Boston at 4:20 p.m. Also, schedule 5649 departs Washington, D.C., at 12:00 noon, arriving Boston at 9:30 p.m. These trips go through the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, with a 40-minute stop, but there is no need to change buses and having to deal with queueing at Port Authority.

 

As to Greyhound Lines, there is a schedule that departs Washington, D.C., at 12:40 a.m., arriving Boston at 10:25 a.m. Also, there is a schedule that departs Washington, D.C., at 6:55 a.m., arriving Boston at 5:35 p.m. These trips go through the George Washington Bridge bus terminal in New York City, with a 5-to-15 minute stop, but there is no need to change buses. Generally, this bus terminal is less hectic than Port Authority.

 

As to Cheng Ya/Tribal Sun, there is a schedule that departs Washington, D.C., at 11:00 p.m., arriving Boston at 9:00 a.m. This trip goes through the FlixBus parking lot in New York City, with a 25-minute stop, but there is no need to change buses. Generally, this bus terminal is less hectic than Port Authority. This service is operated under the FlixBus brand, which is the exclusive ticket seller.

 

Amtrak has several Northeast Regional trains daily, that do the trip in about 8-to-9 hours, and several Acela trains that do the trip in about 7 hours. The overnight train may offer good value, but the only overnight train schedule now is not very attractive. Train 190 departs Washington, D.C., at 3:15 a.m., arriving Boston at 11:12 a.m. The train referred to by many as "The Federal," train 66, used to provide a more attractive schedule, departing Washington, D.C., at 10:00 p.m. and arriving Boston at 7:58 a.m., but since April 4, 2023, this train does not operate north of New York City due to Penn Station Access construction.

 

It is a 10-hour journey by bus, which can be a bit tiring to some people. Ordinarily I would prefer to break up the trip with one or more intermediate stops. But I might consider one of these schedules if I were pressed for time. Or I might consider the extra cost of using a daytime train. My days of overnight bus travel are largely over (other than by using the executive class services available throughout most of México and limited parts of the United States), and so I would elect to travel with Peter Pan Bus Lines, which offers a pleasant daytime trip. In any event I would avoid Cheng Ya/Tribal Sun, which are Chinatown bus companies that do not have a particularly good reputation.

[navybankerteacher]

On 8/11/2023 at 4:14 PM, jcl410 said:

DC to Boston by bus? What time does the bus leave? D o you have to change busses?

 

 

Amtrak has an over night train that costs less than $40 pp. (If you book early enough.) You get a lot more space on the train.

 

Aloha,

 

John

Amtrak from DC to Boston, if bought in advance, costs $36.  Cheapest bus is about $33. For that $3 difference only an unthinking or uninformed individual would opt for the bus.

[roomba920]

On 8/9/2023 at 10:32 PM, dbrown84 said:

I've never been to Boston, so I'm not sure if I'm mapping the correct location....I'm looking to take a bus into town (coming from DC) and it lets out at South Station.  I"m not sure if this is the same as the Amtrak station, but I mapped the address from the bus station to the cruise port, and it looks like it's only 1.5 miles.  does this sound about right?  This would be a great walk, assuming that there are sidewalks, and not over a highway.  Bus is scheduled to get into town at 9, and I generally don't like getting to the port before Noon.  So hopefully I can find a way to pass the time a little 

Yes, the bus station and Amtrak, as well as local commuter rail and the subway are all located at South Station. There is a local (silver line) bus from South Station to the Cruise Terminal if you choose not to walk.

[dbrown84]

15 hours ago, roomba920 said:

Yes, the bus station and Amtrak, as well as local commuter rail and the subway are all located at South Station. There is a local (silver line) bus from South Station to the Cruise Terminal if you choose not to walk.

thanks.  good to know.  I'm coming in next Friday morning.  As long as it's not raining, I'm going to enjoy the walk.

[roomba920]

6 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

thanks.  good to know.  I'm coming in next Friday morning.  As long as it's not raining, I'm going to enjoy the walk.

Hope you have a good weather. If by chance you take a taxi, be sure they run the meter.