Boston Hotel that includes parking

[mjkacmom]

45 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

That assumes you have a convenient rail stop. 
For me, it’s a direct 3 hour drive. 
Versus — Uber XL for 4 people to Amtrak station, about 35-40 minutes away. Then a 3 1/2 train ride to south station, (for another $500 or so) followed by another Uber to hotel. Followed by another Uber to the cruise port the next day. 
 

And doing that all in reverse the next day. 
 

So train is much more time consuming and much more expensive than driving.

 

 

I drove to Boston on Thursday, gps said 3:45, took 5 1/2, filled up the tank there and back, our hotel charged $75 for valet parking. I’ve driven, flown, and taken the train, I’m sticking with the train from now on (booking well in advance for the lowest fares). We are 20 minutes from the train station.

[havoc315]

8 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I drove to Boston on Thursday, gps said 3:45, took 5 1/2, filled up the tank there and back, our hotel charged $75 for valet parking. I’ve driven, flown, and taken the train, I’m sticking with the train from now on (booking well in advance for the lowest fares). We are 20 minutes from the train station.

mileage varies.  I do the drive to Boston 1-2 times per year. It usually is around 3 hours, never taken me more than 4. 
Total costs by train/uber are about $800.

Total cost of parking and gas: about $300-$350. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, havoc315 said:

That assumes you have a convenient rail stop. 
For me, it’s a direct 3 hour drive. 
Versus — Uber XL for 4 people to Amtrak station, about 35-40 minutes away. Then a 3 1/2 train ride to south station, (for another $500 or so) followed by another Uber to hotel. Followed by another Uber to the cruise port the next day. 
 

And doing that all in reverse the next day. 
 

So train is much more time consuming and much more expensive than driving.

 

 

$500 for a 3 1/2 hour Amtrak ride? Which could probably mean no hotel cost, nor two Ubers pre-cruise, and no parking costs.  I suggest you spend a bit of time pricing and timing things out - just because you own a car does not mean you should ignore real costs of driving it .

 

p.s. A 3 1/2 hour Amtrak ride to Boston would probably cost about $25, so four round trips would be closer to $200 than $500.

Edited April 30 by navybankerteacher

[havoc315]

9 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

$500 for a 3 1/2 hour Amtrak ride? Which could probably mean no hotel cost, nor two Ubers pre-cruise, and no parking costs.  I suggest you spend a bit of time pricing and timing things out - just because you own a car does not mean you should ignore real costs of driving it .

$500 for round trip for 4 people. That’s the cheapest ticket — about $60-$70 per person, each way. 
$50-$100 for Uber from home to train station. 
$500 minimum for train. 
$50 Uber from south station to hotel. 
$30-$50 for Uber from hotel to port. 
$50-$100 for Uber from port back to train station. 
$50-100 for Uber from train station to home. 
 

train cost: $780 to $900

Time; about 5 1/2 hours to 6 hours from front door to hotel 

 

Car:

Time: 3-4 hours

Cost:

round trip gas and tolls: About $100 to $150. (400 miles… I get about 36-40 mpg in my hybrid, so about $50 in gas round trip).
overnight parking for 1 night at hotel: $50-$70

Parking: already prepaid Black Falcon lot, $175 for the week. 
Total cost of driving: $325 to $395

 

Not even close. Driving is significantly faster and cheaper than the train. 
 

(could take the high speed train… but that only saves 20-30 minutes and costs twice as much)

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

5 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

$500 for round trip for 4 people. That’s the cheapest ticket — about $60-$70 per person, each way. 
$50-$100 for Uber from home to train station. 
$500 minimum for train. 
$50 Uber from south station to hotel. 
$30-$50 for Uber from hotel to port. 
$50-$100 for Uber from port back to train station. 
$50-100 for Uber from train station to home. 
 

train cost: $780 to $900

Time; about 5 1/2 hours to 6 hours from front door to hotel 

 

Car:

Time: 3-4 hours

Cost:

round trip gas and tolls: About $100 to $150. (400 miles… I get about 36-40 mpg in my hybrid, so about $50 in gas round trip).
overnight parking for 1 night at hotel: $50-$70

Parking: already prepaid Black Falcon lot, $175 for the week. 
Total cost of driving: $325 to $395

 

Not even close. Driving is significantly faster and cheaper than the train. 
 

(could take the high speed train… but that only saves 20-30 minutes and costs twice as much)

 

 

Please advise what station you are talking about - which is 3 1/2 hours from South Station, Boston;  and what your hotel will cost for 4.

 

Edited April 30 by navybankerteacher

[princeton123211]

2 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

Not even close. Driving is significantly faster and cheaper than the train. 

Sort of a general statement. For you, maybe. For most people absolutely not. 

 

I live in Philadelphia quite close to the 30th St Train Station. Takes about 5 hours on the train to Boston (I get off in Back Bay since it's closer to where I like to stay). If I drove, with zero traffic, it would take a little over 5 hours according to Google maps. There is never zero traffic-- its usually 6-7 hours door to door stopping for gas etc. 

 

Flying-- about 30 minute Uber to PHL. Check in 1.5 hour in advance. Block time of an hour. Then another hour getting of plane and getting to hotel from Logan. If everything goes perfectly its a wash-- commercial aviation in the NE doesnt usually go perfectly. 

 

What's not being said here is that even if it were a wash in cost and time, taking the train is so much more relaxing and easy than driving or flying. I would still take the train if it cost me an hour vs other means. 

[havoc315]

24 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

$500 for a 3 1/2 hour Amtrak ride? Which could probably mean no hotel cost, nor two Ubers pre-cruise, and no parking costs.  I suggest you spend a bit of time pricing and timing things out - just because you own a car does not mean you should ignore real costs of driving it .

 

p.s. A 3 1/2 hour Amtrak ride to Boston would probably cost about $25, so four round trips would be closer to $200 than $500.

???? Don’t know what Amtrak you’re taking. I’ve never seen a ticket for under $60 each way except for very inconvenient times. The cheapest for my dates was $65 each way, per person. 

[princeton123211]

Just now, havoc315 said:

???? Don’t know what Amtrak you’re taking. I’ve never seen a ticket for under $60 each way except for very inconvenient times. The cheapest for my dates was $65 each way, per person. 

How early do you book in advance? Amtrak now has a multi tier booking system-- if you book far enough out the prices on the "Value" fare are very reasonable. New York to Boston booked a month or two out is $35 at peak times. Have to imagine less from where you are if you are 3.5 hours driving to Boston.

[havoc315]

2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Please advise what station you are talking about - which is 3 1/2 hours from South Station, Boston.

 

Either Penn Station, NYC (which turns it into a $200 Uber) or Stamford, CT.  
The cheapest I’m seeing is $400 round trip, the more convenient times are over $500.

[havoc315]

2 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

How early do you book in advance? Amtrak now has a multi tier booking system-- if you book far enough out the prices on the "Value" fare are very reasonable. New York to Boston booked a month or two out is $35 at peak times. Have to imagine less from where you are if you are 3.5 hours driving to Boston.

Here is what I’m seeing from NY Penn for my dates:

 

 

[princeton123211]

5 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

Here is what I’m seeing from NY Penn for my dates:

I just ran it in my app and I got $51pp for the July 18th Regional in Coach from NYP to Boston. Is it the return that's priced high?

[havoc315]

1 minute ago, princeton123211 said:

I just ran it in my app and I got $51pp for the July 18th Regional in Coach from NYP to Boston. Is it the return that's priced high?

 

That’s exactly what I got. So that’s $204.. return was $70pp. So $484 total. 

[havoc315]

15 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Sort of a general statement. For you, maybe. For most people absolutely not. 

 

 

 I was only talking about myself. It depends on number of people, distance from train station. 
If you are an hour away from the nearest train station, and 3-5 people traveling, driving is often much faster and cheaper. 
 

By the way — did a trip from NY to DC recently for a wedding. 3 segments of my family — 1 drove, 1 took the train, and I flew.  Because of flight delays, my 1 hour flight took about 12 hours. The driver won the race easily. Train was slightly behind the driver. 

 

15 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I live in Philadelphia quite close to the 30th St Train Station. Takes about 5 hours on the train to Boston (I get off in Back Bay since it's closer to where I like to stay). If I drove, with zero traffic, it would take a little over 5 hours according to Google maps. There is never zero traffic-- its usually 6-7 hours door to door stopping for gas etc. 

 

Flying-- about 30 minute Uber to PHL. Check in 1.5 hour in advance. Block time of an hour. Then another hour getting of plane and getting to hotel from Logan. If everything goes perfectly its a wash-- commercial aviation in the NE doesnt usually go perfectly. 

 

What's not being said here is that even if it were a wash in cost and time, taking the train is so much more relaxing and easy than driving or flying. I would still take the train if it cost me an hour vs other means. 

 

[mjkacmom]

2 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I just ran it in my app and I got $51pp for the July 18th Regional in Coach from NYP to Boston. Is it the return that's priced high?

I got $52 from Newark Penn round trip leaving that date and time frame. My daughter is a student at BU, so has done the trip frequently, train, plane and car. The only time she has done the drive in just under 4 hours each way was when she was flying from our home in NJ to Mexico and realized 12 hours before her flight that she left her passport in Boston, so drove almost 8 hours overnight. Her best friend’s family has a home on cape cod, she’s been there dozens of time, the traffic is always bad. We the most bizarre detour this time adding an extra hour.

[princeton123211]

1 minute ago, havoc315 said:

The driver won the race easily. Train was slightly behind the driver. 

But the person on the train was happier and more relaxed than the driver 🙂

 

Flying into DC is a mess. You either roll the dice at DCA and hope there isn't a ground stop for some sort of VIP traffic or you go to Dulles where you still get delayed and you have a wonderful 1.5 hour slog into the city that should take 30 minutes. 

[havoc315]

3 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

But the person on the train was happier and more relaxed than the driver 🙂

 

Flying into DC is a mess. You either roll the dice at DCA and hope there isn't a ground stop for some sort of VIP traffic or you go to Dulles where you still get delayed and you have a wonderful 1.5 hour slog into the city that should take 30 minutes. 

I’m driving in to DC next week, dreading it. 
Most of the time, I’m an advocate for train when it comes to DC.  But I have to pick my son up from college and haul all his stuff. 

[havoc315]

7 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I got $52 from Newark Penn round trip leaving that date and time frame. My daughter is a student at BU, so has done the trip frequently, train, plane and car. The only time she has done the drive in just under 4 hours each way was when she was flying from our home in NJ to Mexico and realized 12 hours before her flight that she left her passport in Boston, so drove almost 8 hours overnight. Her best friend’s family has a home on cape cod, she’s been there dozens of time, the traffic is always bad. We the most bizarre detour this time adding an extra hour.

Well, Newark Penn is about a 90 minute $200 Uber ride away for me. So that would add a lot of time and money to the trip!

 

I attended BU, and return for friends and alumni events frequently. I’ve never had more than 30-60 minutes traffic and often have smooth sailing. 

Edited April 30 by havoc315

[mjkacmom]

59 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

I’m driving in to DC next week, dreading it. 
Most of the time, I’m an advocate for train when it comes to DC.  But I have to pick my son up from college and haul all his stuff. 

When I debated driving vs. Amtrak, I realized that my daughter would be coming home for the summer in a couple of weeks, no car, and she sublets her room over the summer so we needed to take back a lot of her stuff. The overnight in Boston was a stop before we headed to Gloucester for a wedding, so we would’ve also had to rent a car. I will book early for her graduation next May. Her Ubers from back bay have always been under $20 (I pay for transportation to and from school, she pays for the day to day in Boston).

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, havoc315 said:

???? Don’t know what Amtrak you’re taking. I’ve never seen a ticket for under $60 each way except for very inconvenient times. The cheapest for my dates was $65 each way, per person. 

I have just checked for a random date a couple of months out: Stamford CT to South Station Boston - prices were minimum $15 and maximum $33 per person each way (Northeast Regional, obviously not Acela) making four round trips TOTALLING  either $120 or $264.   Of course if one does not think enough to plan ahead (like booking other things the same time as the cruise) and buys at last minute prices, he pays what he deserves to pay. 
 

Also, an early train on embarkation day negates the need for a room (or rooms) for hotel night, overnight parking, and cruise parking.

Edited April 30 by navybankerteacher

[havoc315]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

I have just checked for a random date a couple of months out: Stamford CT to South Station Boston - prices were minimum $15 and maximum $33 per person each way (Northeast Regional, obviously not Acela) making four round trips TOTALLING  either $120 or $264.   Of course if one does not think enough to plan ahead (like booking other things the same time as the cruise) and buys at last minute prices, he pays what he deserves to pay. 
 

Also, an early train on embarkation day negates the need for a room (or rooms) for hotel night, overnight parking, and cruise parking.

my dates in July have nothing that cheap except for a 6am train. 
$400 is the minimum for 4 people, and those times don’t work. 
 

I can drive without a hotel as well, but I’m getting there a day early to do things in Boston.  
 

But even if the times worked, even if it was $200… that would still be significantly more expensive than driving because of the multiple Uber rides. 
 

 

Edited April 30 by havoc315

[navybankerteacher]

48 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

my dates in July have nothing that cheap except for a 6am train. 
$400 is the minimum for 4 people, and those times don’t work. 
 

I can drive without a hotel as well, but I’m getting there a day early to do things in Boston.  
 

But even if the times worked, even if it was $200… that would still be significantly more expensive than driving because of the multiple Uber rides. 
 

 

Enjoy your drive.

[havoc315]

12 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Enjoy your drive.

I’ve done it 3 times this year thus far. It will probably be my fourth and last of the year. 

[havoc315]

23 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I have just checked for a random date a couple of months out: Stamford CT to South Station Boston - prices were minimum $15 and maximum $33 per person each way (Northeast Regional, obviously not Acela) making four round trips TOTALLING  either $120 or $264.   Of course if one does not think enough to plan ahead (like booking other things the same time as the cruise) and buys at last minute prices, he pays what he deserves to pay. 
 

Also, an early train on embarkation day negates the need for a room (or rooms) for hotel night, overnight parking, and cruise parking.

I was giving this thought. My last 2 cruises out of Boston, I drove the same day. I left the house at 7am, I was parking at the terminal by 10:15. Total cost of parking, tolls and gas — $200-$250. 
 

I priced and timed my upcoming July trip. Anticipated costs of driving, about $250-$270. (Prices up since my last trip). 
 

By train: the most affordable train on the way there, and it still would get me to the port by about 10:15am — 6:17am-9:47am. 
That’s $30 per person. (You didn’t check the times of your $15 per person.. those are trains that get into Boston at midnight. Sleeping at the train station to save a few dollar before boarding a cruise isn’t my thing). 
I priced the Uber — $110 each way, 45-50 minute Uber ride. 
So I’d have to leave the house at about 5:20am.. 

So just getting there:

$110 Uber to train. 
$120 train fare

$25 Uber from south station to port. 
 

total 1 way, with cheap train: $255, about 5 hours door to door 

driving — $250-$270 round trip, 3- 31/2 hours each way 

 

Coming back in the train — cheapest late morning / early afternoon was $65 per person, so $260 total . Plus the same $135 in Ubers. 

 

So cheapest possible round trip costs on train: 
$650

More than double the price of driving. And almost double the time. 
 

Train is great if you live in easy access to a train line with direct service to Boston, and especially if you’re a small travel party. 
If you’re a larger travel party, and if the nearest train is really out of the way, then driving will usually make more sense. 

 

[navybankerteacher]

If you book cruises a few months out, and check Amtrak prices that much in advance, it is a totally different scene.

 

If one of the points of the trip is to have an enjoyable time, avoiding I-95 in CT, RI and MA is something to consider.

Edited May 1 by navybankerteacher

[havoc315]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

If you book cruises a few months out, and check Amtrak prices that much in advance, it is a totally different scene.

 

If one of the points of the trip is to have an enjoyable time, avoiding I-95 in CT, RI and MA is something to consider.

Im looking 3 months out. Should be plenty of time. 
 

But even if the train fare was only $3 per person… it would still be more expensive and much more time consuming than driving. Because of the need to spend about $300 on round trip Uber to get to/from the train stations. 
 

looking now — 6 months out, November 1 to Nov 8, cheapest late morning tickets: I’m seeing $316 round trip for 4 people.