Need any info for Baltimore........Never Been

[isujim]

First time to cruise out of Baltimore........any or all information appreicated.

 

We are going in at least 2 days early to visit Washington DC.....

 

Rent a Car?

 

Where would you suggest we stay? Suburbs?

 

Where is the port exactly?

 

Any information appreciated..........

 

First time ever to Baltimore.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Jim

[signman]

If you are only staying in Baltimore area to visit Washington, then I would suggest the airport area as a base of operations. There are tons of hotels there, and at least 4 more due to open in the next year. Car rentals at BWI are cheap, and Downtown DC is about 40 minutes. You could also make use of hotel shuttles which would take you to the Amtrak station, where both Amtrak and MARC (commuter, and cheaper, but only run M-F) trains will get you to DC. That same hotel shuttle could take you to the Light Rail which will get you into downtown and the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore City. If you're a shopaholic, there are several hotels adjacent to the giant Arundel Mills loaded with a Bass Pro Shop, every other type of store known to man, all sorts of dining and 10 or so movie screens.

 

Digest everything here, then come back to me with specifics.

 

http://www.marylandports.com

[isujim]

Thanks Howard...........glad to find someone that lives there.........you will be invaluable........

 

Just booked yesterday but plans are incomplete........will probably go in at least 2 days early. Washington at least one or two days, and Baltimore area one day........

 

Your information is what we will need...........I'll check with our other cruisers and get back to you.

 

Jim

[firedog001]

Signman

 

Need your help! Will be taking the Grandeur in October. We would like to stay near the port the night before. I've looked at your link for marylandports, but i can't tell which hotels are actually near the port. Can you give me a suggestion, we might actually see about leaving our car there too. Can you help.

[signman]

On the Maryland Ports site look for hotels that have some wording about park and snooze or cruise.

 

Here's the best listing of Downtown hotels. http://www.baltimore.org/visitors/v_sleep_results.jsp?q=&scat=DHCC&neighborhood=Inner+Harbor&Submit.x=32&Submit.y=12 Also check the Harbor East area for Marriott Waterfront and Courtyard.

 

Check out deals at http://www.hotwire.com and see what hotels may be possible with Priceline at http://www.biddingfortravel.com

 

What dates are you staying in October? Inner Harbor hotels will have high parking fees, except the deal at the Hyatt. It's a very short cab ride to the pier. Airport area is only about a 15 minute ride. Parking at the pier is $10/day. Very secure and convenient.

[isujim]

Thank you so much for the links..........we are continuing to research Baltimore and this really helps.

 

Jim

[signman]

There's also a new high rise Marriott Residence Inn on Light St. just 2 blocks from Harborplace.

[CruiserInMD]

Might I make a few suggestions if you're going to be in the Baltimore area for a day or two before you depart:

 

The Baltimore Inner Harbor is nice for some shopping. If you like seafood, make sure to eat at Phillips or McCormick & Schmick. There's a Cheesecake Factory there as well...delicious entrees and the BEST cheesecake flavors around. The Baltimore Aquarium with rainforest is right at the harbor and never a disappointment. There's also the Discovery museum (great for kids) and an IMAX theater at the Maryland Science Center.

There are some good art museums in downtown Baltimore- the Walters is smaller scale but nice. I would recommend the Visionary Arts Museum for something more unique (artists that are self-taught, did their artwork in mental institutions or jails, etc- really random stuff). Also, the Baltimore Museum of Art which is your typical nice art museum- there may be some good exhibits going on.

There's the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens stadiums practically within walking distance of each other.

There are lots of bars and clubs in the area, just depends on what you like. Most are downtown and you can just catch a quick cab right to them. There's as much gay life in Baltimore as there is straight, more specifically the mid-Charles St. area.

There's a very small "Little Italy" section in downtown Baltimore with some nice restaurants, good dessert places, and even rose vendors that walk the streets.

Finally, if you're into ghost stories, there's a neat Ghost Tour at Fells Point, which is an area of Baltimore right on the water towards the east. Lots of good shopping, restaurants, and of course lots of bars at Fells Point, too. Oh, and if you can find them, make sure to buy a box of "Berger cookies"- they are specific to Baltimore and scrumptious!

 

Like any big city, be careful if you stray away from the more touristy areas. There are some very sketchy parts of Baltimore that are not far from the touristy parts. I wouldn't walk around some neighborhoods at night.

 

Have fun, all!

[elktoncruiser]

I would second cruiserinmd, the inner harbor is a great place to spend a day.

You can walk around or take a water taxi also they have the Ducks there.

Half tour by land then the bus goes into the water and the other half of tour by sea. Be sure to check out ESPN zone and dinner at Phillips is not to be missed. Welcome to Maryland.

 

Mike

[isujim]

Thank you so much.........great information!!

[emc0117]

First time to cruise out of Baltimore........any or all information appreicated.

 

We are going in at least 2 days early to visit Washington DC.....

 

Rent a Car?

 

Where would you suggest we stay? Suburbs?

 

Where is the port exactly?

 

Any information appreciated..........

 

First time ever to Baltimore.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Jim

 

 

We have been in Baltimore a half a dozen times over the last few years.

We generally stay in the Inner Harbour hotels. All the major names are there. Pier 5 Hotel is a quirky little place, with a Ruths Chris Steakhouse. Also the M&S Grill has great food. Lots of other resteraunts (Hard Rock California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory) are there

 

 

If it is baseball season Camden Yard is a nice place to watch a game. Boog Powells BarBQ is worth the price of admission.

 

The pier is right along I95 as soon as you come out of the tunnel. Big white boat, can't miss it.

 

I would probably get a car in DC, sightsee there, drive to Baltimore the day before the cruise, spend the afternoon in the Harbour and then taxi or Limo to the port.

 

Have a nice time.

[sandi1967]

We are in Queen ANnes county just over the Bay Bridge....Annapolis is a nice place to stay too....you will be about 35-40 minutes from Balitmore as well as DC. Annapolis is a beautiful walking town, and there are lots of great places to eat! If you do DC, you can always take the metro....it goes to all the major sections downtown close to musuems. I love DC for the fact that all the musuems, monuments, zoo are free to the public. It is safe for walking....they have a great tour bus that you can get on and off throughout the day....

 

I don't know a terrible amount about the attrations in B-more outside of the INner Harbour....it is so pretty lots of shopping and things to do. The aquarium and Sci Center are pricey....I am not a huge fan of the aquarium, but the sci center and imax are great.

 

You will not have a shortage of things to do in either place or finding a hotel.

 

Take care

sandi

[isujim]

Thanks to both of you for the info.......you can't believe how much this is helping with planning options.

 

Keep the info coming folks.

 

Jim

[2Cruise4Ever]

Native Washingtonian here ~ one word of advice: don't drive in DC. I've driven around that city so many times, my eyes spin. BUT, now I avoid it as much as possible. When the city planners got together, they designed it to be very confusing on purpose (not to mention the traffic!). You'll spend most of your time in the car trying to navigate through the city. It's not your typical grid layout. One wrong turn and you could end up in SE DC which is not a nice place to be at any time of day. I would highly suggest taking the metro (connect from the Marc rail in Baltimore to Union Station where you can pick up the metro). The metro is easy to navigate and there are stops all over the city. My favorite place to be is the Smithsonian (metro stop there too). Since you're only planning to be in DC one day, I would suggest two museums: The Air And Space Museum (absolutely NOT to be missed!) and the Museum of Natural History. And, there are many, many restaurants and bars all over the place for quick bite or longer more leisurely meal.

 

Have a GREAT time and welcome!!!

[flag fan]

Another Washingtonian here. I think the biggest problem with driving in Washington is not the driving, but the parking--its always difficult (if not impossible) to find a spot to park. I recommend traveling from Baltimore to Washington on Amtrak. The Amtrak station (Union Station) is very close to the Capitol, the Mall (with the Smithsonian and the National Gallery), and the subway (Metro) which is only a few stops from the downtown area and to RFK Stadium (where Washington's baseball team--the Nationals--play (yay! finally got a team!). It also has a new direct bus line (I think its called the Circulator) directly to Georgetown. In Baltimore, I agree with the suggestions to stay at a hotel near the Inner Harbor. Seeing that site and dining in Little Italy are the two things I recommend doing in Baltimore.

[madelinerose]

Hi, Jim...I agree with just about everything here except please do not dine at Phillip's. IMHO (and many others), it's the Mickey D's of seafood....frozen everything. If you don't mind pricey (heck, you can get appetizers and have a full meal), try the Blue Sea Grill for absolutely fabulous, freshly caught seafood. It's one of our favs and it's just a few blocks from the center of the Inner Harbor...yes, you can walk it very easily.

 

http://www.blueseagrill.com/

 

Definitely stay in the Inner Harbor. Two of the hotels closest to the pier are the Hyatt Regency and the Sheraton.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g60811-Baltimore_Maryland-Hotels.html

 

http://www.baltimore.org/

 

http://www.baltimore.to/

 

http://www.baltimoretours.net/?ovchn=ggl&ovcpn=baltimore-1&ovcrn=tour+baltimore&ovtac=ppc

 

http://www.digitalharbor.info/visit/index.html

 

http://www.thingstodobaltimore.com/

 

Enjoy! ;)

 

Karen

Baltimore

[Lance1224]

I have relatives in Baltimore and go there at least once a year. The tourist information booth in the airport with plenty of useful pamphlets and the staff is excellent. We rent a car . All the car rental agencies are a short free shuttle ride from the airport. I am not a city person but Baltimore is a very easy city to get around in. I agree with the other posters, you could spend a whole day in and around the Inner Harbor. Enjoy.

 

Lance:)

[isujim]

Karen thanks for the links............thanks to Lance and all..........

 

Thanks for the heads up on Philips..........won't dine there:)

 

We plan on going in at least 2 days if not 3 days early........around mid September...........is staying at the airport BWI area a good place to stay to go back and forth between Washington and Baltimore? We plan on doing at least one day in Washington and a couple maybe in Baltimore before cruising.

 

Thanks again all

 

Jim

[Lance1224]

Jim,

 

Any hotel near BWI would be fine as a base for your visit. We stayed at the Comfort Inn. Good location and free breakfast. You would be near all transportation options.

 

Lance

[signman]

Jim, once again I'll state that the airport area is a good one for a base of operations. Parking is free and there are hotels of every kind, including a brand new Hilton and a Westin which might be open by the time you arrive.

 

I don't think driving in DC is so bad, but I'm familiar with where I'm going. If you take the train over from the BWI station, you can get a good overview of DC with the Tourmobile http://www.tourmobile.com

[isujim]

Thanks.........missed that earlier.........while no decisions yet, we hope to book in September or soon thereafter.

 

Seafood restaurant recommendations? Something nice that won't cost an arm and a leg........don't mind a leg.......just not an arm and a leg:)

 

Everyone's info is invaluable..........

 

Thanks

[Laurba99]

YEs I agree--Don't eat at Phillips-there are so many better places! (I like John Stevens but it is in Fells Point--but I am sure the other suggestion was good! Cheesecake Factory is fun for lunch or brunch if you have never tried it! I love the Inner Harbour in Baltimore--We are in DC and it's a fun day to go to Baltimore and walk around the harbour and go to the shops-The Aquarium is fun and worth the time!!! Great dolphin show and shark exhibit--I also agree with the museums that people mentioned if you are going coming to DC--Air and Space and Natural History are OUTSTANDING! They each also have an IMAX theatre that is SO terrific!!! Have a great time! I should take advantage and cruise from here too :)--

[madelinerose]

Jim, can you be a little more specific? What type of seafood...steamed crabs, fresh fish, crab cakes, etc. How much pp or total is your leg? ;)

 

 

Seafood restaurant recommendations? Something nice that won't cost an arm and a leg........don't mind a leg.......just not an arm and a leg:) Everyone's info is invaluable..........Thanks

[madelinerose]

Jim, can you be a little more specific? What type of seafood...steamed crabs, fresh fish, steamed shrimp/mussels, crab cakes, etc? How much pp or total is your leg? ;)

 

 

Seafood restaurant recommendations? Something nice that won't cost an arm and a leg........don't mind a leg.......just not an arm and a leg:) Everyone's info is invaluable..........Thanks

[isujim]

Madelinerose..........thanks for responding.........my arm would be around $100 for the DW and I........maybe I'm not being realistic.......in OKC where we are from you can get a very nice dinner including cocktails for $80 to $90..........but you know what........heck you only live once..

 

I guess whatever it is..........I just want to be prepared:D being landlocked we don't get fresh seafood. I want one of those to die for crabcakes:)

 

Laurba we do plan to go to DC at least one day and the Air and Space is at the top of the list.......

 

Right now our cruise leaves on a Friday.......we are thinking of flying in on a Tuesday, then have a day in DC and a day in Baltimore before boarding the ship.

 

Jim