Train to NYC from Boston

[vicbomb5]

I am sailing out of NY on the Gem and am thinking of taking Amtrak from Boston. The earliest Amtrak train gets us to Penn Sta at 10:50AM. Is this enough time to catch a cab and get to the pier? Also is Amtrak's schedule always on time?

[cruiser429]

Should be fine. Penn Station is not too far from the pier. Amtrak is usually pretty close to schedule, but even if it's a little late, sailing isn't until at least 4, so you have plenty of time.

[Cruzinnana47]

Another possibility to consider...check out http://www.enttours.com. They have a bus which leaves South Station I believe at 6:45am and will bring you directly to the NYC terminal for boarding. We took the bus from Boston a few years back to board NCL Dawn and it worked out well--we were on the ship by 12:15pm. You may still have time to book online.

[vicbomb5]

Thanks for the info but I'd really like to take the train. However, after speaking with Amtrak, they recommend that we go the day before. The woman I spoke with suggested this since it is March and the weather could be a factor. Any hotel recommendations near Penn Sta for around $200 or less?

[tompeter]

Trust me, speaking as an Amtrak employee, there is no need to take the train the day before unless you want to. If you want peace of mind, maybe go a little earlier in AM, but HIGHLY unlikely you would be delayed more than an hour or so...

[138east]

I agree. There is no reason to go down the night before. However, just for peace of mind I would have a plan B in case of really bad weather that late in March.

 

For Plan B I would plan to switch the Amtrak tickets to the day before. I would go onto Priceline or Hotwire and bid on a last minute NY hotel room (at least 3*). There is no point in shelling out the money for a hotel room unless you really have to.

[vicbomb5]

Thanks, you just made me feel a whole lot better. I'd rather use the money I would have spent on a hotel for an excursion in the warmer weather. I plan to take the earliest train which arrives at 10:50A.

[GTJ]

Agreed with all others that there is no problem with getting the Amtrak train scheduled to arrive in NYC at 10:50 a.m.; that is plenty of time barring a major disaster. For "Plan B," there's plenty of bus services from Boston to New York, including Greyhound, Peter Pan, Bolt, Mega, Limoliner, and Chinabus.

[Got2Cruise]

Agreed with all others that there is no problem with getting the Amtrak train scheduled to arrive in NYC at 10:50 a.m.; that is plenty of time barring a major disaster. For "Plan B," there's plenty of bus services from Boston to New York, including Greyhound, Peter Pan, Bolt, Mega, Limoliner, and Chinabus.

 

OMG, never take the Chinabus.:eek: It is a safety hazzard. Plus then you are left down in Chinatown and need to get back to midtown. That said, to the OP did you compare airline ticket prices to Amtrak? My dd is a student in Boston and has found that sometimes that Amtrak is MORE expensive than flying. Taking the bus she tried once, and it ended up taking eight hours. . .

[megr1125]

You are fine on NE Corridor trains...they are closer to on time (except today of course with the pre-inaugural train slowing things down!)

 

Now.....if you were taking a train to FLA or something out in chicago, going west...i would worry about LONG delays and/or frozen switches! At least amtrak OWNS the tracks up here!

 

Take as early a train as possible...you will be fine.

[GTJ]

OMG, never take the Chinabus.:eek: It is a safety hazzard. Plus then you are left down in Chinatown and need to get back to midtown. That said, to the OP did you compare airline ticket prices to Amtrak? My dd is a student in Boston and has found that sometimes that Amtrak is MORE expensive than flying. Taking the bus she tried once, and it ended up taking eight hours. . .

 

While the Chinabus operators do not have as good of a safety record as other bus operators, they are safer than travel by private automobile. Thus, if one does not have any concerns about travel in a private automobile, then one should not have those concerns about Chinabus.

 

The express buses from Boston to New York require 4 hours 20 minutes for a non-stop journey. But if you take a local schedule then it will take longer. Express via Hartford or Providence is 5 to 5-1/2 hours; local via Providence 7 hours. So yes, if you don't choose a schedule that will get you there quickly, it will take you a long time to get there.

 

As for it taking longer than scheduled, yes, just about any means of transportation carries a risk that a breakdown will result in longer travel time. But taking this to an extreme, do you want to fly from an origin city to the cruise departure city 1 week in advance, just in case the scheduled flight is annulled and space is not available on any other flights prior to the vessel's departure? At some point you have to take a risk (or perhaps stated, take an assessment of risk) and simply accept that the risk is reasonable. In the case of morning Amtrak travel from Boston to New York, I believe the risk to be quite minimal.

 

With respect to cost, Amtrak can be quite expensive. I don't fly anymore (it has simply become much too unpleasant to do so), and I'm well aware of the premium that I pay frequently for the privilege of travel by train rather than by airplane. It may be worth the extra dollars to go from Boston to New York by train so that you'll be more comfortable and get a more dignified travel experience. But if you're looking to save money, then consider the bus. One-way travel from Boston to New York costs as little as $1.50 (limited seats); you can regularly find one-way fares for $15.00. Amtrak is about $90.00 one-way.