Baltimore to Newark by train

I will be taking a cruise on the Anthem. July 6. I have difficulty handling my suitcase.....taking the BWI Amtrack at 7:53. Would it be best to take it to Penn Station or Airport for the easiest taxi and less walking to port? Would you leave earlier than 8 for the same day cruise? Should I book a shuttle prior to arriving to ensure a ride or just hope to find a taxi?

There is no ground transportation at the Newark Airport Amtrak station. It strictly is a connecting point to the Newark airport AirTrain, so if you want to take a taxi directly from the railroad station you have to go to Newark Penn Station. Technically there is porter service available at Newark Penn, but it is spotty so I would ask the train's conductor to radio ahead to the station in order to have a porter meet the train.

I would start out earlier. The timeliness of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor service is awful. There's no shuttle available to the cruise port. You could book a car service such as Dial 7 or Carmel Limo to take you from Newark Penn to the Cape Liberty, or there are taxis normally available at Newark Penn as it's a major transportation hub.

PS: I see there is no Red Cap porter service at BWI, so that may not be the best place to start your journey unless you are being driven to the station by someone who can help you with your luggage. Baltimore does have Red Cap service available..

On the other hand, there's a free shuttle from the BWI airport terminal to the BWI Amtrak station.

We took Amtrak from Pennsylvania to New York before a transatlantic crossing but I was nervous about schedule reliability and booked the train the day before the cruise. Of course the train was on time and we ended up spending most of the savings compared to driving up & parking on a New York hotel room.

Regarding the 'quiet' car: I don't believe station announcements are made; therefore, you need to pay attention after Philadelphia so you don't miss your station.

I was on Amtrak last week. Station announcements ARE made in the Quiet Car.

(BTW, the Quiet Car filled instantly. They really should have more than one!)

If you are going to fly back into BWI, park at the airport and take the train from the BWI station. You can part right by the train station, then take a shuttle bus from the terminal when you get back. If you do the "airport" parking, you will have to shuttle from the parking to the airport, then switch buses to get to the train station.

There is plenty of room for luggage on the train, but you need to be able to handle your own luggage.

Amtrak is pretty reliable.

Quiet Car is no cell phone use and no loud talking. Most people say nothing and work or sleep. But the normal cars are not loud. I only use a Quiet Car if I want to sleep.

And yes, station announcements ARE made in the Quiet Car.