ctigerk Posted March 20, 2014 #1 Share Posted March 20, 2014 My friend and I are on Grandeur out of Baltimore on 4/26/14. We are way out on Long Island and I figure it would cost about $230, at least, for gas, tolls, and parking for a 6-day cruise if we come down the day of the cruise and about $250 to come the day before and do the park and cruise package. It is a 4+ hour ride for us. We can take the Gotobus (Eastern) from Manhattan (free ride into Manhattan) the day before and stay at the Best Western on O'Donnell Street (I have points so the room is a total $60), and take a taxi or shuttle to the port for about $150 total. It would be nice to come in a day early and cheaper. However, we don't know too much about the bus. Does anyone have any information. Are we crazy to do this? We are adventurous. Thanks for any help. Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony O Posted March 20, 2014 #2 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I would inquire with the hotel to see if the nightclub on premise is still open since this was the scene of a shooting a few months ago Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctigerk Posted March 20, 2014 Author #3 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I would inquire with the hotel to see if the nightclub on premise is still open since this was the scene of a shooting a few months ago Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Well, I did say we were adventurous. And I was worried about the bus!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony O Posted March 21, 2014 #4 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Well, I did say we were adventurous. And I was worried about the bus!! If you want to be adventurous do a Google map search in the satellite mode and see what is acrosss the street and on the hotel property Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctigerk Posted March 21, 2014 Author #5 Share Posted March 21, 2014 If you want to be adventurous do a Google map search in the satellite mode and see what is acrosss the street and on the hotel property Thanks Tony O. I see this hotel gets good reviews on Tripadvisor. I'm thinking bullet-proof vest and take our chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony O Posted March 21, 2014 #6 Share Posted March 21, 2014 The reviews may be good but be careful of the area. Truck stop across the street truck washing company on the premises. Close to low income housing with police cameras mounted on the light poles Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mking8288 Posted March 21, 2014 #7 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) OP, do you have personal/close friends with experience booking & riding with GoToBus and/or Eastern Bus as the provider and find it satisfactory or acceptable, and reasonable with on-time performance. It pays to be penny wise and dollar foolish by considering major providers like BoltBus or MegaBus - to provide your cruise investment, even if you have trip interruption insurance that cover it. That's my words of wisdom for taking a chance. From what I see, GoToBus is acting as online consolidator or marketing agent for various bus operators, and both entities are essentially Chinatown-based companies that US DOT's have been shutting down & closing for serious safety violations. Another one of these cluster's bus was involved in a rollover acccident earlier this week, resulting in injuries but no fatalities and the bus driver was arrested & charged, excessive speed given snow/icy condition on the road as likely cause - being investigated. Their quoted fare for June is about $20 - you can do it on Bolt or Mega for $8 or $10 for a random Friday that I picked. They depart from NY Penn Station so it's easy to transfer even if you don't have a free ride from LI, hop on the LIRR & you are good. One of my SIL used to work in the suburbs of Baltimore & used these fly-by-night operators for a while and suffice to say, it's cheap but if you got better choices and it's reasonable, protect yourself & spend a bit more. We all take chances in our life but it's not necessary if you must ask. Save money elsewhere instead. I will leave it up to others already spoken on the hotel, etc. in Baltimore. Enjoy your cruise. Lost & Not Forgotten - 239 souls onboard MH370, pause & think about them for a moment. God Bless! Edited March 21, 2014 by mking8288 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctigerk Posted March 21, 2014 Author #8 Share Posted March 21, 2014 OP, do you have personal/close friends with experience booking & riding with GoToBus and/or Eastern Bus as the provider and find it satisfactory or acceptable, and reasonable with on-time performance. It pays to be penny wise and dollar foolish by considering major providers like BoltBus or MegaBus - to provide your cruise investment, even if you have trip interruption insurance that cover it. That's my words of wisdom for taking a chance. From what I see, GoToBus is acting as online consolidator or marketing agent for various bus operators, and both entities are essentially Chinatown-based companies that US DOT's have been shutting down & closing for serious safety violations. Another one of these cluster's bus was involved in a rollover acccident earlier this week, resulting in injuries but no fatalities and the bus driver was arrested & charged, excessive speed given snow/icy condition on the road as likely cause - being investigated. Their quoted fare for June is about $20 - you can do it on Bolt or Mega for $8 or $10 for a random Friday that I picked. They depart from NY Penn Station so it's easy to transfer even if you don't have a free ride from LI, hop on the LIRR & you are good. One of my SIL used to work in the suburbs of Baltimore & used these fly-by-night operators for a while and suffice to say, it's cheap but if you got better choices and it's reasonable, protect yourself & spend a bit more. We all take chances in our life but it's not necessary if you must ask. Save money elsewhere instead. I will leave it up to others already spoken on the hotel, etc. in Baltimore. Enjoy your cruise. Lost & Not Forgotten - 239 souls onboard MH370, pause & think about them for a moment. God Bless! Thanks for your input. I will check all options. Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcl410 Posted March 22, 2014 #9 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Another option would be to take Greyhound, then walk 2 blocks to the Holiday Inn Express for the night. Check with the hotel if you can use their shuttle to the Port. (That neighborhood isn't great, but safe enough for the short walk.) Aloha, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctigerk Posted March 22, 2014 Author #10 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Another option would be to take Greyhound, then walk 2 blocks to the Holiday Inn Express for the night. Check with the hotel if you can use their shuttle to the Port. (That neighborhood isn't great, but safe enough for the short walk.) Aloha, John Thanks John. That looks good but expensive. We may just drive the day of the cruise. Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnival_Brides Posted March 22, 2014 #11 Share Posted March 22, 2014 OP, do you have personal/close friends with experience booking & riding with GoToBus and/or Eastern Bus as the provider and find it satisfactory or acceptable, and reasonable with on-time performance. It pays to be penny wise and dollar foolish by considering major providers like BoltBus or MegaBus - to provide your cruise investment, even if you have trip interruption insurance that cover it. That's my words of wisdom for taking a chance. From what I see, GoToBus is acting as online consolidator or marketing agent for various bus operators, and both entities are essentially Chinatown-based companies that US DOT's have been shutting down & closing for serious safety violations. Another one of these cluster's bus was involved in a rollover acccident earlier this week, resulting in injuries but no fatalities and the bus driver was arrested & charged, excessive speed given snow/icy condition on the road as likely cause - being investigated. Their quoted fare for June is about $20 - you can do it on Bolt or Mega for $8 or $10 for a random Friday that I picked. They depart from NY Penn Station so it's easy to transfer even if you don't have a free ride from LI, hop on the LIRR & you are good. One of my SIL used to work in the suburbs of Baltimore & used these fly-by-night operators for a while and suffice to say, it's cheap but if you got better choices and it's reasonable, protect yourself & spend a bit more. We all take chances in our life but it's not necessary if you must ask. Save money elsewhere instead. I will leave it up to others already spoken on the hotel, etc. in Baltimore. Enjoy your cruise. Lost & Not Forgotten - 239 souls onboard MH370, pause & think about them for a moment. God Bless! You said this way more eloquently than I could have. OP, I'd also look into Mega or Bolt--I've used both to travel to/from cruises with no problem in the past. The only problem you might with Mega is that their Baltimore stop is actually 18 miles away in White Marsh, MD (there is cab service and loads of hotels in the area). If you need the bus to stop downtown than your options would be Bolt or Greyhound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now