Miami to Baltimore travel help please

[cvanhorn]

We are doing a repo cruise in November that ends up in Miami, leaves from NYC and we may leave our car in Ft. Meade (Baltimore) MD. Would appreciate suggestions on one way car rentals, Amtrak, etc. Really don't want to fly due to hassles, baggage, etc. Will just be 2 adults. Thanks for any advice.

[rubytue]

I see its an NCL cruise. I believe I have read that Amtrak has discounts for NCL cruisers (or maybe its all cruisers). I would say its your best bet. Amtrak from Baltimore to NYC is about 2.5 hours (less if you go Acela). Try to get a window seat on the right side of the cars and you will see bits of the Chesepeake Bay, cross the Susquehanna river and see the tip of the Bay, go right along the water in NJ. Its a pretty train ride (even more pretty going up through CT and RI, but you'll be getting off before then).

 

Anyway, hop a cab from NYC to the port and you are there. Return by Amtrak would also be easy, as there is a station in Miami and Baltimore. I don't think it hugs the coast as much as it does Baltimore to Boston.

 

The big disadvantage to Amtrak (IMHO) is that it takes FOREVER and the trains often run late on the east coast (due to track sharing with freight lines). I was an hour late from Boston to ABE (tiny station two stops north of Baltimore). NYC Penn Station is crazy to lug your luggage through. Although, you could probably check since Baltimore, NYC, and Miami are all real stations with baggage service (my station doesn't have baggage, so I have to carry-on everything, but I generally am only going for a weekend)

 

edit to add: Here is the thread discussing the NCL-Amtrak discount: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=885233&highlight=amtrak