manne

Our family is planning a trip to NYC and Washington DC between Christmas and New Years. Is train the best way to travel between the two? We fly in and out of New York.

Julie

I prefer the train because it takes you downtown to downtown. When you factor in waiting time at the airport, the overall time is about the same.

Jen

I agree with Julie. Take Amtrak, but don't bother with the super-fast, super-expensive Acela express. The other trains take just a little longer and cost a lot less. OTOH, I do think that the $20 or so to upgrade to first class is worth it. Check on the Amtrak web site for specials and discounts; this summer, they were offering 20 percent off if you used MasterCard, and they always discount for AAA members and children go half-price.

kit

www.washingtondeluxe.com

Chris

Washington Deluxe just got a rave review in the Washington Post for quality, cleanliness, service. I'm a train person for this trip, but next time I may try Washington Deluxe.

choo

The nice thing about taking the train into DC is that you have easy access to the subway, which is clean and efficient, or it's easy to take a cab to almost anywhere downtown. I'll second (or third) the train.

NYGUY

I have to disagree on this..take the plane. Cheaper and quicker. Even with airport waiting time etc you will still save at least an hour. Besides..I find Amtrak totally unreliable (every trip i have taken between NYC and DC has been late, crowded etc)

Stephanie P.

Take the train. I use to commute from Baltimore to D.C. RT and when the last local train took off without me, I took the Amtrak train. Sure it's going to be crowded, but so are airports and airplanes. Union Station is so convenient to the subway, it is actually a subway station on the red line. Also when you get in Union Station has restaurants and eateries in it so I'd wait until I got there and skip the nasty train food or take some munchies with you.

NYGUY

I do have to disagree. The plane is almost always cheaper..and National Airport is just as convenient and nice as Union Station. Penn station in NY is kind of a pit - tho LGA is not much better. I guess i just never understood the appeal of the train

lorraine

Take the plane. you can either fly the Delta shuttle which has its own terminal away from LGA or USAIR that is in LGA. I prefer Delta-I think they fly on the half hour. I prefer the plane b/c you can make your own schedule.
You are not based on the timetable.
One note, on the shuttle down to DC, you cannot get up AT ALL-30 minutes before landing. B/C the flight is so short, pretty much the whole time you will be sitting down. This happened a couple of months ago but a guy friend of mine had to go to the bathroom and they were within that 30 minute window of landing in DC and he tried and was not allowed. This would be something to keep in mind if you have little children or if someone has a bladder problem.

m

Thank you all for the wonderful and informative advice.

Jim

Although it's a close call, I weigh in on the side of flying. Usually, if I know a week or two in advance that I will be traveling, and am pretty secure in my dates and times, then I will fly because it will usually be cheaper. if it's a last-minute thing, or I don't want to commit to plane tix, then I take Amtrak. I find the plane to be faster and a little better overall.

Ann

Normally I'd say take the train, but it can be extremely crowded and therefore uncomfortable around the holidays.

a

if you take the train, i definitely would upgrade to business class. totally worth it-especially during the holiday season.

Jim

Good point about the holidays. I didn't realize that's when she's traveling. In that case, I think plane is far better. I have had some nightmare rides on Amtrak around Thanksgiving.

Judy

Ann, the planes will be just as crowded around holiday time (although you will have a seat). In addition, we've seen instances where due to bad weather (which is a pretty good bet for Xmas week) the airline departure times were seriously delayed, making everyone wish they had opted for the train.

Bottom line: it's often a toss-up.