Paul P Posted March 27, 2010 Share #1 Posted March 27, 2010 Hi folks, I'm sitting here thinking about how to get to New York not the easiest way, but maybe the most pleasant way... Considering I live in Delaware I mostly use Amtrak from Wilmington directly into NY Penn, but as I was looking up trains to ride for an upcoming trip, the price made me reconsider. I'm on a smaller budget sometimes, and knowing the round trip price for my cheapest trains this time is 54 x 2 = $108, I had to cut back. In this case I would usually take SEPTA from Wilmington to Philadelphia, PA then another one to Trenton, NJ and then a NJ Transit train from there to NY which would cost me $21.50 one way (3 trains, but definitely cheaper than Amtrak). So far these were my 2 options, but I recently came upon MegaBus and BoltBus which I've never used before. As much as I don't like long-distance bus travel, the prices are just too tempting. From Philadelphia to NY $14 there, and $8-10 back... the trip is only 2 hours long which isn't bad at all, as I would only have to take a SEPTA back to Wilmington from Philly ($4.75 one way). - So I guess my question would be what option to choose. I love Amtrak's service and I know as soon as I step on that train, I'll get to point B safely, and much faster than by anything else, but sometimes the fares are just too high. ($108 round trip) - The SEPTA and NJT combo is good because it's all trains and is cheaper than Amtrak ($43 round trip) but takes up a lot more time due to connections and can be very tiring. - The bus trip sounds good... 2 hours from Philly to NYC is reasonable. I don't really care about customer service at this point as I've never used them before but this would cost just around $34. I'm also considering a mix of two of the above, maybe like a bus trip up to NY and Amtrak going back to DE?! I'm having a hard time deciding this by myself, so anyone who cares, share your experiences, opinions, etc... I greatly appreciate it! :tup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2Julio Posted March 27, 2010 Share #2 Posted March 27, 2010 Take the bus. If I can do an 8-9 hour bus ride to Toronto in Greyhound, can do it on a shorter bus route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metsfan Posted March 27, 2010 Share #3 Posted March 27, 2010 SEPTA to philly, bolt bus to nyc from philly. - A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Glen Posted March 27, 2010 Share #4 Posted March 27, 2010 SEPTA to philly, Megabus to nyc from philly. - A fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul P Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share #5 Posted March 27, 2010 Take the bus. If I can do an 8-9 hour bus ride to Toronto in Greyhound, can do it on a shorter bus route. I agree, the 2 hour bus ride looks like a good solution, while I still get to use the train going to Philadelphia. SEPTA to philly, bolt bus to nyc from philly. - A fixed I keep hearing people argue over this... what's the difference, because honestly in this case for the fares the difference is only like $2... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman Posted March 27, 2010 Share #6 Posted March 27, 2010 Greyhound is only $20 each way from Wilmington to New York, it goes direct without any changes, and takes as little as 2 hours and 15 minutes. That's the way I would go. I'm quite surprised that you failed to list this as one of your options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shortline Bus Posted March 27, 2010 Share #7 Posted March 27, 2010 SEPTA to philly, bolt bus to nyc from philly. - A Agreed. Go to this site Paul for more info on Bolt Bus. http://WWW.BOLTBUS.COM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul P Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share #8 Posted March 27, 2010 Greyhound is only $20 each way from Wilmington to New York, it goes direct without any changes, and takes as little as 2 hours and 15 minutes. That's the way I would go. I'm quite surprised that you failed to list this as one of your options. The reason I didn't list Greyhound is because it shows $25 as the webfare and it's non-refundable. I could have considered this option if I had more time to reserve but this is all happening next week. Agreed. Go to this site Paul for more info on Bolt Bus. http://WWW.BOLTBUS.COM What's the difference between MegaBus and Bolt Bus? I know they both have wi-fi, and I guess MegaBus has multi-level buses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColumbiaDeath Posted March 27, 2010 Share #9 Posted March 27, 2010 What's the difference between MegaBus and Bolt Bus? I know they both have wi-fi, and I guess MegaBus has multi-level buses? You'll hardly notice the difference. Just buy the stinkin' ticket and enjoy the bus ride yo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul P Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share #10 Posted March 27, 2010 Ok, I've decided that I'm taking the bus up there 100%, coming back to DE I'm not sure whether I should take the bus or train... If I take the train instead of the bus the difference is $35, but then again the train ride is relaxing and no interchanges are made which is important because I'll be tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Glen Posted March 27, 2010 Share #11 Posted March 27, 2010 You'll hardly notice the difference. Just buy the stinkin' ticket and enjoy the bus ride yo. Megabus uses those large TD925's, meaning you practically have two seats to yourself. Bolt Bus has this weird reservation process where if you don't reserve your seats by a set date then you go from the "A" list to the "B" list (meaning you board the bus after all the A's). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColumbiaDeath Posted March 27, 2010 Share #12 Posted March 27, 2010 Bolt Bus has this weird reservation process where if you don't reserve your seats by a set date then you go from the "A" list to the "B" list (meaning you board the bus after all the A's). I just came back to NYC from Philly in the "C" list. It's no big deal. Book a ticket and go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul P Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share #13 Posted March 28, 2010 Thank you, everyone, for helping me decide. I'm gonna give MegaBus a shot of taking me there, then let Amtrak take me back since I know the crew who regularly work that train! :tup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theaveragejoe Posted March 29, 2010 Share #14 Posted March 29, 2010 if you have the time i would take megabus/bolt bus one way and the train (SEPTA/NJT) the other way that way you get a good feel for both if your both into highway and rail travel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amtrak7 Posted March 29, 2010 Share #15 Posted March 29, 2010 Megabus uses those large TD925's, meaning you practically have two seats to yourself. Bolt Bus has this weird reservation process where if you don't reserve your seats by a set date then you go from the "A" list to the "B" list (meaning you board the bus after all the A's). Most BoltBus online reservations are group B, some are group C. All walk-ups are Group C. Group A is usually reserved for Bolt Rewards members. I would use NJT/SEPTA/SEPTA, especially if your NYC arrival is in the reverse peak (no XBL). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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