Wedding Travel

February 12, 2014 8:38 AM

I need to get to NYC for a wedding rehearsal on Friday. There is going to be an insane snowstorm her tomorrow. Should I try to get an Amtrak for tomorrow morning (cheaper) or try for Friday morning (kind of expensive)? Will snow stop the trains? Should I just try to go tonight (imposing on people)? I already bought a bus ticket for Friday morning a few weeks ago but I'm guessing the roads will not be great between the cities. Is this a wrong assumption?
posted by josher71 to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

Where exactly are you coming from, and how far away from NYC is it?
posted by ClaireBear at 8:40 AM on February 12, 2014

Tomorrow morning is going to be insane. I would not trust anything to run on time tomorrow morning. You might chance it with the train, but be prepared for long delays. If you could get here tonight, I would do so.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:40 AM on February 12, 2014 [9 favorites]

Response by poster: Sorry, I'm coming from Baltimore.
posted by josher71 at 8:41 AM on February 12, 2014

Any chance you could try to switch your bus ticket to tonight (ideally for no extra cost or for a nominal fee)? That would save buying a last-minute Amtrak train ticket, which in my experience is prohibitively expensive (on a tight budget). If you explain the situation to the bus company, they might think that it would be easier to accommodate you tonight on a bus rather than Friday morning when they may well not run. If it's MegaBus or BoltBus, I've had mixed experiences with their customer service (on a Northeast Corridor route), but they have been helpful in some situations, so I'd say it's worth a shot. If it's Greyhound - well, the less said about their customer service, the better (they hung up on me). Even if coming tonight would be an imposition on the people you're staying with, I'm sure they'd rather have you early than not at all!
posted by ClaireBear at 8:46 AM on February 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I'd come in before the storm if you can manage it. Tomorrow will be nuts. The snow isn't supposed to hit us in NYC until midnight-ish tonight, so try to get here before then.
posted by bedhead at 8:46 AM on February 12, 2014

They've already started cancelling trains, so be aware (I can't quite tell if any of these are Baltimore-NY routes):

Amtrak will suspend some services from the New York and south of Washington, D.C., due to the latest winter storm forecast for the Northeast, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Other Amtrak services in these regions, including the Northeast Corridor, are scheduled to operate. The suspension of some service in Carolinas, Georgia and Florida is designed to reduce the exposure of Amtrak passengers, crews and rail equipment to extreme weather conditions, in coordination with CSX Transportation. Alternate transportation is not available.

The following services will be suspended for origination on Wednesday, Feb. 12:

* Northbound and Southbound Crescent, Trains 19 and 20
* Southbound Silver Star and Silver Meteor, Trains 91 and 98
* Northbound and Southbound Palmetto, Trains 89 and 90
* Northbound and Southbound Auto Train, Trains 52 and 53
* Northbound and Southbound Carolinian, Trains 79 and 80
* Eastbound and Westbound Piedmont, Trains 75 and 76

posted by inigo2 at 8:47 AM on February 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yeah, snow will stop trains if there's too much of it. I was on my way to Buffalo and stuck in Albany for six hours during a snowstorm a few years ago.
posted by brujita at 8:52 AM on February 12, 2014

I would either try to get a ticket out tonight (arriving asap) or a train Friday. Tomorrow is going to be a mess and yes, snow often disrupts or slows down Amtrak services even on that route. But honestly, I would try to beat the storm up and head out as soon as possible, whether on Amtrak or on Megabus.
posted by jetlagaddict at 8:54 AM on February 12, 2014

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers! I got a 129 dollar ticket out at 9:30 and arriving at 12:30 am in NYC. I think that this will allow me to miss the worst of it.
posted by josher71 at 9:08 AM on February 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

Tonight. I think that anyone you'd be imposing on would understand. Tomorrow is going to be unpleasant, bring your woolies and good boots.
posted by sciencegeek at 9:09 AM on February 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

I see you got a train ticket for this evening, and that's fine. But honestly, I imagine that by Friday morning, things will be fine, and taking the bus then would work. I am basing this on experiences that my son has had traveling by Bolt Bus between Baltimore and New York City over the past few years. The only problem he has run into is the trip taking longer than expected. So if the wedding rehearsal is scheduled for Friday afternoon, that could be a problem. But if it's for Friday night, I think you would be okay taking a Friday morning bus.
posted by merejane at 11:40 AM on February 12, 2014

Response by poster: I was already arriving very late for the rehearsal so I appreciate this answer. Reinforces that I think I made the right decision.
posted by josher71 at 12:46 PM on February 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Safe travels, and have a wonderful time in NYC!
posted by merejane at 3:21 PM on February 12, 2014 [1 favorite]