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We live in Cary, NC. I need to drop my wife and 2 kids at the Airport (IAD) in Washington DC. It is on a Thursday. Their international flight is at 10 PM. We need to be there by at least 7 PM to cope up with the international procedures (Customs etc.,). I am still thinking if I should drive my odyssey to DC or take the train at 10 AM in Cary that reaches DC at 4 PM or so. As I need to return the next day, I can take a small hotel for myself and sleepover. Need to say, they have 6 big boxes (Suitcases) and 3 cabin bags. Flight from RDU to DC is ruled out with this much luggage though. Any suggestions if I should drive or take train.
Though I almost always advocate taking the train, I think with that much luggage you're better off driving. Amtrak has some pretty tight restrictions on bags IIRC, so I'd check out the website to see what they are or give them a call.
We live in Cary, NC. I need to drop my wife and 2 kids at the Airport (IAD) in Washington DC. It is on a Thursday. Their international flight is at 10 PM. We need to be there by at least 7 PM to cope up with the international procedures (Customs etc.,). I am still thinking if I should drive my odyssey to DC or take the train at 10 AM in Cary that reaches DC at 4 PM or so. As I need to return the next day, I can take a small hotel for myself and sleepover. Need to say, they have 6 big boxes (Suitcases) and 3 cabin bags. Flight from RDU to DC is ruled out with this much luggage though. Any suggestions if I should drive or take train.
I would say drive since IAD isn't extremely convenient from Washington Union Station. The Metro's Silver Line won't be complete to Dulles until 2018. So you're looking at having to book a Super Shuttle type service or taking a cab. Offhand, I'd say you're looking at about a $60 cab fare each way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StAndroid
Though I almost always advocate taking the train, I think with that much luggage you're better off driving. Amtrak has some pretty tight restrictions on bags IIRC, so I'd check out the website to see what they are or give them a call.
He'd actually be cool on the baggage. Amtrak's policy is that each passenger can check up to 2 bags free of charge with the limitation that each bag weigh no more than 50 pounds and be no more than 75 linear inches (length+width+height). Unless they have 6 each (I assumed it was 6 total) it's kosher. The cabin bags could be used as carry-ons.
The problem is Dulles is pretty far from Union Station in DC. It sits on the border of Loudoun and Fairfax county, which is a good 25 miles west of Union Station and transportation options would take some time and be pricy. I'd drive up if I were you. If you want to avoid traffic, I would suggest taking 540 to creedmoor rd. to Rt. 15 all the way north through VA. It becomes Rt. 29 in Culpepper and then I-66 to Rt. 28 north to Dulles Airport. It will take you about 5 hours from Cary, but most of the drive is scenic and stress free.
Agree. Would drive with all that baggage. Plus if something goes wrong u can take an alternate route. Something goes wrong with amtrak you have a major problem on your hands.
The problem is Dulles is pretty far from Union Station in DC. It sits on the border of Loudoun and Fairfax county, which is a good 25 miles west of Union Station and transportation options would take some time and be pricy. I'd drive up if I were you. If you want to avoid traffic, I would suggest taking 540 to creedmoor rd. to Rt. 15 all the way north through VA. It becomes Rt. 29 in Culpepper and then I-66 to Rt. 28 north to Dulles Airport. It will take you about 5 hours from Cary, but most of the drive is scenic and stress free.
I would say, "Drive." And this looks like a solid plan to me.
By the way, just to be clear they're definitely flying out of Dulles (IAD) and not Reagan (DCA), right? If it's DCA I think you could go train since DCA is served by the DC Metro's Yellow and Blue lines.
Thanks all, for your encouraging voting on Driving to DC and related suggestions. @garnetpalmetto, Just to clarify further, we have 6 suitcases in total and 3 cabin bags. Sorry for that initial confusion.
Thanks all, for your encouraging voting on Driving to DC and related suggestions. @garnetpalmetto, Just to clarify further, we have 6 suitcases in total and 3 cabin bags. Sorry for that initial confusion.
Thanks for the clarification - yup if you had decided on the train, you would have been fine baggage-wise so long as you conformed to the weight/size restrictions on the 6 suitcases. But again, train would be FAR more trouble than it's worth given the distance from Union Station to IAD.
He'd actually be cool on the baggage. Amtrak's policy is that each passenger can check up to 2 bags free of charge with the limitation that each bag weigh no more than 50 pounds and be no more than 75 linear inches (length+width+height). Unless they have 6 each (I assumed it was 6 total) it's kosher. The cabin bags could be used as carry-ons.
Oops. Reading is hard sometimes. All I saw was "6 big boxes" and thought about those large cardboard ones you sometimes see people use on international flights and for some reason also thought that they had 6 each which now that I think about it seems entirely unreasonable to the point I should have questioned my comprehension.
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