Washington DC to Atlantic City

[panerd]

I will be wrapping up a family vacation in a couple of weeks in Washington DC and then from there they were going to make another stopover in Cincinnati while I was going to make a weekend getaway to Atlantic City and then fly back to St. Louis. What I am trying to figure out is the cheapest way to get from DC to Atlantic City...

I remember that the train ticket from Philly to AC was only like $5-$10. So should I take a train from DC to Philly? (My limited research shows this will cost around $40, this was thru Amtrack so maybe there is a lighter rail that is cheaper) Should I buck up and rent a car? (Seems like this option will be more expensive and more hassle) Or is there another option (train or no train) that I am unfamiliar with? Maybe I could get Quiksand to drive me if I buy him a few dances at an AC strip club. Any help is appreciated.

On a side note: Are there any suggestions on getting a cheap room? I am a member of Harrah's diamond club here in St. Louis and they are always offering me crap here locally, so I could try that angle. But what is the AC equvilant of Vegas' Imperial Palace? (Located in the middle of the major hotels but really cheap)

[bosshogg23]

Call 1 800 Harrahs, they will give you a free room(at Caesars, Ballys, Showboat or Harrahs) if your a diamond member. Hell im a gold member and I get 2 free rooms/month at all 4 Harrahs casinos.

Ballys is connected to Wild Wild West which is connected to Caesers, probably the most centralized location on the Boardwalk. Borgata is really nice but not near anything, same with Harrahs.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by bosshogg23

Call 1 800 Harrahs, they will give you a free room(at Caesars, Ballys, Showboat or Harrahs) if your a diamond member. Hell im a gold member and I get 2 free rooms/month at all 4 Harrahs casinos.

Ballys is connected to Wild Wild West which is connected to Caesers, probably the most centralized location on the Boardwalk. Borgata is really nice but not near anything, same with Harrahs.

Yeah I may have misspoke. I thought the club was called the diamond club so I am pretty sure I am a gold member also. I haven't called yet, but on their website they list the best available rate as $450 a night. If this is even half true than I think I may be opting for an entire weekend in Vegas + flight for cheaper than that bullshit.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

See if the MARC (Maryland Railway) has a good transfer to Amtrak rate. The MARC should only be about 5 bucks from Union station and should cover a good chunk of the trip before going Amtrak the rest of the way.

As for rooms, check hotels.com. I'm staying at the Trump Marina (just down the road from the Borgata) next week for $66/night. Not the greatest hotel, but you are down the road, maybe half a mile, from the best poker room/casino in AC.

So I assume the MARC will take me almost to the Pennslyvania/New Jersey border. I wonder if there is a really cheap way to get from there to Philadelphia. (Remember I have lived in Missouri my whole life so I have zero knowledge of the East coast.)

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by panerd

So I assume the MARC will take me almost to the Pennslyvania/New Jersey border. I wonder if there is a really cheap way to get from there to Philadelphia. (Remember I have lived in Missouri my whole life so I have zero knowledge of the East coast.)

Not familiar with MARC, but looking at the website, it looks like the last place that you can transfer to Amtrak is Aberdeen, MD. A quick search on the Amtrak seems to show that you can get a ticket on Amtrack from Aberdeen to Philly (30th street station) for $31. It seems that it may be worth sucking it up and buying that to save the aggravation of a planes, trains, and automobiles situation. You can transfer onto the NJ Transit train to AC from the station in Philly...

EDIT: I read your original post again -- If amtrak from DC to Philly is $40, that price point seems low enough to be worth just doing that and transferring to NJ Transit at Philly (it will be at the same Philly station that Amtrak stops in). Again, you would be avoiding a lot of hassle by sticking to the train. I would investigate direct bus service though (greyhound or whatever)...