Jimbo

Bought the tickets for $90 each Business class, they assigned us seats 1A, 1C by the bathrooms but I switched it to seats 8A and 8C. Maybe I'm missing it but how do you tell if you are in the 1st car by the engine or the last business class car of the train? Is there a way of telling before getting to the train station? Is it on the ticket somewhere?

We just bought tickets one way from Roanoke, Virginia to Newark Penn Station for $90.00 for a September trip. Business Class

That could work quite easily, looks like Newark Penn Station has an inside overhead walkway right to the DoubleTree. It was save a taxi or Uber Fee going to another hotel further away. Would just need one ride the following morning to the pier(ship). See if your Son remembers the name of the Thai Dinner that is nearby, I know my Wife would like that. 🙂

I was going by this: Business Fares Classes of Service: Non-Acela Business Class Refunds: Full refund to original form of payment with no fees if canceled before departure. No change fee

Are business fares totally refundable to your credit card or do they just give you a voucher to use at a later time kind of like Southwest does as far as refunds to use within a year?

Now need to find a hotel maybe with a cruise shuttle included in price plus a half decent restaurant on site so once we get to the hotel we can just check in and relax and have dinner at the hotel. Not interested in going anywhere outside of the hotel. I know that area is just a bunch of spaghetti roads. Something near Newark Penn Station, 1426 Market St, Newark, N.J.

Probably either ask one of our neighbors or an UBER for $100 to take us to the Roanoke Train Station(which is about 1 hour from our house). Don't want to leave our car there for 17 or 18 days @ $12.00 a day, reports of the Parking Garage aren't great there. Don't want to be worrying about that while we are away. Our Cruise ends on a Thursday, told my Wife to take Friday off too. We will rent a Car in Bayonne and drive to Jackson, NJ and see our Son and then On Friday we can drive to Medford, NJ and see my 2 Sisters. On Saturday we will make the 8 hour drive to home and turn in the Car on Saturday Night.

Correct.

Give your thoughts on taking a train to a cruise please? Thinking of taking the train(Amtrak) one way from Roanoke, Va. to Newark Penn Station, NJ for $90 one-way for our (14 day )cruise in September from Bayonne. Total length of train ride is from 6:20 am to 3:00 pm.....about 8 1/2 hours. One train, no switching of trains. 🙂

Talked it over with my Wife this morning while we out for breakfast. She seemed pretty excited about taking the train. So I believe that is what we are going to do. Thank you all for all your help. When going to the Cafe Car must you consume all drinks and food in that car or may you bring them back to the car where your seats are at? I think booking this far ahead so we may have a good chance of getting just about any seat in the Business Cars we want, are any seat locations better then others in those kinds of car? Storing our luggage on the train now doesn't seem to be a problem either since this is where the train is originating that morning from (Roanoke).

Spring has sprung here in Southwestern Virginia

If there a big difference between the coach and business class cars? I'm thinking why not go for business class since it's a pretty long ride, Might as well be as comfortable as you can. I'm thinking line up an Uber from our house around 4:30am, get us there around 5:30am, should give us time to get checked in and get on the train between 5:45am and 6:15am for the 6:20 am departure, buy our tickets ahead of time, seems like we can pre pick our seats too if I'm reading that right. Uber has to be cheaper then paying the $12 a day parking for 15 days.(only need the Uber one-way from our house to the Roanoke station.) Pretty sure after the cruise we are going to get a rental car and go see some relatives in NJ on Thursday and Friday and will drive back with rental on Saturday.

Not having to transfer trains is BIG too, I like that. Yes connecting flights go either through Charlotte or Atlanta and that would end up taking almost 8 hours too, when considering getting to the airport 2 hours before flight. If we were to just drive to Charlotte to fly out from that Airport, it is about 2 and 1/2 hours one way from our house here in Southwest Virginia, Trying to avoid that drive. Roanoke Airport being just 1 hour away.

Platform seems to look like this, looks to be like just roll bags into car. This is a 14 night cruise, so I think we might have 2 larger suitcases , 1 Garment Bag strapped to the one of the larger bags, 2 carry-ons and 2 personal items. I'm liking the idea of the train, less money then driving and less stress on me having to drive. Just about the same overall of time driving too. No limit on weight restrictions of the bags either. Train leaves around 6am though, how early do you have to be at the station to board the train? Train station is about an 1 hour from our house. $12 a day to park the car there. Roanoke airport is $9.00 a day to park the car. But air tickets from there are connecting and probably around $550 Rt per person to EWR

Thinking might best to lock all the suitcases together with a lock and cable so no one can pickup by mistake or try to steal it, be very hard to pull off 2 or 3 bags cabled together.

I guess really there would be no need to go as far as the EWR stop, best to get off at Newark Penn Station. I guess storage of our bags is then kind of the honor system that someone will take our bags off at one of the stops if we can't see our bags from our seats? Are the business and coach seats(themselves) all the same other then more leg room and foot rests? The business class cars, is the set up 2 seats on one side and 1 seat on the other side of the car? as opposed to coach being and 2 and 2 setup?

Enjoy your visit

Lucy & Cody are taking the Super Bowl loss very hard...They don't want to leave the blanket. 😞

How do they handle 3 or 4 suitcases(where are they stored during the ride?Once at final desitination how do you get your bags off in time before train moves again? and whats the difference between Coach and Business seats?

Cruise is September 14th, like to go a day ahead on the 13th, not sure I'm looking right or not but I don't see anything going from Roanoke to Newark.

Was flying in a day early....and reason for driving home is to see some relatives we haven't seen in 2 years on the way home.

First looked up and thought it was spaing.......missed that single green case.

My suggestion to the OP, call Royal and tell them the exact situation you are in and I can almost bet they would let you transfer the Cruise funds to another cruise later on down the road which would be a better time for you. Also mention your home is without power.(tell them how many days) Ask for the resolution department, an email to the higher ups at Royal could work also. I'm sure others on here will have some contacts at Royal for you to call or email. Airline might do the same, carry over the credit until another time. Good Luck

Beware ! Open at your Own Risk

Well online now you can get flights longer on both ends instead just day of your cruise,. once you see the calendars come up just change the date to when you want to fly and then scroll down and click done and then scroll back up and hit search, then your flight choices come up.