DC to BGW, and KD?!

[DoinItForTheFame]

Hey everyone,

 

I just recently (tonight) found out that I will be in Washington DC for a few days! I have a Friday, and Saturday free. I know have read on here a few times that there are shuttles(?) From the DC area to both Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Kings Dominion?

 

I'm flying into DC Thursday night, and I will NOT be renting a car, so my question to you all. . . (because I know many of you have traveled from DC to these two parks) . . . What is the best way about getting transportation to these two parks? Is there a shuttle? Should I uber, or taxi (yuck) it? And which park would be best to visit on which day? I was thinking of doing BGW on Friday, and KD on Saturday. Or should I flip those two and to KD on Friday, and BGW on Saturday?? I'll be visiting the parks the last weekend of April. Is it worth getting the "Line skip" pass at each park, or should the parks be slow enough that I will be fine? (Keep in mind I have never been to either of these parks, and I will be visiting the two parks alone.)

 

Any advice for this up coming trip that you all can provide for me will be great! Thanks in advance.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Can I ask why you would not rent a car? It's pretty affordable unless something crazy is going on for your dates.

 

On first look of renting a car rates were about $400 for the time period I needed the car.

 

Diving in a little deeper, and researching a little more I have found ONE car rental that was less expensive.

[SuperShawn]

Public transit to both parks is bound to be quite time consuming and still add up money wise. I'd keep digging more for car rentals to make your life a little easier and do the cost vs time analysis. Also beware of 95 traffic and all the potential beach traffic if the weather turns out to be nice for the weekend, though if you leave early Friday or late thursday night you should miss a lot of it. For reference I'm in Arlington and bgw with light speeding takes at least 2.5 hours to get to, KD usually 1.5 hours if traffic is cooperating.

Edited February 26, 2016 by SuperShawn

[coasterbill]

Dude... where the hell are you looking for Rental cars?

 

Here. I just picked a random Thursday to Sunday at Dulles Intl. 88 Bucks total... if you have an EZ Pass just bring it and hold it up to the windshield when you go through tolls, if not add it on with the rental company. Done.

[DirkFunk]

Hey everyone,

 

I just recently (tonight) found out that I will be in Washington DC for a few days! I have a Friday, and Saturday free. I know have read on here a few times that there are shuttles(?) From the DC area to both Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Kings Dominion?

 

I'm flying into DC Thursday night, and I will NOT be renting a car, so my question to you all. . . (because I know many of you have traveled from DC to these two parks) . . . What is the best way about getting transportation to these two parks? Is there a shuttle? Should I uber, or taxi (yuck) it? And which park would be best to visit on which day? I was thinking of doing BGW on Friday, and KD on Saturday. Or should I flip those two and to KD on Friday, and BGW on Saturday?? I'll be visiting the parks the last weekend of April. Is it worth getting the "Line skip" pass at each park, or should the parks be slow enough that I will be fine? (Keep in mind I have never been to either of these parks, and I will be visiting the two parks alone.)

 

Any advice for this up coming trip that you all can provide for me will be great! Thanks in advance.

 

I don't think there are "shuttles". What you're likely to find are local bus companies offering one day trips to the parks with tickets as part of the pricing. They aren't likely to be every day. You might be able to take Amtrak to Williamsburg, then connect via taxi or bus (???) there, but I have no idea what the schedule looks like.

 

EDIT: To echo what others have said, are you looking at neighborhood rental locations rather than the airports?

Edited February 26, 2016 by DirkFunk

[cfc]

There are two trains (morning/afternoon) between DC and Williamsburg.

[coasterbill]

EDIT: To echo what others have said, are you looking at neighborhood rental locations rather than the airports?

 

Lol the funny thing is that the one I found for $88 bucks is actually located at the airport (or they're pretending they are and they have a shuttle but either way it's not a big difference). Your advice might allow him to find something even cheaper. I seriously have no idea where he got that price. Sure my price is for an economy car but if you were willing to take a taxi to Williamsburg I'm sure you're not going to be against an economy car.

[DoinItForTheFame]

EDIT: To echo what others have said, are you looking at neighborhood rental locations rather than the airports?

 

Lol the funny thing is that the one I found for $88 bucks is actually located at the airport (or they're pretending they are and they have a shuttle but either way it's not a big difference). Your advice might allow him to find something even cheaper. I seriously have no idea where he got that price. Sure my price is for an economy car but if you were willing to take a taxi to Williamsburg I'm sure you're not going to be against an economy car.

 

I've looked for neighborhood rental locations, and I didn't find anything for any less than airport location. I have found a compact car for $69. Picking it up when I land, and turning it in the day after I visit the two parks. (Granted I will still be in the area after I return the car) But if I keep the car the entire time I am there the rental goes up to $309, and I don't mind not having the car for the extra two days after the parks.

 

Now that I have found a rental car, and I know how I am going to get to the two parks. . .

 

Which park would be best to visit on which day (crowd wise?) Would it be better to visit the BGW on Friday, and KD on Saturday, or would it be better to visit KD on Friday, and BGW on Saturday??

[bill_s]

That would be nice if it was possible to do without a car but it could be its own adventure... it might be interesting to get some info on this even if the OP just rents a car. I do know there's a Richmond city bus that goes to KD ($5). Megabus.com ($1 and up) goes from DC to Richmond but don't know if they can do special stops; they also don't go to Williamsburg.

 

I don't know if there's a preference for which park on Saturday. The main preference is for any other day, although that weekend is a better time to do it if you must. BGW might be easier to tolerate as it's a better park for not riding and its easier to cover in one day and has more other than rides, although probably will have more people total.

[Password121]

Kings Dominion actually has very manageable crowds almost all the time. If you want to do a lot of riding it both parks I'd suggest Kings Dominion on Saturday so that BGW might just be a little lighter on crowds because it is a busier park. You might also catch I-305 running two trains on a Saturday but it's not really an issue anyways since it seems to top our around a 25 minute wait. I'm sure you've done a little research and know to do Dominator early entry at 10, then go to Volcano and you're golden.

 

Other than that as far as parks go you shouldn't get any skip the line pass until you see crowds since its April, but I've never needed more than about 5 hours to ride all the adult coasters at Kings Dominion (you should stay longer though because it's a nice park).

 

Have fun!