Stockycub1973

It seems to cost about the same to fly between Toronto and New York on Porter or to take the train. If I took the train is the scenery going to make up for 12 hours or should I just fly?

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

I would fly.

The scenery via the Amtrak route is very nice between NYC and ALB along the Hudson; nothing special after that.

If you have (or can get) some BA Avios, you can fly on American Eagle from LGA/JFK to YYZ for only 4,500 Avios plus minimal fees, if award seats are available on your desired flight. Porter, of course, lands in downtown Toronto, which might or might not be more convenient for you than YYZ.

DesertCanuck

Unless you are a train fanatic, there is no question. Fly. Amtrak/VIA delays and nightmare at the border make flying the only way to go.

EmailKid

Stockycub,

your profile says you are UK based (in your other post you say you have UK CC).

How much vacation time do you have? That's a WHOLE day lost to train travel @:-)

EmailKid

neuron

I would suggest flying. The scenery is nice in some places, but the scheduled time is 12 hours. One thing to consider on the train is a potential for lengthy delays at the border. It happened to friends of mine who ended up 2 hours late because of this.

Swarez

Take Porter, drink free, in NYC in 90 mins.

wharvey

I have done Rochester, NY to NYC in the past... not much from a scenic perspective to keep you entertained..... take the flight and use the saved time for NYC fun.

ne52

Yeah, the scenery is great along the Hudson but it's really a full day experience. The dining on that route is also limited to a cafe car (snacks) instead of full-service.

I would also recommend Porter into EWR. You can fly other carriers into LGA and JFK but they all depart out of Pearson.

Stockycub1973

This will be just under 6 weeks. I fly into SF on September 22 and work my way east. I leave NYC on October 31st

Yoshi212

Do not take the train. I've taken it in NYP-Buffalo and Buffalo to Toronto. Not worth the time unless flights are crazy expensive. Wifi helps pass the time but you have that at the Porter Lounges. Porter is a great airline and the flight in and out of YTZ is similar to LCY.

littlemookie

Another vote for flying.

You can post this question in the Amtrak forum (you may have done so already, I didn't check), but even the train voters would likely vote for flying. Amtrak has one train a day and it's a ridiculously long trip at 12.5 hours. The train itself is not that nice and there really isn't much to do or see for most of the trip. If you really want to do a Amtrak trip then take a overnight trip to somewhere in upstate NY for a day or two, some of the upstate NY cities are quite nice and interesting to visit. You'll get the scenery and a much shorter train ride.

B1

Since this is the Budget Travel forum, Porter's fares YYZ-EWR are high and they arrive in EWR without pre-clearance so you wind up in line with everyone from everywhere at US Customs. Other airlines into Pearson are also expensive. Airfares to/from Buffalo (BUF) to JFK are normally much lower on JetBlue and there are buses to Toronto from BUF run by Megabus (both Canada and US versions) as well as Greyhound (called NEON) for less than $20. The cheapest way is by Megabus or NEON from Manhattan to Downtown Toronto. Fares can be very low and are never very high. Crossing the border on the bus takes about 15 minutes while on the train it takes an hour. And the train is more expensive (and there is only one each day). The buses are faster and more frequent and there is some decent scenery - or you can save the price of a hotel room and do an overnight trip. Check www.greyhound.ca, ca.megabus.com, megabus.com. For BUF-Toronto, the Canadian Megabus site has lower fares on buses that go only from Toronto to BUF. The US Megabus site includes buses that go from NYC via BUF to Toronto. Those buses cost more between BUF and Toronto than the Canadian buses.

banderon

The BA mileage rate is great, but don't forget the $60 fee that goes along with it.

littlemookie

Compared to the other options the OP is considering, the $60 is cheap. Amtrak or Porter are both well over $60.