Greyhound Lucky Strike bus review. DC to AC; mostly focused on costs.

[Jojo2018]

Wanted to post a review of this trip I took on greyhound. I’ve googled and haven’t seen a review. So, here goes.

They have this Lucky streak service which goes to 2 casinos. At least, if you go to the casinos, you get some slot cash back. The 2 casinos are the Trop and Ballys. I took this bus years ago and I think it was generally the same, maybe lower cost. Inflation!

It was a day trip. That is, leave in the am and come back at night. I took it on a Thursday.

Ticket cost: $42, Round trip, walk up. I think if you book online they charge you an add’l $4 “fee”.

Ballys slot cash back: $25 (not sure if the Trop has the same slot cash since they dropped us off at Ballys first.)

Net cost: $17 since I was able to cash out my slot cash playing Full pay JOB. Not bad.

Union station parking cost: $24. Ouch! Good to take 1-2 friends to split this.

Leave at 7:30 from DC. Stopped in Baltimore to pick up passengers, Stopped at Philly to pick up passengers. You stop at the AC bus terminal to let the non gamblers out. Then you go to Ballys, then Trop. Arrived at Ballys at 1pm. That’s the main negative of this lucky strike, the time. Almost 6hrs to get to AC.

The bus picks you up at the Ballys bus terminal. We left at 5:15pm. Again, it takes almost 6 hours to get back to DC. There is a 1:10 layover in Philly. The bus terminal is in the center city area so was able to get some Chinese food. That was an unexpected bonus.

The people on the way back were a little “rougher” than the morning crowd. Most of the people riding greyhound are a lower demographic, if you know what I mean. The gamblers on the bus are in the minority.

Other cost items: A couple in front of me said they were able to get a “senior” ticket. Not sure how much this discount is. The gamblers that got on in Philly got $20 cash back. I assume the philly bus cost is cheaper, but don’t know how much.

If anyone knows a legit tour bus that leaves from the DC area, please post. Mainly, want to improve the transit times. I’ve made it to AC in around 4 hours when driving. There used to be an Eyre bus years ago, but that went away. Picked it up in a parking lot in Montgomery county. They had a frequent rider program and everything.

[Carcounter]

Yikes, 6 hours to get to AC. A flight to Las Vegas is quicker. Down to Borgata for a session of 9/6 JOB multi strike this afternoon. Will report back on Monday.

[advantage playe]

not even close , drive ! you get to leave whenever u want ,plus u r not in an air tight bus with corona virus looming !

[FAA]

I love a little AC to Philly sojourn. Get away from the losing.

[Chicagoan]

Wow! I have actually driven from DC to NYC in about 4 +/- hours on several occasions, even with traffic, and AC is closer. I would say you could drive it in a little over 3 hours. Your time has to be worth something. By the time you pay for the bus ride and the rip-off parking at Union Station, and then factor in a 12-hour round trip bus ride that leaves you with 4 hours in the casino --- sorry, but that is insane!

[FAA]

DC to Philadelphia and forego bonus. AC a quick ride.

[Antebellum Reb]

i agree this makes no sense as a day trip to only spend four hours in casino after spending 12 hours on bus! you need to make it a 2-3 night visit at ballys or tropicana to justify that bus time on board.

isnt there a amtrak train option to that area? i recall a sopranos episode where bobby talked about a train going to atlantic city.

[Carcounter]

Yikes, 6 hours to get to AC. A flight to Las Vegas is quicker. Down to Borgata for a session of 9/6 JOB multi strike this afternoon. Will report back on Monday.

Not good. minus $ 475.

[Carcounter]

Yes, Quicker to take Amtrak to 30th Street Station, then NJ Transit to AC. But probably a lot more expensive.

[Jojo2018]

Went to a site called "cost 2 drive" and entered my car data and AC destination. Gave me a 1 way total of 21.03. Does not count tolls, which are $15 or so. It estimates 3 hours 49 mins. So, round trip I'm looking at around $70.

I also don't have a nice, touring car (toyota corolla). Driving this car a long distance makes me tired. Was able to sleep on the bus both ways. Felt well rested when I got there. DC to Philly on i95 can be busy, stressful sometimes. Ever heard the phrase "Die 95"? It would be nice to have a partner to split the drive and tolls, though.

Wish there were some organized casino only buses around here.