Anyone park at BWI airport recently?

[amelibeli75]

The daily garage is $12/day and the hourly one is $22/day -- it says something on the website that their might be long wait times for the shuttle from the daily garage which makes me a little nervous. We are traveling with 3 small kids and it's like 35 degrees out. Would you just pay the extra for the hourly lot? We are only parking there for 4 days...

 

[blbrodger1]

With kids and cold weather, I'd go for the daily garage. I was there at Thanksgiving and parked in the daily garage. I think that it's a hassle to wait for the shuttle, especially with little ones. The parking at BWI is a little confusing and to get to tower C we ended up crossing a parking lot outside at night...

 

[tjmw2727]

I used the daily recently, (Sept, Oct & Nov!) never waited more than about 5 mins for the bus either way and all but the top floor is covered so you're ok in case of snow.

The hourly definitely more convenient but not worth the extra $ for us - maybe with small kids it would be. If you use the Hourly, make sure to note which elevator you took as well as your floor level and spot number. I missed the elevator once and that was a mistake!

There are also offsite parking facilities, the one we liked went out of business but there are others. Pros - they all pick you up at your car when you arrive and help you with your bags. Con's the walk to the pickup area for the buses when you return to BWI is a bit longer and the lots are further from the terminal so allow time for that upon arrival.

 

[Syndrome]

We always use "The Parking Spot" at BWI , after many, many times using the frustrating long term BWI lots , lol.
The Parking Spot is cheaper , the shuttle buses pick you up AND drop you off at your car and help with unloading/loading your luggage if needed. Their lot is a little closer to the terminals vs the BWI long term lots , and you can pre-reserve a space .
But the biggest reason ............ we have gotten sick and tired of sometimes , long waits for the BWI long term shuttle bus's and worse , that mad rush of humanity to jump on the bus no matter how long anyone else has been waiting. Having kids is 100 times worse . People will literally cut you off and in front of you to get on that bus. Sometimes it takes a few bus's to get through the crowds, and if you are NOT pushy ........you wont be riding that bus ! There isn't a clearly defined "stop" point for the BWI bus's , and everyone is waiting, many deep, so wherever it stops , is who gets on first ! Doesn't matter if you just walked up, or have been waiting for 20 minutes. Its a free for all .
The parking spot is a completely different experience . They have quite enough shuttles, and there aren't tons of people waiting when it pulls up . You can just get on super easy .
The Parking Spot is the ONLY way we park at BWI from now on !

 

[easyas123]

We always use "The Parking Spot" at BWI , after many, many times using the frustrating long term BWI lots , lol.
The Parking Spot is cheaper , the shuttle buses pick you up AND drop you off at your car and help with unloading/loading your luggage if needed. Their lot is a little closer to the terminals vs the BWI long term lots , and you can pre-reserve a space .
But the biggest reason ............ we have gotten sick and tired of sometimes , long waits for the BWI long term shuttle bus's and worse , that mad rush of humanity to jump on the bus no matter how long anyone else has been waiting. Having kids is 100 times worse . People will literally cut you off and in front of you to get on that bus. Sometimes it takes a few bus's to get through the crowds, and if you are NOT pushy ........you wont be riding that bus ! There isn't a clearly defined "stop" point for the BWI bus's , and everyone is waiting, many deep, so wherever it stops , is who gets on first ! Doesn't matter if you just walked up, or have been waiting for 20 minutes. Its a free for all .
The parking spot is a completely different experience . They have quite enough shuttles, and there aren't tons of people waiting when it pulls up . You can just get on super easy .
The Parking Spot is the ONLY way we park at BWI from now on !

This, 100%. We've used the Parking Spot exclusively (there are two now, we use the North/original one). Get the covered parking and enjoy them picking you up from and dropping you off at your vehicle.

 

[tjmw2727]

We always use "The Parking Spot" at BWI , after many, many times using the frustrating long term BWI lots , lol.
The Parking Spot is cheaper , the shuttle buses pick you up AND drop you off at your car and help with unloading/loading your luggage if needed. Their lot is a little closer to the terminals vs the BWI long term lots , and you can pre-reserve a space .
But the biggest reason ............ we have gotten sick and tired of sometimes , long waits for the BWI long term shuttle bus's and worse , that mad rush of humanity to jump on the bus no matter how long anyone else has been waiting. Having kids is 100 times worse . People will literally cut you off and in front of you to get on that bus. Sometimes it takes a few bus's to get through the crowds, and if you are NOT pushy ........you wont be riding that bus ! There isn't a clearly defined "stop" point for the BWI bus's , and everyone is waiting, many deep, so wherever it stops , is who gets on first ! Doesn't matter if you just walked up, or have been waiting for 20 minutes. Its a free for all .
The parking spot is a completely different experience . They have quite enough shuttles, and there aren't tons of people waiting when it pulls up . You can just get on super easy .
The Parking Spot is the ONLY way we park at BWI from now on !

Just to clarify the OP was asking about the daily/hourly lots not the long term which you seem to be referencing.

Also Parking Spot is more expensive than the daily and long term lots at $14 uncovered and 16 covered in the north lot and the same price as daily in the west lot (plus tip). That said I do agree that it can be worth the price even though I have never had any issues with bus stops at the Daily lot.

 

[Sugardimples]

I be suggest you check out Fast Park. It is under $10 a day and the service is outstanding. The driver comes right to your car and loads your luggage, than unloads it at your terminal. The shuttles run constantly. Someone on the boards recommend Fast Park to us many years ago and we’ve never looked back.

 

[kwdw]

At the daily garage for pick up, there is space to wait inside for the bus. Pile your stuff and one of the adults in the covered outside area for waiting, and leave little ones in the heated area. I wouldn’t pay for hourly.

 

[kittylady1972]

I be suggest you check out Fast Park. It is under $10 a day and the service is outstanding. The driver comes right to your car and loads your luggage, than unloads it at your terminal. The shuttles run constantly. Someone on the boards recommend Fast Park to us many years ago and we’ve never looked back.

Another vote for Fast Park and/or Fast Park 2 (both are pretty much near each other). They pick you up right at your vehicle and return you to your vehicle when you come back. We use this EVERY time we travel to BWI and it's so so convenient and easy and cheaper. They have some limited covered parking but not much...but with the weather in MD recently that's not an issue.

 

[katallo]

We will need parking for a week. Fast park or the Daily Garage sound close and reliable. Has anyone used them recently and do you make reservations? TIA

 

[kittylady1972]

We will need parking for a week. Fast park or the Daily Garage sound close and reliable. Has anyone used them recently and do you make reservations? TIA

We use the Fast Park or Fast Park 2 pretty much exclusively and love it. Last used it in January during MLK weekend and it worked just fine. I think unless you are going during a major holiday you can show up without a reservation. We haven't made one the last few times.

 

[_19disnA]

Since the OP seems to be asking about parking options, I find those "Park & Fly" off-site places to be the best way to park at most airports. They have shuttle buses that pick you up right at your car and drop you at the departure area (and do the same thing when you return). Typically then run constantly, so you never have to wait very long for a bus. Also avoids having to walk long distances with children/luggage at the various airport on-site parking lots/garages. They also tend to have lower prices then the airport parking. Other prior posts mention the names of various nearby services, check out their websites for further details. Some now ask you to make a reservation ahead of time to insure they won't be overcrowded.