A bit of background: DW and I are on both sides of 50 and pushing 20 cruises, this is our third on RCI (last RCI was about 4 or 5 years ago). Previous cruises were on the Grandeur out of New Orleans and the Adventure out of San Juan. We've lately been sailing mostly Princess (7? -- in June we did a 12day Med). Last Christmas we did an 11day HAL to Panama Canal and ABC islands.
Pre-Day 1: Got into Chicago Union Station (Amtrak) around noon and checked our bags to Baltimore (Amtrak allows 2 50# bags person for no additional charge). We got some lunch and walked down to the loop where I tried to stay engaged w/ my wife as we wandered in and out of the various stores. Our train, #50 the Cardinal departed on time at 5:05pm and soon we were rolling south through Indiana, watching the countryside go by from our roomette and then the dining car.
Pre-Day 2: I awoke early somewhere in KY and spent much of the morning taking in the breath taking scenery along the New River Gorge area of WV. We rolled into Baltimore on time at 705pm (I enjoyed the 26hrs on the train... DW, not so much) and took a cab to the Fairfield Inn& Suites Inner Harbor.
The room was tolerable considering the price, but also the low point of this trip and probably the worst room in almost 20 cruises (I think this is the 3rd or 4th inside cabin). Closet space was lacking. Worst shower I've had on a ship. Very hard to dial in a consistent temperature (ran out of hot water on disembarkation day). It was also an oddly shaped shower. I'm 6'2" and under 180#, so fairly thin... I could not keep the curtain off me and ended up showering with the curtain open. The room did have a very nice, new, large flat screen TV.