Same 10% from Richmond to Reagan National; different airport lines
Three airports, three drives, one tax rate. The decision is about the charges stacked on top.
| Pick-up | To the terminal, our routing | Airport daily charge | Virginia tax | Discover Cars headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (RIC) | 86.6 mi · 1 hr 50 min | $8.25 a day, no cap (survey) | 10% | “from $55” (Oct 2) |
| Reagan National (DCA) | 192.9 mi · 3 hr 51 min | None listed (survey) | 10% | “from $55” (Oct 2) |
| Dulles (IAD) | 197.2 mi · 4 hr 11 min | $3 a day (survey) | 10% | “from $29” (Sept 1) |
Distances are OpenStreetMap routing without traffic; charges from a consultant’s survey effective Feb 1, 2026; tax from Virginia Tax; headline prices from Discover Cars on the dates shown. Read Oct 3, 2026. Charges second-hand
Drive in from another state and the tax often changes at the line. From these three airports it doesn’t — all of them are in Virginia.
That leaves two variables, the airport’s daily charge and the drop charge. Only the first has a number anyone printed — the second shows up in your quote or nowhere.
AAA’s regular average on Oct 2, 2026 was $4.13 in Richmond and $4.22 in Virginia’s Washington suburbs, against about $4.15 in Norfolk — a few cents either way, not a reason to fill up early.
Price these against the obvious alternative before you commit — a flight into ORF. The ORF calculator has that side.
The $8.25 a day Richmond’s airport doesn’t print
Richmond is the nearest of the three, under two hours by our routing, with a facility charge only a survey mentions.
The rental, line by line
Base $55 is the headline on Discover Cars’ Richmond page, updated Oct 2, 2026 (its lowest listing was $49.30, its average $96); type yours. Virginia’s 10% is in, with the survey’s $8.25 a day; RIC’s own page prints no fee, and we start any concession percentage at 0%. Fuel covers about 87 miles at 30 mpg and $4.15. The drop box starts at $0 because no company published a charge for this one-way.
Richmond’s counters are near the central entrance on the terminal’s lower level: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Payless.
A consultant’s survey lists an $8.25-a-day facility charge at Richmond, no cap, since Feb 1, 2026; the airport’s page prints none. Treat it as a survey figure, not a posted one — over a week it would be $57.75 before tax, our arithmetic.
At the “from” price a one-day car lands near $82, before any drop charge; keep it two days and it’s about $151.
Richmond’s airport is about 87 road miles and 1 hr 50 min from the terminal, our routing (CruiseHive: nearly 90 miles, 1.5 to 2 hours); downtown Richmond’s Main Street Station about 92 miles.
The usual way in crosses the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel on I-64, which Wikipedia lists as toll-free; we didn’t check that our routing took it, and the hub has what we couldn’t confirm about the express lanes.
Williamsburg sits right on that drive. Stop there and the one-way does the work of a day trip as well; the day-trip page prices the tickets.
About four hours from Reagan National or Dulles, before any traffic
Washington is a half-day drive away. The car does the job, but so does a train.
The rental, line by line
Base $29 is Discover Cars’ Dulles “from” price, updated Sept 1, 2026, a month older than the rest here; Reagan’s page said $55 on Oct 2. Switch the pick-up to see both. Virginia’s 10% applies at each, Dulles adds the survey’s $3 a day, and fuel covers about 197 miles from Dulles. The drop box starts at $0: nobody published a Washington-to-Norfolk charge.
Washington is the long haul of the three. Union Station is about 194.5 road miles and 3 hr 54 min from the terminal by our routing, and none of our times includes I-95’s traffic.
At Dulles every brand is on the airport: shuttles leave Curb 2C or 2D, down the ramp from baggage claim at Doors 2 and 4.
At Reagan National the counters are on the first floor of Parking 1; Avis and Budget are off the airport and run their own shuttle.
At the “from” prices a Dulles day lands near $62 with the survey’s $3, and a Reagan day near $87, our arithmetic — both before the one-way charge that decides it.
This is a long one-way, not a commute. Book the drop where you mean to leave the car — dropping elsewhere without telling Budget is what triggers its $45 minimum.
Six brands on dropping a Virginia car in Norfolk
None of the six prints a price for this trip, only the rule it prices by.
| Company | What its one-way page says |
|---|---|
| Enterprise | Enterprise says some one-ways carry a drop or mileage charge, shown when you book, and must be booked ahead |
| Alamo | Alamo says the same, and that the charge varies by location and season |
| National | National says there’s typically no drop charge between airport locations |
| Avis | Avis says most locations charge no one-way fee, with any fee shown at step three of booking |
| Budget | Budget charges at least $45 if you drop somewhere other than booked without telling it |
| Hertz | Hertz sets one-way charges case by case |
From each company’s own one-way page, read Sept 27, 2026, and checked against their Norfolk location pages Oct 3, 2026. Checked Oct 3, 2026
No company published a Richmond- or Washington-to-Norfolk drop fee on the pages we read, so every number you’ll see lives in the quote, not on a policy page.
National’s line is the one to test. If airport-to-airport typically carries no drop charge, Richmond to ORF may price better than Richmond to a desk downtown.
An ORF return leaves you about 7.4 road miles from the ship, where the airport cab takes over.
A downtown drop sounds closer, and it is — 0.9 miles. Enterprise Downtown is also shut on Sundays, though, and takes no after-hours returns.
Our one-way guide compares the brands across every cruise port.
Amtrak to Park Avenue, 1.2 miles from the ship
Richmond and Washington both sit on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional, which ends a short ride from the terminal.
Amtrak’s Norfolk station, 280 Park Avenue, is about 1.2 road miles from the terminal; the Northeast Regional runs to Richmond and Washington, and Amtrak prices only in its booking engine.
The station page also lists Amtrak Connection buses toward Virginia Beach, Newport News and Washington.
We can’t price the train for you — get Amtrak’s fare, then set it against the one-way totals above, not the daily rate.
If you live near Washington and would leave your own car there, Union Station’s garage runs from $39 for 25 hours to $416 for 384 to 408 hours.
Driving that same car to Norfolk and parking at Cedar Grove would cost $240 for 16 days, our arithmetic at $15 a day — against the garage’s $416 for about the same stretch, before fuel.
Pricing the one-way into Norfolk from Richmond
Search Richmond’s airport twice, once with the drop at ORF and once at a Norfolk desk. The drop charge, not the daily rate, will separate them.
If you return in the city, check the day — downtown is closed Sundays and shuts at noon on Saturdays.
- Pick-up: Richmond International
- One-way fee in the total shown
- Taxes and fees shown before you pay
- Free cancellation up to 48 hrs before pickup
Driving to a Norfolk cruise from Richmond or Washington
How far is Richmond airport from the Norfolk cruise port?
About 86.6 road miles and 1 hr 50 min without traffic, by our routing. CruiseHive says nearly 90 miles and 1.5 to 2 hours.
Can you rent a car one way from Richmond airport to Norfolk?
Yes, though no company published a drop fee for it on the pages we read. Enterprise and Alamo say any one-way charge shows when you book, Avis says most locations charge none, and National says airport-to-airport typically carries no drop charge.
How long is the drive from Washington, D.C. to the Norfolk cruise terminal?
About 3 hr 51 min from Reagan National and 4 hr 11 min from Dulles, by our routing without traffic; roughly 193 and 197 road miles.
Can you take Amtrak to a Norfolk cruise?
Yes. The Northeast Regional runs from Washington and Richmond to Norfolk’s station at 280 Park Avenue, about 1.2 road miles from the terminal. Amtrak prices only in its booking engine.
What fees does Richmond airport add to a rental car?
A consultant’s survey lists an $8.25-a-day customer facility charge with no cap, since Feb 1, 2026. Richmond’s own page prints none. Virginia’s 10% rental tax applies on top.
More on renting around a Norfolk cruise
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