NYC to Princeton University: take a bus or NJ Transit?

The NJ Transit line is a nice ride on some good commuter trains. You should be able to stow your luggage overhead with no problems. I've never particularly liked taking buses in and out of NYC, especially for that length of time. Currently, there is a http://www.njtransit.com/sa/sa_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=ServiceAdjustmentTo&AdjustmentId=10325 for the Princeton Dinky - they are temporarily running buses from Princeton Junction to Princeton University. Apparently there's an http://savethedinky.org/ going on around the changes in the Dinky service. A couple hundred extra feet shouldn't be a big deal, though; Princeton's a very nice town to walk around in general.

Take the train. That ride is pretty nice... buses can really be hit or miss depending on your driver, traffic, and so on.

I took that suburban transit bus all the time growing up just outside Princeton. It's not luxurious or anything, but it gets you from point a to point b. At the time of day you're leaving, you'd almost certainly get a seat to yourself. Ticketing in Port Authority can be a little confusing (iirc there are two different suburban transit ticket booths but only one sells the ticket you need), but finding the departure point isn't hard. There are no dedicated luggage racks, because this bus is almost entirely based around the needs of central nj to midtown commuters. Drop-off point is along Nassau Street (the main road of downtown Princeton), on the edge of campus. The train has a much more straightforward ticketing system, the transfer to the dinky (Princeton train) is easy, and there's more room for bags. Drop off is directly on campus, though the bus may still get you closer depending where on campus you're going. Also, check and make sure that your njtransit arrival won't leave you waiting too long for the dinky. Train is probably the way to go, unless the bus schedule is significantly better for you.

The train is more comfortable and more reliable, but getting from Princeton Station to campus requires an uphill walk which just got longer now that they've moved the station 400 feet south. The bus requires no transfers and drops you off at Palmer Square (on Nassau Street), but it can get stuck in traffic on the turnpike for no apparent reason. The train is preferable, in my opinion.

Yep, another vote for the train, if nothing else to avoid Port Authority but also because that train ride is a nice one and has fewer variables.

I always take the train; super-easy to connect to the Dinky and a nice ride.

I took the train from NY to Princeton and back during my first visits to both NY and NJ. Very easy. Also, the Dinky has very comfy seats.

Train it is! Thanks for the detailed responses!

I lived in Princeton for seven years and went to New York all the time, as did my friends, and I never heard of anybody taking the bus. Train + Dinky.