Off Golden in Seattle on Coral in Vancouver the same day

[Jon65retired]

We are hoping to cruise on the Golden Princess for a 7-day Alaska cruise round-trip Seattle and then get to the Coral Princess for an 18-day cruise from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale. Has anyone out there ever done this? Any suggestions regarding transportation from Seattle to Vancouver would be welcome. We can disembark in Seattle about 8 am. We have to be on the Coral by 3 pm.

Linda

[Gardyloo]

We are hoping to cruise on the Golden Princess for a 7-day Alaska cruise round-trip Seattle and then get to the Coral Princess for an 18-day cruise from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale. Has anyone out there ever done this? Any suggestions regarding transportation from Seattle to Vancouver would be welcome. We can disembark in Seattle about 8 am. We have to be on the Coral by 3 pm.

Linda

Your two options are to fly or drive. Neither makes me comfortable in the least.

 

If you can get off the boat by 8, you can be at Seatac airport by 9 if you pre-book a car. Airline schedules for mid-September 2010 aren't published yet, but looking at August next year, there are only a couple of nonstop departures that would work on Saturdays, at 11:30 AM (Air Canada/United) and 11:55 (Alaska), both of which take around 45 min., followed by immigration and customs, which can be deadly at YVR if your arrival coincides with a couple of 747s arriving from Asia or Europe. Personally I'd be uncomfortable with that time frame - one delayed flight and you're toast, or else you'd have to roar in a cab through trafficky Vancouver on a summer Saturday... yikes.

 

Driving, if you have a rental car waiting at the dock, you can be at the border in around 2 hours, then figure 45 min. in the queue, then another 45 min (at least) to the dock, plus car drop etc. - I'd allow 4 1/2 hours altogether, more like 5, so that would put you dockside around 1:30 - 2 PM, i.e. also awfully close for comfort.

 

What to suggest... hmm.

 

One option is to look for a Princess cruise ending at Vancouver that morning so your BTB is easier. The obvious choice is the Coral itself, which finishes on the 18th on a southbound one-way from Whittier that sails on the 11th. I'm not seeing any Vancouver-Vancouver round trips on Princess for next Aug/Sept, so if you want to stick with Princess you'd have to take the one-way.

 

Personally I think that's your best option, since (a) you'll see more of Alaska that way IMO, and (b) the additional airfare required to get to Anchorage to start the trip vs. Seattle will probably be the same or even less than the cost of getting from Seattle to Vancouver in a big hurry on the 18th.

 

A second option is to look for a round-trip itinerary from Vancouver (which like the Seattle trips only goes up to Southeast Alaska) but on a different cruise line, then you just switch docks in Vancouver that morning.

 

The last option has incredibly low odds IMO but maybe worth a call to Princess (or have your TA contact Princess customer service, department of weird requests) and see if they would be willing to let you disembark at Victoria on the last night of the Seattle cruise, then just get yourselves over to Vancouver by the next afternoon. I'm 99.9% positive the answer would not just be no, but hell, no, because that would put them in technical violation of the PSA (federal cabotage law) and they'd be subject to a honking fine from the feds. But asking is free.

 

All told, I'd opt for the Coral BTB originating in Whittier. That would be a great itinerary, unblemished by panicky drives or flights between Seattle and Vancouver.

[Love the beach]

You could also look into the Amtrak buses (too late to make the train) or the www.quickcoach bus.

Should be do-able, nerve-wracking, but do-able.

Good Luck!

[Gardyloo]

You could also look into the Amtrak buses (too late to make the train) or the www.quickcoach bus.

Should be do-able, nerve-wracking, but do-able.

Good Luck!

I looked at the Quick Coach. This year it departed Pier 91 at 10:30 and arrived at Canada Place at 3:10, and Ballantyne at 3:25. However nobody knows what next year's schedules will be, nor can anyone say what border conditions will be like then either. It's all a matter of risk v. reward - if the OP misses the boat the next port of call will be Los Angeles, quite a detour.

[Jon65retired]

Thanks very much for your input. I think we'll change our plans.