Vancouver to Seattle Shuttle

[quiltsnh]

I have purchased this for the end of cruise... how long does this trip take? And what is the earliest flight I should plan on?

[SlyOldLady]

assuming the transfer leaves at 9:00, most do, I would count on being stopped at the border for way too long and not getting to the airport before 3:00

[Colo Cruiser]

3-4 hours, again depending on the border.

 

When we disembarked the Island we boarded the shuttle by 8:30 and were at Seatac by 1pm.

 

I think they say its for flights after 2PM.

[markvk]

I would probably bank on it being around 3 to 3.5 hrs or so. It really depends on the traffic at the border as well as rush hour in Seattle. Traffic tends to back up a bit just before Seattle early afternoon.

If the transfer leaves early enough (8 or 9am) you should be good for a 1 or 2pm flight-(assuming you check in around 12 noon or so). To be safe I would plan for a 4 hr trip in case there are any delays. Hope this helps:)

[onthelake]

We did this once with a 3PM flight and missed it. We were then placed on a red-eye via a reroute - one miserable long trip. If you have an option to take a slightly later flight - 5 or 6PM, I would do that and have a rest and a meal at the airport before flying out. Getting right off of a bus and on to a plane does not always agree with me phyiscally.

[VibeGuy]

There have been recent improvements at the Truck Crossing for US-bound bus passengers thanks to the Olympics - one MAJOR enhancement has been that QuickShuttle (a competitive bus service which has been notorious for transporting people without their paperwork in order) is now pre-submitting immigration data to both the US and Canada, which has reduced the number of problems at the border by 80%. I'd say four hours to the airport is about normal anymore.

[Cruise Raider]

I have purchased this for the end of cruise... how long does this trip take? And what is the earliest flight I should plan on?

 

That Quick Shuttle is a fabulous option when sailing into Vancouver and needing to fly back home out of Seattle. The drivers are friendly and most helpful. With that being said, really, really late in getting where you need to go. I saw they had a Seattle express bus available, although we were stopping off in Bellingham. We were riding around for a couple hours before getting started across the border picking up people at other stops. I think one bus was waiting for another bus to take some of their pax across the border. Then, we actually had a 2.5 hr wait at the border. If we were going all the way to Seattle, as some on the bus were, I swear it would have taken about 7 hours. I really like this service but it is slow going....and I mean slow going!!!!!!

 

We also were in Bellingham one time taking a flight down to the bay area. the airfare was so dirt cheap and so the flight on the way up was crowded....not so on the way back. The reason being, the shuttle was stuck at the border and quite a few people missed their flight.

[Colo Cruiser]

That Quick Shuttle is a fabulous option when sailing into Vancouver and needing to fly back home out of Seattle. The drivers are friendly and most helpful. With that being said, really, really late in getting where you need to go. I saw they had a Seattle express bus available, although we were stopping off in Bellingham. We were riding around for a couple hours before getting started across the border picking up people at other stops. I think one bus was waiting for another bus to take some of their pax across the border. Then, we actually had a 2.5 hr wait at the border. If we were going all the way to Seattle, as some on the bus were, I swear it would have taken about 7 hours. I really like this service but it is slow going....and I mean slow going!!!!!!

 

We also were in Bellingham one time taking a flight down to the bay area. the airfare was so dirt cheap and so the flight on the way up was crowded....not so on the way back. The reason being, the shuttle was stuck at the border and quite a few people missed their flight.

 

The Princess transfer is not Quick Shuttle so they don't stop to P/U anyone on the way. It is direct.

[unboringuy]

The border crossing is horrible, particularly between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday. We elected to rent a car last month, since we didn't have a departure from Sea-Tac until 11:30 p.m. It took 2 hours to cross the border! I think the busses can get through a bit quicker since they can go through the commercial lane. But they can get stopped for even longer if there are any irregularities with any of the passengers' paperwork.

[grandmaa]

We used Quick Shuttle from Vancouver to Seattle this past May. At the border we all had to get off the bus even though all documents had been sent to them as requested, take our carry one luggage off and they also made the driiver take outl the luggage from the hold.

The driver of that bus said it was the first time such tight security. So I would plan on 5+

hours from your departure time to the airport to be safe. Sometimes that terminal is a disaster area if another ship is disembarking too. Have a wonderful cruise.

[Buddy604]

I'd echo some of the others and say if you can get a flight out after 5pm, the worst thing you'll have to worry about is killing time in the airport.

 

If you have several ships in port, if you get held up in customs, or if you get stuck in traffic, you'll be very grateful for the extra time. For those of us local folks taking the direct transfer down to catch a ship in Seattle, we're told to meet the 6:30 am transfer to guarantee making it before the 3pm cut-off.

[cruisin'grandparents]

We docked in Vancouver on Saturday, May 22 and took Princess shuttle to Seattle. As our bus driver said 'everyone has a personal best' and that day was hers. It took us 3 hours and 20 minutes to complete the border crossing. Yes it was a Saturday and also a Canadian long weekend so that may have accounted for some of the time, but we arrived at airport at 3.45pm. Luckily we were staying the night and flying out the next morning but definitely book a late flight if possible.

[NewPennCruiser]

I will echo what many others have said.... Even though Princess will tell you to not book anything earlier then 2:00, I think that's pushing it unless you feel lucky. We did this on May 15th. There were delays getting off the ship, delays getting luggage onto the buses and we spent over 2 hours just crossing the border. I think we arrived sometime between 3:30 and 4:00 and many people on the bus already had missed their flights. We were on the red eye so we weren't in a hurry.

 

The bus lanes at the border were horribly long. Once we actually got up where the border guard came on the bus, it only took 5 minutes and we were on our way, but we spent over 2 hours in the bus line after getting there . And as someone else said, it appears delays can be caused by missing paperwork, etc and chances are when you have 50 people on a bus, someone will be missing something. Other buses were being pulled aside, luggage was sometimes being searched, etc.

 

If you do this, it's important that you get on the bus that Princess tells you to get on because that will be the bus your luggage is loaded onto. They will verify the passenger list and seal the bus when you leave so once you do hit the border, it should be an easy crossing. (ie: they know you and your luggage got on the bus straight from the ship and you already went through immigration at Canada Place) Just show your passport and it's a breeze.... like I said, once the border guard came onboard, we were on our way in 5 minutes. The other delays just magnified the issue and altogether caused us to be much later then we thought we would be.

 

Dave

 

Dave

[txflyer]

We did Quick Shuttle on May 15 and it took 4 hours. That included two pick up stops in Vancouver and one drop off stop in downtown Seattle before getting to SeaTac. There was only one bus ahead of us at the border and everyone had to get off and carry their luggage thru.

 

The driver told stories about how much the travel time can vary. If you plan for alot of time and get to the Seattle airpor early, its a good place to pass time. They have a modern food court area with good restaurants.

[happytrails42]

Just checking ... would the shuttle buses (motorcoaches??) have facilities on board?

 

I'd hate to think of being on a bus for up to 4 hours without it :eek:

[Putterdude]

The drive time from Canada Place to SeaTac is about 3 hrs. As buses use a dedicated lane at the Pacific Hwy crossing (often called the "truck crossing") a hours delay would be quite unusual. So 4.5 hrs is good allownace. Quick Shuttles buses leaving at 9 am full with cruise ship pax will not be making stops enroute except one in downtown Seattle.

[NewPennCruiser]

Just checking ... would the shuttle buses (motorcoaches??) have facilities on board?

 

I'd hate to think of being on a bus for up to 4 hours without it :eek:

We were using the Princess transfer and they had large motorcoaches with a small bathroom in the back of the bus. We also stopped quickly at a rest area in WA after we got across the border. Dave

[themerle]

how long does this trip take? And what is the earliest flight I should plan on?

 

Thanks for asking these questions. I would like to do this....hoping for this year but more than likely it will have to be next year.

 

Thanks to all for the relies!

[happytrails42]

we were using the princess transfer and they had large motorcoaches with a small bathroom in the back of the bus. We also stopped quickly at a rest area in wa after we got across the border. Dave

 

thanks dave!!:d