Vancouver / Seattle to ship & a few other questions.

[Santa2ya]

I am trying to figure out my options for our first cruise in May 2011. I know for certain we will be boarding a ship in Vancouver 5/27,28 or 29.

 

Is there a shuttle that runs from YVR (Vancouver) to where the ships are docked? Schedules for May 2011?

 

If I book a flight with an arrival time of 12:45pm on the same day our ship leaves at 4pm. Can we make the ship in time or would it be best to arrive the night before?

 

What are my options if I fly into Seattle earlier than noon? Is there a ferry or something to get me to Vancouver docks? What is the cost?

 

I have been concentrating on planning our independent land portion and car rental from Seward is throwing a wrench in it.

 

Any guidance would be great.

[Budget Queen]

Well you must know, that flying into a port the day of sailing is risky, and arriving afternoon, is even more so. You need to allow 30 -45 mins from the airport to the port, plus baggage collection time. You usually HAVE to be on board at least 90 mins. prior, maybe 2 hours.

 

You have NO options for flying into Seattle the same day, unless you have a VERY early morning arrival.

 

Otherwise, an overnight prior, and flying into Seattle has several transfer options. There may be a cruise contracted bus. There is Amtrak, independent buses, one way rental car. You need to allow 4 hours for the transit.

[Keith1010]

I would highly recommend that you fly in the day before as it is quite risky to fly in the day of the cruise.

 

Keith

[Santa2ya]

You have NO options for flying into Seattle the same day, unless you have a VERY early morning arrival.

 

 

That blows my thought of a flight to Seattle arriving at 11:24am. Delta offers a non-stop from CVG - SEA that I would have liked to snag at $286. So I will have to stick to a Vancouver & a layover flight the evening before which is fine.

 

This brings up another question. Are there shuttles from Vancouver area hotels to the docks or will I need a taxi? Schedule & approximate cost?

 

I know some cruise lines have shuttle service from airports mostly in Florida but i don't know anything about Vancouver. Starting to think maybe I should have started planning this a year ago.

[Santa2ya]

Budget Queen,

 

The one way rental from Seward to Anchorage is not an option at the cost of $370 for basically a 2 day rental.

 

I really do appreciate all the help.

[Putterdude]

This brings up another question. Are there shuttles from Vancouver area hotels to the docks or will I need a taxi? Schedule & approximate cost?

 

A cab fare from Vancouver's airport (YVR) to a downtown hotel will run about $35 and will take about 35 mins. There is also a new light rapid transit line that runs from YVR to downtown Vancouver called the Canada Line. It costs $8.75 (less if you are over 65) and it has 3 stops in the downtown area and most hotels are 6 blocks or less from these stops or stations...if you can handle your own luggage this is an option. The trains depart the YVR station every 6 mins and the ride is 26 mins. None of the downtown hotels offer a free shuttle from YVR to hotel and only a couple such as the Hampton Inn and the Best Western-Downtown offer free shuttles to Canada Place....on the plus side almost all downtown hotels are less than a $10 cab ride from Canada Place...and some are so close you can walk.

To get acquainted with Vancouver please come over to the West Coast Departures and the Canada forums where there is a ton of informantion...we are a pretty friendly lot in Vancouver.:)

[Budget Queen]

That blows my thought of a flight to Seattle arriving at 11:24am. Delta offers a non-stop from CVG - SEA that I would have liked to snag at $286. So I will have to stick to a Vancouver & a layover flight the evening before which is fine.

 

This brings up another question. Are there shuttles from Vancouver area hotels to the docks or will I need a taxi? Schedule & approximate cost?

 

I know some cruise lines have shuttle service from airports mostly in Florida but i don't know anything about Vancouver. Starting to think maybe I should have started planning this a year ago.

 

You could do this the day before, staying nearer the Seatac is cheaper. Take the light rail to Amtrak early morning. Arrive in Vancouver around noon. Light rail to Canada Place. Compare costs perhaps? This lower cost transfer option is assuming no mobility limitations.

[Dunn1951]

That blows my thought of a flight to Seattle arriving at 11:24am. Delta offers a non-stop from CVG - SEA that I would have liked to snag at $286. So I will have to stick to a Vancouver & a layover flight the evening before which is fine.

 

This brings up another question. Are there shuttles from Vancouver area hotels to the docks or will I need a taxi? Schedule & approximate cost?

 

I know some cruise lines have shuttle service from airports mostly in Florida but i don't know anything about Vancouver. Starting to think maybe I should have started planning this a year ago.

We did fly CVG-SEA in July the day before our cruise on a non-stop Delta flight. We toured Seattle that day and the next day we took the Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver. It leaves at 7:40 am and arrives in Vancouver at 11:30 am. It was a very scenic ride along the water front. The Amtrak was $42, less discounts for AAA or AARP. It will cost less to fly into Seattle and take the train than fly into Vancouver. It is too much of a risk to fly cross country the day of your cruise. Even if you fly to Vancouver go the day before your cruise.

[Judith02]

I will be taking a connecting flight from Chicago to Vancouver. In Chicago will I need to go from domestic to international travel? Is BC considered international since it is out of the contiguous United States? How much time should I allot for going from one flight to the connecting flight if I must go from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. Both my incoming and outgoing flights are on United Airlines.

[STEVE-O]

That blows my thought of a flight to Seattle arriving at 11:24am. Delta offers a non-stop from CVG - SEA that I would have liked to snag at $286. So I will have to stick to a Vancouver & a layover flight the evening before which is fine.

 

This brings up another question. Are there shuttles from Vancouver area hotels to the docks or will I need a taxi? Schedule & approximate cost?

 

I know some cruise lines have shuttle service from airports mostly in Florida but i don't know anything about Vancouver. Starting to think maybe I should have started planning this a year ago.

 

Have done the Seattle to Vancouver transfer on a (pay) shuttle arranged by the cruise line. Never again! I'd rather fly OVER the border than cross in a vehicle.

 

Were I you......I'd consider the flight you mention then a switch to Horizon Air. They fly frequently from Seattle to Vancouver and the price is reasonable.

 

We're sailing from Vancouver in May 2011, also. We're flying from Portland, non-stop, to Vancouver the day before. Staying at LaQuinta near the airport for less than $100...which includes a pretty decent breakfast. LQ is also located near one of the public transportation stops that would get us to Canada Place. We'll likely opt for a cab instead of hauling the luggage to and through the subway terminal.

 

Either way...have a safe trip....You'll love Alaska ( it's our favorite destination...so far!)

[MercedMike]

There are a number of options for doing the transfer from the airport to the ship.

 

1) First, there are the cruise line transfers. The fact of the matter is that a great many people DO elect to fly in the day of sailing. You can purchase a transfer from the cruise line, either from Seattle to Vancouver, or from Vancouver airport. There will be uniformed representatives of the cruise line waiting at bag claim. You deliver your bags to them, go to the waiting area, and when there is a busfull of people, off you go. If you are going from Seattle, the bus goes through a special customs area and can, in many cases, make the crossing much more quickly than a private car. This works reasonably well. The biggest risk is that a delay or cancellation of your flight could cause you to miss the ship! You have to decide how much of a risk you are willing to take, and take the earliest possible flight.

 

2) A variation on this plan is to take a flight the day before, and stay at a hotel that has an airport shuttle. Then the next morning you take the shuttle back to the airport and meet your cruiseline transfer. The obvious advantage is that if stuff happens to your flight you still have a good chance of arriving in time.

 

3) Our daughter and SIL flew to Seattle the night before and in the morning took a taxi to the train station and went to Vancouver on the train. They enjoyed it, but it involves a lot of handling your own luggage.

 

4) Another thing we have done is to rent a car, drive to Vancouver, leave it in the special section of the parking lot, and then drive back to Seattle, sightseeing on the way. This works reasonably well as long as you are prepared for the one to two hour wait at the border.

 

All things considered, in the future we will probably use 1) or 2) above as our choice.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[ajhunt2]

We are flying into Seattle the evening before. Our cruise leaves out of Seattle and returns to Vancouver so we don't have to worry about getting up there. But to get back we are taking Amtrak since you clear customs before boarding the train. Still a 4 hr train ride back to seattle but a much more scenic view than a highway in a bus, and something we've never done before.

[ajhunt2]

I will be taking a connecting flight from Chicago to Vancouver. In Chicago will I need to go from domestic to international travel? Is BC considered international since it is out of the contiguous United States? How much time should I allot for going from one flight to the connecting flight if I must go from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. Both my incoming and outgoing flights are on United Airlines.

 

 

You should be checked all the way through at your origonal location. Make sure you get there eraly and have your passport ready as they will most likely ask for it. That's what happened w/ me on my flight to Dominican Republic w/ a layover in Miami anways.