seattle vs vancouver

[joanna111]

I'm a second time Alaska cruiser -- in 2005 I did a cruise tour out of Vancouver on a HAL ship. Because of the cost of airfare I'd like to sail out of Seattle this time. Are there any routes that go to the east of Vancouver Island or does leaving from Seattle mean you have to go up the west side?

Thanks.

[rayliang]

only way to go East of Vancouver Island is to sail out of Vancouver.

 

Also, if you are thinking one way cruises, you will also have to go out of Vancouver.

 

You can always fly into Seattle, then take the train to Vancouver.

[Budget Queen]

With an extra day, it is simple to get back and forth to Vancouver, fly, shuttle bus, one way rental car, Amtrak.

 

In the past NCL's Tracy Arm itinerary did do a northbound sailing inside Vancouver Island, but it's unknown if this is continuing.

 

If it is a priority to sail inside Vancouver Island, then you need to consider only Vancouver cruises.

[Putterdude]

Sorry to sail fully in the Inside Passage east of Vancouver Island you need to sail out of Vancouver. Ships sailing from Seattle simply can't make the tides in Seymour Narrows (just above Campbell River) on a timely basis and this impacts rest of the cruise. Celebrity tried this a couple of years ago on a 7 days return and after a couple of disastrous trips (schedule wise) abandoned the idea.

[joanna111]

Is it significantly better to go out of Vancouver as opposed to Seattle? I have frequent flyer miles for Seattle but I don't want to miss some of the good sightseeing from onboard.

[chipmaster]

IMHO there are some neat things on the "inside" passage out of Vancouver. It is cool as the channel narrows down to almost nothing, but once in Alaska Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway or the scenic cruising is the same regardless of whether you did the first portion inside our west of the island.

 

I'm a second time Alaska cruiser -- in 2005 I did a cruise tour out of Vancouver on a HAL ship. Because of the cost of airfare I'd like to sail out of Seattle this time. Are there any routes that go to the east of Vancouver Island or does leaving from Seattle mean you have to go up the west side?

Thanks.

[Putterdude]

Is it significantly better to go out of Vancouver as opposed to Seattle? I have frequent flyer miles for Seattle but I don't want to miss some of the good sightseeing from onboard.

 

It is significantly more scenic out of Vancouver plus you sail in what are generally much calmer waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia.

[Budget Queen]

Is it significantly better to go out of Vancouver as opposed to Seattle? I have frequent flyer miles for Seattle but I don't want to miss some of the good sightseeing from onboard.

 

In my opinion, yes, significantly more scenic, and no "wasted" time taken up with a too short Canada port. Only so much you can fit into the same 7 days. I do find mid May sailing out of Seattle "better" due to catching the end of the humpback migration, but overall, port times, and definately route are superior round trip Vancouver.

[NancyIL]

Sorry to sail fully in the Inside Passage east of Vancouver Island you need to sail out of Vancouver. Ships sailing from Seattle simply can't make the tides in Seymour Narrows (just above Campbell River) on a timely basis and this impacts rest of the cruise. Celebrity tried this a couple of years ago on a 7 days return and after a couple of disastrous trips (schedule wise) abandoned the idea.

 

Our August 5th HAL Amsterdam sailing from Seattle sailed east of Vancouver Island on the journey north. We didn't get to Seymour Narrows until about 11 a.m. - which was a treat to see. However, we arrived about 90 minutes late in Ketchikan the next day.

 

In 2012, the Amsterdam will sail west of Vancouver Island in both directions.

[Putterdude]

Our August 5th HAL Amsterdam sailing from Seattle sailed east of Vancouver Island on the journey north. We didn't get to Seymour Narrows until about 11 a.m. - which was a treat to see. However, we arrived about 90 minutes late in Ketchikan the next day.

 

 

This is extremely unusual and you were very fortunate, obviously the time of the tide was just right to do this. However, is the sort of thing that HAL will do depending upon tides. For instance if the time of the tide is right in Seymour Narrows, they will do a hard right at Pt. Atkinson just after leaving Vancouver and sail around some of the islands in Howe Sound, they will also occasionally sail in the picturesque Grenville Channel.

[scottbee]

Is it significantly better to go out of Vancouver as opposed to Seattle? I have frequent flyer miles for Seattle but I don't want to miss some of the good sightseeing from onboard.

 

Most FF programs don't treat Canada any differently than the USA, so you'll use the same number of points to fly to SEA as you would to YVR

[joanna111]

Thanks for all the info. I'll check out options to get from Seatac to Canada Place. BTW, my miles are with Frontier which doesn't fly into Vancouver.

[TheCalicoCat]

Is it significantly better to go out of Vancouver as opposed to Seattle? I have frequent flyer miles for Seattle but I don't want to miss some of the good sightseeing from onboard.

 

We are using our miles to fly to Seattle (arriving at noon) then taking the 5:30 train to Vancouver. Based on what I have read & the maps that I have looked at, the light rail appears to be very "doable" from the airport to the Amtrak station. We'll check our luggage & then go grab a bite to eat - do a tiny bit of touristy stuff. We have a hotel room booked in Vancouver...

 

For us the Itinerary out of Seattle was a deal breaker - so we had to make it work with our "miles."

 

I've also heard that the train ride up is very pretty...

[TheCalicoCat]

Most FF programs don't treat Canada any differently than the USA, so you'll use the same number of points to fly to SEA as you would to YVR

 

My miles work on any carrier - but Canada is definitely treated differently from the Lower 48.

[scottbee]

My miles work on any carrier - but Canada is definitely treated differently from the Lower 48.

 

Delta: Canada treated same as continental USA

United: Canada treated same as continental USA

American: Canada treated same as continental USA

US Air: Canada treated same as continental USA

Alaska: Canada treated same as continental USA

 

Sorry, I had assumed you had frequent flier miles on one of the major carriers, not a 3rd party miles plan.

[Putterdude]

I've also heard that the train ride up is very pretty...

 

The Amtrak Cascades is a great option and having done it twice this year I have become a fan of it. It is very picturesque with about 1/3 of the journey along water. The disadvantage is that there are only two trains in either direction which obviously makes it inflexible, however Amtrak does operate buses between the two cities as does Quick Coach.

 

www.quickcoach.com/