Vancouver to Seatac - drive or cruise shuttle

[mimi312]

We are debarking from an Alaskan cruise on 6/30 Sunday morning and will be flying home from Seattle Monday a.m. We currently have a rental car reserved @ $160. The cruise shuttle (HAL) is $120 for 2 people. (Figured the car would give us more independence.) However, in reading various posts regarding border crossing it seems like the cruise shuttle buses wait far less time in line than cars... anyone have experience/advice with both options? tx

[BCHappyGal]

2 more options for you

There is a regularly scheduled shuttel bus called Quick Shuttle that goes from the cruise ships to SEA airport cost is about the same as the cruise ship shuttle

 

Also the Amtrak Train goes at approx 5pm and cost varies but is cheaper than the shuttle buses and is a lovely scenic ride right along the coast - much prettier than the Interstate - and that is absolutely the easiest way to cross the border.

 

Yes the buses are faster than the cars but you still have to get off the bus with your luggage at the US customs and go inside to be cleared.

[Langley Cruisers]

We currently have a rental car reserved @ $160...

 

There are always extra charges on top of this: gas, insurance, taxes, mileage charge and drop charge if applicable, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if this cross-border rental ends up costing well over $200.00 (yes, I worked in a car rental agency for 5 years).

 

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[chrismakris]

I would find a way to get to downtown Seattle without having to drive. The border lineups will be long as it is Canada Day long weekend. A lot of people will be heading out of town to the States for shopping or just a getaway to start their summer holidays.

 

The Amtrak will stop in downtown Seattle but the train leaves at either 6:40am or 5:30pm. They do have buses going that leave at different times.

 

Taking the Shuttle to the airport will leave you 20 minutes from downtown, so its either a taxi or the rapid transit from the airport to get there if you don't want to stay at your hotel and have dinner or do some sightseeing for the day.

[Putterdude]

At this point in time we have no idea what the real impact of the cuts on the US CBP is going to be, but it is not likely to be positive. Given that and the fact that 6/30 falls in the middle of the Canada Day weekend I would certainly advise against driving. If it were me I would be looking at either Quick Shuttle or a ship's transfer. Amtrak is a lovely way to go but it's schedule is quite limited.

[mimi312]

Thanks for all the help. Looks like I'll be cancelling that car rental and go with option B - yet to be decided.

[cruising cockroach]

If you don't mind getting into Seattle late, I would still consider the drive option. Most of the southbound traffic is going to be on Friday (28th) and Saturday morning and you'll also get day shoppers on all days. However, if you cross in the late afternoon on Sunday (just as the shops in the U.S. are about to close), cross-border traffic should be a lot lighter. Of course there might be some U.S. weekend traffic but that is a fraction of what it was n the past and it isn't a holiday weekend either.

[SpokaneDan]

I crossed that border both ways regularly, and would say everything gets easier after dark (9pm). While the wait in the peak day time hour could be bad - 60 to 120 minutes, you would need to wait the same or longer with any shuttle (for fellow passengers to clear the custom). Also the "Quick" shuttle is anything but. It makes stops to p/u passengers; I also had one broke down on me once.

 

GL