Fly in/out of Seattle for a Vancouver R/T Cruise

[TNguy12]

Is it a completely idiotic thing to fly into/out of Seattle for a Cruise that is roundtrip out of Vancouver? If not, what is the best/most cost effective way to do this? How much time would I need to leave between arriving in Seattle and being ready to board the ship?

 

Thanks!

[MermaidWatcher]

Is it a completely idiotic thing to fly into/out of Seattle for a Cruise that is roundtrip out of Vancouver? If not, what is the best/most cost effective way to do this? How much time would I need to leave between arriving in Seattle and being ready to board the ship?

 

Thanks!

 

Unless I was traveling a relatively short distance to Seattle, had the very early am flight, and involved no connections, I am not inclined to risk a same day flight and then transportation to Vancouver. It is four hours from Seattle to Vancouver, pretty much whether you travel by bus or train.

If you have any flight delays and miss the shuttle bus, you will have to scramble for private transportation, probably at great expense, or go through the hassle of renting a car and paying drop off fees.

We flew into Seattle the evening before , and took the Amtrack Cascades train the next morning, for a scenic relaxing trip. I believe tickets were about $65pp for business class. The plane tickets were so much cheaper into Seattle, that the difference more than paid the costs of a hotel room and train ride.

[mapleleaves]

unless you rent a car your travel time will be dependent on the schedule of the train, bus, or cruise transfer. So you need to check each schedule to see how they work with your arrival time in Seatac. You also need to factor in their arrival and departure locations in relation to the pier and/or seatac as that might require additional time. ie Amtrak train station is in downtown Seattle, about 30 minutes from the airport, and the Vancouver depot is about 20 minutes from the pier.

Amtrak Cascades train, Amtrak Cascades bus, Bolt Bus, Quick Coach

Edited January 12, 2014 by mapleleaves

[mtwingcpa]

I would probably book QuickCoach/QuickShuttle as they will pick you up at SEATAC and drop you off at the cruise terminal (no additional transfers needed). But despite the name, it isn't exactly "quick." So it might be difficult to arrive in Seattle AND make that trip to the YVR cruise terminal in the same day. Much better if you arrive in Seattle a day early and overnight by the airport. And/or take a later OuickShuttle and overnight in Vancouver, and then take a cab to the cruise terminal in the morning.

 

In my experience, I would add 1 hour to QuickShuttle's published time tables, as they often fall behind schedule with border issues and multiple stops along the way. Naturally, your mileage might vary. :-)

[MermaidWatcher]

unless you rent a car your travel time will be dependent on the schedule of the train, bus, or cruise transfer. So you need to check each schedule to see how they work with your arrival time in Seatac. You also need to factor in their arrival and departure locations in relation to the pier and/or seatac as that might require additional time. ie Amtrak train station is in downtown Seattle, about 30 minutes from the airport, and the Vancouver depot is about 20 minutes from the pier.

Amtrak Cascades train, Amtrak Cascades bus, Bolt Bus, Quick Coach

 

For Amtrack, there is only one option, the Cascades train departs at 7:40 am and arrives Vancouver at 11:40am.

The various shuttles are one shot propositions also, but if I remember correctly, their departure times were a bit later, however we felt their departures were still cutting it too close when involving any same day flights that had the possibility of a delay.

Edited January 12, 2014 by MermaidWatcher