Flying into Settle, cruising from Vancouver

[jjtt]

Hubby and I are thinking of an Alaska cruise next summer. We have cruised the Caribbean but not Alaska. We were thinking of flying into Seattle and wondering how far and how to get to Vancouver for the cruise. This cruise destination will be new for us and we have to start somewhere. I know we will have more questions as time goes by. :o So how far is it from Seattle to Vancouver and the best way of getting there?

[Clarea]

I don't know if it's the best way, but I've read that some take Amtrak to Vancouver. It's supposed to be a very scenic trip. I think it's several hours.

[maxs mom]

We did this a few years ago and it was very easy. We rented a car. Stayed in Seattle one night, then drove to Vancouver.....very easy drive.....doesn't take long. You can get a one way rental and drop the car off right downtown Vancouver in walking distance to most of the hotels. I think we stayed at the Sheraton. We stayed in Vancouver a couple of nights before the cruise. Great trip.

[PNW Traveler]

There have been threads on this subject under the Alaska ports section of the forum, so you may find other ideas there.

Seattle is sometimes used for flights because of cost, but it takes up vacation time to get from Seattle to Vancouver. Unless you are planning some tourist time in Seattle, I would spend the extra $$ and fly into Vancouver.

Seattle is a four hour drive from Vancouver, with indeterminate time for a border crossing into Canada. Most cruise lines have transfers which will be large busses providing cruise shuttle service. Other options include renting a car, taking Amtrak (not perfect connections), and booking the express Bolt bus. Seattle is notorious for its traffic, and the I-5 route between Seattle and Vancouver is not a fun drive. We have been delayed at the border crossing anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours. Depending on where you live - if you depart from Seattle after a round trip Vancouver cruise, you will be limited in your late day departure flight times and perhaps need an overnight in Seattle (extra $$.)

Rather than spend a day in transit, I would spend a day exploring Vancouver.

[wvufan]

Take the Quick bus which will go right to the ship. We did this before and will do it again next May

 

http://www.quickcoach.com/schedule.htm

 

We fly into Seattle because it is much cheaper than Vancouver and then get a hotel on Priceline.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

Edited July 14, 2014 by wvufan

[FLACRUISER99]

I've taken the cruise line bus. Works great the usually seal the bus and you just pass through customs at the boarder without them making everyone get off.

[wwcruisers]

Google: Amtrak Cascades Route for schedules/pricing.

[mjldvlks]

I don't know if it's the best way, but I've read that some take Amtrak to Vancouver. It's supposed to be a very scenic trip. I think it's several hours.

 

We did this a couple of years ago going the other directions [debarked from Radiance in Vancouver and took train to Seattle]. Very pleasant trip. The Quick Bus may be more convenient -- can't really say, haven't tried it. But the train was a good experience and hey -- I like trains. Don't really recall how we got to and from train stations. I think we took taken taxis. Don't remember it being too difficult or expensive.

 

Keeping in mind: (a) I just had an instant to take this with a point and shoot camera on auto settings; (b) it was raining resulting in having to shoot through a water streaked window messing up my auto focus; and © I am not that good anyway, here is a picture that will give you some idea of the scenery we saw on the trip:

 

[Clarea]

...Keeping in mind: (a) I just had an instant to take this with a point and shoot camera on auto settings; (b) it was raining resulting in having to shoot through a water streaked window messing up my auto focus; and © I am not that good anyway, here is a picture that will give you some idea of the scenery we saw on the trip:

 

Cool photo, even still.:)

[mjldvlks]

Cool photo, even still.:)

 

LOL -- My holy grail of photography is a great picture of a bald eagle. So far all I have managed to get are this fuzzy one and a picture of the back end of one fishing at the reversing falls in St. John, NB.

[trvlmil]

We took inside passage cruise in and out of Vancouver. We flew into Seattle, and spent the night. We purchased round trip bus transfers from Seattle airport to the pier in Vancouver. Celebrity Cruises allowed the purchase of their transfers even though we booked the air on our own.

So you may want to ask RCI if this is possible.

The bus trip was about 1 1/2 - 2 hours if memory serves me correctly and it was a beautiful ride. The scenery was magnificent and they also made a rest stop. Time permitting I wouldn't hesitate taking the scenic bus route again.

[Tropicalgal2]

We did this a few years ago and it was very easy. We rented a car. Stayed in Seattle one night' date=' then drove to Vancouver[/color'].....very easy drive.....doesn't take long. You can get a one way rental and drop the car off right downtown Vancouver in walking distance to most of the hotels. I think we stayed at the Sheraton. We stayed in Vancouver a couple of nights before the cruise. Great trip.

 

Jane,

 

Was this before or after the new passport regulations? Wondering because of taking a car over the border that isn't registered to you personally! :eek: There are more complications now.

[COMBOY]

Hubby and I are thinking of an Alaska cruise next summer. We have cruised the Caribbean but not Alaska. We were thinking of flying into Seattle and wondering how far and how to get to Vancouver for the cruise. This cruise destination will be new for us and we have to start somewhere. I know we will have more questions as time goes by. :o So how far is it from Seattle to Vancouver and the best way of getting there?

 

It's only 157 miles. You can take Amtrak Cascades from Seattle to Vancouver. Dep 7:40A/Arr 11:40A or Dep 6:50P/Arr 10:50P plus Amtrak provide 4 other bus thru way trips between Seattle/Vancouver at other times. RCI might provide private bus transfer for a fee as well as other bus shuttle companies. You can also rent a car. I don't think there is a best way. It all depends upon what time you arrival time in Seattle and what your transportation preference is and what you want to see and do.

[mommabean]

We did this just last month. We got off of Rhapsody, rented a car, drove to Vancouver and boarded Radiance the same day. We returned the car directly to the cruise port with Alamo. We stopped at Target on the way to pick up what we needed for the second cruise. We were to the cruise port by 12:30pm.

 

There's an app called Border Times where you can check which route to Vancouver has the shortest wait times at the border. We had 3 cars ahead of us at Peace Arch.

 

I would not trust Amtrak to get me there in a timely manner. They are more likely to have a delay than driving yourself. There is absolutely no issue with driving a rental car over the border.

 

Royal Caribbean does not provide transfer service. I checked into this thinking they might consider it a B2B since there was no overnight stay between cruises.

Edited July 14, 2014 by mommabean

[sapphireblue]

You have a number of good options, as listed by other posters. Amtrak only runs 2 times a day, as already posted. I believe you'd have to grab a taxi to the train station. It is a beautiful relaxing way to travel to Vancouver. You travel right along the coastline from just north of Seattle right into southern British Columbia. The train makes several stops, but they are minimal. There is a snack car for your convenience. We use the train sometimes for a weekend getaway to Seattle and love the relaxing mode of travel. You arrive just outside of downtown Vancouver, and will clear Customs and Immigration there. A short taxi ride will get you to Canada Place Pier or hotel if thats what you have booked. Free wifi on the train. :) If you book early enough, you can usually get some kind of advance booking price.

 

Quick Shuttle bus service runs more frequently but also has more stops, and picks up right at SeaTac Airport. You will stop at the border, remove your luggage, go through Customs and Immigration, load back on the bus and continue to downtown. It does take the most direct route possible, again with multiple stops. Free wifi is available on the bus.

 

Car rental is also easy depending on how you like to travel. The airport is just south of Seattle, so if you drive during rush hour times, you can expect delays as you travel through Seattle (the I5 drives right next to downtown). The drive is pleasant and scenic. You have 2 options to go through Customs and Immigration. You can stay on the I5 and go through the Peace Arch crossing (prettier with the Peach Arch and gardens) or take the 275 exit (otherwise locally known as the 'truck crossing' but more frequented by us locals and just as many lanes as the Peace Arch crossing; often faster). Car drop off is downtown. There should be no problems with car rentals if you're visiting. They are used to many tourists travelling across the borders, and can identify a car rental by the plate. They are also used to having people fly into Seattle, and drive to Vancouver.

 

We usually will book our flights out of Seattle and will drive down to begin our vacations. Flights out of or into Seattle are usually a lot less expensive than Vancouver. There are a lot more taxes and fees to pay when a flight is transborder. We have often paid about 1/2 the price to travel from Seattle.

 

I hope this information helps a bit. Your date of arrival, your timing and preferred travel mode will depend on the best fit for you. If you can, come a few days early. There is SO much to do and see in Vancouver. It really is a beautiful city.

 

Happy planning!!

[Cruise Guy 17]

That was our only Alaska cruise on Celebrity Cruises Galaxy June 26-July 3, 1998 roundtrip Vancouver. It was part of my eighth grade graduation. It was a great cruise you will have a great time on this cruise.

[rummenroman]

We did the AmTrak train from Vancouver to Seattle. It was very nice to have someone else "drive" so the both of us could look at mother nature. For us it was the cheapest way to go even with having to take an extra night in a hotel. The prices into Vancouver verses Seattle were $500 pp difference.

[reney313]

We have taken the Amtrak train from Vancouver to Seattle post cruise (we left at night, arrived at the station on time and taxi to SEATAC for our flight out that night). We have also done the reverse, flew into SEATAC, spent the night and next day in Seattle. Then took the train to Vancouver, spent the night there before boarding the ship the next day.

 

In my opinion, the train is part of the fun. I also love Vancouver and would recommend spending a day or two there pre-cruise. I much preferred it over Seattle. If you do decide on the train, splurge the extra for the Business/First Class seats. They aren't that much more (maybe $18, I think), and you go through Customs first, definitely a better experience in that perspective.

 

We are going back to Alaska in a week and end in Vancouver. This time the airfare was actually a few hundred dollars cheaper out of Vancouver than Seattle so no train for us. I'll miss it!