Vancouver to Seattle Best way ???

[hillbilly cruiser]

We will be debarking in Vancouver and need to get to Seattle. What is the best way to do this? Time shouldn't be a problem as we are staying the night in Seattle.

[CruiserBruce]

As neither Seattle or Vancouver are in Alaska, try the West Coast Departures board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

 

where the topic is discussed very regularly. You might want to define "best"- for us it is in a limo sipping champagne.

Edited January 5, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[xlxo]

Simplest is Quick Shuttle for $50. Don't be in a rush to leave Vancouver so quickly. It's bigger than all the Alaskan ports combined!

[martincath]

QuickShuttle is closest to the ship, but unless you plan to leave as soon as you disembark that's not particularly relevant. All the other bus companies, plus Amtrak trains, leave from Pacific Central station about a mile from the pier.

 

Assuming arriving at 10pm in Seattle works for you, the 5:35pm train is by far the best combo of scenic, convenient, and cheap: $32pp Saver fares; US customs & immigration taken care of here before you leave; rails are closer to the water than the highway with several chunks of uninterrupted views of sea, islands, bald eagles; plus you can get some half-decent nibbles and a passable selection of booze on the train!

 

As xlxo pointed out, we have tons of stuff to do in Vancouver so if you don't have a same-day flight out of Seatac to worry about making you should at least hang around for the day before leaving. Frankly you should hang around here for a LONG while, we're far superior to Seattle;-)

 

As to thread location, it might have been better to post in West Coast but I can't think of any regular posters who hang out there without also checking this board and usually the Canada/Pacific one. Better to have one thread in one place than start another and have multiple answer chains IMO...

[cruis'n sus'n]

We will be flying into Seattle on May 4, 2016 and taking the Amtrak to Vancouver, which leaves at 6:50 p.m. and arriving at 10:50 p.m....How much daylight will we have during that time?? Thanks in advance, Susan

[xlxo]

Sunset is 8:35pm on May the 4th....

http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/vancouver?month=5&year=2016

 

Thus you will get a view for half your Amtrak trip.

 

Check the Quick Shuttle's schedule as a comparison if it fits your schedule better...

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

 

BTW.... Quick shuttle will pick you up at the airport and drop you off in Vancouver's downtown for maximum convenience. Amtrak has you paying to transfers to the Seattle train station and paying again once you get to Vancouver's train station.

[martincath]

Depending how much time you have between your flight and your train, QS might indeed be more convenient if you literally want to leave right from Seatac - but the almost $30pp price difference will (assuming there's even 2 of you) buy you a cab downtown to see as much of Seattle as you can before the train, then a couple of beers each on the train, then a cab in Vancouver to your hotel, plus the infinitely easier customs/immigration right here in Vancouver proper without needing to get off the bus and back on again.

 

You'll also see the vast bulk of the views - as those familiar with the route know, the last hour plus is spent crawling along slowly through the municipalities around Vancouver. If the train is on time you'll have good light everywhere it's worth seeing anything until you're past Mount Vernon; even up through Bellingham (9pm) and beyond you'll have twilight, so the only bit you miss is basically from the border onward - and the train doesn't stop Northbound anyway, so it's a minimal loss (the one good thing about the extra stop Southbound for CBP to roam the train 'randomly' asking extra questions is that it's right by a beach with sometimes tons of bald eagles).

[Budget Queen]

(the one good thing about the extra stop Southbound for CBP to roam the train 'randomly' asking extra questions is that it's right by a beach with sometimes tons of bald eagles).

 

White Rock.

[Gardyloo]

We will be debarking in Vancouver and need to get to Seattle. What is the best way to do this? Time shouldn't be a problem as we are staying the night in Seattle.

You can also rent a car one-way, and spend the day doing a marvelous mini-road trip on the way south. Visit the quaint Fairhaven neighborhood in Bellingham, then take Chuckanut Drive (SR 16) - a pretty road on a bluff overlooking the water - south to awesome Deception Pass between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands, followed by the very cute waterfront villages of Coupeville and Langley on Whidbey. Return to the mainland via the Mukilteo ferry, from which the drive into Seattle takes you past the Boeing Everett plant, biggest building in the world. It's a terrific and easy day.

 

The car will probably cost somewhere between $120 and $150 for the day, divided by the number of passengers.