SEA- Can I make a 11:00 flight?

[phabric]

Just booked an Alaska cruise out of Seattle.

 

I am checking return flights for Sunday August 6 to YYZ (Toronto).

 

I can get Air Canada non stop SEA-YYZ at 11 or 22:25.

 

Or

 

SEA-YVR at 12:55-13:50

YVR- YYZ at 16:05-23:34 or 17:00-00:30

 

Or

 

SEA-YVR at 15:30-16:11

YVR-YYZ at 17:30-1:03

 

Can I make the 11 am flight? 12:55pm flight? Or is better for the 15:30 flight?

[CruiserBruce]

If you look on the West Coast Departures board, it is commonly recommended no flights before 11am.

[easyboy]

Not sure about Air Canada. On our previous Alaska cruise last year, we had a 1pm flight SEA - EWR (Newark) via United. We were at the airport at 10am.

 

 

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[jeffg57]

Drive from cruise port to sea-tac is like 30 minutes. If you are walking your luggage off the ship and have an uber/taxi/car-service waiting, you should have no problem on a sunday AM getting to the airport by 9:00 AM. Not sure how bad airport security will be, but i have traveled through Sea-Tac many times and it has not been terrible. I use TSA-pre and this may not be available to you. You will be there after the early AM rush towards the east coast. If you are at all worried, the 12:55 flight should be no sweat.

 

 

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[Keith1010]

I am one who worried about these things so I would go with the later flight option.

 

True it is a Sunday. That is a plus.

 

Downside is you have three ships in port.

 

I have found that there is sometimes a wait for the taxis on a day when you have three ships in port.

 

Also things don't always go as planned when disembarked from USA ports.

 

Keith

[GUT2407]

Don't know why people go out of their way to make things stressful on the last day of their holiday.

[klfrodo]

With those options???

I'm catching the 11AM flight the next day

 

Sure, you might (probably will) make the 11AM flight out of SEATAC.

However, you are International, passports required, Pre-Check not an option, will be checking luggage, and I'd be freaking out the last 72 hours of my cruise wonder if I'm going to make the flight, what do I do if I don't, etc.

[CruiserBruce]

With those options???

I'm catching the 11AM flight the next day

 

Sure, you might (probably will) make the 11AM flight out of SEATAC.

However, you are International, passports required, Pre-Check not an option, will be checking luggage, and I'd be freaking out the last 72 hours of my cruise wonder if I'm going to make the flight, what do I do if I don't, etc.

 

Pre is an option for international flights, if you are GE/Pre.

Edited November 29, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[6rugrats]

Pre is an option for international flights, if you are GE/Pre.

Yes, if OP has NEXUS, they are eligible for precheck.

 

The airport can be very crowded on Sundays during cruise season.

[TruckerDave]

With those options???

I'm catching the 11AM flight the next day

 

Sure, you might (probably will) make the 11AM flight out of SEATAC.

However, you are International, passports required, Pre-Check not an option, will be checking luggage, and I'd be freaking out the last 72 hours of my cruise wonder if I'm going to make the flight, what do I do if I don't, etc.

 

The OP has THREE other options, why in the world would one want to wait until the next day to travel home. They might have to work the next day and must be home or not want to spend the cash on another hotel.

[klfrodo]

The OP has THREE other options, why in the world would one want to wait until the next day to travel home. They might have to work the next day and must be home or not want to spend the cash on another hotel.

 

I'm sorry, did my opinion offend you? or was it that I added an option the OP may not have even considered.

 

If my options include getting up at 6AM, flying all day, not landing at my home airport until 1AM, getting home at 2AM, finally in bed at 3AM,,,, I'm not getting my arse up to go to work at 6AM.

[phabric]

Just booked an Alaska cruise out of Seattle.

 

I am checking return flights for Sunday August 6 to YYZ (Toronto).

 

I can get Air Canada non stop SEA-YYZ at 11 or 22:25.

 

Or

 

SEA-YVR at 12:55-13:50

YVR- YYZ at 16:05-23:34 or 17:00-00:30

 

Or

 

SEA-YVR at 15:30-16:11

YVR-YYZ at 17:30-1:03

 

Can I make the 11 am flight? 12:55pm flight? Or is better for the 15:30 flight?

 

Thank you for all the help.

 

If, I take a connecting flight in YVR, I know I have to go through Canadian customs, do I collect my luggage. Is there a passage way for connecting flights or do I have to go to the main floor and go through security.

[kelmac]

Thank you for all the help.

 

If, I take a connecting flight in YVR, I know I have to go through Canadian customs, do I collect my luggage. Is there a passage way for connecting flights or do I have to go to the main floor and go through security.

 

If your ship offers "self walk-off disembarkation" I would do that. You could be off the ship by 7:30. Since most ships visit Victoria the evening before, they are almost never late to dock in Seattle.

 

Having said that, we usually spend a night post-cruise for a relaxing day and head to the airport early the next day.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[TruckerDave]

I'm sorry, did my opinion offend you? or was it that I added an option the OP may not have even considered.

 

If my options include getting up at 6AM, flying all day, not landing at my home airport until 1AM, getting home at 2AM, finally in bed at 3AM,,,, I'm not getting my arse up to go to work at 6AM.

 

Offend me? :confused: get over yourself. I don't recall the OP asking for other options only which of the ones presented would be best. :rolleyes:

 

Some folks might not have the option to lay in bed until whenever and need to get up early, travel all day and get up for work/school the next day.

[kelmac]

The OP has THREE other options, why in the world would one want to wait until the next day to travel home. They might have to work the next day and must be home or not want to spend the cash on another hotel.

 

Hi TD,

 

Some of us try and make all aspects of travel enjoyable and a positive part of the experience. To me, rushing off of a ship to go spend three hours waiting in an airport, is not a positive thing. I realize people have jobs and commitments, but if you can't make time to travel right, what's the point? It just becomes another task, like shopping or housework.

 

We head from the ship to a hotel, check in (or leave our luggage) and make a day of it. We fly home early in the morning, after a great night's sleep, when planes are on time and the weather is cooperative. No late night arrivals, stressed about going to work the next day. If the port city is very interesting, we may spend two or three nights post cruise, exploring what the city has to offer. It may turn out that that Tuesday flight home is much less expensive compared to the afternoon flight on Sunday.

 

Just a thought,

Kel:)

[bUU]

Some of us try and make all aspects of travel enjoyable and a positive part of the experience. To me, rushing off of a ship to go spend three hours waiting in an airport, is not a positive thing. I realize people have jobs and commitments, but if you can't make time to travel right, what's the point? It just becomes another task, like shopping or housework.

Guilty as charged. We're members of Disney's timeshare, so we've become a bit jaded about vacationing at Walt Disney World in Florida. Living a reasonable drive from Orlando, we now make a habit of visiting for a week, then a weekend, and then another week, all within a 365 day period, so we can use an annual pass for all three "vacations". One of those weekend trips is coming up, and I find myself saying, almost begrudgingly, "Argh, I have to get ready for that vacation soon." We've shoe-horned these trips into our lives, since we have made them such a part of our routine, that we cannot really appreciate what we're doing.

 

I know - first world problems - but still.

 

We're not going to make that mistake with our cruises (and really: I think it is time to rethink our approach to Walt Disney World, too, but that's for some other forum discussion). We're going to arrive the day before, so our cruise experience can start with us well-rested, mostly acclimated to the time zone change (if any), and as soon as the crew will let us board. We're not going to rush to the airport, after the cruise, but rather actually get there in good time, taking a red-eye if we have to to avoid making the end of the vacation such a risky proposition such that it endangers the memories from the whole trip.

 

And if something is going to suffer from placing the end of the vacation too close to the beginning of going back to work, let it be work that suffers.

[em-sk]

Thank you for all the help.

 

If, I take a connecting flight in YVR, I know I have to go through Canadian customs, do I collect my luggage. Is there a passage way for connecting flights or do I have to go to the main floor and go through security.

 

Maybe. Customs, Air Canada, and the Vancouver Airport have been moving flights from the old system where you collect baggage to the new system where they are automatically transferred. My last international to domestic connection in Vancouver was this summer London Heathrow connecting in YVR to the domestic flight to Victoria. Luggage was automatically transferred for that flight. I don't know if they have moved Seattle flights to the new system yet or it will be moved by the time you transfer. The customs agent will tell you. During peek time there is a separate connecting passenger desk in YVR customs. They also have the automated kiosk for Canadian and US passports.

 

Once in the arrivals hall, you head to the exit on the right for connecting passengers. There is an elevator that takes you upstairs to a faster security screening area. The entire process in Vancouver is progressively getting better.

 

The other benefit of connecting in Vancouver is that Vancouver to Toronto is a major domestic route with hourly flights, mostly on wide body jets with a lot of connecting traffic from Asia. Makes it easier if you miss a flight there is a good number of last minute opening that pop up.

[slidergirl]

Something I hear people looking into if they are in the Toronto area is to fly out of /into Buffalo.

 

See if there are any flights into Buffalo that would make it less stressful to make the flight. Then, you can do your clearance into Canada at the land entry.

 

Just a thought.

[em-sk]

Something I hear people looking into if they are in the Toronto area is to fly out of /into Buffalo.

 

See if there are any flights into Buffalo that would make it less stressful to make the flight. Then, you can do your clearance into Canada at the land entry.

 

Just a thought.

 

The reason to fly into/out of Buffalo is to avoid all of the US and Canadian customs and immigration government taxes and fees that get added on to the flight as soon as it is international.

 

You can look at Buffalo.

 

Another alternative is to also look at taking Amtrack or a shuttle bus from Seattle to Vancouver, spending a day or two and then flying from Vancouver. Since Vancouver to Toronto is domestic it avoids many of the fees and charges in an international flight. Should generally be cheaper.

 

The train ride from downtown Seattle to downtown Vancouver is pleasant. Around 3 hours and as it hugs the coast is make for a nice ride.

 

Key thing to realise is The Cascadia (Seattle to Vancouver train service) arrived at Pacific Central Station in Vancouver. You clear Canada customs on arrival at Pacific Central. Quite pleasant. There is a 7:45 am and 6:50 pm train out of Seattle. Several Amtrak buses operate through the day, however I would go for the train.

 

Skytrain (Vancouver sub-way system) has Main St. station just outside Pacific Central. Quick 5 minute ride to Waterfront and onto a Canada line train out to the airport.

 

----

 

Another creative idea is to hop over to Victoria. The Victoria clipper departs from downtown Seattle and arrives in downtown Victoria. You can then spend a day exploring Victoria and fly non-stop from Victoria to Toronto. The clipper is just over 2.5-3 hours sailing time out of Seattle. Should be one around 3pm. (There schedule changes quite a bit during the year).

Edited December 4, 2016 by em-sk