$160 to get from Seattle Airport to Vancouver Port?

[ddlb]

I am trying to book an Alaskan land/tour cruise on Holland. My TA listed the cruise price and the itinerary stated "Upon arriving in Seattle board a deluxe motorcoach departing 10:30 a.m."

 

However there is a separate charge of $160 for this under airport transfers. I thought it was included in the cruise price but I guess not.

 

My problem is we would have to arrive a day early to make that motorcoach departure which would necessitate getting transportation to a hotel then back to the airport.

 

If you have stayed in a cheap hotel in Seattle that had free transportation from the airport and then used a shuttle service that would pick you to the hotel and drive you to the Vancouver port I would appreciate that information very much. DB

[jtl513]

If you have stayed in a cheap hotel in Seattle that had free transportation from the airport and then used a shuttle service that would pick you to the hotel and drive you to the Vancouver port I would appreciate that information very much. DB

It's about 140 miles (2hr:45min if no border delays) from Seattle to the Vancouver port, and I doubt any hotel would have a shuttle. Are you planning to land in SEATAC on embarkation day? That's another 15 miles south of downtown Seattle.

.

Edited January 30, 2017 by jtl513

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have stayed at the Hilton Airport hotel many times post cruise.

But -- they do have a shuttle to take you to the airport.

You could stay there for the night and then use the shuttle to get back to the airport by the 10:30 departure time.

When we used to sail out of Vancouver we stayed at the Downtown Marriott and at one time the airport shuttle stopped at the Marriott before going to the Vancouver pier. I don't know if this is still available.

And we did have to pay extra for the shuttle transfer.

[jtl513]

I guess I misunderstood your post a bit, and thought you wanted a shuttle from the hotel to Canada Place. You can have your TA cancel the HAL transfers from SEATAC and make your own arrangements from the hotel northward instead of going back south to the airport. That would save you a little time, but I wouldn't leave the hotel later than Noon.

[CruiserBruce]

If you look on the West Coast Departures board, here:

 

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

 

You will see many alternatives to cruise line transfers, which are rarely the best deal, hotels, etc. Everything you need to solve this problem.

[martincath]

$160pp? Or for your whole group (in which case, how many are you?)

 

Leaving at 10:30am from Seatac will get you to a same-day cruise in Vancouver. Cruise shuttles like this tend to make just one comfort stop, about Bellingham, then the mandated border stop for immigration, then they head to Canada Place with no other Canadian stops. This is pretty much the fastest way possible to make the trip, as scheduled buses and trains all have at least a few extra stops for pax to get on/off.

 

IME the price is generally about $40pp, which is outstanding value - an individual bus ticket from Seatac to Canada Place runs $59 on Quickshuttle. for a slower service.

 

It is of course possible to fly into YVR instead - only 10 miles/30mins from the port instead of 3 hours+, but likely more expensive.

 

The downside to both of the above though is the risk of missing your entire cruise - the PVSA mandates no movement of pax between US ports without a Distant Foreign Port visit. This doesn't happen on one-way AK cruises out of Vancouver - if you don't make boarding, you CANNOT rejoin the ship at any of the ports as they're all in Alaska.

 

Whether you fly into the SEA or YVR, come in the day before even if you do intend to take a morning-of-cruise shuttle or train up from Seattle. Airport hotels near SEA are cheap - we like the Sleep Inn, which like all of them has a free shuttle to/from SEA.

[57redbird]

We were thinking of doing a cruise that leaves out of Vancouver (we live near Seattle) & our tentative plan was to take an Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver the day of, or possibly the day before....any comments on this idea?

[TAD2005]

If you are flying from Alabama, why not have your TA change your flight to go into Vancouver instead of Seattle ? We live in Florida and did a repositioning cruise on HAL from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale. We got our own tickets for the one-way flight and we were routed from TPA to DFW, then direct to YVR (Vancouver), costing only $276 p/p. The transfer from Vancouver airport to the cruise port by taxi is about 30 minutes and between $35 to $40 for 2 people and luggage.

Edited January 30, 2017 by TAD2005

[rafinmd]

Be aware that on that route there are only 2 trains a day, 7:45am and late afternoon. The ride is very comfortable. To go the day before I would highly recommend it. The day of would be a very early start, and before you book check amtrak's website for the daily train status. I looked for several days and one day it was an hour late (just after 1 PM) so I think it's pretty safe.

 

If you're doing a round trip there are options for bag storage if you want to take the evening train back.

 

Roy

[richwmn]

We were thinking of doing a cruise that leaves out of Vancouver (we live near Seattle) & our tentative plan was to take an Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver the day of, or possibly the day before....any comments on this idea?

 

Several years ago I flew into Seattle for a Vancouver cruise. I got to Seattle early and toured around there for a day, then took the early morning train to Vancouver. As Roy said, it was very comfortable, just an early start. Took a HOHO tour of Vancouver that afternoon, and went to the ship the next day. It all worked out very well.

 

One thing I did, I was happy with the cab driver that took me from the train to the hotel, so I asked him if he wanted to pick us up the next day. He agreed, was on time and cheerful. Nice short ride to the pier.

[ddlb]

If you are flying from Alabama, why not have your TA change your flight to go into Vancouver instead of Seattle ? We live in Florida and did a repositioning cruise on HAL from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale. We got our own tickets for the one-way flight and we were routed from TPA to DFW, then direct to YVR (Vancouver), costing only $276 p/p. The transfer from Vancouver airport to the cruise port by taxi is about 30 minutes and between $35 to $40 for 2 people and luggage.

Wow - thank you for this idea! I had checked a flight using Southwest to Seattle and when I checked for a flight to Vancouver instead using Expedia I must have done something wrong cause it was substantially more - but it isn't! Here is what was so confusing I was quoted the land/tour from one TA that said it started in Seattle and when I went to a competitor who gave me the $160 for 2 charge they said it started in Vancouver - they were so much cheaper BECAUSE (I think) they didn't include the airfare from Anchorage back to Seattle like the first one did in their itinerary. Holy smokes - I am new at this. DB

[rafinmd]

If you're on a one way northbound cruise, check the travel sites for a multi-city itinerary, a variation on a round trip ticket which would be Alabama to Vancouver, and back from Anchorage to Alabama. You might also try the multi-city using Seattle instead of Vancouver, it could be substantially less.

 

With air the only way is to run the numbers with each option and find the one that works best.

 

Roy

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have stayed at the Hilton Airport hotel many times post cruise.

 

But -- they do have a shuttle to take you to the airport.

 

You could stay there for the night and then use the shuttle to get back to the airport by the 10:30 departure time.

 

When we used to sail out of Vancouver we stayed at the Downtown Marriott and at one time the airport shuttle stopped at the Marriott before going to the Vancouver pier. I don't know if this is still available.

 

And we did have to pay extra for the shuttle transfer.

 

 

 

Opps -- meant to say "Downtown Sheraton".

Sorry about that.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Several years ago I flew into Seattle for a Vancouver cruise. I got to Seattle early and toured around there for a day, then took the early morning train to Vancouver. As Roy said, it was very comfortable, just an early start. Took a HOHO tour of Vancouver that afternoon, and went to the ship the next day. It all worked out very well.

 

One thing I did, I was happy with the cab driver that took me from the train to the hotel, so I asked him if he wanted to pick us up the next day. He agreed, was on time and cheerful. Nice short ride to the pier.

 

We did pretty much the same thing. We flew to Seattle so we could visit friends. Also, we couldn't get a direct flight to Vancouver, but had a choice of direct flights to Seattle.

 

The train trip is very pleasant. We spent a night or two before the cruise in Vancouver, but I did see people headed for a cruise that left the same day. I wouldn't risk it, but it can be done--IF the train is on time.

[xlxo]

If HAL wants $160 to get between Seattle and Vancouver..... I recommend also checking out Quick Shuttle. 6 to 7 daily one way trips available... much more convenient than twice daily train.

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

Pickup from Seattle's airport and downtown available.

 

With regards to the train....

• most prefer the West side seats going Northbound for water views
  
• if the morning train... how much early do you need to at the train station?
  
• how much early do you need to arrive for those West side seats?
  
• how much is business class upgrade?
  
• how long does it take to get from hotel to train station?
  
• what time do you need to be awake for that early train? Especially if you arrived from a late evening flight.
  

[AV8rix]

We were thinking of doing a cruise that leaves out of Vancouver (we live near Seattle) & our tentative plan was to take an Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver the day of, or possibly the day before....any comments on this idea?

 

I do it all the time. The Amtrak Cascades is a WONDERFUL train. Pay a bit extra for business class and ride in comfort. The train station in Vancouver is just across a small park from the Skytrain (rapid transit). Just a couple of bucks (American) and it's about a 10-minute ride to Canada Place. Or I sometimes take a taxi from the station. Again, it's really close to Canada Place so taxi is not expensive.

[drbees]

I have sailed out of Vancouver 2-3 times after flying to and from Seattle on Southwest. Each time, I used National car rental for about $60 per day. There is no high priced one way charges. I have not used other agencies, but sure they offer the same. I always spend the night before the cruise in Vancouver, and the best part is being able to turn the car in at Canada Place. They have free carts to load your luggage, elevator up, and drop off the luggage. Coming back, shuttle to rental counter, drive back. Never had issues crossing the border, maybe 30 minutes. It is a pretty drive.

[xlxo]

Never had issues crossing the border, maybe 30 minutes. It is a pretty drive.

mid-week is not really an issue...... weekends, especially long weekends can be over an hour for crossings.