WWYD? Seattle pre-cruise or Vancouver post-cruise?

[LadyBeBop]

Our Alaska cruise in September embarks in Seattle and disembarks in Vancouver. Which city would you spend a few extra days in, Seattle or Vancouver?  Or would you spend a day in each city?

 

 

[martincath]

I'm never a fan of a single rushed day visit - so I'd definitely say do one or t'other reasonably well rather than making a half-assed job of visiting both. Two days really isn't enough to see more than the highlights of either city, so in terms of which would be best for YOU I'd say that checking out TripAdvisor ratings for the best things to do in each makes the most sense. Check out the top attractions, see which city has the things that YOU like the sound of best, and spend time there.

 

Of course if you're just looking for opinions rather than doing the research yourself - pick Vancouver, every time;-)

[Tapi]

I love both cities for different reasons. As long as you understand that you’ll only scratch the surface if you only spend one night at each, I’d say check both out. Just make a short list of places of interest that you can see in one day, just like you’d do at any port of call. 

 

In addition to seeing both cities, having a day before and a day after your cruise will make your vacation that much more relaxing. There’s something to be said about not having to rush from/to the airport.

 

When we sailed to Alaska, we stayed in Seattle before and after our cruise and it was the best decision. We were very relaxed at both ends of the cruise. In comparison, we decided to fly home right after our last cruise (from Civitavecchia). The cruise line posted a late arrival and I spent the last 24 hours of the cruise being an absolute “you know what” worrying about missing our flight home. I won’t be doing that ever again.   

[Heidi13]

Both Seattle and Vancouver are great places to visit and 1 day in each barely provides sufficient time, even for an overview. Personally, I always prefer to spend the evening before a cruise close to the port.

 

However, if my choice was 2 days in Seattle or Vancouver, my preference would be Vancouver.