Vancouver Port to Pacific Central Station

[matthewthamm]

We will be arriving into Vancouver at 7:00 am (or so they say today).  We are looking to either take a 9:00 AM train or an 11:30 train to Portland OR.

Would like to hear from you that have done this before.  Assuming the first group can get off the ship at 7:00 AM, can we make it off the ship, through customs, and to the train station in time to make the 9:00 AM time?  Or do we count on the 11:30 train?

TIA.

[Splinter]

I wouldn't risk the 0900 time. Book the 1130 and you won't have to worry about missing your train.

[Heidi13]

The train station is about 1.5 miles from Canada Place, with taxi and Skytrain being your best options. Taxis can be in short supply depending on number and size of ships docked. Skytrain is a short walk from Canada Place, getting off at Main Street, which is again a short walk to the train station.

 

If you were one of the first off and had no delays at Customs, you could make the 09:00, but the risks are fairly high. Catching the 11:30 would be more relaxing and stress free.

[cruising cockroach]

Just to let you know there are no actual trains leaving for the U.S. at those times.  It is the "Thruway" bus to somewhere in the U.S. connecting to an Amtrak train.  Looks like it's Seattle.

[martincath]

What CC said - there's only one daily Portland train, and that's the first one of the day (which runs all the way to Eugene). Amtrak buses SUCK. If you have to go on Disembarkation day, better to take Bolt's 1:30pm bus - it's faster, more comfortable, and A LOT cheaper too. We usually drive between our places, but sometimes I like to let someone else take care of it - while the Amtrak Cascades train is the nicest way to go, their buses are hands-down the worst option; even Greyhound buses are nicer! Also check one-way rental car options - rates aren't usually as good comparatively (re: bus/train) as heading to SEA, but all the major companies offer a drop at PDX so depending how many folks are in your group you may find it wrth the spend (and it's certainly the fastest non-air-based way to go).

 

If you can spare the time and overnight in Vancouver then the train first thing next morning would be my choice.

[david,Mississauga]

On 2/14/2019 at 3:21 PM, Heidi13 said:

The train station is about 1.5 miles from Canada Place, with taxi and Skytrain being your best options. Taxis can be in short supply depending on number and size of ships docked. Skytrain is a short walk from Canada Place, getting off at Main Street, which is again a short walk to the train station.

 

If you were one of the first off and had no delays at Customs, you could make the 09:00, but the risks are fairly high. Catching the 11:30 would be more relaxing and stress free.

 

If taking the Skytrain, you will see an entrance very close to the exit of Canada Place. Although there are escalators both up and down between street level and the first underground level, there is only an up escalator from track level to this level. If you can manage your luggage down it will take you right to the Expo Line platform which is the line you need for the railway station. If you need an elevator to track level, it is best to walk past this street entrance to the first street, turn left and walk the short distance to the main station - now called Waterfront Station, but it still has the original "Canadian Pacific Railway" carved in stone above the pillars.

Edited March 3, 2019 by david,Mississauga

[plettza]

On 2/16/2019 at 6:32 AM, martincath said:

 Amtrak buses SUCK.

 

Is there a reason that they suck?  As our Westerdam cruise got cancelled, we're now looking at needing get from Vancouver to Seattle as well using train or bus, etc.  We'll be getting on Ooseterdam in Seattle.

[martincath]

1 hour ago, plettza said:

Is there a reason that they suck?  As our Westerdam cruise got cancelled, we're now looking at needing get from Vancouver to Seattle as well using train or bus, etc.  We'll be getting on Ooseterdam in Seattle.

I did mention some of the reasons why they suck above... they have the oldest fleet of buses with zero in the way of 'mod cons' onboard (WiFi, Movies etc.) and yet charge the same or more than anyone else, including their own train (which is $10 less for the the cheapest tickets compared to the bus, for service that is so much more pleasant it's really difficult to make someone who has not traveled using both to appreciate just how much sheer cheek is involved in charging more for the bus than the train...)

 

They do sometimes contract out to other companies, Cantrail being the most common (I have a friend here in Vancouver whose better half got a job offer in Seattle that was too good to turn down, so he's been taking buses & trains many times a year to keep the relationship going - he's very happy when Cantrail operates the Amtrak service, but there's no way to tell whose bus it will be until you show up at the station). Every time I've had to suffer an Amtrak bus - which in my case has been when there's been a problem with the train, so they send their buses to shuttle people around landslides for example - it's made me look back fondly to riding the school bus 40 years ago. One time my seat literally had a huge piece missing from it right in the middle of the seat cushion - well over a handspan across - and the overall condition has been pretty dreadful every time, with patches and tears all over the place.

 

There's really just one downside to the Southbound train - timing. The morning train leaves too early, by the time the first people get off it's already on its way, so if you need to board the Oosterdam that day the train simply will not work. If it's at least one day later though the train is the nicest way to go. Evening train same-day as disembarking is very easy to take, but does have the minor annoyance of being at an awkward time for dinner (you need to arrive over an hour in advance to lock in a waterside seat; if you don't care about that there's still a 45min cutoff for checked baggage; and even if you are going all carry-on there's the US immigration preclearance which means you have to be at least 15-20 mins early at Vancouver even for Business Class pax). Food on the train is actually not bad - a big step up from airline food - and not too overpriced; the breakfasts options are better than the dinners IMO but Ivar's Clam Chowder is just the same as in the eponymous restaurant, very nice.

 

You should get to your Seattle hotel before midnight with the evening train, but if you're early sleepers better to overnight in Vancouver and take the morning train next day - since the entire train sits in the station overnight, there's zero chance of delays leaving so you should be in Seattle by late morning. Even if you get seriously unlucky with delays, you have almost as much padding as the entire length of the trip - so even catastrophic problems like track blockages they'll out you on their buses (yes, terrible buses, but unlike every other possible method at least the Cascades train does actually have a built-in 'Plan B' for when stuff goes badly wrong!) so the only possible way you can miss a ship with the morning train either direction is if something actually happens en route. 

 

The other qualitatively good way to go is by rental car - there's so much traffic between Vancouver and Seattle in cruise season that cars from the different cities end up constantly shuttling back & forth, which means that drop fees only appear if you try to book way in advance or if you need a really niche vehicle (there simply aren't many minivans). If you're a couple or small group of say 5 or less though, rental cars can be a ridiculously cheap cost per person - and you have total freedom of route, including any of 4 border crossings, and of course the time you choose to travel. The train tracks run closer to the scenery than I5 so train is always more scenic than bus - but there's plenty of nice countryside if you get off the main highway.