2 days pre and post cruise from Alaska; how to split time

[Kfrech]

We are sailing to Alaska to and from Vancouver June 13-20. We will be flying round trip from the East Coast to Seattle (free flights). However, we may consider flying one way from Vancouver to save time (although that’s not my first preference). Our plans are ambitious—we like to see Victoria as well. I’m not interested in flying there—although it will take longer, I’d rather take a scenic ferry ride. 

 

We will be arriving at SeaTac around noon on the 10th of June. This gives use

2 1/2 days before the cruise on the 13th. We will fly back out of Seattle on the morning of the 22nd.

 

I’m not sure how to split the time and fit everything in. We’d like to see the highlights of Seattle, and perhaps spend more time on the Victoria/Vancouver portion. 
 

I’d appreciate any and all suggestions. 

[princeton123211]

26 minutes ago, Kfrech said:

However, we may consider flying one way from Vancouver to save time (although that’s not my first preference).

This will give you a lot more time in Vancouver and given how short of a stay you have would be advised. 

 

27 minutes ago, Kfrech said:

Our plans are ambitious—we like to see Victoria as well. I’m not interested in flying there—although it will take longer, I’d rather take a scenic ferry ride. 

This will take an entire day if done as a day trip on the Victoria Clipper from Seattle and you'll be pressed for time still. Its about 3 hours each way so you'll be spending a good portion of that day on the boat. Would recommend an overnight in Victoria. There is a ferry from Vancouver that takes about an hour and a half, but the departure point is almost an hour drive south of Vancouver. 

 

29 minutes ago, Kfrech said:

I’m not sure how to split the time and fit everything in. We’d like to see the highlights of Seattle, and perhaps spend more time on the Victoria/Vancouver portion. 

If Victoria is important, it is most easily done from Seattle with the Victoria Clipper right from downtown. It will eat up an entire day of Seattle though. Both Seattle and Vancouver are large enough that you wouldn't run out of things to do with 2-3 days in each so adding the Victoria trip is going to put a squeeze on you. 

[Kfrech]

We could overnight in Victoria. Sounds like going from Victoria than onto Vancouver would make more sense. A day trip from Vancouver seems even longer. 

[martincath]

1 hour ago, Kfrech said:

... A day trip from Vancouver seems even longer. 

Yup - an organized day trip (i.e. bus comes and gets you, drives you around everywhere) that uses ferry both ways lasts almost 14 hours. Ridiculously inefficient, especially for someone flying across the continent already!

 

Fly to Victoria - you can use floatplanes from Lake Union in Seattle rather than Seatac if you are spending some time downtown - then take the ferry just once Victoria-Vancouver (or better fly again, as a floatplane or chopper is even more scenic than the ferry, the low altitude unpressurized flights have gorgeous views, occasionally the choppers will even circle whales en route, and both take you direct harbour to harbour rather than dumping you an hour away at a mainland port that's not in Vancouver - the fancy V2V catamaran is almost as expensive as flying, does go harbour-to-harbour, but also sails so slowly that it's really not much faster than just doing the coach & BC Ferries combo).

 

You already lack enough time to do either Seattle or Vancouver justice - Victoria is much smaller, but still really needs a day-and-a-half including Butchart and unless you fly there directly (well, via SEA or YVR of course but on a single connecting flight ticket from home) there's also the travel time to consider. So before booking anything you need to seriously sit down with the whole group of folks traveling and decide on which specific sites among all three cities are most important to you. Trying to do all three, and travel by boat between even just two of them, will guarantee half-assing everything and running out of time to see more than one or two sites in each - personally I'd reconsider this plan and look to replace it with doing one of the cities properly.

[Kfrech]

Thank you for your very thoughtful reply.

 

We are much more interested in Victoria and Vancouver, than Seattle. We'll have to do some thinking.

 

[scottbee]

I'd fly initially to YYJ/Victoria, you'll get the ferry ride crossing back to Vancouver.  The ferry adds more time than it seems, and you'll basically spend half your day in transit.

 

 

[Kfrech]

I think we are going to eliminate Victoria completely from our plans. Regardless of how we get there, our time is very limited.

 

I think we'll concentrate on Seattle and Vancouver (and of course our first Alaskan cruise.)

[Gardyloo]

A couple of ideas...

 

Why not rent a car for a day and drive from Seattle to Vancouver via a much more scenic route than either the train or the direct drive up the freeway?  Here's a route map - https://goo.gl/maps/PBr2Gj31J8F2Pd6i6 - google the places on it.

 

This would take you past (or to, for a fun visit) the Boeing Everett plant, home of the big jets and the biggest building in the world, to Mukilteo, from which you'd take the short ferry crossing to Whidbey Island.  Whidbey is glorious; you could stop at the cute waterfront villages of Langley and Coupeville, maybe at fascinating Fort Casey State Park with its lighthouse, trails and cool coastal defense gun batteries, and definitely at spectacular Deception Pass, which you should view both from the bridges and the beaches below.

 

Continue north hugging the shore to Chuckanut Drive (SR 11) and into the historic Fairhaven district of Bellingham (from which, by the way, the Alaska ferry departs.)  Then it's on to the border and into Vancouver, maybe with a sunset stop in Steveston, Vancouver's fishing port.  

 

While Google Maps shows this as roughly a 5-hour trip, don't believe it; this is a full but comfortable day's trip, immensely more pleasant than a 4-hour train ride or a 4-hour drive on a freeway.  A one-day one-way rental car will probably cost around $120 - $150 but the payoff in scenery will be well worth it.  

 

Mukilteo lighthouse

 

 

Deception Pass 1

 

 

Deception Pass 2

 

[Kfrech]

That is something worth serious consideration. Thank you!
 

What about border crossing time? We would most likely be doing this on a Thursday, mid June. 
 

What time would you recommend we leave Seattle?

 

 

[Gardyloo]

1 hour ago, Kfrech said:

That is something worth serious consideration. Thank you!
 

What about border crossing time? We would most likely be doing this on a Thursday, mid June. 
 

What time would you recommend we leave Seattle?

 

 

The border is always a bit unpredictable, but seldom takes more than 45 minutes, often less.  A Thursday afternoon or early evening shouldn't be a particularly congested time.  You're more likely to encounter delays and stop-and-go traffic heading into Vancouver during rush hour; there's a tunnel under the Fraser River south of the city that has reversible lanes to accommodate commuter traffic; these will be "against" you in the evening rush hour.  Again, it's nothing to get worked up over, just typical big-city stuff.  You could wait it out with a fish and chips dinner in White Rock, BC, just over the border, where there are several good British-style chippies with a view of the water.   https://whiterock.experiencebc.ca/2018/05/17/battle-of-white-rocks-best-fish-and-chips/

 

I'd leave Seattle sometime around mid-morning, unless you want to stop for a (90 minute) tour of the Boeing plant.  There shouldn't be much of a wait for the Mukilteo ferry ( https://www.wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/scheduledetailbyroute.aspx?route=muk-cl ) and you use a bridge, not a ferry, to get back onto the mainland after Deception Pass.  My recommendation would be to have breakfast in Seattle, lunch in someplace like Coupeville on Whidbey, and maybe an early dinner in White Rock or Steveston. 

 

I'd pay attention to where and when you get the car in Seattle to decide if you need to turn it in that night in Vancouver, or can keep it until the next morning.  You don't want to pay for an extra day's rent on a one-way car.  If you want to keep a car while you're in Vancouver (which I would recommend - there's so much to see outside of the city core) then I'd turn in the one-way car and rent a second one.  You'll save a lot of money doing so.

Edited November 2, 2019 by Gardyloo