Seattle hotel to Amtrak Train Station

[zzulu4]

I need to get our group of 7 from our hotel near SeaTac to the Amtrak station to catch the Cascades train heading to Vancouver and then from the train station in Vancouver to our hotel (we haven't booked that one yet).  Any suggestions for cost effective options for a larger group?  Especially since Vancouver doesn't have Uber/Lyft and the Uber XL only accommodates 6 people. 

[CruiserBruce]

You could use two Ubers, or taxis.

[martincath]

Just take two taxis in Vancouver - you won't find more than 6 seaters here either, and even minivans almost always have just 5 seats as the middle row is removed to allow wheelchairs to fit (by law, every fleet has to have ~17% accessible vehicles). If you book the furthest possible downtown hotel you'll be looking at maybe $20 on the meter; the majority are going to be within $12-15 per cab.

 

If everyone is mobile enough, LINK takes you from Seatac to within a couple of blocks of Amtrak in Seattle - for $3pp. If not, then 2 cars here as well seems like the cheapest way whether it's a couple of Ubers or the fixed-rate limos from Seatac ($40 IIRC) or EastSideForHire ($29 IIRC).

 

[zzulu4]

I was leaning toward the train--I just wasn't sure how manageable it was with the luggage even tho we are all mobile.  Thanks for the reply!

[martincath]

2 hours ago, zzulu4 said:

I was leaning toward the train--I just wasn't sure how manageable it was with the luggage even tho we are all mobile.  Thanks for the reply!

We've taken LINK with big bags, just be aware that the line now runs further south than Seatac so you won't be the first folks on. If you're heading for the morning train that could overlap into rush hour, so it could be awkward finding seats (and frankly you'll be annoying commuters if your bags are taking up seats or standing space).

 

You want to get there at least an hour early anyway to get the waterside seats and check bags though, so aiming to board by 6am should hopefully mean seats for all and few enough other users that your bags won't annoy them... If it's the evening train, I'd actually head downtown much earlier (any time after morning rush), drop bags at Amtrak, then get in some sightseeing for the day.

 

Hopefully some of the Seattle locals more familiar with exactly when LINK gets busy can confirm the optimal time to ride it for you.

[Vexorg]

Another option you might look at is Quick Shuttle buses that can take you directly from Sea-Tac to Downtown Vancouver. It's probably not going to be quite as scenic as the train, but it might save some hassles.

[DaveOKC]

18 hours ago, Vexorg said:

Another option you might look at is Quick Shuttle buses that can take you directly from Sea-Tac to Downtown Vancouver. It's probably not going to be quite as scenic as the train, but it might save some hassles.

Agree - we have done this without a problem.  Train is nicer, but more hassle involved.  Can even take it to stay the night before at Vancouver airport hotels to save some money vs downtown hotels.  Can normally catch the Skytrain from there to the pier.

[scottbee]

On 1/13/2020 at 11:27 AM, zzulu4 said:

I need to get our group of 7 from our hotel near SeaTac to the Amtrak station to catch the Cascades train heading to Vancouver and then from the train station in Vancouver to our hotel (we haven't booked that one yet).  Any suggestions for cost effective options for a larger group?  Especially since Vancouver doesn't have Uber/Lyft and the Uber XL only accommodates 6 people. 

 

if you're looking at the Amtrak Cascades; there are two trains per day, once early in the morning, one late at night.  There are BUSES running at the other times, so you'll want to take that into account.

 

Secondly, the station just south of Seattle, called Tukwila is much closer to SeaTac, and the late train (dep 603p) does stop at Tukwila on the way to Vancouver.

 

[kcdd]

Amtrak is having a buy one get one sale this weekend you must book by 2/17 and travel by Aug. 30.

[Morebeer]

We stayed at the Best Western Plus Pioneer Square hotel in Seattle. It was really nice as well as reasonably priced by what I found. The wife and I were able to walk both to and back to the King St Amtrak Station. Although a little bit further we were also able to walk to the Pikes Market Area from the same hotel.

 

[Straitlover]

As far as Vancouver goes, I'd just do a cab. We took a cab from the cruise port to the Auberge Vancouver Hotel, and it was really cheap and I was able to use my CC to pay fare plus tip so no need to Canadian dollars. The train station is not that much more far, so it shouldn't cost too much.

 

 

[Prost Seattle]

You can also catch the Cascades train in Tukwila, which isn’t far from the airport, thus alleviating traveling via transit or cab to downtown.