Princess transfer from SeaTac to Vancouver Cruise port

[Dynagirl]

We are looking at the 10 day inside passage sailing June 13, 2023.  Although this is RT from Vancouver we are likely going to fly in and out of Seattle and visit Mt Rainier for a few days.  Can anyone tell me if Princess provides a shuttle from Seattle to Vancouver on all of their Vancouver sailings?  If so does anyone know what the current price is for the transfer.  I can not find any info on this without actually booking the trip.  Thanks in advance for your help.

[Dan G]

I wouldn't think a transfer is routine to Vanc from Seattle, however you can take Amtrak.com train.  It is starting again in Sept but schedule has not been announced.  Your other option is Amtrak bus which goes direct to downtown Vancouver and a short cab to port or flixbus.

There is Quick shuttle however it takes the longest but goes from Seatac to cruise dock in Vancovuer.

[cruisethirsty]

Dan G got it right but I'll add some---we did the Quick Shuttle once and it is a VERY long ride with the stops. It left Seatac on time but was quite late getting into Vancouver. I don't know about Amtrak but their reliability reputation is, shall we say, less then stellar.

One way car rentals are sometimes available. They are expensive but it is another option.

[em-sk]

5 hours ago, cruisethirsty said:

Dan G got it right but I'll add some---we did the Quick Shuttle once and it is a VERY long ride with the stops. It left Seatac on time but was quite late getting into Vancouver. I don't know about Amtrak but their reliability reputation is, shall we say, less then stellar.

One way car rentals are sometimes available. They are expensive but it is another option.

 

Amtrak on the Vancouver to Seattle run is generally good.  It is not your typical Amtrak service, this one is actually a service using trains owned by the Oregon and Washington state department operated by Amtrak.   

 

There are several bus companies that operate between Seattle and Vancouver.

 

If you travel light there is also float plane service between Seattle and downtown Vancouver.  Baggage is limited. Ticks are sold through Harbour Air website.  Baggage is limited. The service is mostly used by the tech industry with Expedia, Amazon and Microsoft having significant software engineering offices in both cities.          

[cruisingrob21]

Have taken Amtrak many times.  It works well for NB trains with a 7:40am departure and arrival into Vancouver around 11:30- noon.  The only stops are typically near Mt. Vernon WA because its a single track segment and the NB train usually must wait for the SB train to pass.  I've only waited at most 10 minutes.  It's very scenic. Sometimes the train can go pretty slow once in the Vancouver area, and customs are handled one car at a time, so if you are in the back car of the train, you can end up waiting about 20-30 minutes at the station in Vancouver to be processed.

 

The SB train is a similar experience, helped by going through US customs at Vancouver Station.  The train does stop at the border for USCBP agents to walk through and quickly look at passports, but its never more than about a 10 minute stop.  The only problem with the SB route is that its in the evening and arrival into seattle isnt until about 10pm.  The AM train leaves around 7am so its not possible to get there from the Cruise Terminal unless your have a ship docking very early, and are the first person off - I wouldn't risk it.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Seattle area resident here, and I have already bought my Amtrak ticket to Vancouver, BC for my May 2023 cruise.   Even though the train only takes about 3 hours to Vancouver, we will arrive the day before our cruise (and not day of the cruise).

[Dan G]

you can buy tix now on Amtrak.com.  The word is they are trying to resume the 2nd train as well leaving Vanc in early evening.  It is very reliable since it originates in Seattle mostly.  Going north from Seattle i suggest business class since those cars goes thru customs first so it helps for that and getting a taxi.

[DaveOKC]

On 9/16/2022 at 5:02 PM, Dan G said:

you can buy tix now on Amtrak.com.  The word is they are trying to resume the 2nd train as well leaving Vanc in early evening.  It is very reliable since it originates in Seattle mostly.  Going north from Seattle i suggest business class since those cars goes thru customs first so it helps for that and getting a taxi.

Good point on the taxis.  We had to wait awhile (20-30 minutes?) for one.  We also came in a day early, so were not concerned too much about it.