Cruising from Vancouver in July--how can I get from Seattle to Vancouver that morning

[motravelerken]

Cruising on the Nieuw Amsterdam one way from Vancouver to Whittier (Northbound cruise) in mid July. Used flight ease for my flight to Vancouver. We fly out of St. Louis, MO. Picked a nice Air Canada flight a few months ago. Price was ok and times were good. This morning I received a notification from Air Canada and Flight Ease that my flight had been changed. I now have a 7 hour layover in Toronto and will not arrive in Vancouver until just after midnight the night before my cruise. I am not thrilled with the 7 hour layover nor the midnight arrival. However, as I look at my options to change in Flight Ease, the options are not very good. And to change to a better option (less of a layover and earlier arrival) my cost increases around $600 per person. I have looked at Expedia and individual Airline websites and options are not good and cost way more. Example, I can get a great flight from St. Louis to Vancouver via Alaska Airlines for $2000 per person (no thanks). Here is what I am thinking for options but I am open to suggestions. My main question is in bold below.

Option #1: Bite the bullet and keep things as is

Option #2: Flights from St. Louis to Seattle that day are not bad via Southwest. Is there an easy way to get transportation from Seattle to Vancouver Cruise port the morning of the cruise? Does HAL provide this?

Option #3: Possibly look at reversing my cruise from Whittier to Vancouver by canceling my current cruise and booking a southbound and checking out flight options going from St. Louis to Anchorage.

[*Miss G*]

I’m sure I’m not the only one who cringed at reading “Southwest”.  Flights are likely to change a few times between now and then but I sure wouldn’t want a 7 hour layover in Toronto nor a late evening/early morning arrival in Vancouver.

 

Take a look in your booking for pre- and post-cruise travel.  There will be an option for airport to cruiseport transfers. 

 

The nice thing about FlightEze is that, up until final payment date, you can change flights as more options become available.  Maybe keep monitoring Google Flights to see what options are available.  If you see something you like you can go into FlightEze and see if they have it at a good price.  Hopper is also handy for monitoring flights and price increases.

[vicd1969]

Depending on when you arrive in Seattle, you may be able to take a train to Vancouver the afternoon before. There is an Amtrak train that arrives around 11:50 AM in Vancouver should you wish to take one same-day. Train trips are 3.5 - 4 hours. There are several bus lines that take 5-6 hours as well. Unfortunately, Southwest isn't on Flight Ease as an offering, but if you don't have to use Flight Ease, they are a viable option.

[*Miss G*]

Oh, yes!  The Amtrak Cascades!  I really really wanted to use them last September but they had not yet resumed service.  They were my first choice.

 

If you fly into Seattle you also may want to also take a look at cruising options from that port vs Vancouver.

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by *Miss G*

[RuthC]

HAL should be offering a bus transfer from SeaTac to the Vancouver pier on embarkation day. 
When I took it, there were two busses, leaving about an hour apart---9:00-ish and 10:00-ish. I was on the first bus that arrived around 2:00 PM. 

There was a rest stop while still in the US, then a stop at the border. We all had to leave the bus, go through Immigration while officers came on the empty bus, then return to the bus all cleared. IIRC, we didn't have to drag our luggage with us, but I don't know how luggage was inspected. 

I didn't like getting to the ship so late, but otherwise, it was a viable way to get to a Vancouver sailing. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

The Cascades is a beautiful ride up the coast. I was so disappointed that I couldn't take the train last June. Usually, I go up a day early, rather than have the stress of getting from the train to the ship. 

 

It's a four-hour ride. The times aren't terribly convenient, leaving Seattle at either 7:50 AM or 7:00 PM. If you take the early train, that would mean flying into Seattle the day before, which adds to time and cost. If you don't mind getting into Vancouver at 11:00 PM, you could avoid the Seattle hotel stay, but you would need a hotel in Vancouver.

[nw gardener]

If you want to fly Southwest....they are starting to fly into Bellingham in April,  25 minutes south of the crossing.  You would have to fly in the day before,  a little cheaper than staying in Seattle.  Quick Shuttle and Flix bus options,  as well as Amtrak are available in Bellingham to get you across the border. 

[*Miss G*]

How do you feel about a flight to Toronto and then Porter Airlines to Vancouver?  If you don’t mind a drive to Chicago-Midway you can even fly Porter to Toronto.

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by *Miss G*

[johbeaker]

If Air Canada offers a better connection on their website (at any cost), call Flight Ease and ask them to contact Air Canada on your behalf to get that better Air Canada offered flight at no additional cost.  Airlines will typically allow a free change after a major schedule change and waive all fees and fare difference.   If you have an Air Canada PNR, login to the Air Canada website and it might offer you alternate connections.

[dcsam]

In the past, we’ve purchased the HAL bus transfer to and from Vancouver.

[Love the beach]

We also flew into Seattle and took the Cascades train to Vancouver and the bus: https://quickcoach.com/ back to Seatac.

[martincath]

20 hours ago, motravelerken said:

Option #1: Bite the bullet and keep things as is

Option #2: Flights from St. Louis to Seattle that day are not bad via Southwest. Is there an easy way to get transportation from Seattle to Vancouver Cruise port the morning of the cruise? Does HAL provide this?

Just to double-check that when you say "that day" you mean your planned original travel date, i.e. "the day before the cruise departs?"

 

If so, then Option #2b would be the safest (fly to SEA as early as possible on the day before the cruise and then travel up to Vancouver THAT day, not day of cruise). Like others in the thread, I personally feel that the Amtrak Cascades is the most pleasant option... but for maximum flexibility a one-way rental car is impossible to beat, so I'd be inclined to prefer a rental car booked for the day you arrive in Seattle, heading straight up to Vancouver the day before the cruise and over-nighting locally. If your flight is delayed, any other travel booked the day before the cruise is limited to a very few timeslots so if you miss your original one, there may not be another.

 

Overnighting in Seattle is riskier - the Cascades train is low risk (even in Spring, landslides are way down since track improvements were made; that train starts in SEA so no risk of it being late arriving there), the first bus of day by QuickShuttle or Flix or Greyhound should also be pretty low risk if there is no cruiseline transfer shuttle available to book, but again the lowest risk for independent transfer is a rental car as you can choose any of the border crossings and also start your trip as early as possible in the day.

 

But first I'd actually try tweaking Option #1 - there are 12+ Air Canada flights nonstop YYZ-YVR daily in July and some very viable one-stops too (layovers in Calgary, Edmonton, or Winnipeg are usually well under an hour so only add ~90mins to the total flight time; of these, Calgary is the safest bet as there are far more flights from there to Vancouver if there's a problem).  You may have to wait on hold with Flight Ease, but if you give them a couple of specific flight numbers that offer more sensible transfer times they should be able to swap you. NB: you will have to deal with Canadian immigration & customs at Toronto which can be lengthy - I would never choose a flight with less than a 2 hour transfer window unless you have NEXUS to get access to the dedicated kiosks with much shorter queues.

[motravelerken]

Just to give an update. I called flight ease today. They were able to find a better option for me that only costs $31 more. The disappointing part was this option was NOT available online. But at least I was able to get it taken care of. The Flight Ease employee was very helpful. I am now leaving STL around 11 am and arriving in Vancouver at 6:15 pm with a 3 hour layover in Chicago (all happening the day before our cruise). Thanks for the suggestions and crisis averted. 

[LuckyStar]

Well, we did this when we took our last cruise out of Vancouver but we flew into Seattle.  I made reservations and was all excited that we were going to take the train to Vancouver.  We took the taxi to the Amtrak station and in all my excitement, I discover I have booked a bus, an Amtrak bus, to Vancouver.  I was crushed but it was very nice. We stayed in Vancouver a day so before our cruise and enjoyed the city.  So bus or train will work. 

[Fun4sure]

Thanks for all the info!!!!

I found out today (March 6, 2023), a Princess cruise transfer from SEA to Vancouver port for 2 people costs $318.

I'm checking other options.

Diana

[martincath]

5 hours ago, Fun4sure said:

Thanks for all the info!!!!

I found out today (March 6, 2023), a Princess cruise transfer from SEA to Vancouver port for 2 people costs $318.

I'm checking other options.

Diana

*****!? Last time I checked, your own private towncar between Seattle and Vancouver only cost $400! Cruise transfers used to be priced only a little more than QuickShuttle, US$79-99 for years - the problem was that they didn't always run rather than that they were pricey! Even if car rental prices are still much higher than pre-Covid, you should easily find a one-way car for less; Amtrak Saver tickets remain $34pp if you book before they sell out; Greyhound/Flix are sometimes even cheaper than that!

[Fun4sure]

On 3/6/2023 at 5:06 PM, martincath said:

*****!? Last time I checked, your own private towncar between Seattle and Vancouver only cost $400! Cruise transfers used to be priced only a little more than QuickShuttle, US$79-99 for years - the problem was that they didn't always run rather than that they were pricey! Even if car rental prices are still much higher than pre-Covid, you should easily find a one-way car for less; Amtrak Saver tickets remain $34pp if you book before they sell out; Greyhound/Flix are sometimes even cheaper than that!

Sorry, it's $316 roundtrip for 2, $79 one way each.  Boy, did I mess-up!!!!

[scottbee]

On 2/22/2023 at 5:47 PM, nw gardener said:

If you want to fly Southwest....they are starting to fly into Bellingham in April,  25 minutes south of the crossing.  You would have to fly in the day before,  a little cheaper than staying in Seattle.  Quick Shuttle and Flix bus options,  as well as Amtrak are available in Bellingham to get you across the border. 

 

Southwest have been serving the BLI/Bellingham airport since Nov 2021. April marks the addition of Denver (1x/week) to their schedule out of BLI.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 2/22/2023 at 4:49 PM, motravelerken said:

Is there an easy way to get transportation from Seattle to Vancouver Cruise port the morning of the cruise?

 

Sea Plane.

 

https://harbourair.com/seattle-seaplane-service-returns-may-16th/

[whitewhale2]

On 2/22/2023 at 5:47 PM, nw gardener said:

If you want to fly Southwest....they are starting to fly into Bellingham in April,  25 minutes south of the crossing.  You would have to fly in the day before,  a little cheaper than staying in Seattle.  Quick Shuttle and Flix bus options,  as well as Amtrak are available in Bellingham to get you across the border. 

If you fly into Bellingham, is the train station near the airport?  Traveling with elderly person in wheelchair.  Thank you 

[martincath]

12 hours ago, whitewhale2 said:

If you fly into Bellingham, is the train station near the airport?  Traveling with elderly person in wheelchair.  Thank you 

It's over ten miles away - map. Unless you plan to make use of QuickShuttle, who stop right at BLI in the evenings heading north, you're realistically taking a cab to either the bus station or train station for any other onward transpo to Vancouver - I have no idea how many accessible cabs are around in Bellingham, but frankly if I was traveling with someone in a wheelchair I would definitely be prioritizing simplicity of travel rather than looking at a multi-modal journey to save cash but waste time and add more possiblities of something going wrong...

 

Fly to YVR, even if you have to make a plane-to-plane transfer from your home airport it's going to be a much smoother process than independently-booked trains or buses.

[whitewhale2]

1 hour ago, martincath said:

It's over ten miles away - map. Unless you plan to make use of QuickShuttle, who stop right at BLI in the evenings heading north, you're realistically taking a cab to either the bus station or train station for any other onward transpo to Vancouver - I have no idea how many accessible cabs are around in Bellingham, but frankly if I was traveling with someone in a wheelchair I would definitely be prioritizing simplicity of travel rather than looking at a multi-modal journey to save cash but waste time and add more possiblities of something going wrong...

 

Fly to YVR, even if you have to make a plane-to-plane transfer from your home airport it's going to be a much smoother process than independently-booked trains or buses.

Thank you!   That’s what we were thinking.  I heard a taxi or Uber from YVR to the port would be about 60 maybe a bit more as there are four of us.  Is that your experience as well? 

[martincath]

39 minutes ago, whitewhale2 said:

Thank you!   That’s what we were thinking.  I heard a taxi or Uber from YVR to the port would be about 60 maybe a bit more as there are four of us.  Is that your experience as well? 

Nope - fixed prices apply for cabs from the airport, including Accessible vans which make up about one in six of the fleets. 4 people, a wheelchair (even a motorized scooter) and luggage will all fit in the vans, same price as regular cabs (unless the rates change before your cruise it'll cost CAD$38 + tip by Visa, MC, or Canadian cash - most cabbies will also take USD, but they will gouge the crap out of you on the exchange rate!)

 

Uber I would not bother with - unlike cabs they are not required to have accessible vehicles in the fleet as each driver is an independent contractor. If you are traveling with a collapsible chair, an UberXL would work - bur pricing on those is higher than regular Ubers which only save a few bucks anyway.

[whitewhale2]

12 hours ago, martincath said:

Nope - fixed prices apply for cabs from the airport, including Accessible vans which make up about one in six of the fleets. 4 people, a wheelchair (even a motorized scooter) and luggage will all fit in the vans, same price as regular cabs (unless the rates change before your cruise it'll cost CAD$38 + tip by Visa, MC, or Canadian cash - most cabbies will also take USD, but they will gouge the crap out of you on the exchange rate!)

 

Uber I would not bother with - unlike cabs they are not required to have accessible vehicles in the fleet as each driver is an independent contractor. If you are traveling with a collapsible chair, an UberXL would work - bur pricing on those is higher than regular Ubers which only save a few bucks anyway.

I really appreciate your help and knowledge.   Traveling has gotten harder as we are getting up there in age  but now to take my 80ish old mom adds another layer.  I have decided to fly in the day before, won’t get there till nine at night, so will stay in hotel by airport that has a shuttle.   Is it better to go back to the airport the next morning and get a fixed price taxi or just get a taxi from hotel.   Do taxi’s take Visa? And can you order one before hand?   Thank you again.  

[martincath]

56 minutes ago, whitewhale2 said:

I really appreciate your help and knowledge.   Traveling has gotten harder as we are getting up there in age  but now to take my 80ish old mom adds another layer.  I have decided to fly in the day before, won’t get there till nine at night, so will stay in hotel by airport that has a shuttle.   Is it better to go back to the airport the next morning and get a fixed price taxi or just get a taxi from hotel?   Do taxi’s take Visa? And can you order one before hand?   Thank you again.  

You're welcome. Which is better depends on which airport hotel and how much you value your time vs. your money - with the fixed rate cabs you know exactly what you're paying (and Visa should be fine whether you hop a cab at the airport or at the hotel - but do say as you get in that you are paying that way as it's a classic taxi scam to pretend that your card machine is broken in hopes of being handed a big wodge of cash to then play the 'I cannot make change' card!)

 

A taxi directly from any airport hotel will be quicker than going back to the airport - but how much time depends on driving distance, shuttle availability, and a bit of a random factor in how many van cabs are deployed that morning (most rental drivers, given a choice, take the newest model Prius as those have the lowest fuel costs to operate - but there is a legal requirement for each taxi fleet to ensure they have some van cabs operating 24/7 so there are always some on the road).

 

Honestly, even though it seems counter-intuitive, for 4 adults I'd be inclined to head downtown as soon as you arrive (half an hour in the evening, which may be just as fast as waiting for then riding the hotel shuttle!) to the YWCA Hotel - this is one of the few places you could all get your own bed in a big room (they have family rooms which sleep 5, all in single beds) and it will definitely be the only place you'll find a set of paired rooms sharing their own bathroom Jack'n'Jill style. Even their regular en suite rooms for 2 are usually cheaper than airport hotels - and it's actually a better hotel than anything at the airport except the super-swanky Fairmont.

 

Historically the Y was always rated in the top 20 hotels; since the new tower opened it climbed into the top 10, and the old room renovation is being finished off right now, complete before cruise season begins this year, so it might crack top 5 by the end of this year! Cab to here would be cheaper than the pier - it's in the $34 zone - and a metered cab next morning would be probably less than CAD$10.

 

Cabs can all in theory be pre-booked, but honestly none of the local companies are great at actually showing up on time to be worth doing this. You won't save money with Uber/Lyft on such a short distance - they're actually more expensive to get in as there are charges on rideshares which don't apply to cabs locally, so even though the rate for time/distance is a bit less it takes a couple of miles to hit breakeven point and the Y is only ~1.5 miles away from the pier driving - but if you're familiar with the app you'll at least have confidence of where the driver is and when they'll arrive.

 

Personally though, on the rare occasions I've had to book an accessible cab all the local fleets give MUCH better service - the apps send whichever vehicle is most convenient, you have to call them to definitely get a van taxi, but whether it's just Canadian niceness or the risk of bad press from screwing over someone in a wheelchair, when you do call and say you need a wheelchair cab they are much more likely to give you an accurate time! I'd therefore call Yellow Cab (largest fleet, most accessible vans, most likely to have one available when you want one) on (604) 681-1111 when you want to go somewhere if you're downtown (or Richmond Taxi if you're in an airport hotel, only cabs licensed in Richmond can pick up at that hotel on (604) 272-1111 if you do decide to stay out at the airport and then come into town directly from the hotel).

 

At the airport itself, any cab with an airport tag can pickup - and on busy cruise days the PTSB even relaxes that rule, allowing every cab in the region to pickup at YVR due to the sheer volume of people! It's a first-come, first-served single queue system which makes it simple - follow the signs, join the queue. Personally, and I do see others do this too, when I'm at the front of the queue if a van taxi rolls up next I check there isn't someone in the queue in a wheelchair and if so, offer them that cab since 5 out of 6 cabs are wee Priuses who won't be able to take them. This isn't a rule and a lot of tourists have no idea about our local accessible cab ratios so I wouldn't expect it - especially if there are other groups of 4 with lots of bags who will also be hoping to score a van as the trunk of a Prius really can't handle 4 cruise passengers worth of bags - but if there are some traveling locals ahead of you there's a decent chance of a bit of queue-skipping for you, I know plenty of other folks than me choose to do this.