Amtrak Cascades- Plan Accordingly

[psuboater]

I’ve taken the Cacades twice northbound (One to Everett, another to Vancouver) and currently on one Southbound:

 

1) Northbound to Everett- 45 min delayed due to mechanical issues and freight traffic (this should be a 45 minute train ride, for reference) 

 

2) Northbound to Vancouver- 75 minutes delayed due to freight train traffic 

 

3) Currently Southbound to Everett- 60+ delayed and climbing, we are 5 miles from the station and we are waiting on freight traffic to move forward 

 

We saw a lot of people trying for same day cruises yesterday which would make me very nervous- with customs taking 30-45 minutes, many had an hour to get to the pier before all aboard. 
 

I still think the train is a great way to cross the border, but please give yourself a tremendous cushion, and remember all aboard for embarkation is 90 minutes-2 hours before sail away. 

Edited July 7 by psuboater

[1025cruise]

One thing to keep in mind is that even though passenger traffic is supposed to have priority, once they are off schedule, the freight line that owns the rails will prioritize their trains. I can't imagine doing the train for a same day cruise. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

@psuboater, thanks for the train delay update.  We were on the same Seattle-Vancouver, BC Amtrak Cascade train route in May and experienced very similar delays.  Fortunately, our cruise was the following day, but there were plenty of 'day of cruisers' on our train, who were white-knuckling it while waiting to clear the customs/border check, and grab a taxi to get to the cruise terminal before the doors closed.

 

As usual, it is best if cruise passengers could arrive at their embarkation city the day before their cruise.  I realize that it is more expensive, but it does remove a lot of stress and worry.

Edited July 7 by Ferry_Watcher