Vancouver to Seattle.........to save on airfare

[Midas Man]

I've noticed this discussed in several threads in the past. What's the best way?
Checking fares, (to the midwest) there is quite a bit of difference.....

[Atomica]

Lots of ways, actually.

You can rent a car, take the Amtrak Cascades train, or take a variety of bus transportation from Amtrak, Greyhound, or QuickShuttle.

We prefer renting a car, but we're familiar with the area. If the times work for you, the Amtrak Cascades train is probably a little more relaxing than a motorcoach. Most busses take about 4 hours due to the number of stops they make. With a car, it can take as little as 2.5 to 3 hours.

[trophy_23]

We are taking the Amtrak Cascades (as mentioned above) to our ship in Seattle 2wks from now and roundtrip for 2 of us cost a total of $112.00US. I think that is pretty reasonable and a more relaxing way to travel than bus.

[Mingus]

We are taking the Amtrak Cascades (as mentioned above) to our ship in Seattle 2wks from now and roundtrip for 2 of us cost a total of $112.00US. I think that is pretty reasonable and a more relaxing way to travel than bus.
Amtrak offers a 10% discount for AAA members and it is a very comfortable ride.

[Himself]

I have flown into Seattle in the past and used the "Quick Shuttle."

[CruiseRev]

Amtrak offers a 10% discount for AAA members and it is a very comfortable ride.

15% if you're over 62 and no advance purchase needed. Also, Sky Train is very convenient from Canada Place to train station.

[want2retire]

Last July we took Quick Shuttle from Sea/Tac to Vancouver. We stayed one night in Vancouver then prior to the cruise. It was a very efficient and comfortable way to travel. After we picked up our luggage we went to the door instructed by Quick Shuttle and the bus was right there. They had a list of all passengers that had booked with them so no one got left behind. As soon as everyone was accounted for we took off. Very quick at the border too I might add. I am guessing we left Sea/Tac at 10:00 am and we were in our hotel room in Vancouver by 3:30 pm. Nice scenic drive all the way up. On the return, we got the shuttle right at Canada place and off to Sea/Tac again. This time the border was even quicker. I highly recommend them. Bring a snack or a granola bar or something and maybe a water. Also, restroom on the bus!

[andeesue]

My Quick Shuttle experience wasn't as painfree as described above. The border crossing can be a bear! We were stuck there for over an hour and a half... don't know if it was because there were many international passengers or that an agent was being trained. Just know that you could be very delayed, or perhaps not at all.

[Gablin]

My family and I really enjoyed the AMTRAC experience last September from Vancouver to Seattle. It was a comfortable and pleasant ride.
There was a little bit of a jam-up before boarding the train, but we had teens to stand in line for us to save our places and it worked out fine.
I do not remember what it cost, but it was insignificant. The cab fares to the station in Vancouver may have cost almost as much as the train tickets.

[arlodog]

We have rented a car for the 4 of us as it is almost the same price as the train/shuttle. I did have a hard time finding a car as I just finally decided on it after booking our hotels on Priceline for our end of July trip. Many companies were already sold out on our dates. We will be staying at Seatac the night we get in and driving up the next morning for the cruise. When we return we are staying in the Pike market area of downtown.

Our cost for one-way rental is $160 going up and $260 returning with Hertz. I can't find anything cheaper and have looked at renting for the week and parking it but it all ends up being about the same. I have stayed in Downtown Seattle area before and know that airport transport is expensive so I figured this into our pricing. We are saving over $400pp by not flying into Vancouver. Parking in downtown will be $30 for the night.

[3rdGenCunarder]

My family and I really enjoyed the AMTRAC experience last September from Vancouver to Seattle. It was a comfortable and pleasant ride.
There was a little bit of a jam-up before boarding the train, but we had teens to stand in line for us to save our places and it worked out fine.
I do not remember what it cost, but it was insignificant. The cab fares to the station in Vancouver may have cost almost as much as the train tickets.

I have booked the train from Seattle for my Vancouver departure in Sept. I love taking the train. I find it much more comfortable than a bus.

How do they handle the border crossing? When/where do you do customs and immigration? I've heard horror stories about delays on the east-coast trains into Canada. I'm not concerned about the delay, as we are going up a day before the cruise. Just curious about how it works.

Also, are there RedCaps in the station? Has anyone asked for their help? In NYC, if you get a Red Cap to take you down to the train, you get down to the platform ahead of everyone else. Worth the tip to avoid the escalator and get taken down by elevator.

[trophy_23]

We are booked on the train in a week so I will have some solid answers in 2wks, but I think all of the customs stuff is done at the Vancouver and Seattle Stations.

[Mingus]

We are booked on the train in a week so I will have some solid answers in 2wks, but I think all of the customs stuff is done at the Vancouver and Seattle Stations.
The train doesn't stop at the border. Canada Customs was at the Vancouver station and would think it's similar at the Seattle end.
The passengers are allowed to get off by car number, so there's not a long lineup at customs. On our last trip, they started with car #1 (end of the train), so you're first off, but not sure if this is always the case.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

You can also take a one-day cruise from Vancouver to Seattle. We just did upon returning from a two-week Alaska cruise which ended in Vancouver.

[KAYEF]

Quik-Shuttle is THE way to go if returning from a cruise. They are the first thing you see when you exit the ship. They pick you up right INside the terminal, put your luggage on and check off your name.
You save 10% by booking online.
We rode it UP and BACK from the Sea-Tac Airport and it was wonderful. We were only at the border (northbound) about ten minutes but I do know sometimes it's longer.
They dropped us right on the pier.
If you take the train, you have a taxi ride from/to the train...........same thing if you take the plane.
The bus is a large TOUR bus.............nice seats, etc.
We plan to use it again.

[OldCodger73]

We rented a car from National for our return from Vancouver to Seattle in April from National for C$103. They had an office at Canada Place and the car was on site. We had reserved a full size car for the four of us and were given a complementary upgrade to a van, which worked out great for the luggage.

[Dancing Shoes]

We have rented a car for the 4 of us as it is almost the same price as the train/shuttle. I did have a hard time finding a car as I just finally decided on it after booking our hotels on Priceline for our end of July trip. Many companies were already sold out on our dates. We will be staying at Seatac the night we get in and driving up the next morning for the cruise. When we return we are staying in the Pike market area of downtown.

Our cost for one-way rental is $160 going up and $260 returning with Hertz. I can't find anything cheaper and have looked at renting for the week and parking it but it all ends up being about the same. I have stayed in Downtown Seattle area before and know that airport transport is expensive so I figured this into our pricing. We are saving over $400pp by not flying into Vancouver. Parking in downtown will be $30 for the night.
The price up is great. I take it this included their "drop" fee. When I looked at Budget it was almost $200, and that was the fee!!