Airport/hotel/port locations - Vancouver & Seattle questions

[aggie_gal]

Having never been to Vancouver, I'm trying to help my parents plan their Alaskan cruisetour next May. They currently have travel accommodations booked with Holland America, but they're beginning to think they may be to do it on their own for less money.

They're considering several things right now. I'm just trying to help them decide on something so they can decide whether to cancel their travel with HAL.

They can fly into Seattle and spend the night there with family the night before embarkation and rent a car or take the train to Vancouver the morning of embarkation. They can fly into Vancouver and stay in a hotel the night before and use shuttles/cabs to get to the port on the morning of embarkation. The can fly into Vancouver the day of embarkation, but that will be cutting really close.

If they go to Vancouver the day before they leave, what hotels would you recommend? Do any have shuttles from the airport and to the cruise port or do they just need to rely on cabs?

I'm just looking for any advice or suggestions especially from those of you who have been in this situation before.

I'm cross-posting this over on the Canada board also.

Many thanks!!

[cruisinsmoothly]

We are flying into Seattle on A Friday (from East Coast) for a Sunday Cruise. Renting a car one way SEA to YVR. Staying in Everett, Wa Fri night (meeting a train coming from Chicago Sat morning). Heading to Canada Sat, staying Sat night, dropping the car at Alamo in Pan Pacific Hotel Sun Morning and boarding. On our return, we are renting a car one way again and driving to Sea Amtrak and then SEA for a red-eye out late Sunday, early Mon. For the 6 of us it made the most sense to rent a minivan as opposed to shuttle or train . It also allows for some flexibility and touring. The Flights into SEA were FAR cheaper than into YVR. Hope this helps

[CowPrincess]

If they fly to Vcr, and are staying downtown, there is a shuttle bus $15/person that stops at nearly all the downtown Vcr hotels. The cab ride is about $35 to downtown Vcr from the airport, and is MUCH more comfortable :D

Putterdude on the Canadian board will have good hotel recommendations for Vcr.

All that said, I think they'll find it cheaper to fly to Seattle and use the bus/train/amtrak to get to Vcr.

[aggie_gal]

How reliable is Amtrak? Are they usually on time? I'm assuming if the take the train (it gets to Vancouver at 11:30 am), they should have plenty of time to get to the port. The other option is to rent a car, but given that my parents don't travel too often (especially across the borders), I'm trying to make this as simple as possible.

[CowPrincess]

Info on the "West Coast Departures" board

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=867080&highlight=vancouver+seattle

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=861753&highlight=vancouver+seattle

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=848594&highlight=vancouver+seattle

Not sure if those threads help or not, but there's info about a "quick shuttle" bus, too. And they will have to clear Immigration/Customs when they enter Canada, if they fly to Seattle.

Oh, there's also "US Direct", if they fly into Vcr. Here's the Vcr Airport info on US Direct

http://www.portvancouver.com/vanAlaCruise/content/infoPassengers/usDirect.html

[aggie_gal]

Your thread is soooo helpful! It looks like they'll be able to fly into Seattle and then take the train to Vancouver without any problems. The train tickets are only $30 too! This will also keep them from having to rent a car and since my mom's brother lives in Seattle, they won't have to worry about a hotel either! Big savings and a huge sigh of relief! :D

[RuthC]

I've done this several times, and don't regret any of the methods I've used.

I fly to Vancouver the day before. (Vancouver is a world-class city, and really deserves a few days' visit.) I have used HAL transfers to a HAL hotel, taken the shuttle that stops at many of the hotels, and taken a cab. The cabs take credit cards, so there's no need to get Canadian $$$ to pay.
I've stayed at the Pan Pacific (boarding is downstairs), the Fairmont Waterfront (across the street; you can walk, even using an underground access), and hotels in the Robson St. (real downtown) area. Food is nearby to all of them.

I would highly recommend taking a cab from the Vancouver airport to either the Pan Pacific or Waterfront, and be done with it.

[CowPrincess]

aggie_gal, make sure to check out the "Alaska" forum too. TONS of good info there for your parents.

[wwinfl91]

We went on our first Alaskan cruise in July on the Tahitian Princess and flew from Orlando to Vancouver with a stop in Seattle to change planes. We used Alaskan Airlines because we used their vacations planning services to also arrange a 3 day hotel stay in Vancouver after the cruise. By doing that we ending up saving the cost of the 3 day hotel stay (i.e. the cost of the flight alone was higher than the vacation package with the 3 day hotel stay).

Here is a link to Alaskan Airline

http://www.alaskaair.com/

Look under deals for the ones they have available as that was how we got the deal we got.

Anyway we flew into Seattle and boarded a 50 or so passenger turbo prop plane for the 30 or so minute flight into Vancouver's International airport. We flew in the day before the cruise which I would strongly recommend doing as the one thing you don't want to risk is missing the ship. Given the current state of airline travel taking that chance just isn't worth it.

We elected to stay in a hotel near the airport rather than one near the port since we figured we would be tired from the flight and all we would want to do is get something to eat and go to bed. We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton. Link below.

http://www.fourpointsvancouverairport.com/html/contact.html

We stayed there for a couple of different reasons. One was they offered a private shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. There is also a small shopping center nearby and a variety of restaurants within walking distance. The hotel also has a restaurant in it but we felt it was a little too expensive for our tastes. The rooms were nice, clean and roomy with very comfortable beds and lots of pillows.

The next morning we took a cab, about 35 minute drive, to the docks to board our ship. I think the cab fare was around $24 Canadian and I gave the driver a $6 tip for his help in getting us there in plenty of time and his assistance with all our luggage.

When the cruise returned, 14 days later, we took another taxi from the port to our hotel, the Westin Bayshore resort. Again the hotel was very nice. We had a room that overlooked one of the many marinas and the downtown area. Once again the bed was very comfortable with lots of pillows. The one disappointment was the bathroom only had a shower not a tub but after doing 14 days of showers on the ship we were used to that. They have a nice indoor pool and spa area with sauna and hot tub as well as an outdoor pool area. There are a couple of restaurants in the hotel and lots of other options within walking or taxi distance.

I just saw where you are considering having them fly into Seattle and taking the train to Vancouver. We looked into that option and decided against because of the problem with getting luggage on and off the train. When I was much younger I might have attempted it, but not now in my 60's. Be sure to check closely whether your father and mother can handle all their luggage on their own as from what I read you can't depend on there being porters available to assist with it.

Anyway we had a great time doing it the way we did it. We took another cab back to the airport when our stay ended and again flew in the smaller plane back to Seattle to board our flight home. The only bad side of the home trip was we had to make a stop in Chicago and change planes but it all worked out.

Whatever you decide I hope your parents have a great Alaskan cruise.

[Riverwatcher]

We booked the airport Fairmont Hotel through HAL for our May 2008 cruise. We went a day early and had a three hour tour of Vancouver included in the transfer to the ship. The cost of this package was slightly less than if we had booked the hotel, tour, and transfer independently.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have stayed at the Pan Pacific -- love it --handy to everything!!

The porters there will even help you take your luggage down to the cruise terminal.

[CuriousJ]

How reliable is Amtrak? Are they usually on time? I'm assuming if the take the train (it gets to Vancouver at 11:30 am), they should have plenty of time to get to the port. The other option is to rent a car, but given that my parents don't travel too often (especially across the borders), I'm trying to make this as simple as possible.

The Amtrak is reliable BUT sometimes the tracks become blocked by landslides and they will move you onto a bus. This shouldn't delay your trip, but it's something to keep in mind.

And if you end up driving from Seattle to Vancouver, be sure to stop here in lovely Bellingham and spend some of your vacation money on a lovely lunch before you hit the border. Anthony's, down on the waterfront, is especially delicious. :o

[MightyQuinn]

I would highly recommend taking a cab from the Vancouver airport to either the Pan Pacific or Waterfront.
Indeed. Both these properties are well situated for exploring the city (though neither is "downtown" proper) and the cruise terminal is right at their doorstep. Location....location....location. ;);)

[jschm27]

We flew into Vancouver the day before. We stayed at the Airport Hilton which has a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. The next morning we took the shuttle back to the airport and met the HAL reps just outside the international arrivals area. We checked our bags there and took the HAL transfer bus (Grey Line) to the Port. Very simple. If you plan on driving from the airport to the port, give yourself enough time. If I remember, it took about an hour for the bus to snake its way through town.

John

[brucory]

We used priceline to book a hotel in Vancouver and followed it for a while, ending up with the Hyatt downtown for a bargain....

I must admit, we did look enviously upon those who were fortunate enough to be staying at the Fairmont waterfront and the Pan Pacific, particularly as they would have been able to watch their HAL ships arrive. However, these hotels get pricey close to departure...

Maybe one day... :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[amusea]

I have taken the train from Seattle to Vancouver and it was an excellent experience. I would suggest, however, that you consider buying a first class ticket which is just a few dollars more than coach and includes a light meal. The crowd at the station waiting on a long line for coach access made our being in first class even more advantageous. Checking baggage is easy and you claim your bags at the terminal in Vancouver when you arrive. If possible, book seats on the left side of the train facing forward so that you have the best view of the water. The reason that this train is inexpensive is that it is specially subsidized by the government. The equipment is not too old and I think it came originally from Europe. All in all a very nice way to cross the border with no effort.