HAL transfer Seatac to Vancouver

When my Amsterdam Pacific Coast cruise was cancelled and they moved me to the Oosterdam, that also meant that PVSA prevents me taking the Oosterdam Seattle to Vancouver. HAL has put me up in a Seatac hotel and has me transferring to Vancouver. Does anyone know what their earliest transfer is from Seatac to Canada Place. I would like to have as much time in Vancouver as possible.

Thanks

Roy

This may have changed in recent years, but we used to take HAL's transfer from Seattle to Vancouver.

There was only 1 time slot for the bus. It left SeaTac at 10 and picked us up around 11 AM from the Downtown Sheraton.

We got to Vancouver between 2 and 3 -- not much time to do anything in Vancouver.

Hopefully others here will give more recent experiences.

In 2014 the bus left Seatac around 9:30 am I believe. It takes about 3 hours to the Vancouver cruise terminal because everyone has to get out to go through immigration at the Canada border. So it is about 1 pm before you are at the Vancouver cruise terminal.

As I remember you take your own luggage from the bus to the ship - not sure about this. Whatever, you have to go through security and US immigration before checking in at the HAL desks.

Last time I did it the HAL passengers were mixed with those for a bigger cruise ship at immigration/ security and the lines were long.

So very unlikely for there to be time to visit Vancouver. Maybe you could fly into Vancouver the day before and get a hotel there?

When I took the HAL bus from SeaTac to Canada Place a couple of years ago, there were two busses, about an hour apart. I was on the early, 9:30 AM, bus, with the second following at 10:30 AM.

I arrived at Canada Place about 2:00 PM, but the second bus was delayed for some reason. They arrived just before sailing.

Luggage was removed from the bus, and a porter took it from there and sent it on.

Thanks, all. I'm hoping for an early bus although we don't leave Vancouver until 11. Sounds like best case scenario is still no chance of MDR lunch.

I;ll be curious about how boarding is set up. There are 2 ships in port for repos. I think Emerald Princess's first port is Astoria while the Oosterdam has a call in Victoria. I hope there's a way to separate pax right at the beginning so we don't see US immigration at all.

Roy

Yes -- you will miss lunch in the main dining room.

HAL gave us a small box lunch which consisted of a ham sandwich, a fruit bar, an apple and a small bottle of water.

Since your ship isn't leaving until 11 PM, you will have time to walk around Vancouver.

Yes -- you will miss lunch in the main dining room.

HAL gave us a small box lunch which consisted of a ham sandwich, a fruit bar, an apple and a small bottle of water.

Since your ship isn't leaving until 11 PM, you will have time to walk around Vancouver.

That's a surprise. I thought Canada had agricultural restrictions.

Roy

When my Amsterdam Pacific Coast cruise was cancelled and they moved me to the Oosterdam, that also meant that PVSA prevents me taking the Oosterdam Seattle to Vancouver. HAL has put me up in a Seatac hotel and has me transferring to Vancouver. Does anyone know what their earliest transfer is from Seatac to Canada Place. I would like to have as much time in Vancouver as possible.

 

Thanks

 

Roy

So you arrive in Seattle on Day "A" and sail from Vancouver on Day "B"? Have you thought about asking HAL to get you a hotel in Vancouver (instead of Seattle) on Day A, so you can be in Vancouver for some of Day A and Day B? Just a thought.

That's a surprise. I thought Canada had agricultural restrictions.

 

Roy

We do - but processed food like the fruit bar & sandwich, plus apples and some other fruit that is grown both sides of the border are exempt (there are frequently little signs at the border posts reminding people that apples specifically must have the stickers on with origin state/province otherwise they'll be confiscated). In practical terms, there are so many apple orchards especially right on the border that trees already cross-pollinate each other - so unless someone is going to start putting up pollen-barriers along the border or arresting the wind any damage is already done;-)

Nice to know martincath. Apples are the one that surprises me most, although your explanation makes sense. Apples are the things that have come closest to causing me grief when traveling.

After a Blount small ship cruise in the Virgin Islands I had an apple in my pack that I planned to eat on the flight home. Thinking it was "all US", I was caught off guard when there was an agricultural inspection before returning to the mainland. I told the guy I had an apple and he said "You can dump it or you can eat it here, but you can't take it with you. I ate it there.

Roy

That's a surprise. I thought Canada had agricultural restrictions.

 

Roy

Aa a rule, when a cruise line has a company make the box lunches for them, they meet the agricultural restrictions.