Vancouver to Seattle

We will be ending an Alaskan cruise in Vancouver in June 2017. After spending a couple of days there, we are thinking about renting a car to drive to Seattle airport to avoid a long layover. Anyone have any advice about this? Thanks. :confused:

In case you don't go back to the AK board...

We took Amtrak from Vancouver to Seattle. We upgraded to 1st class for a better customs experience (theoretically shorter, though I don't recall a line on our train.

I've read about long lines at the border (& have seen them on youtube videos.)

Our cruise was a Vancouver RT, but we were limited to Seattle for the flight. This is what we did: flew to Seattle, to light rail to the Amtrak Station. Slept in Vancouver - did sight seeing the next day, boarded our cruise the next day.

After the cruise, we took the train to Seattle, did sightseeing, hotel, flew home the next day.

(Some of the details are foggy... There were built in limitations based on the Amtrak schedule...

Thank you! This is exactly what I needed.

Amtrak has two trains a day in each direction, one leaving in the early morning and the other in the early evening. The trip takes four hours.

All the major car rental companies allow one-way rentals; many people do this. The drive from downtown Vancouver to downtown Seattle takes around three hours plus whatever time you spend at the border, so it's generally comparable to the train. Of course you can leave whenever you want, and if you want you can go straight to the Seattle airport, convenient if you have an evening departure. By comparison, you'd need to take a $40 cab or haul your luggage to a light rail station from the Amtrak station (next door but not connected at ground level). If you take the evening train you'd get to the airport too late for departures to the east; if you take the morning train from Vancouver you need to be up at oh dark thirty to get to the station.

One-day car rentals between Vancouver and Seattle usually cost around $120 - $150, so competitive with the train. Plus, if interested, you can take a more scenic route that adds a couple of hours to the I-5 drive but which will let you see a nice selection of Puget Sound and island scenery.

Thoughts....

• The train takes 4.5 hours on the website. It's slower than the buses.
  
• Depending on which month.... the sun goes down between 8 to 10pm. Limiting what you can see on the evening train.
  
• I like Quick Shuttle.... 6 to 7 daily one-way trips between Vancouver and Seattle. Offering pickups at Seattle's airport and cruise terminal too.
  
• Bolt and Amtrak have buses too to add to the bus frequency between the two cities.
  

Thanks for all the information.

I've used Quick Shuttle several times. They have a couple of pick-up points in Vancouver, and will drop you off near the Space Needle or at SeaTac.

Roz

Do any car rental companies offer free pick up at the Vancouver peer?

Do any car rental companies offer free pick up at the Vancouver peer?

There are some physically located at the pier - Alamo/National have had that franchise for the last few years. Enterprise will, as everywhere, come get you and take you to their office so whichever location has the best price works - although I'd be very hesitant to schedule a pickup at the pier simply due to the massive amounts of people and limited access for cars. It really would be much simpler and faster for you to just head to a rental office yourself instead of waiting at such a busy spot.

There's obviously a big popularity factor for pier rentals, which tends to mean they are pricier than other downtown offices too - not always as car rental pricing is about as transparent as airlines, but I would strongly recommend pricing up every agency/location rather than just picking whomever is right at the pier or offers a shuttle. Some offices are just a couple of blocks down the street in a hotel lobby, so passing them over could cost you a lot for minimal extra walking/a few bucks cab fare...

Google Maps is your friend! All of the spots showing on this 'search car rentals near Canada Place' map are within a mile.

I was able to get a 2 day, one-way rental for $160 total through the Alamo at the port beginning June 19. Couldn't believe how reasonable it was.

I was able to get a 2 day, one-way rental for $160 total through the Alamo at the port beginning June 19. Couldn't believe how reasonable it was.

That's a great deal. I could not find the Port when looking for a rental car pickup. Is it labeled something different?

I prefer the train. You can get up and walk around, and there are bathrooms and a cafe car. The bus you are stuck in a seat. Plus you see more than the freeway.

That's a great deal. I could not find the Port when looking for a rental car pickup. Is it labeled something different?

Look for Canada Place.

That's a great deal. I could not find the Port when looking for a rental car pickup. Is it labeled something different?

Canada Place is seasonal only - may not be listed depending which sites you're looking at. Pan Pacific Hotel is year-round though, and physically at the same address. Also, don't forget how tiny we are downtown - take the best deal from any agency at any downtown office and your worst case is a $10 cab ride from pier to rental office. Sometimes rates at the actual pier itself, like YVR, are considerably more expensive because those are the only locations most tourists look at.

That's a great deal. I could not find the Port when looking for a rental car pickup. Is it labeled something different?

Vancouver Pan Pacific

999 Canada Pl

Vancouver BC V6C3B5

That's where Alamo is located

Thanks everyone!

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We booked a flight for 1130. Delta changed it to 1:15. We were able to cancel it for free and we have now rented an SUV for $160 American after taxes and insurance. We are currently working on a route that is more Scenic than taking the I-5 straight down to Seattle.

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New flights to England from SEA with Norwegian....... if the train from Vancouver gets in at 12 noon would we be able to make a 2.35p flight?!

Not been to either city....if we disembark in Vancouver would you suggest spending the day/night there and then taking the morning train, or take the Afternoon train after just a few hours in Vancouver and spend the night and following morning in Seattle ?

Pike and Chilooly seem to be more appealing to me...

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Vancouver has lots of offer for a single or multi day stay.

New flights to England from SEA with Norwegian....... if the train from Vancouver gets in at 12 noon would we be able to make a 2.35p flight?!

I wager you'll have an excellent chance of being stranded. AmTrak schedules are meant as a guidance. It isn't the Swiss or German railways (which aren't 100% punctual these days but much better than AmTrak). Even if arrival was punctual, it's quite a long ride from King St to SEA and then you have to check in nd get through security.

Remember the rail line are owned by a freight company, BNSF (Burlington Northern - Santa Fe) and not Amtrak. Freight trains have priority! The rail line north of Seattle is also prone to mud slides and it hasn't been a dry late spring... Expect possible delays (as in, you'll be shifted off to a bus)

I would look into a shuttle (bus) such as Quick Shuttle rather than take my chances with Amtrak when you're trying to make an overseas flight.

Roz

Thanks; we've decided to come up the day we leave the ship and spend the night in Seattle and take the evening flight the following day ( with no nervous time pressures!)

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