Vancouver to Seattle

[jande]

My friends are 1st time cruisers and I feel responsible for them because we asked them to come along. They made their own plane reservations(I just found out)and go home the same day we get back to Vancouver. Their flight leaves Seattle at 2 PM. I am wondering if the Quick Shuttle gives them enough time or if they should rent a car.I think we get off the ship starting at 7AM.

Janice  till Infinity

[LoneStar72]

I don't think the shuttle will get them there in time -- see their schedules at http://www.quickcoach.com/schedule.htm .

More bad news -- I priced an Avis rental out of Vancouver airport, with drop-off in Portland, OR, 2 days later, and was quoted $351!!! The same rental out of Seattle/Tacoma airport was $80.

Good luck...
John

[Gardyloo]

Have them call their airline and see about changing their itinerary so that they fly from Vancouver to Seattle to make their connection. The additional fare shouldn't be equal to the "point-to-point" fare on the regional carrier (most likely Horizon Airlines AKA Alaska Airlines). It would in effect turn their ticket into an "open jaw" fare that typically is not that much more than a simple round trip.

[ohhbother]

We made an 11:25 a.m. flight out of the Seattle airport this past Sunday -- driving in a rental car from Vancouver. We had about three minutes to spare!

The cruise let us off the ship in Vancouver at 7:30, we got to SEA-TAC at 10:30, and we got on the plane about 11:20.

It wasn't an experience for the faint of heart, but it saved us a bunch on airfare.

Amy

[dustyroad]

i have checked out the open jaw trip from my home town to vancouver then from seattle to home again. the price went up almost $300 in cost from going roundtrip to seattle. getting a rental car will be cheaper but i would not be able to handle the panick of missing the flight and quick shuttle might be risky also. have them call the cruise line and make a reservation on their transportation from the ship to seattle if they offer it. at least they will get off the ship the first thing and be on their way. have a great time.

DUSTY

Carnival Spirit, 9/10/03 Alaska glacier bay

Carvival Spirit, 5/11/05
Alaska glacier bay again

[Gardyloo]

Well the one way fare from YVR to SEA is $125 to $145 each depending on time of day, so for two you should use $250 as the break-even. Like I said, you should ask your airline for the through fare on one-half of an openjaw routing; if it comes to more than $125 each then just book on Horizon, http://www.alaskaair.com - and make sure your bags are tagged through, which they'll do at YVR.

Horizon flies every hour or so from YVR to SEA, takes around 45 min.

[kden]

We rented a car from Hertz in Vancouver. It cost us about $55.00 US, with no drop off charge at SeaTac.It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive with about a 15 minute wait at the border.

[Gardyloo]

That's a good result, but the border can be lots - that's lots - more congested, as can traffic passing through Seattle. If people are off the boat at 7, able (downtown or at YVR) to have a car by 8, drive 3 1/4 hours to Seatac with 0 minutes delay at the border, then that makes it 11:15, or 45 min. early for a two-hour checkin, not counting filling the tank, returning the car, etc. Now granted the 2 hour checkin might be relaxed, but the border will not be 0 minutes - could be 15, could be 90 - and weekend traffic southbound through central Seattle in midsummer can and usually is bumper-to-bumper from Northgate to the Convention Center.

Thus spake Dirty Harry: Do you feel lucky?

[sdcruiser]

Janice,

Why not ask your friends to call their airline, and ask to be booked on a later flight out of Seattle that day? It should only cost them $100/pp change fee to change their existing tickets. Some airlines will not even charge the change fee.

When we arrived back into Vancouver last month, the cruiseline told us not to book flights out of Seattle until after 3pm. They couldn't guarantee we would make it otherwise. Of course, that is if you booked your transfer to Seattle airport through the cruiseline directly.

SDCRuiser

[Budget Queen]

The above poster who made an 11:25am flight out of Seatac- WAS extremely LUCKY. I have driven this route MANY times and there is NO guarantee of making it. I have been stuck at the boarder and I know my way around the area, needing no maps, walk to the car rental offices in Vancouver, know Seatac like the back of my hand. Just one of the above factor- to go wrong you will miss the flight. There are also no guarantees of your ship clearly that early. Bottom line- get a later flight- the earlier flight ARE cheaper because the bulk of the cruise passengers can't make them.