Disembarking in Vancouver

[Biffer1997]

I will be disembarking in Vancouver after an HI cruise next April (LCD from Long Beach) and will hv to fly home that day. I hv read posts of people crossing into Seattle via train and flying from there and wanted to know if that had any advantages vs flying out of Vancouver?

Also, can anyone recommend transportation to VAN airport? I haven't booked flights yet but want to do it soon ...

[Putterdude]

Generally (not always) it is cheaper to fly out of Seattle rather than Vancouver and thus peoples decision to fly to Seattle and use a ground transfer to Vancouver or vice versa. Your options to transfer to Seattle from Vancouver include:

• Amtrak train or bus
  
• Quick Shuttle
  
• Ship's transfer
  
• Bolt Bus
  
• rent a car and drive the 120 miles
  

[Ashland]

I will be disembarking in Vancouver after an HI cruise next April (LCD from Long Beach) and will hv to fly home that day. I hv read posts of people crossing into Seattle via train and flying from there and wanted to know if that had any advantages vs flying out of Vancouver?

Also, can anyone recommend transportation to VAN airport? I haven't booked flights yet but want to do it soon ...

If you decide to take a taxi from Canada Place to YVR allow plenty of time...from what I just observed last week the taxi line was loooong.

[zephyr17]

Usually cheaper, and better choice of flights to US destinations.

 

Remember, regardless of how you go remember that it is 120 miles with an international border. Amtrak trains will not work for you since the only train that works with cruise arrivals leaves at 5:45pm and gets to Seattle after 10pm, and then you'd have to get to airport. Doubt you could be at the airport much before 11pm if you took Amtrak. It is really only an option for those who plan to layover in Seattle.

 

Quick Coach can take you right to SeaTac airport. Their fastest schedule is 4:20, arriving SeaTac at 1:20pm and most of them are 5 hours. Allowing 2 hours before the flight, the earliest flight you could logically take would be after 3pm.

 

Canada Line train gets to YVR in about 35 minutes and Waterfront Station is about a block from Canada Place pier.

[Putterdude]

From Canada Place to the platform of the Canada Line in Waterfront Station is closer to 3 blocks than 1 block. Waterfront Station is the low-rise, red brick building that is seen on the left as you exit Canada Place. Do not take the entrance off the Howe St. ramp it will take you to an entirely different level in Waterfront Station. The actual travel time from Waterfront Station to YVR/Airport Station is 24 minutes to which you need to add walking time at either end...time to pay fare and wait for a train....plan that the trip is in the region of 35/45 minutes.

[Victrola]

After our cruise we are doing an overnite decompress stay at the Hampton Inn Richmond Airport on Bridgeport Road. Google map shows a route using the rail system from Waterfront to Bridgeport Station. Then a short 7-8 block walk to the hotel.

It looks like a mixed residential and light industry area. Any local info on is this a safe area to walk in the daytime on a Saturday around noon?

[martincath]

You shouldn't have any problems - our, shall we say, more interesting streetlife is very much concentrated east of the downtown core and it's very obvious when you stumble into a dodgy area (short version - don't go East from Gastown or North from Chinatown). You will see beggars all around the downtown core - makes sense to be where plenty of people are, maximizes income - but very, very few of them will give you any kind of hassle. You're much more likely to hear have a nice day or god bless you than any kind for swearing.

 

Unless your plans for the afternoon/evening involve Richmond though, you'll find it more efficient to stay downtown where most of the sights are. You can store bags at Canada Place for the day, or throw a few bucks at a hotel concierge to store them until you're ready to hit the Skytrain out to Richmond.

[cruising cockroach]

 

Remember, regardless of how you go remember that it is 120 miles with an international border.

 

I think it's 120 miles from the border, and ~30 miles to the line....

[cruising cockroach]

After our cruise we are doing an overnite decompress stay at the Hampton Inn Richmond Airport on Bridgeport Road. Google map shows a route using the rail system from Waterfront to Bridgeport Station. Then a short 7-8 block walk to the hotel.

It looks like a mixed residential and light industry area. Any local info on is this a safe area to walk in the daytime on a Saturday around noon?

 

Just watch out for the busses and other traffic.

[Vexorg]

Note that the train to Seattle really isn't a feasible option unless you are planning to fly out the next day, since the morning departure from Vancouver is too early, and the afternoon departure (5:45) doesn't get you into Seattle until after 10pm generally. Me and my friends recently did this as a ride home from a cruise that disembarked in Vancouver, and although the train is a reasonably nice way to go, it's also quite a long (over 4 hour) ride to Seattle. If you're planning to fly out of Seattle the same day, you'll probably need to plan on taking a bus of some sort. That said, even with bus/train fare figured in you'll still likely come out ahead on price by flying out of Seattle instead of YVR.