Bus from Vancouver to Seattle

[Charlie'sPet]

Due to a great sale on Southwest, we decided to fly out of Seattle instead of Vancouver. I know there is the Quick bus that will pick up at the pier and then take us over to Seattle airport.

I was wondering if HAL offers a transfer like this?

If they do, is it cheaper than Quick? Would they handle luggage as well?

 

Thanks! First cruise coming up and still very new at getting things sorted out. ;)

[BumperII]

Due to a great sale on Southwest' date=' we decided to fly out of Seattle instead of Vancouver. I know there is the Quick bus that will pick up at the pier and then take us over to Seattle airport.

I was wondering if HAL offers a transfer like this?

If they do, is it cheaper than Quick? Would they handle luggage as well?

 

Thanks! First cruise coming up and still very new at getting things sorted out. ;)[/quote']

 

Funny you should ask. We are dealing with that too. Here is what we found out.

 

It costs roughly $1200.00 for two to fly first class one way from here to Vancouver. The price doubles for the flight home!!:mad: So we elected to fly home from Seattle, also roughly $1200.00. We already planned to stay an extra night in Vancouver to attend the Bard on the Beach. We found the Cascades Amtrak (train and / or bus)from Vancouver to Seattle on the Amtrak website.

 

What we really liked about this is that the website takes all your passport info just like an online checkin. That way we can clear US Customs before we board the train in Vancouver.

[Roz]

In May I took Quick Shuttle from Vancouver to Seattle. HAL only offered airport transfers to YVR; nothing to SEA. I've used Quick Shuttle twice and been very pleased with the service.

 

Roz

[rafinmd]

Funny you should ask. We are dealing with that too. Here is what we found out.

 

It costs roughly $1200.00 for two to fly first class one way from here to Vancouver. The price doubles for the flight home!!:mad: So we elected to fly home from Seattle, also roughly $1200.00. We already planned to stay an extra night in Vancouver to attend the Bard on the Beach. We found the Cascades Amtrak (train and / or bus)from Vancouver to Seattle on the Amtrak website.

 

What we really liked about this is that the website takes all your passport info just like an online checkin. That way we can clear US Customs before we board the train in Vancouver.

 

I wonder if you misunderstand there. I believe Amtrak collects the information much like HAL does, but that doesn't mean you have cleared customs any more than is the case when you get off the ship. I used Amtrak when I disembarked the Crystal Symphony a couple of years ago. I believe there are US customs agents at Pacific Central station and you clear customs before boarding the train, much as you do when flying from Canada to the US. If you use Amtrak's bus (as I did), you clear customs at the border. The process was pretty well organized but you still had to take your luggage into the office and go through the process.

 

Also understand that Amtrak's station in Seattle is a few miles from the airport. If you're going direct to the airport I strongly recommend Quick Shuttle, which will pick you up at most hotels and deliver you to Seatac.

 

Roy

[BumperII]

........ If you're going direct to the airport I strongly recommend Quick Shuttle, which will pick you up at most hotels and deliver you to Seatac.

 

 

 

Agreed! Let me clarify. When we saw the $2400.00 price tag for the flight home, we decided to save the money and spend it on an extra day of vacation. We love Seattle, and we will spend the afternoon on the waterfront, eat our fill of seafood, and fly home the next day.

[Himself]

I have used Quick Shuttle since 1998 and am well satisfied.

[rafinmd]

Agreed! Let me clarify. When we saw the $2400.00 price tag for the flight home, we decided to save the money and spend it on an extra day of vacation. We love Seattle, and we will spend the afternoon on the waterfront, eat our fill of seafood, and fly home the next day.

 

With an overnight in Seattle, your plan sounds perfect, especially if you're on the actual train. Best of 2 great cities.

 

Roy

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have used HAL's shuttles from Vancouver to Seattle.

HAL makes certain that the luggage is put onto the bus. You do not see your luggage once you put it out the night before until you get to either SeaTac or a hotel near the airport.

When we got to the border, the bus had already been sealed and we were eeaved through -- did not have to stop and have everything checked.

Since our flight is always early morning, the first stop is SeaTac and then the bus takes people to hotels near the airport.

[PathfinderEss]

We just took Hal transfer to Seattle Sea Tac from Vancouver. It cost 69 dollars. It took about 4 hours, including crossing the border. I think they ask that you don't book any flights before 2 pm. This is the second time we have done it, and to tell you the truth, its not to bad of a trip. Certinly better then paying the outragous fees to fly out of Vancouver.

[Charlie'sPet]

Thank you everyone for your answers! This helps with making my plans! :)

 

CP

[igraf]

Here is my argument for paying extra to fly out of Vancouver BC:

 

We walked off the Volendam three weeks ago at about 9:05am, and walked into the YVR airport terminal at about 9:57am with plenty of time for a 12:30pm flight home. This brief amount of time included collecting our luggage after leaving the ship and going through all port terminal formalities.

 

The facilitator for this transportation miracle was Vancouver's excellent SkyTrain system. The downtown station is very short walk from Canada Place and the end of the line is the airport. Cost? Try $4 per person. Much faster than the HAL bus or waiting in the loooong line for a taxi. Just 13 quick stops and you arrive at YVR (about 35 minutes).

 

In case you are worried, the typical passenger on the SkyTrain is a decent middle class Canadian as driving a car into downtown Vancouver is difficult and expensive. There were even passengers from Regents Seven Seas in our rail car.

 

igraf

[Krazy Kruizers]

Here is my argument for paying extra to fly out of Vancouver BC:

 

We walked off the Volendam three weeks ago at about 9:05am, and walked into the YVR airport terminal at about 9:57am with plenty of time for a 12:30pm flight home. This brief amount of time included collecting our luggage after leaving the ship and going through all port terminal formalities.

 

The facilitator for this transportation miracle was Vancouver's excellent SkyTrain system. The downtown station is very short walk from Canada Place and the end of the line is the airport. Cost? Try $4 per person. Much faster than the HAL bus or waiting in the loooong line for a taxi. Just 13 quick stops and you arrive at YVR (about 35 minutes).

 

In case you are worried, the typical passenger on the SkyTrain is a decent middle class Canadian as driving a car into downtown Vancouver is difficult and expensive. There were even passengers from Regents Seven Seas in our rail car.

 

igraf

 

That is fine if you are able to lug your own luggage.

Many of us are no longer able to do that.

And the couple of cross country flights for us start at 6:30 AM -- going through a connecting city. No direct flights.

[igraf]

Just so everyone has the facts, one has to walk about a quarter mile from Canada Place to the Waterfront Skytrain station on West Cordova Street (just past Granville Street) that services the airport. It is not the station directly across the street from Canada Place, which services a train going east (?).

 

So, a small amount of walking required to use the Skytrain at Canada Place. At the airport, one just has to cross the street and walk into the airport terminal.

 

I agree that the airline flight schedules departing from YVR are curiously bad. We couldn't find a decent return flight to LAX! We ended up flying to a smaller alternative airport.

 

My advice to USA travelers would be to sail from Seattle. People have said that the scenery out of Vancouver is better, but most of the close-up scenery passed by at night so I don't see that as much as an advantage.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

That is fine if you are able to lug your own luggage.

 

Many of us are no longer able to do that.

 

And the couple of cross country flights for us start at 6:30 AM -- going through a connecting city. No direct flights.

 

[Roz]

I was hoping the passengers on the Sky Train would be dirty, drunk degenerates. :D

 

Roz

[BumperII]

I was hoping the passengers on the Sky Train would be dirty, drunk degenerates. :D

 

Roz

 

 

They had one of these people on the Sky Train the last time we were there. .... OK, it was me.:o

[arewethereyet]

I was hoping the passengers on the Sky Train would be dirty, drunk degenerates. :D

 

Roz

Are you saying you know me? ;)

[arewethereyet]

They had one of these people on the Sky Train the last time we were there. .... OK, it was me.:o

I remember you. You're the only one who didn't look down on me.

[Charlie'sPet]

I have been to Vancouver before and we took the Skytrain to/from the airport with no issues at all but flying out of YVR is just plain expensive. For one way YVR-PHX is $275 with an added $25 for baggage free that will be $300. US Airways is the only airline that flies nonstop. There are other options but they involve connections and long layovers.

For Southwest the one way fare is $99 plus the Quick shuttle which would be an additional $55-$60. Southwest also doesn't charge for baggage fees.

Overall I'm saving $140 by taking the shuttle. I understand it's a 4 hour drive to SeaTac but I'm willing to sacrifice time rather than money on this trip.

 

I would have much rather did the cruise out of Seattle but we wanted to visit Skagway over Sitka and we had no interest in Victoria since we've been there before.

 

In future plans, we probably wouldn't travel to Vancouver again because it's an expensive trip.

[Roz]

Charlie's Pet, I agree with everything you said about flying out of Seattle on SW vs. flying out of Vancouver. I put pen to paper, and even with an overnight stay in Seattle (I was able to use Hilton points), I came out ahead. I was going to have stay over in Vancouver anyway, because flights back to Nashville all leave too early for cruise passengers.

 

Roz

[igraf]

Skagway was also our main motivation to sail out of Vancouver. Not sure why HAL generally doesn't visit Skagway out of Seattle.

 

igraf

 

 

 

I would have much rather did the cruise out of Seattle but we wanted to visit Skagway over Sitka and we had no interest in Victoria since we've been there before.

 

In future plans' date=' we probably wouldn't travel to Vancouver again because it's an expensive trip.[/quote']