Vancouver or Miami -how to devide our time ?

[Jasjas]

I don't exactly know where to post this question...

 

My friend and I are ladies in our late sixties and will be cruising Alaska from Seward to Vancouver in September. After we disembark in Vancouver, we have 5 full days on land before our 7 day Caribbean cruise from Miami. After the second cruise we will immediately leave from Miami to fly home to Johannesburg.

 

My question : How do we best devide our time between Vancouver and Miami in those 5 days... ? I believe that we will spend most of one day flying from Vancouver to Miami.

 

Please help !

 

And thank you...

[biker@sea]

I would head strait down to the florida key's for a few day's !! Only an hour south of Miami .

 

We loved both Marriott largo bay and Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada .:D

[DirtyDawg]

Vancouver is one of the most scenic cities in North American. You will probably kick yourself afterwards if you didn't stay for at least a few days after your first cruise. Search the internet for things to do and see there. Also check out Victoria B.C., it's quick trip by float plane from Vancouver and that city is a gem too.

[dexddd]

You could also take a train or bus to Seattle and fly to Miami from there.

[em-sk]

You could also take a train or bus to Seattle and fly to Miami from there.

 

It all depends on what you enjoy.

 

Vancouver is a nice city to visit. Lots to do. There is ferry service over to Victoria as well as train service down to Seattle. The same train that goes from Vancouver to Seattle also continues on to Portland. If you chose to come over to Victoria, the Victoria Clipper is a sea cat service from Victoria into downtown Seattle.

 

The airlines and US authorities have all sorts of fees and taxes that are included in your airline as soon as you fly across the boarder You avoid all of these fees taking the train over the boarder. For this reason it may well be cheaper to spend some time in Vancouver, then take the train to Seattle or Portland and fly from their to Miami. (Search for Amtrak Cascades for the info on the rail service).

 

Given you has chosen to do both an Alaska cruise and a cruise out of Miami I would assume you want both a NorthWest Alaska type holiday as well as a Miami-Sun type holiday. Why not split your five days in half and do part of it in the North West and part down in Florida.

 

If you do the train, you want to show up at the train station in Vancouver early as you will clear US Customs before boarding the train.

Edited March 1, 2014 by em-sk

[Jasjas]

Thanx to everyone for your advice... Thank you dexddd - I suppose its makes sense to split our time evenly. We have to make most of our time on this very expensive holiday for us South Africans, as 1US$ already costs 11 SA Rands...

 

I will look into all the options everybody suggested.

 

Thanx again.

[garycarla]

I would also consider Seattle for a few days. You will probably find better flight options from there as well.

 

You will either have an all day flight, or an overnight.

 

Have you looked at cruises that go from Seattle down the coast, through the Panama Canal and end in Miami? They are awesome.

[em-sk]

Thanx to everyone for your advice... Thank you dexddd - I suppose its makes sense to split our time evenly. We have to make most of our time on this very expensive holiday for us South Africans, as 1US$ already costs 11 SA Rands...

 

I will look into all the options everybody suggested.

 

Thanx again.

 

If you are looking at saving a few dollars. Downtown Vancouver hotels can be expensive. There is a hotel and several B&B near the City Hall Skytrain station that are sometimes a better deal.

[cherrypop]

I don't exactly know where to post this question...

 

My friend and I are ladies in our late sixties and will be cruising Alaska from Seward to Vancouver in September. After we disembark in Vancouver, we have 5 full days on land before our 7 day Caribbean cruise from Miami. After the second cruise we will immediately leave from Miami to fly home to Johannesburg.

 

My question : How do we best devide our time between Vancouver and Miami in those 5 days... ? I believe that we will spend most of one day flying from Vancouver to Miami.

 

Please help !

 

And thank you...

 

Try bidding on Priceline at 4 star or better in the downtown area do it closer to the date. If not stay at Riverrock casino and hotel which is on the direct skytrain route and only 10 minutes to downtown Vancouver. You basically walk out the door and you are at the skytrain, also it is a five minute skytrain ride to the airport. There is also good shopping at Richmond Centre only 5 minutes away via skytrain.

[waterbabies7415]

I Loved Vancouver and Victoria B.C-a visit to Buchard Gardens in Victoria is a must, I'm not normally a fan of gardens-But this location was spectacular. I live an hour north of Miami and I agree with an earlier post about visiting the florida keys. Of course the tourists love South Beach and all the shopping and restaurants. It all depends on what you enjoy doing.

I hope your experiences are wonderful!

[carollois]

I would also consider Seattle for a few days. You will probably find better flight options from there as well.

 

You will either have an all day flight, or an overnight.

 

Have you looked at cruises that go from Seattle down the coast, through the Panama Canal and end in Miami? They are awesome.

 

We live in the Vancouver area and recently flew to Miami non stop from Seattle for our cruise on the Epic. I would recommend it not just because it is non-stop, but it cost about half of what a flight from Vancouver would have.

[ysayvr]

You could also take a train or bus to Seattle and fly to Miami from there.

 

I haven't taken them myself but my friends who have had good things to say about BoltBus. They have more leg room and provide free WiFi on the journey. If you buy ahead you can also get tickets for as low as $1.

 

FYI, Vancouver to Seattle is normally 3-3.5 hours. I've been on a bus (Amtrak) that made it in 2.75, but give yourself plenty of time! If OP doesn't want to head into Seattle, s/he can always check out flights from Bellingham to Miami. 99.99% of the time, flights from Seattle/Bellingham are cheaper than from Vancouver to elsewhere.

[dexddd]

I should have added that the train will be a very scenic ride but the bus will actually pick you up at the port and you have various drop off points in Seattle including the airport. We didn't take BoltBus but a different company who also had free wifi.

[Jasjas]

Thank you once again to everybody....I am gaining such valuable info from you !

 

Carollois, could you please name the airline for a direct flight from Seattle to Miami, as I can only find flights with stopovers in Houston. Your help is greatly appreciated...

 

If I have to choose between spending the 2 days in Vancouver or Seattle, which would it be...? or will one day in each city make any sense ?

 

Sorry... SO MANY QUESTIONS !!

 

Sincerely.

 

Jasjas.

Edited March 2, 2014 by Jasjas
spelling

[j-9]

I live in Victoria, and agree it would be a shame not to spend time here on the west coast before heading to Florida. Vancouver is a very big city, Victoria is a small city. Seattle is also a nice city.

I could suggest taking the ferry to Victoria as it is quite scenic. BC Ferries if you want to look it up and the route would be tswassen to Swartz bay (on Vancouver Island). There is often a naturalist on board as whales, dolphins and other wildlife are often seen. If you like gardens, Buchart is a must see while you are here. You could go whale watching (if you didn't see enough on you cruise), have tea at the empress, enjoy a night at the pub... If you like beer there are many brew pubs where you can do tastings, etc. I would reccomd staying downtown.

And if you do want to leave from Seattle, there is a float plane that goes from downtown victoria harbour to union lake in Seattle. Quite the experience! Spectacular as it flies quite low. The company is Kenmore air. (Check luggage allowances though, the planes are quite small)

Going this way, your travel also becomes part of the touring.

Happy planning!

[more cruises]

Thank you once again to everybody....I am gaining such valuable info from you !

 

Carollois, could you please name the airline for a direct flight from Seattle to Miami, as I can only find flights with stopovers in Houston. Your help is greatly appreciated...

 

If I have to choose between spending the 2 days in Vancouver or Seattle, which would it be...? or will one day in each city make any sense ?

 

Sorry... SO MANY QUESTIONS !!

 

Sincerely.

 

Jasjas.

 

No, there's so much to do in each city that you'd be too rushed in one day trying to see any sights.

 

Seattle has the Space Needle, Mount Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula, ferry rides, the downtown waterfront, Pioneer Square, Seattle Aquarium and Pike Place Market, the Museum of Flight, kayak at the Montlake cut, Argosy cruise past Bill Gates house, Woodland Park Zoo, 5th Avenue Theater...... Well, I could go on and on.

 

Vancouver is even bigger than Seattle and offers plenty. Nearly everything in Vancouver is easily accessible by Sky Train or bus. Buy a day pass. Rent a bike and tour Stanley Park and the aquarium, Robson Street shopping, Granville Island, or out a ways there's Butchart Gardens, or Whistler. We also bid on 4 Star hotels in the downtown area on Priceline when we stay in Vancouver.

 

If you book Amtrak from Vancouver to Seattle, be careful on the Amtrak web site. Some of the times listed are for busses. There's a picture of a little bus next to the times. We usually take the late train so we can have a full day sightseeing. If you enter 2 people for tickets it displays the total price for both of you, not the per person price, so don't be shocked by the price. It's usually $35 per person. The train can sell out so don't wait to the last minute to book the train, There will be many cabs when you get into the Amtrak station in Seattle to take you to your hotel. While we have walked that area at night I wouldn't recommend it to tourists. It can be a sketchy area.

 

Now, for a totally different idea - instead of flying into Miami, fly into Fort Lauderdale. Alaska airlines has non stops that can be very reasonable. The airport is close to the beach hotels, the water taxi that goes by all the multi-million dollar homes of the rich and famous, there's shopping at Las Olas. I think it's SAS that will take you from the Fort Lauderdale airport to the Miami cruise port, check out that info on the North American Homeport boards here. We really like Fort Lauderdale and it doesn't have the reputation for crime that Miami does. In Miami it's really easy to get into bad areas.

[biker@sea]

I must reiterate my point here .

I'm sure Vancouver and Seattle are lovely but after an Alaska cruise it would seam to be a little more of the same .

 

You really could do no wrong to high tail it out of the Nourth West and get down to the southern most point of America in Key West .

 

There is no place in the world like the Keys where you can watch the sun rise over the Atlantic ocean then watch it set into the Gulf of Mexico .

 

Rent a car . Make the drive through the 100 miles of sub tropical islands .

 

This could be an extra 5 day vacation for you . :D

 

J.M.H.O.

Edited March 2, 2014 by biker@sea

[Jasjas]

Oh my GOODNESS !!! I am really getting very confused now : Vancouver, Seattle, Victoria, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Florida Keys etc etc and we have only 5 days minus one day to get from Alaska to Florida...WITH all our luggage for 2 cruises in temperatures ranging from 7- 34 Celsius.... I need to have it all simplified:

 

We wont be worried to visit beaches in this time - I think we will have enough in the Caribbean and Bahamas.

 

We like quaint shops and markets and people watching and coffee shops and parks...

 

AND we have a limited budget !!

 

Please, all you seasoned travellers - WHAT shall we do...!!

 

Jasjas.

[biker@sea]

Oh my GOODNESS !!! I am really getting very confused now : Vancouver, Seattle, Victoria, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Florida Keys etc etc and we have only 5 days minus one day to get from Alaska to Florida...WITH all our luggage for 2 cruises in temperatures ranging from 7- 34 Celsius.... I need to have it all simplified:

 

We wont be worried to visit beaches in this time - I think we will have enough in the Caribbean and Bahamas.

 

We like quaint shops and markets and people watching and coffee shops and parks...

 

AND we have a limited budget !!

 

Please, all you seasoned travellers - WHAT shall we do...!!

 

Jasjas.

 

Go fishin = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU1ZSsbwwIw

[Jasjas]

Biker@sea...This sounds good to me...Driving might be a problem, but we could seriously consider it (on which side of the road is it done) ? and where should we overnight ? Special places to look out for... Where to eat etc - REMEMBER we would be on a tight budget.

 

I am really picking your brain now - but we know NOTHING about the USA.

 

Sincerely.

 

Jasjas.

[biker@sea]

Biker@sea...This sounds good to me...Driving might be a problem, but we could seriously consider it (on which side of the road is it done) ? and where should we overnight ? Special places to look out for... Where to eat etc - REMEMBER we would be on a tight budget.

 

I am really picking your brain now - but we know NOTHING about the USA.

 

Sincerely.

 

Jasjas.

 

I found a great Flash Sale on Cruise Critic's sister Co. Jetsetter dot com

 

Driving is a breeze one road only Rt # 1 the whole length of the island chain .

 

more info = http://www.fla-keys.com/keylargo/

 

I loved the Marlin Rest. in Key Largo for authentic Cuban food .

Edited March 2, 2014 by biker@sea

[Mom2B&Z]

Oh my GOODNESS !!! I am really getting very confused now : Vancouver, Seattle, Victoria, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Florida Keys etc etc and we have only 5 days minus one day to get from Alaska to Florida...WITH all our luggage for 2 cruises in temperatures ranging from 7- 34 Celsius.... I need to have it all simplified:

 

 

 

We wont be worried to visit beaches in this time - I think we will have enough in the Caribbean and Bahamas.

 

 

 

We like quaint shops and markets and people watching and coffee shops and parks...

 

 

 

AND we have a limited budget !!

 

 

 

Please, all you seasoned travellers - WHAT shall we do...!!

 

 

 

Jasjas.

 

If you want quaint shops, markets and people, then Granville Island in Vancouver fits the bill perfectly. DH and I visited as poor newly weds and even on a tight budget we had a great time. Victoria is beautiful, but is going to cost you travel time you don't have. Even if you reserve the ferry, it is at least 3 hrs of travel time from Vancouver. Plus you're doing this as part of a vacation with 2 cruises, so the novelty of the ferry is minimal.

As a pp said, there are some great hotels on the sky train route that allow you to see the downtown with minimal travel time. I loved walking around downtown Vancouver, window shopping is free lol!

Most of us Canadians find air travel cheaper out of the US, but not always so check to see if the inconvenience of extra travel time is worth the cost difference.

Enjoy your trip, it sounds like quite the adventure!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Jasjas]

Dear biker@sea,

 

Thanx...things are starting to take shape in my mind now... Your advice really put me on track !

 

and thank you B&Z's Mom...I think that we will spend some time in Vancouver on your advice a9and our limited budget)

 

Still a LOT of time to go,but we are very excited...

 

Jasjas.

[em-sk]

Some suggestions to handling the budget on the Vancouver side of things.

 

The priceline option may get you a good hotel in downtown Vancouver for a good price. If not it can be expensive. The RiverRock casino is a reasonable price. If you are looking for something a little different there are B&B within a few blocks of the skytrain http://www.dougwin.com/ The broadway area has a lot of shops and coffee places etc. Granville Island, Chinatown (though with an asian feel), the north vancouver public market (at the base of seabus terminal) has a lot of what you have in mind.

 

I would not stay in any hotel around Gastown however it is also a nice place to visit. I would stay away from the hotels immediately south of Gastown.

 

From the ticket machines at skytrain you can purchase a day pass for the transit system, that includes Skytrain, seabus and buses. (http://www.translink.ca/)

 

I live in Victoria (and it is a also a city that you would probably like to visit) however it sounds like you have to many things for those 5 days already.

 

I would use http://matrix.itasoftware.com to find a flight. You can not book on this site, but it gives you the info you need. You may also want to look directly on the Air Canada website, WestJet or Southwest website as they sometimes have cheaper flights only available through their sites.

 

The train-ride to Seattle is quite nice and scenic if you are choosing to spend time in Seattle. Personally I like trains better than buses, however the train take you to downtown Seattle and not the airport. If you are only going to Seattle to catch a flight, there are direct buses to the Seattle airport (http://www.quickcoach.com/schedule.htm). They will also stop at Belingham Airport on the way to Seattle Airport.

 

Airline pricing is variable, so these observations may vary. However I have found that overseas flights tend to cost the same from Vancouver or Seattle or Victoria. Domestic US flights tend to be quite a bit cheaper from Seattle or Belingham.

 

If you do feel like driving (we drive on the opposite side of the road in North America) rental cars can be quite economical if you credit card has auto-insurance coverage.

Edited March 2, 2014 by em-sk

[carollois]

Thank you once again to everybody....I am gaining such valuable info from you !

 

Carollois, could you please name the airline for a direct flight from Seattle to Miami, as I can only find flights with stopovers in Houston. Your help is greatly appreciated...

 

If I have to choose between spending the 2 days in Vancouver or Seattle, which would it be...? or will one day in each city make any sense ?

 

Sorry... SO MANY QUESTIONS !!

 

Sincerely.

 

Jasjas.

 

We were on American Airlines. The flight from Seattle to Miami was a red-eye and left at about 10 or 10:30 at night. It was only a little over a month ago, so I hope they still have that option! Good luck and enjoy your trip!