Stuck! Seattle/Vancouver land portion of trip.

[welshfamily]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post.

We are thinking of doing an Alaskan cruise this summer. As the air fare is expensive we would like to add on a land portion.

We have three options at the moment.

1. A couple of nights in Seattle, the cruise, the train to Vancouver, 4 nights in Vancouver, fly home.

How easy is it to take the train from Seattle to Vancouver?

 

2. Seattle, the cruise, flight to Sanfrancisco

 

 

3. Vancouver, the cruise and three nights in Steward.

 

I know they are all very different options. All options welcome.

[haggis_10000]

Hi, Firstly I am almost certain we sailed together on the eclipse in 2012,. I was the big fella who arranged the tour in St Petersberg with Alla Tours and you also joined us on our self conducted walking tour in Bruge!!

 

forgive me if I am wrong!!

 

Hope you and the family are well!!

 

Steve

Edited January 11, 2015 by haggis_10000

[haggis_10000]

We are doing the Alaska bit too this summer, we sailing on the Star Princess on the 15th August - Southbound from Seward to Vancouver and have 3 nights in Seattle and Vancouver also.

 

Some people prefer doing a land tour with the cruiseline into Denali however we decided to do the above as we didn't want to do too much cold!!:)

 

Steve

[Lois R]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post.

We are thinking of doing an Alaskan cruise this summer. As the air fare is expensive we would like to add on a land portion.

We have three options at the moment.

1. A couple of nights in Seattle, the cruise, the train to Vancouver, 4 nights in Vancouver, fly home.

How easy is it to take the train from Seattle to Vancouver?

 

2. Seattle, the cruise, flight to Sanfrancisco

 

 

3. Vancouver, the cruise and three nights in Steward.

 

I know they are all very different options. All options welcome.

 

Hi, I have take the train several times from Seattle to Vancouver

and enjoyed the ride very much:)...the scenery is lovely and the

price is quite reasonable too. If the times are the same, there is a

7:40am train that arrives in Vancouver about 11:00am (if memory

serves). Vancouver is a great city.:D

 

Seattle and then a flight to San Francisco? SF is one of my favorite

cities in the world:D.......you cannot go wrong with a vacation in

San Francisco!

 

And your last option? I think you mean Seward......I haven't been

there before so cannot give you any information.

 

But choices 1 and 2 are both fantastic:)

[welshfamily]

Hi Steve,

Yes it's us. How are u?

 

Our sons had a pretty rough year again health wise and we are trying to get some further away destinations in whilst he is still allowed to fly.

 

If it doesn't work out this year we will be hoping to pick your brains.

X

[haggis_10000]

Hi Steve,

Yes it's us. How are u?

 

Our sons had a pretty rough year again health wise and we are trying to get some further away destinations in whilst he is still allowed to fly.

 

If it doesn't work out this year we will be hoping to pick your brains.

X

 

Amanda and I are both fine thanks - sorry to hear about your son,hopefully 2015 will be better.

 

I think you also did the same eastern med cruise on the reflection albeit a year earlier than us. We had a year off cruising and did the West coast of America.

[Gardyloo]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post.

We are thinking of doing an Alaskan cruise this summer. As the air fare is expensive we would like to add on a land portion.

We have three options at the moment.

1. A couple of nights in Seattle, the cruise, the train to Vancouver, 4 nights in Vancouver, fly home.

How easy is it to take the train from Seattle to Vancouver?

 

2. Seattle, the cruise, flight to Sanfrancisco

 

 

3. Vancouver, the cruise and three nights in Steward.

 

I know they are all very different options. All options welcome.

A couple of notes -

 

The one-way cruises, Vancouver to/from Seward or Whittier (both coastal towns a couple of hours by land from Anchorage, where you'd fly in/out) are great but if you only have a couple of days in "mainland" (technically, southcentral) Alaska before or after, then the benefit/cost calculation suffers once the additional cost of airfare is added in. Lodging and transportation on the ground in Alaska is expensive, and with three days you'd really just have time - probably - to visit something like the Kenai Fjords out of Seward, then travel to Anchorage for a day before flying out. (Or the reverse if you cruised southbound.)

 

(NOTE - in the summer there are flights from the UK to Anchorage via Iceland, also flights from Seattle to the UK via Iceland as well, in case you wanted to make it an "open jaw" itinerary, fly into one, back from the other.)

 

In terms of Alaska cruises, there are two kinds - return trips from Vancouver and Seattle that only explore the southeastern "panhandle" of Alaska, and one-way cruises to/from Vancouver. (There are no one-way cruises from Seattle due to US maritime law.)

 

Of the return cruises, most will argue that the Vancouver departures are superior from a scenery point of view as they travel through sheltered waters to the east of Vancouver Island, whereas the Seattle boats travel on open ocean to the west, meaning rougher water as well as poorer scenery.

 

It sounds like you have around 14 days altogether for this holiday. Not knowing your preferences at all, I'll make a couple of comments on your scenarios.

 

Scenario 1 - Seattle, cruise, train, Vancouver, home. I would do this in reverse if you're wanting a return cruise (Van-Van), i.e. Vancouver, cruise, train, Seattle, home. This would let you take the more scenic Vancouver itinerary for the cruise.

 

Scenario 2 - Seattle, cruise, San Francisco: This is fine but again, but recommend Vancouver, cruise, flight. San Francisco is a marvelous city, but it's a city nonetheless. And, if you're nature lovers, frankly the bits between Seattle and SF are so stunning that overflying them would be a real pity. Like Seattle and Vancouver, SF is crowded and expensive during the summer (cruise) season.

 

Scenario 3 - Vancouver, cruise, Seward, home. See my notes above. Really not enough time in mainland Alaska in my view.

 

So what would I recommend? Well, a couple of options.

 

Fly into Vancouver and do a return cruise, leaving the next day. Use the calm and easy days on the ship to let your body clocks adjust (remember, 8 hours time difference.)

 

Then on return, one of these alternatives:

 

1. Spend two days in Vancouver, hire a car and spend three or four days around Whistler BC, 90 min. up the (gorgeous) "Sea to Sky" highway from Vancouver. In the summer, Whistler has gorgeous scenery, plentiful and inexpensive accommodations (built for ski crowds, overbuilt for summer) lots and lots of outdoor activities (rafting, hiking, fishing...) farmers markets... very nice.

 

2. Hire a car and spend a week in Washington State. Visit Seattle for a day or two, then spend a few days exploring Olympic National Park - amazing scenery - from alpine meadows full of wildflowers to sensational rocky coast to the unique rain forest valleys on the Pacific coast... one of North America's gems.

 

3. Hire a car and do a 7-day road trip down to San Francisco. Spend a day in Seattle en route, then continue south along the magnificent Oregon coast to the redwood country in northern California, then into San Francisco via the wine country or just sticking to the coast. This is, in my view, one of the premier road trips in North America. I've taken several sets of British pals on this drive, and - to a person - they have declared the redwoods to be the highlight of the trip, a unique and remarkable experience.

 

In (3) the one-way car rental will cost more than returning it to the renting station, but the additional cost will be offset by more affordable lodgings on the road. The experience will be nothing short of fantastic, guaranteed.

[xlxo]

We are thinking of doing an Alaskan cruise this summer. As the air fare is expensive we would like to add on a land portion.

We have three options at the moment.

1. A couple of nights in Seattle, the cruise, the train to Vancouver, 4 nights in Vancouver, fly home.

How easy is it to take the train from Seattle to Vancouver?

 

2. Seattle, the cruise, flight to Sanfrancisco

3. Vancouver, the cruise and three nights in Steward.

 

You are smart to consider 4 days in Vancouver. There is so much to see!

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txO8VK4LaLQ
  

 

The toughest part of the train (Amtrak Cascades) would be the schedule. 7:45am or 5:50pm Seattle daily departures. http://www.amtrakcascades.com/Schedules.htm Can you get off the boat early enough or store your luggage until the late afternoon departure. Otherwise there's about a dozen daily motorcoaches between Seattle and Vancouver at various times during the day.

• Quick Shuttle http://www.quickcoach.com/schedule.htm
  
• Amtrak http://www.amtrakcascades.com/Schedules.htm
  
• Greyhound
  
• Bolt (you might get lucky with a $1) ride. https://www.boltbus.com/
  

Some may choose to Orca whale watch their way to Vancouver (website issues this morning).

http://princeofwhales.com/seattle-tour/seattle-whales-vancouver

 

San Francisco? Did you know Amtrak runs a train from Seattle to San Francisco (Emeryville)? You can Greyhound there too. If you want to delay your trip... you can affordably cruise from Vancouver to San Franscisco in September. Grand Princess departs on the earliest on Sept 16 with sailings to Oct 1...

• http://cruise.expedia.ca/Cruise/en-CA/Itinerary?item=649046
  
• http://cruise.expedia.ca/Cruise/en-CA/Search?ds=Pacific+Coastal&dp=Vancouver%2c+British+Columbia&dyr=999&drd=Sep+01%2c+2015&rfrr=CRZ.SR.Refine.Day
  

Edited January 11, 2015 by xlxo

[xlxo]

A little tip for savings in Vancouver.... think about your hotel room. The hotels near the cruise terminal are significantly higher than the hotels to the South. You can find additional savings staying near the airport and taking the subway downtown (20 minutes).

 

Enter your travel dates here to compare...

http://www.expedia.ca/Vancouver-Hotels-Radisson-Hotel-Vancouver-Airport.h14039.Hotel-Information

[martincath]

A little tip for savings in Vancouver.... think about your hotel room. The hotels near the cruise terminal are significantly higher than the hotels to the South. You can find additional savings staying near the airport and taking the subway downtown (20 minutes).

 

Enter your travel dates here to compare...

http://www.expedia.ca/Vancouver-Hotels-Radisson-Hotel-Vancouver-Airport.h14039.Hotel-Information

Cheaper yes, but 20 minutes is not even close to the actual time spent to & from downtown - even the Fairmont ($ka-ching!!!) right at the airport is at least 30 minutes, as the train itself is scheduled for 24mins plus waiting for the train and walking to/from the station. Admittedly if you get off at Yaletown or City Centre station rather than Waterfront you can save 1-3 minutes...

 

Factor in shuttle time to & from the nearest station, or walk time for the hotels close to a Skytrain station, and realistically anyone considering an airport hotel needs to allow for at least 60-90 minutes spent traveling every day compared to a hotel right in downtown.

 

One big downside of the new fixed taxi pricing is that the hotels near YVR now cost $20 to get to rather than a metered fare of under $10 in many cases - meaning for budget travelers it's simply no longer an option to hop in a cab rather than waiting for the hotel shuttle to come.

 

BTW, your link also goes directly to the Radisson Airport page rather than 'all hotels near YVR' - admittedly one of the closest to Skytrain, but since it's Aberdeen station it has half the frequency of trains that Bridgeport or points north do, as low as 20 minute frequency if coming back from a night on the town... personally I would only recommend staying in hotels around Bridgeport if using transit for exactly this reason.

[Potstech]

If spending any time in Vancouver please research the train/bus system there. My daughter lives there and by taking them it costs very little to get from the Airport to downtown.All you need are trip tickets to travel inside and between zones. To go from airport to downtown is less than $5.00 dollars. Be aware gas is very expensive in Canada and parking is at a premium. Vancouver is a great place to visit but can be costly.

[xlxo]

To clarify....

• 20 minutes is the travel time from Aberdeen to Vancouver City Center (Pacific Centre Mall). This is roughly the same time it takes to walk from cruise terminal hotels to Robson street or Pacific Centre (15 - 20 minutes)
  
• While late night Canada Line service is 20 minutes. Morning to 8pm has very convenient 6 minute frequency.
  http://tripplanning.translink.ca/hiwire?.a=iScheduleLookupSearch&LineName=999&LineAbbr=999
  
• Yes, the Raddison is conveniently located across the street from the Aberdeen Canada Line station. With free parking, airport shuttle, three adjacent supermarkets, and countless restaurants.... the Raddison is my fav hotel when going to Vancouver. The hundreds of dollars I save for each night stay compared to cruise terminal hotels justify the trip.
  
• you can get a daypass for $9.75 where you can ride the bus, trains, and Seabus from 9:30am til 1am (or later) in the morning. The daypass makes it so convenient to get around Vancouver as a tourist. fyi... Vancouver recently introduced a GPS tracking on it's buses on this mobile site... http://nb.translink.ca/
  http://www.translink.ca/en/Fares-and-Passes/DayPass.aspx
  

Edited January 13, 2015 by xlxo

[martincath]

I'm afraid I have to quibble with some of your points above again xlxo:

 

Your transit info is for weekdays only. A lot of cruisers come in over weekends or holidays, where the service frequency varies between 7 and 20 minutes ALL DAY on Canada Line end branches. You might get service nearly as fast as weekday peak or it could be as slow as at midnight.

 

"hundreds of dollars for each night" savings? I can totally believe you could save $200 or more in comparison to the Pan Pacific of Fairmont Waterfront view rooms, but those are 4.5/5* properties with beautiful views, not a 3.5* property with no view premium.

 

Let's compare apples to apples here - show me a $200+ saving for the Radisson compared to another 3.5* downtown hotel and I'll happily admit I'm wrong, but all the cruise season dates I've popped into the Rad's website have given a nightly rate of around CAD$179, with nonrefundable rates discounted 20%... there are a lot of downtown options that cost within a few dollars of this.

 

The 'countless' restaurants are certainly many - but not varied. The vast majority are small Asian eateries; ideal for those of us who want a cheap hotpot or noodle meal; higher-end asian places are certainly available; but a tourist unfamiliar with quite how Chinese-dominated Richmond cuisine is, especially around that area, might have a real issue finding something that e.g. their kids or picky eaters are willing to eat in outside the hotel restaurant itself - whereas downtown offers significantly wider choice within a couple of blocks of pretty much every hotel.

 

Without knowing exactly what you mean by 'cruise terminal hotels' it's hard to debate your walking time assertions, but I will say that the Pan Pacific, and both Fairmonts are well under 10 minutes walk for an average person to the Pacific Centre - 5-8 minutes according to Googles average walking pace info to the closest entrance.

 

Your posts have been generally excellent with plenty of convenient links so please continue posting - the viewpoint of frequent visitors is often more relevant than that of locals IMO, as you actually stay in hotels and behave more like a typical tourist than us locals tend to.

 

Unless you're an employee of Radisson I have no issue with you recommending this particular hotel - but exaggerating the relative saving & facilities and underestimating transit time gives a false impression of the relative value of this hotel to your fellow cruisers.

[xlxo]

To clarify...

 

No, I don't work at the Raddison... I use a variety of chains when travelling and choose 3 star hotels with a variety of factors (number of people [suites?], public transit vs car rental parking vs ferry access, cost, conference convenience) to a trip.

• The 20 min train travel time is suggested by Translink.
  
• The 7-20 min all day weekend time combines 7 min day and late evening times. Unless there is a rare train incident, I have never seen a 20 minute wait during the day.
  
• Google Maps states it takes 12 minutes to walk from Pan Pacific to the Vancouver City Centre station where the Canada Line exits to Pacific Centre. Some walk faster, others will walk slower.
  

Yes, I am suggesting hotel downgrades for those on budgets, especially for multi-day stays. The OP was considering 4 nights which can add up. $179 is with cancellation (eg Aug 9 one night). $143 would be the non-refundable price.

 

What Raddison Richmond alternatives are you suggesting? I have stayed at the Pan Pacific and Richmond hotels, but not other downtown hotels.

 

While Aberdeen's Golden Village may lack western food options. Bridgeport, Lansdowne, and Richmond Centre offers choices as you eat your way along the Canada Line. Of course, one can dine downtown before returning to Richmond.

[martincath]

I'll begin by stating that there's little you said I actually think is flat-out wrong - it's just that there are some subtleties being missed or interpretations that all err on the side of making the Radisson location look better than it is. Like I said before your input has been generally great so far so please don't construe any of the info below as attacking you personally - just some of your info.

 

Not querying your 20 minute train journey duration between the stations you specified; just the frequency and lack of walk time to & from in your original claims.

 

The 7-20 minute weekend frequency is because Translink have no commitment to achieve faster/slower frequency at specific times on the weekends, unlike midweek - the one exception being 'early Sat/Sun' so that folks going in to work those mornings have a worst-case of 12 minute frequency. The range throughout the rest of the day is dynamic to allow for volume of people which is much more variable on the weekends than weekdays, as well as planned maintenance which is weighted toward weekends in good weather.

 

I can't be more specific as my acquaintance is involved in engineering, not scheduling - generally things are done after hours as much as possible, but anything that can't be done overnight will always be scheduled to impact weekends first. Even a very frequent visitor simply cannot gather enough experiential data to realistically supply more detailed info than Translink - even if you stand with a stopwatch on every trip rather than just going a ballpark 'that doesn't seem more than a few minutes wait' you are seeing a minuscule proportion of the train trips available.

 

Personally it seems like every time I go to Main Street I just miss the train going the way I want and have to wait longer than the official interval for the next - but I don't claim that Translink info is wrong, even if my perception is actually accurate for those trains the next six I don't see might arrive slightly ahead of schedule.

 

Check the direction on your Google maps - yes, it's 12 minutes to Van City Centre station uphill from the Pan Pacific but it's only 9 minutes back downhill. And that's not the only part of Pacific Centre - the Holt Renfrew/Sephora end is 6 minutes on the downhill leg. Google urban pace is about a 21 minute mile to allow for pedestrian crossings slowing down the average 3.5mph walking speed - I walk about 10% faster and my wife almost 20% if I'm not slowing her down!

 

There are several options in the 3* or higher range downtown which offer more convenience than the Radisson for no extra cost or even a saving.

 

For $200 or less refundable rate (2 adult day passes plus the cost of the Rad) you could stay at the following downtown hotels, all 3* or better, on Aug 9th for one night (expedia rates, open to all):

Best Western Plus Chateau Granville or Downtown;

The Sylvia;

Executive Hotel Vintage Park;

Moda (<$155!);

Comfort Inn Downtown

Empire Landmark ($150!)

 

Since everyone for whom the above does not represent their absolute maximum spend will have their own personal scale of cost & convenience, I also suggest that most people would happily pay more than the above to save that hour plus of daily commuting to the Rad - $40 extra opens up the Holiday Inn Downtown or Rosedale Suites (a superbly convenient condo right in Yaletown).

 

Getting off at other Skytrain stops for dinner is of course possible, but travel time to the hotel is being extended even more. It is certainly practical for folks staying out near YVR to stay downtown for dinner before returning (although the later they leave, the worse the likely frequency of trains).

 

If your first priority is to save money I would recommend the Best Western Alcorn, Days Inn, and Hampton Inn grouping of hotels, all within 7-9 mins walk of Bridgeport Station (from which, regardless of time or day, trains run twice as often as to Aberdeen - more than offsetting the extra ~5 mins walk IMO).

 

These hotels also offer free airport shuttles plus restaurants, supermarkets - and a big plus for many, Costco - within three blocks or less. They also cost cost $10-70 a night less than the Radisson for refundable rates, albeit as 2.5-3* properties. The Hampton & Days Inn even get better reviews than the Rad on Expedia - and those are only from verified visitors, unlike tripadvisor (where they still score in the same 4* zone)...

[Dbld777]

Here's an itinerary we did last summer that worked out quite well.

 

Fly in to Seattle - Two days, One night. Visit Pike Place Market, Space Needle, Chihuly Garden & Glass, etc.

 

Take Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver in the evening of the second day.

 

Vancouver, One night stay, take half day city tour next day, then board Northbound cruise in the afternoon.

 

7 Day Northbound cruise, disembarking in Whittier, scenic transfer to Anchorage, stopping at Wildlife Conservation Ctr, Mt. Alyeska Tram, etc.

 

Stay in Anchorage 2 nights. First day, take Alaska Railroad to Seward for a day trip. Visit Sealife Center, Exit Glacier and Iditarod Dog Kennel, returning on the evening train.

 

Second day in Anchorage, sleep in, relaxing morning. Take a city tour in the afternoon and then depart Anchorage late evening fo overnight flight home.

 

Would be glad to provide additional details on the tour providers, etc. if you would like.

 

Good luck with your planning and have a great visit to Alaska!