Visiting Seattle before cruising out of Vancouver - logistics question

[Sigyn]

We are cruising out of Vancouver in July 2023. We'd like to fly in and visit Seattle for a few days beforehand. What is the best way to handle getting from Seattle to Vancouver for our cruise? I looked into a train and that seems doable and an approx. 4-hour trip. A rental car seems out of the question given there's no way to return it and a one-way rental into a foreign country is crazy expensive.

 

The plan is to fly to Seattle, visit for three days, then go to Vancouver, spend the night before our cruise, then embark on our cruise, which is one-way to Seward, then spend 3 nights in Alaska, then fly home from Anchorage or Fairbanks, depending on what we decide to visit in Alaska after our cruise. 

Edited October 30, 2022 by njsmom

[GTJ]

2 hours ago, njsmom said:

What is the best way to handle getting from Seattle to Vancouver for our cruise? I looked into a train and that seems doable and an approx. 4-hour trip.

The Amtrak train works well, arriving at the Pacific Central station in Vancouver at 11:45 a.m. Add in additional time upon arrival in Vancouver to clear immigration and customs. You would likely use a taxi to travel the 1-1/2 miles between the Pacific Central station and Canada Place.

 

You could also travel by motorcoach, and be delivered to a stop that is closer to the port in Vancouver. MTR Western has a departure from the Chinatown International District, on Lane Street, between Sixth Avenue and Maynard Avenue (near Amtrak's King Street station), in Seattle daily at 7:30 a.m., arriving first at the Pacific Central station, then continuing onward to the Waterfront Station in Vancouver at 11:55 a.m. The stop near the latter station, on Richards Street, between Cordova Street and Hastings Street, is a short five block walk to Canada Place. Tickets sold by FlixBus. (Other motorcoach services from Seattle to Vancouver, operated by Quick Coach Lines and Greyhound Lines, do not arrive timely in Vancouver for a cruise line vessel departure.)

[martincath]

Keep your eyes on car rental prices - this year has been an odd one all over, with supply issues of cars as well as all the other post-Covid shutdown staffing issues etc. Next year might be closer to normal - and back in TheBeforeTimes you could get a one-way rental for a hundred bucks easily, unless you needed a niche vehicle like a minivan.

 

Train the day before your cruise may also offer the later service by next year (staffing issues at Amtrak are apparently why only one daily train for now), if you want an extra half-day in Seattle.

 

Unless you've visited Vancouver before though, I do feel obliged to suggest abandoning your Seattle plans (or flipping the time spend in each if e.g. you have points on an airline that flies to SEA but not YVR, or just really want to do the train ride). We're both nicer and cheaper, thanks to CAD vs USD discount!

[Northern Aurora]

We did cruises out of Vancouver in both April 2022 and September 2022.  Both times we flew from Seattle to Vancouver.  Easy peasy.

[Sigyn]

11 hours ago, martincath said:

Keep your eyes on car rental prices - this year has been an odd one all over, with supply issues of cars as well as all the other post-Covid shutdown staffing issues etc. Next year might be closer to normal - and back in TheBeforeTimes you could get a one-way rental for a hundred bucks easily, unless you needed a niche vehicle like a minivan.

 

Train the day before your cruise may also offer the later service by next year (staffing issues at Amtrak are apparently why only one daily train for now), if you want an extra half-day in Seattle.

 

Unless you've visited Vancouver before though, I do feel obliged to suggest abandoning your Seattle plans (or flipping the time spend in each if e.g. you have points on an airline that flies to SEA but not YVR, or just really want to do the train ride). We're both nicer and cheaper, thanks to CAD vs USD discount!

I have visited Vancouver before and love it. My husband wants to spend time visiting wineries in the Seattle area, however, so that's a really important vacation item for him. Otherwise, I'd be all over Vancouver for the entire trip and forgo Seattle completely. 

 

11 hours ago, GTJ said:

The Amtrak train works well, arriving at the Pacific Central station in Vancouver at 11:45 a.m. Add in additional time upon arrival in Vancouver to clear immigration and customs. You would likely use a taxi to travel the 1-1/2 miles between the Pacific Central station and Canada Place.

 

You could also travel by motorcoach, and be delivered to a stop that is closer to the port in Vancouver. MTR Western has a departure from the Chinatown International District, on Lane Street, between Sixth Avenue and Maynard Avenue (near Amtrak's King Street station), in Seattle daily at 7:30 a.m., arriving first at the Pacific Central station, then continuing onward to the Waterfront Station in Vancouver at 11:55 a.m. The stop near the latter station, on Richards Street, between Cordova Street and Hastings Street, is a short five block walk to Canada Place. Tickets sold by FlixBus. (Other motorcoach services from Seattle to Vancouver, operated by Quick Coach Lines and Greyhound Lines, do not arrive timely in Vancouver for a cruise line vessel departure.)

Very helpful, thanks!

 

10 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

We did cruises out of Vancouver in both April 2022 and September 2022.  Both times we flew from Seattle to Vancouver.  Easy peasy.

I'll consider, thanks!

[Gardyloo]

2 hours ago, njsmom said:

I have visited Vancouver before and love it. My husband wants to spend time visiting wineries in the Seattle area, however, so that's a really important vacation item for him. Otherwise, I'd be all over Vancouver for the entire trip and forgo Seattle completely. 

Is he familiar with the excellent wineries in the Fraser Valley, just east of Vancouver?  It might be worth some investigating.

 

Fraser Valley Wine Region of British Columbia | Wine BC

Fraser River Valley Wineries, Wines and Wine Region (winesnw.com)

Wines of Canada BC's Fraser Valley

Edited October 30, 2022 by Gardyloo

[Sigyn]

11 minutes ago, Gardyloo said:

Is he familiar with the excellent wineries in the Fraser Valley, just east of Vancouver?  It might be worth some investigating.

 

Fraser Valley Wine Region of British Columbia | Wine BC

Fraser River Valley Wineries, Wines and Wine Region (winesnw.com)

Wines of Canada BC's Fraser Valley

I'll do more research, thank you!

[Jetswdo]

We did this a few years ago--- We took a bus that left right next to Hertz car rental.  It went straight to Vancouver, dropped us off right in front of our hotel.  Excellent connections.   We had flown into Seattle a few days earlier, rented a car from Hertz to get us to a lovely hotel with free parking and transportation to the local spots.  The day before the cruise, we dropped off the car at Hertz, hoped on that bus, and that was that.

[jsglow]

We did something very similar this August.  Flew to visit our son for a few days in Seattle.  Took the coach bus to Vancouver the day before our cruise (Amtrak wasn't running yet). Spent the evening exploring Stanley park area. Cruised northbound and returned home after our land portion.  There's two folks on this board who helped me plan the whole SEA/VAN thing: @martincathand @Ferry_Watcher.  If they give you any suggestions, take 'em. 👍

[lovecruzin]

On 10/30/2022 at 7:49 AM, njsmom said:

I have visited Vancouver before and love it. My husband wants to spend time visiting wineries in the Seattle area, however, so that's a really important vacation item for him. Otherwise, I'd be all over Vancouver for the entire trip and forgo Seattle completely. 

 

Very helpful, thanks!

 

I'll consider, thanks!

If wine tasting in WA is the goal, check out Woodinville.

30 (probably more) tasting rooms all within walking distance of one another.

[trivia addict]

Woodinville would be the largest concentration of wineries near Seattle, but you would need to rent a car to get there. Also, some of those tasting rooms have closed recently, so check on that.

Now, if you are interested in Breweries, then Seattle is the place for you!

[jeromep]

On 10/30/2022 at 7:49 AM, njsmom said:

I have visited Vancouver before and love it. My husband wants to spend time visiting wineries in the Seattle area, however, so that's a really important vacation item for him. Otherwise, I'd be all over Vancouver for the entire trip and forgo Seattle completely.

 

As @lovecruzin and @trivia addict pointed out, if you are looking for wineries, Woodinville is the closest place, and that will still require a rental car and a drive.  There are a number of branch locations of wineries in Seattle proper, but you don't get the winery experience, just the wine.

 

If you want to see where most of the grapes are really from, and where most of the wine making occurs, you have to drive at least to Yakima, and a little farther into the Yakima Valley, or farther than that into the Columbia Basin.  You'll often see Columbia Valley listed on bottles of wine from Washington.  No such place exists, they are really referring to the Columbia Basin.  What sounds better on the a wine label, especially when you are competing with the various valleys in California, Columbia Basin or Columbia Valley?  Real Washington wine country is a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle, at Interstate speeds, and if your husband is serious, the trip will be worth it.

 

Booking a hotel room in Yakima, or the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Richland and Pasco) as your jumping off point to visit wineries in the region will work out well.  If you really are planning on arriving to the area 4 days ahead of the cruise, you have plenty of time to get away from Seattle and see some of the rest of Washington State and visit wineries and their associated "estates".

 

The smaller wineries in the Yakima Valley and in the basin put up some very unique and limited run products.  I strongly recommend that you check out Treveri Cellars.  They are the only sparkling wine producer in the valley and one of the best producers hands down.  They do have a Seattle tasting room.

 

http://www.trevericellars.com/

 

I strongly recommend opening up Google maps and finding Yakima, WA.  From there go southeast along I-82, and if you are zoomed in enough on the map you'll see little winery icons pop up all over the map.  Most of the valley wineries are located a few miles from either side of I-82.  As you get closer to the Tri-Cities you'll see wineries spread out all over.  You are then in the Basin.

 

There are other ways to work your vacation.  You could fly into Pasco, rent a car, visit wineries in the basin.  Drive to Yakima, stay a night visit wineries in the valley, then drive to SeaTac, drop off your car, and pick up Amtrak Cascades at King Street Station to go to Vancouver.

[mbjonsn]

Train or fly would be my recommendation. Alaska Airlines is awesome, by the way!  Have a wonderful time!

[Prost Seattle]

British Columbia has some excellent wines, but they aren’t well known because there are limits to their exports.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by their excellence.  

 

The wineries near Seattle would be in Woodinville, which is developing a nice wine district.

 

If wine was your husband’s motivator, Walla Walla.  Fantastic wine scene and amazing food.  I think in 20-30 years we’ll talk about Walla Walla like we do Napa now. 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Prost Seattle