Seattle or Vancouver to Alaska?

[SHINEMAN]

Is it better to cruise to Alaska from Vancouver or Seattle?

Does the air fare enter into the decision?

[jerhardt]

Personally I was going to take Seattle this year because the Wind is running out of Vancouver and the Sun/Star are in Seattle. I live in the Vancouver area, so you would think I would jump on a cruise out of my home port, but the ship matters to me. However, I also liked the route that Wind took, but didn't like the ship, so when NCL announced the '07 sailings and that the Sun is returning to Vancouver I switched.

 

The Seattle runs cruise up the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and hop into the 'Inside Passage' north of Prince Rupert, whereas the ships running out of Vancouver cruise the true Inside Passage.

 

Just my 2 bits.

[SeaTeacher]

Jerhardt is right about the course the ships take from the two different cities. But for some American's, airfare is cheaper if they fly into Seattle. Some also want to spend some vacation time in Seattle, or avoid the delay/hassel of a border crossing.

 

I think all the Seattle embarkation cruises also have the advantage of a stop in Victoria, British Columbia (Princess for sure stops there). It's a beautiful small city that's very popular with some cruisers. Victoria is the provincial capital of BC, and home to Butchart Gardens. Cruises out of Vancover don't stop in Victoria.

 

Finally, it should be mentioned that the Seattle cruises are only round trip "inside passage" cruises. They don't terminate or start in Alaska, which is important for those who want to do the train tours up to Denali National Park or Fairbanks. If you want that possibility, you must cruise from Vancouver.

 

So different embarkation ports work for different people with different needs and wants.

[cntrydncr1]

We are flying into Seattle because it is alot cheaper but cruising from Vancouver. Vancouver looks like a place I don't want to miss. I did not want to do a round trip as we are also going to spend 6 days in the interior of Alaska after our cruise. I think you have to look at all of the reasons why people choose one or the other and do what works best for you. Thank goodness for these boards. I wish I had found them before I took my first few cruises!

[marieandpeter]

Because of US maritime laws, Seattle cruises are round trip Seattle, and Vancouver cruises are one way to Anchorage or vice versa. So airfares are usually cheaper to Seattle, but the Vancouver cruises can provide more varied scenery because they go one way in the time that Seattle cruises go round trip.

 

US laws prohibit all but US registered ships from carrying people between two US ports, and require round trip cruises to stop at a foreign port. That's why every Seattle cruise will stop at a Canadian port. That's why you can't have a one way cruise from Seattle to Anchorage.

[suziehmkr]

We are booked on a RT out of Vancouver, not all out of Vancouver are 1-way. We specifically booked this ship because it is RT out of Vancouver and not Seattle. There were a couple of reasons that we decided.... one was the DH doesn't like to fly. So that narrowed it down to RT Seattle or Vancouver. We are driving, so adding another 3-4 hours on top of the original 13 isn't a big deal. Since we were losing a port to the 1-way, we decided Vancouver to get the full experience of the inside passage viewing. This also affords us a couple of days pre-cruise in Seattle, Victoria & Vancouver! It was a win-win for us.

[calikak]

I have done both the Vancouver round-trip and the Seattle round-trip. Since I live in Seattle, the Seattle itinerary is more convenient for me, and I like Victoria, but I think the scenery is more dramatic when you sail out of Vancouver. Sailing under the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver is definitely a memorable experience, kind of like sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. But both are lovely itineraries and I would happily do either again. I would look into the convenience factors (airfare costs, etc.) and then weigh that against the perks of each itinerary.

 

One other thought: be sure to check what time of day the Seattle itinerary you're considering stops in Victoria--if it's only there at night, you won't get to enjoy as much of the city as you would on a sailing that has a daytime stop.

[gg3]

Have sailed out of Vancouver and Seattle, and while both cities are wonderful, the route out of V. can not be beat. To me a day is wasted cruising around the W. side of Vancouver Island in the Pacific, out of Seattle. Very little scenery, while taking the route out of Vancouver around the E. side of the Island, is non stop beauty. Often the water can be rough out of Seattle also. If air fare is considerably cheaper to Seattle, many cruisers shuttle up to Vancouver by Amtrak, car rental, or bus. Check past posts for info and you will get more than enough to make up your mind. This question is asked often and it is a very valid one. gg

[Happy ks]

You have to look at your itinerary very carefully. Not just the ports, but the times in the ports.

 

We just met a couple who had completed their first Alaska cruise last week, we were disembarking (along with 2 other ships) in Vancouver. They had sailed on NCL Wind, round trip out of Van. To make a long story short, they were only in port at Ketchikan and Juneau for a very short time, something like 6 hours each. At rather odd times, too, like 6 am to 12 noon. If you consider that you have to shave off almost an hour at each end of your port times, that would leave only 4 hours at each of those ports.

 

There are so many choices when you cruise to Alaska, the port you leave from is just a small part of the picture.

 

The only reason I'd leave out of Seattle would have to be for the port destinations, not ease of air travel to and from the embarkation port.

[suziehmkr]

We have the Serenade booked for next summer out of Vancouver... I think we have pretty good port times:

 

ISP: 10a-6p

Skagway: 7a - 8:30p

Juneau: 7a - 3p

 

We also sail the inside passage to ISP and we have a Hubbard Glacier day. The last sea day just says "cruising" - nothing about the inside passage, but hoping it also comes back thru instead of going around.

[Seagal123]

We live in Seattle and have driven to Vancouver for our Alaska cruises--love the RCL Radiance class ships!! Going on the Serenade out of Vancouver in Sept. We usually go to Victoria two or three times a year on the Victoria Clipper or Kenmore Air--float planes-- so don't miss not stopping in Victoria on our cruises out of Vancouver.

[Fuzzzy]

I live in Seattle. So, I would prefer cruise from here. Now, after saying thatm the intineraries from Vancouver are supiour to Seattle IMHO.