Transportation question

[beauxdammit]

BW and I will be flying into Seattle this fall for a cruise leaving from Vancouver. Is there any other way to get to the boat rather than using Celebrity's overpriced, uncomfortable bus? We did this one time before and I thought I would expire before we got there.

[Leela]

I looked into this for a cruise I am taking with my Mom, and found no good options so I changed the cruise so it would depart from Seattle rather than Vancouver.

 

There is a ferry, depending on time of year it runs one or twice per day to Victoria. In Victoria you have to change to another ferry for Vancouver.

 

There is also an Amtrak train, it runs once a day and leaves early enough in the morning that you can get the train from Seattle the day your cruise departs. I believe it leaves Seattle at 7:45am and gets to Vancouver around 11:30am. The return leaves Vancouver in the evening, I think around 7pm. Problem is, it gets back to Seattle too late to make any flights, so you will have to spend a night in Seattle on your way back home.

 

The prices of the train is very reasonable, though, so if you don't mind spending an extra night in Seattle in each direction it can work.

 

Other than the ferry and train, there is only various busses or renting your own car and driving over the border yourself.

 

There used to be a jetfoil, but the company that ran it went out of business. Ditto for helicopter service from downtown to downtown. What a shame for us....

[Lois R]

Hi,:) I posted this same question over on the West Coast forum and

the majority of folks recommended Amtrak.

You might want to check out that board as well.

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise:)

 

Hi Leela:)

[Leela]

Hi Lois!

 

I think that Amtrak is the best option -- easiest way of getting through Border formalities, the ticket prices are VERY good, and I hear the ride is beautiful. If I could have gotten it to work out with my mother's and my logistics (complex, she has to fly in from a small town in New Hampshire, I have to be in the English Midlands by a certain date just after the cruise) I would have done it.

 

http://www.amtrak.com for rates and schedules. Be careful -- the Amtrak site will show several "trains" a day from Seattle to Vancouver, but only one of them is an actual train. The rest are busses.

[Apexion]

The cruise airlines like to fly people into Seattle and bus them to Vancouver instead of flying them direct because the direct flight is international and more services charges apply to the flights. Use your favorite travel site and price out the flights. In some cases, the prices can be double just changing the destination from Seattle to Vancouver.

 

If you are willing to spend the money and fly direct, you can shave three to four hours off of your bus traveling time. It's around 30-40 minutes to travel from Vancouver Airport (YVR) to the cruise terminals (traffic permitting)

 

Being Canadian (Vancouver resident) and traveling into the states occasionally, I have found one other option that can be a balance of the two. Bellingham is an airport closer the the US-CDN border and can still knock 2.5 hours off your traveling time but is still in the US so you don't have the additional charges for customs etc. I typically park at the airport so it is easy. I would not recommend to anyone who is not confident in making their own connection arrangements. Connections to train/customs/buses etc. may not be easy.

[jmsevens]

And remember, if you book it yourself you are on your own if the train is late, hung up at customs etc. So, leave many hours of extra time.