Vancouver/Seattle: Time Required for Border/Security?

Booked cruise next year which will end in Vancouver. Appears that it direct flights to Florida are only available in Seattle. How much time will we need to get to Seattle airport from Vancouver, including border crossing? Planning to use bus or limo, Any advice will be appreciated.

Google quick coach dot com. These are the buses that provide service for cruise passengers to Seattle from Vancouver.

Schedule shows first bus 9am from

canada Place Pier arrives at Seatac 2:10pm.... If border wait more than 15min than that time frame will be extended. Also freeway accidents, etc.... Who knows what delay could occur.

Do not get a flight before the evening hours.

Limo I suspect = mega dollars.

I'd be surprised any Canadian driver would do this 1-way transfer unless the $$$ was right. I would

Think cheaper taking a

Commuter flight from YVR to SEA.

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Depends on day of week and time of day.

Southbound from Vancouver can be 20 minutes to 2 hrs.

I'd highly recommend taking the bus to YVR and fly down the SEA to catch your connecting flight.

You do Customs and Immigrations in YVR.

Of course, a passport book is required for this flight.

Knowing your Vancouver date will be very helpful in giving you better congestion advice.

We did the train but going in the opposite direction. Quicker border cross than a bus. Border crossing in summer can be a wait at times.

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Four hours is generally a good estimate for total drive time from downtown Vancouver to SEA, including border wait - since I assume you'd be leaving ASAP after disembarking (so likely in the 8am-9am window) Seattle rush hour would not be a factor regardless of the date. Buses pad the schedule by about an hour because they are restricted in route - they must cross at the 'truck crossing' unlike cars which can use this or Peace Arch on the I5 corridor, and they have to stop at least a few places (even the 'express' QuickShuttle has stops before SEA).

If you're genuinely considering a limo transfer then you would be better just flying out of YVR instead - it will likely save both time and money since the cheapest rate I've seen a one-way limo transfer listed is ~$400. Many flights YVR-Florida hop to SEA for the first leg - although you should definitely consider a flight with the first leg via Canadian carriers to YYZ/YUL as these have the advantage of a domestic first leg, enabling you to take an earlier first flight since you offload US immigration to the connecting airport. This can make the difference between getting home at a reasonable hour or into the next day if your ultimate destination isn't MCO/FLL/MIA.

If you're set on a SEA-Florida flight, then other ways to get there are Amtrak or rental car. Amtrak train does not work with a same-day SEA flight - earliest cruise ship arrival is already too late for the morning train, evening train (if on time) arrives downtown SEA just before 11pm, so realistically a flight in the wee small hours of the next day is the only one that would work with train schedule.

Car rental is undoubtedly the most flexible, and probably the cheapest, way to get to SEA for 2+ people as you can always get a rate under a hundred bucks if you shop around.