Vancouver to Seatac Transfer?

For Alaskan cruises ending in Vancouver, does HAL offer a transfer to SeaTac or only to the Vancouver airport?

Roz

For Alaskan cruises ending in Vancouver, does HAL offer a transfer to SeaTac or only to the Vancouver airport?

 

Roz

I used one from Vancouver to Seatac about 10 years ago.

The cost was $59.00 one way 10 years ago.

We left Vancouver at 7:00 and got to Seatac at 12:30. We got delayed at the border.

You can check with Hal to see if they still offer this.

On most of my Coastal cruises that ended in Vancouver, HAL didn't offer the SeaTac transfer, so I used Quick Shuttle to get down to Seattle. Didn't know if it was different for Alaskan cruises.

My cruise is in May of 2019, so shorex info isn't posted yet.

Roz

On most of my Coastal cruises that ended in Vancouver, HAL didn't offer the SeaTac transfer, so I used Quick Shuttle to get down to Seattle. Didn't know if it was different for Alaskan cruises.

 

My cruise is in May of 2019, so shorex info isn't posted yet.

 

Roz

Ours was an Alaskan Cruise.

We used HAL's transfer to go from Vancouver to SeaTac/hotel a couple of times.

Our bus didn't leave until after 10 AM. It was sealed so we zipped right through the border. We got to SeaTac (first stop) where all those flying home were dropped off in one area -- not near any of the terminals. You were basically on your own to get your luggage to whatever terminal you had to get to.

There were several of going to hotels as we had flights out early the next morning. The driver dropped us all off at whatever hotel we requested.

I just booked a Hawaii cruise the other day with my PCC.

The cruise is in September through October this year.

The cruise starts in Seattle and ends in Vancouver.

I show two options for transfers one to Vancouver for $29.00 and one to Seatac for $69.00.

I just booked a Hawaii cruise the other day with my PCC.

 

The cruise is in September through October this year.

 

The cruise starts in Seattle and ends in Vancouver.

 

I show two options for transfers one to Vancouver for $29.00 and one to Seatac for $69.00.

This is post cruise transfer that is being offered.

Thanks to all for the info. I'm familiar with the drop off area. Quick Shuttle uses the same one. By the time we get to SeaTac it's too late for flights back East, so I have to stay overnight. I just wheel my suitcase to the area where the hotel shuttles pick up and go from there.

Roz

On most of my Coastal cruises that ended in Vancouver, HAL didn't offer the SeaTac transfer, so I used Quick Shuttle to get down to Seattle. Didn't know if it was different for Alaskan cruises.

 

My cruise is in May of 2019, so shorex info isn't posted yet.

 

Roz

Seatac bus is generally not available from Coastal cruises. We did a Coastal last year on Amsterdam and transfer was only available to those on the full PC trip. Also another HAL ship in from Alasksa.

We have done the transfer before and was great-as KK said the bus was sealed before we left and we zipped through the border.

Thanks to all for the info. I'm familiar with the drop off area. Quick Shuttle uses the same one. By the time we get to SeaTac it's too late for flights back East, so I have to stay overnight. I just wheel my suitcase to the area where the hotel shuttles pick up and go from there.

 

Roz

If you;re staying overnight in Seattle, you also have the option of the evening Amtrak. You'd need to get transport from the train station down to SEATAC, though. Uber, taxi, light rail, etc.

Just wanted to share our story. I got a good deal on a flight to Seattle. Our cruise was out of Vancouver. I find a airport shuttle to take us to downtown Vancouver. Here is where things went wrong. This was similar to a commuter shuttle. We were fully loaded with bags for a 7 day cruise and the Denali adventure and we over pack. Plus we had each had about 5 bottles of wine to bring aboard in our bags. We had to off load from the bus with all of our luggage to go through immigration/customs. They had no carts and we had to move 3 pieces of luggage each with no Smart Carts available. Ouch! Will never do that again. Go through HAL if you are going through customs and travel with a lot of baggage. It will make things so much easier.

... Go through HAL if you are going through customs and travel with a lot of baggage. It will make things so much easier.

Wouldn't have mattered a fig who ran the bus - your bags need inspected at the bus crossing, there are no carts for anyone, and duty on alcohol is payable regardless if you have >2 bottles each. Only the train avoids having to unload bags these days.

In the past there have been occasional 'sealed bus transfers' available - which make no Canadian stops at all, taking pax only between the USA and the US-administered pre-clearance area at Canada Place - and these would be exempt from any border checks as technically they remain under US jurisdiction the whole time. Even getting these between YVR and the pier is no longer consistently-available though, let alone to Seatac.

The advantage to cruiseline bus transfers across the border is speed - they don't make any stops as there are no other pax to pick up, so they are quicker than any of the independent buses. Back in the day they were also cheaper than QuickShuttle (US$59), but based on the pricing further up the thread they seem to have figured out that with a better service they can charge more than QS and folks will still pay.

On our HAL bus the driver collected all passports at the border and handed them to the ICE official from his window. ICE brought them back about 5 minutes later and we were on our way. The door stayed sealed until we stopped for a break in the US at a rest area.

Wow! One has to think long and hard as to whether 5+ hours on a bus (plus getting up extra early) is worth a lower airfare out of Seattle.

igraf

I used one from Vancouver to Seatac about 10 years ago.

The cost was $59.00 one way 10 years ago.

 

We left Vancouver at 7:00 and got to Seatac at 12:30. We got delayed at the border.

 

You can check with Hal to see if they still offer this.

Learned my lesson on that one. We were carrying 8 bottles of wine and they never dinged us for them. At least something went right.

I've never spent 5+ hrs. to get from Vancouver to Seattle. For me it's worth it, especially if I can pay for my flight from Seattle with SW points. One way international airfare from Vancouver to Nashville can be pricey.

Roz

On our HAL bus the driver collected all passports at the border and handed them to the ICE official from his window. ICE brought them back about 5 minutes later and we were on our way. The door stayed sealed until we stopped for a break in the US at a rest area.

That's not because it was run by HAL, but because it was sealed (and unless they confirm they've arranged that, assume it will not be a sealed transfer - the passport check is to ensure everyone is US/Canadian citizen. If any foreigners book the transfer, you'll probably all have to do the normal 'off the bus' thing regardless).

Once in a blue moon it's so busy at the border that agents walk the queuing traffic, boarding buses for quick passport checks, and if everyone is US/Canadians they open a bypass gate and let the bus right through without it having to filter all the way around to the bus inspection post - never seen this with a delay less than 2 hours though, and of course the one time we got a chance there was a gosh-durn South African couple on the bus. Even us Canadians thought about killing them and dumping their bodies out the bus window since we had another hour of waiting in traffic to get to the bus inspection post;-)

That 7 hour nightmare trip was one of the 'double Princess 1 night repo status earning extravaganza weekends' when so many people were coming back up to Vancouver to do their second cruise that CBSA simply couldn't process the buses quick enough. If it's a holiday weekend a two hour wait to cross the border by bus is also quite possible - which is why we only ever take the train now on holidays or if we're coming/going to a Seattle cruise, since immigration happens in much more civilized fashion here in Vancouver.

We were told by the driver and onboard the ship that since we had cleared US Customs before leaving Vancouver the week before; came from Alaska directly to Vancouver; and were off the ship and straight onto the bus we were still cleared. I know they did say onboard some would not be able to use the direct bus to Seatac and would be notified the day before. I'm guessing due to not US or Canadian citizens or had purchased something onboard with high value (jewelry, etc) or a myriad of other reasons I'm sure that would have required them to clear again.

When we arrived at the border (in Sumas I believe) we were sent to a special line of many cruise busses. Driver handed the officer his paperwork and was instructed to hand our passports through his window and not open the door.

I just got lucky when we did a back to back 10 years ago.

We sailed on celebrity from Vancouver to Seward when we got to Seward we crossed over and took the Veendam back to Vancouver.

We flew in and out of Seattle. Celebrity contracted with Quick Shuttle for Transfers from Seatac to Ballentyne Pier. We didn’t arrive til 2:00 because we got stuck at the border for a while and Quick Shuttle made all their regular

Stops. This is why I think it took soo long.

When we disembarked the Veendam we left sometime between 7:00 and 7:30 and got to Seatac at 12:30. Again we got stuck at the border. They required that all the luggage come off so the bus needed to be unsealed and we all needed to show our passports to once we claimed our luggage. Then the luggage needed to go back on. The bus driver told us that was not the norm.

I am sure if we’re able to go through the border still sealed, we would have gotten to Seatac by 11:30.

I am sure this not the norm. For me if the price difference has to be more than $100.00 between flying out of Seatac vs Vancouver.

I just had a bad experience when I used the Seatac-Vancouver Shuttle but it doesn’t mean I will not do it again.

If Am using miles out of Seatac then the bus ride is worth it. I am also on the west coast and can fly from Seatac on the same day. If I had fly back east the bus ride would be worth it to fly out of Seatac.

Stuff just happens when you travel!

We were told by the driver and onboard the ship that since we had cleared US Customs before leaving Vancouver the week before; came from Alaska directly to Vancouver; and were off the ship and straight onto the bus we were still cleared. I know they did say onboard some would not be able to use the direct bus to Seatac and would be notified the day before. I'm guessing due to not US or Canadian citizens or had purchased something onboard with high value (jewelry, etc) or a myriad of other reasons I'm sure that would have required them to clear again.

 

When we arrived at the border (in Sumas I believe) we were sent to a special line of many cruise busses. Driver handed the officer his paperwork and was instructed to hand our passports through his window and not open the door.

That's exactly what I'd expect for a sealed bus transfer - vetting who they would allow to board the bus in advance was a very sensible precaution by HAL. Anyone who needs a Visa for entry should have been weeded out, and yes customs allowances would also be a relevant factor in respect of Duty Free goods bought on the ship (Alaskan port purchases obviously were made in the US, and since legally-speaking were never brought into Canada if they were taken straight onto a sealed bus there would be no need for CBSA involvement).

Question: Years ago they had a "quick pass" system for US Cruise passengers flying into Vancouver airport wherein we got on a "sealed bus" and went directly to the ship. No pit stops. There were two lines at the airport, one for cruise passengers only. It was fast and efficient and we only had to go through customs once. Does that still exist?

Last time we went to Vancouver, you had to go through the customary customs at the airport. Then get on a shuttle or cab to the Port and go through customs again to get onto the ship. A long process indeed if there were more than one ship in port. The lines at the Port were insane.

Question: Years ago they had a "quick pass" system for US Cruise passengers flying into Vancouver airport wherein we got on a "sealed bus" and went directly to the ship. No pit stops. There were two lines at the airport, one for cruise passengers only. It was fast and efficient and we only had to go through customs once. Does that still exist?

 

Last time we went to Vancouver, you had to go through the customary customs at the airport. Then get on a shuttle or cab to the Port and go through customs again to get onto the ship. A long process indeed if there were more than one ship in port. The lines at the Port were insane.

"US Direct" was the name I knew it under - it disappeared many years ago; came back again for a year; disappeared again; came back yet again for a season but only in one direction; then disappeared once again (~3-4 years ago was last time IIRC).

While I can appreciate the advantage for 'must go home immediately' US cruisers that don't have the vacation time to spend even an extra day, from a local tourist income perspective the lack of it is a win - since you have to do Canadian immigration/customs at the pier at least a few extra folks must think "oh well, may as well go see some stuff/buy some things" and plough cash back into local economy even if it's just for a few hours pre- or post-cruise. So thanks for helping keep my taxes merely super high instead of super-insanely high!

"US Direct" was the name I knew it under - it disappeared many years ago; came back again for a year; disappeared again; came back yet again for a season but only in one direction; then disappeared once again (~3-4 years ago was last time IIRC).

 

While I can appreciate the advantage for 'must go home immediately' US cruisers that don't have the vacation time to spend even an extra day, from a local tourist income perspective the lack of it is a win - since you have to do Canadian immigration/customs at the pier at least a few extra folks must think "oh well, may as well go see some stuff/buy some things" and plough cash back into local economy even if it's just for a few hours pre- or post-cruise. So thanks for helping keep my taxes merely super high instead of super-insanely high!

Thanks for the info, and I sense, a little sarcasm. My wife wants to unpack only once, on a ship, so we take a early flight in and board the same day rather than spending an overnight pre-cruise. For Vancouver, that flight now has to be VERY EARLY indeed.

We got special luggage tags on the ship. We put our bags out the lasst night and the next time we saw them was when we got off the bus in Seattle.

We only had our carry on bags with us in the terminal. We were standing next to the bus when we saw our bags being loaded and a seal put on the luggage door on the bus.

Thanks for the info, and I sense, a little sarcasm. My wife wants to unpack only once, on a ship, so we take a early flight in and board the same day rather than spending an overnight pre-cruise. For Vancouver, that flight now has to be VERY EARLY indeed.

As a fellow Left Coaster you're certainly at lower risk than most of missing the cruise due to flight delays, but if it's actually the unpacking rather than cost of a hotel room that stops you coming in the day before you just need to get more efficient at packing;-) One change of clothes in your carryon means no need to unpack the main suitcase until you're onboard, and good packing technique means still no wrinkles even if the rest of your clothes are in the big suitcase another night.

Vancouver is an awesome place to explore, and booked before it sells out the YWCA Hotel is a very cheap 'insurance policy' against problems traveling Day Of. Plus any extra cash you spend in the city might help knock another couple of cents off my next property tax increase;-)