Seattle - Vancouver Transportation?

[IBCAR18]

I see there are various way to get from the Seattle Airport to Vancouver. We are arrive Seattle 11am Fri and departing for our cruise on Saturday at 5:30pm. Should we stay in Seattle Fri nite or rent a car, drive to Vancouver and stay there. So many options..........do we take a bus, train, plane, car, etc....?????? I leaning more towards rent a car. Some companies I called said they don't do one way rentals. Any ideas will be appreciated!!!!

[calee]

I'm staying the night in Seattle and driving to Vancouver in the morning. With 4 people we found that driving was the most cost effective and convenient way to go. We rented a full size car from National($89 including taxes) with a drop off at the cruise ship pier.

[Happy ks]

Both cities are nice to vist, but I think I would rather spend the time in Vancouver. Perhaps a local person who makes this drive more often can let you know the traffic/border crossing situation comparison between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

[Budget Queen]

You have several options. Amtrak the next morning, cruiseline charter bus, Quick Shuttle independent bus- Seatac- Canada Place. Or one way rental car- Hertz, Avis, National, Budget, Alamo offer one way rental options. I have rented from all but Hertz. You want a DOWNTOWN Vancouver pick up/return and NOT the airport. All downtown locations are walkable to Canada Place without luggage and mobility limitations. Usually quicker than their shuttles for me. But the last few times I have overnighted in Bellingham rather than Seattle. 2 hours north of Seattle, consider a side trip to Whibley Island via ferry then back on I-5 for some scenic driving. From Bellingham with an early start- by 10am you can beat a lot of border delays and be available for some Vancouver touring, even a drive through Stanley Park is enjoyable. I recently booked the Super 8 in Ferndale (about 10 miles north of Bellingham) for less than $50. :)

[mhb1757]

We opted to Priceline a hotel near the airport in Seattle (although we get in late afternoon and you arrive at 11AM). We will then take the 7:45 Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver the next AM (it arrives about 11:30AM). The hotel was under $50 for the night (with free airport shuttle service) and train tickets run $24 to $36/pp depending on whther you opt for business class or not. The train trip is quite scenic.

 

If you prefer to spend the afternoon in Vancouver, you can always just hop the Quick Shuttle at the aiport (it leaves at least once per hour more often at times you can check their schedule) and will drop you off at most DT Vancouver hotels the trip takes about 4 hours depending on which hotel you stay at. 1 way fare is about $44/pp. Again we used Priceline for 4*DT Vancouver hotels, got the Hyatt for $64/night.

 

If you have more than 3 people a rental car would probably be more economical...if there are 2 of you you wouldn't save much/any $$ and if you prefer to let someone else do the driving you might opt for train or bus.

I guess the big question is would you prefer a longer day on the day you fly, then sleep in the day of the cruise and have a 3 minute drive to the port? or would you prefer to have a relaxing day on the day you arrive in Seattle to recoup from your flight and then get up early the next AM for the nice train ride to Vancouver?

 

I don't know where you are flying in from....but if you got up on Eastern time the day you fly, you will have gotten up really early and 11AM is really 2PM to your body and by the time you arrive at your Vancouver hotel you will be ready for bed...so it's not like you will be doing any sightseeing or anything. Conversely getting up for an early train out of Seattle won't feel quite as bad, since their 5AM will feel a lot more like 8AM to you!!

[IBCAR18]

What a wealth of info that can be found here!! Thanks so much for everyone's reply. Very good point made mhb1757 regarding which day we would rather kinda' take it easy. Going to look into all options suggested but the 0745 train to Vancouver Saturday morning sounds very good. I am just concerned about being hours away from Vancouver the day of departure and having possible delay's at border crossing. We usually are always at the port morning of cruise. Thanks to everyone for their help!!!!!

[Flip2cruise]

Great Info!!! Thanks