Getting from YVR to Seattle for RT cruise out of Seattle

[Geldhart]

My family of 4 (DW, DD14, DD11 at the time) will be taking the Aug 23, 2015 Ruby Princess RT cruise out of Seattle to Alaska. Never been to Seattle, but have been to Vancouver a couple of times, but always on business and never had much of a chance to look around.

 

In my previous job I accumulated a large amount of points for WestJet and IHG hotels that I am planning on cashing in. Since I'm flying WestJet, I will be flying to Vancouver; not Seattle.

 

We would be flying in on the Thursday (Ship leaves on Sunday).

 

What is the easiest/economical way to get from YVR to Seattle? We were looking at taking the train, but am not sure about logistics of getting to the station from YVR. Renting a car is probably out unless rental+gas+parking is significantly cheaper. We are okay getting around by public transportation.

 

Then in Seattle, need a hotel in the IHG family that's a reasonable distance from the port and "stuff to do in Seattle" -- or at least with good public transportation options to the Seattle stuff. We are likely going to get a taxi or other transportation to the port.

 

A few hotels we are looking at? Any recommendations (even off this list provided they are IHG hotels).

 

Holiday Inn Express and Suites : North Seattle - Shoreline

Crowne Plaza : Seattle Airport

Holiday Inn Express and Suites : Seattle-Sea-Tac Airport

 

Is Seattle Airport and Sea-Tac the same thing?

[martincath]

Answers after each Q below:

What is the easiest/economical way to get from YVR to Seattle?

 

Possibly the best option would be QuickShuttle (they pick up at YVR at 10am or 3pm, but have other departures from downtown). Takes about 4 hours, for $43per adult, $29 for DD13, $15 for DD11 to downtown Seattle. If you're staying in Seattle Center this is excellent, as the stop is about 4 blocks on foot from both of the IHG hotels here. With no cab fare needed on the Vancouver end it would be cheaper than even Saver Amtrak fares.

 

If you book the Amtrak southbound early enough you can get fares of $19-29 pp (DD11 half price), depending on whether there's a sale on or not, and if you go by bus you should be able to easily find fares of $30 per person or less on Bolt (and in theory there's always the possibility of scoring a $1 ticket on each bus). In either case you leave Vancouver from Pacific Central station (VAC) and arrive at Seattle King Street Station.

 

Cab fare from YVR>VAC is c. $35, and a minivan cab should fit four of you plus luggage. Transit would cost $9pp on a Thursday daytime, but $7.75pp after 6:30pm - this would involve a transfer of Skytrain lines, and the second leg would need to avoid rushhour as there is no room for suitcases on the Expo/Millennium line. DD11 would save about a buck - but frankly I'd still take a cab unless you were planning to stay in Vancouver for a couple of days before heading down to Seattle.

 

The downside to Amtrak is the limited service - 6:20am and 5:45pm. Unless your flight in is going to work for the latter, expect to spend the night in Vancouver if you do want to go by train.

 

On the Seattle end, cab/transit fare depends which hotel you book.

 

Then in Seattle, need a hotel in the IHG family that's a reasonable distance from the port and "stuff to do in Seattle" -- or at least with good public transportation options to the Seattle stuff. We are likely going to get a taxi or other transportation to the port.

 

A few hotels we are looking at? Any recommendations (even off this list provided they are IHG hotels).

 

Holiday Inn Express and Suites : North Seattle - Shoreline

Crowne Plaza : Seattle Airport

Holiday Inn Express and Suites : Seattle-Sea-Tac Airport

 

I wouldn't take any of the hotels you list - too far from downtown, could easily spend an hour each way on transit. There are three IHG hotels in much better locations - Holiday Inn and HI Express in Seattle Center near Space Needle, Crowne Plaza on 6th. The last one involves a lot of hill climbing, and is close to I5. Both of the former two are literally right next to each other, with the Hi Express prob a little noisier (Aurora is a much busier road than Dexter, but is sunken below grade at this point).

 

I assume these three have a higher point cost per night - but unless you want to waste two hours per day getting to & from your airport or Northgate hotel, suck up the extra cost even if it means having to pay for one of the nights!

 

Is Seattle Airport and Sea-Tac the same thing?

 

Yes - although there is an actual town of SeaTac. It doesn't extend far from the airport, but sometimes hotel names might refer to the town or the airport - and Tacomites probably object strenuously to being dropped from the name if the airport is referred to as just 'Seattle';-)

 

Renting a car might end up as cheap or cheaper than Amtrak if you don't score a Super Saver ticket - I've seen one-way rates as low as $90 with all fees & taxes, and gas from YVR to Seattle should only cost about $30 unless you're in a ridiculously huge vehicle. Parking cost is irrelevant if you're only comparing the getting to Seattle hotel part, as you won't need to pay to park anywhere - just drop off your bags & rest of party then go return the car right away.

 

One last thing - you do realise you can actually redeem your WestJet dollars on flights to Seattle? Any flight with a WS prefix is valid - even if it's a codeshare. There are direct flights from YYC to SEA, and YEG via YVR or YYC (I'm assuming you're in Alberta from your profile).

Edited August 19, 2014 by martincath

[slickriptide]

@martincath has covered the transportation logistics quite well.

 

It appears that you want to avoid a vehicle rental? In that case, I would recommend against staying in a hotel in an outlying area.

 

It may be that you don't realize how large the Seattle metropolitan area is. Sea-Tac and Shoreline, while technically in the "Seattle area", are nowhere near Seattle downtown proper.

 

Sea-Tac is the midway area between Seattle and Tacoma, near the airport. While it's true that you could ride the light rail into Seattle, you would do that as a one-time trip to reach your downtown hotel. It's not something you'd want to do daily for four days. Likewise, hotels are the only thing of any interest in the Sea-Tac area if you have no transportation. With the possible exception of the Cedarbrook, you wouldn't want to spend three nights hanging around the airport.

 

Shoreline is a residential area some ten to twelve miles north of Seattle. If you plan to play golf for those three days then you might do well in that area. (There are three golf courses.) Otherwise, it's not a terribly attractive area from a tourist standpoint.

 

Rather than focus strictly on price, I would suggest going to IHG.com (or whatever website you use for your loyalty rewards) and exploring your options based on location in the downtown core. Either that or decide that you intend to rent a vehicle after all.

 

In the "What to do for three days" department:

 

What are your family's interests? With at least two full days to fill, I would really highly recommend that you reconsider the vehicle rental and consider going farther afield than Seattle proper on at least one day.

 

A day trip to the Mount St. Helens Johnston Ridge observatory could be combined with a side trip to Northwest Trek on the way back.

 

Doing Northwest Trek on the return trip will not just break up the monotony of the long drive. The animals are more active in the evening when the temperatures are moderately cooler. One of the best times to take the tour is on the last tour of the day, from the standpoint of getting the most out of the tram tour. The trade off is that it can leave you with less time for exploring the foot travel parts of the preserve, so you'll want to balance your desire to see everything they have to offer versus seeing the most activity amongst the denizens of the park.

 

If your family is the active and adventurous sort and you wanted to do something really different on such a day trip, I would tell you to buy a couple of good flashlights (high-power LED flashlights are not that expensive these days) and visit the Ape Caves while you are visiting Mount Saint Helens. The "caves" are a pair of ancient lava tubes that descend into the mountains. They are *HUGE* inside and you don't know what pitch black really means until you've tried going down under the Earth and then turning off all of your lights and realizing that millions of tons of planet are between you and the sky. If you ever wanted to know that the Fellowship of the Ring felt like on their trip through Khazad Dum, this will give you first-hand experience.

 

If you prefer your entertainment to be a bit more conventional, then consider some of the these attractions:

 

Pacific Science Center - You're bound to visit the Seattle Center anyway, so make the Science Center one of the places on your list. The butterfly house is well worth the admission price, and if you're from the center of the Continent then your girls will probably enjoy the tidal touch tank. Then there are the naked mole rats. You really do have to see them to believe them.

 

There are two Imax theaters. One inside the admission area, and the Boeing Spacearium, which is outside but connected. The inside theater rotates between documentary style films that are free with admission or that require a small extra charge. The Spacearium typically has first-run Hollywood films where the giant screen and/or 3D experience is the main attraction. The Spacearium films are nearly always a separate charge.

 

Tillicum Village - Combines a harbor cruise with dinner and a show. The cruise travels to Blake Island, a state park accessible only by water. There is actually some good hiking and camping on the island, though it's very much a "bring all of your needs with you" place. There's no corner market to run down to if you forget the marshmallows.

 

The tour drops you at a Long House, where you're greeted with freshly made clam nectar and an opportunity to walk around the grounds. Dinner is buffet-style and features salmon cooked over an open fire in traditional Native American manner. Whatever anyone thinks of the rest of the experience, pretty much everyone agrees the salmon is some of the best they've had.

 

The show features Native American dance, stories and costuming. The cruise back to Seattle, in late August, is particularly picturesque as the sun is already beginning to set around 8:30 and, if you had booked the evening cruise, you would get a romantic view of the city lights on the return trip.

 

Woodland Park Zoo - The Zoo is one of the gems of Seattle, landing on various top ten lists over the years. One reason is the number of open roaming habitats. The exhibits are divided into biomes and much effort has been spent on creating habitats that approximate the "home" environments of the animals that live in the exhibits. Whether you're walking through the Amazon Rain Forest, with birds flying freely all around you, or watching the giraffe and zebras roaming the savannah, or learning about the way of life, both wild and domestic, of the elephants of Asia, you'll find lots for any animal lover to enjoy at the Zoo.

 

I could go on, but a lot depends on just what your family finds to be entertaining, and how mobile you are. You've got a year to figure it out, though. :)

 

Tripadvisor reviews of Johnston Ridge Observatory

Yelp Reviews of Northwest Trek

Edited August 19, 2014 by slickriptide
Added review links

[mapleleaves]

I have to ask ....why don't you cruise from Vancouver ? Vancouver provides a more scenic routing than Seattle, and would save a lot of hassle. Plus I'm partial to Vancouver for sightseeing.

 

Hopefully martincath's suggestion to fly into Seatac will work. But if it doesn't, your other transportation options are Amtrak Train, Amtrak Bus, Bolt Bus, Quick Coach, rental car, and I think Horizon/Alaska Air has a flight.

 

Bolt Bus is probably the cheapest ... it can be as low as $12pp. But as you know, the problem with those other options is getting to their depot from the airport, plus some aren't direct and can take 6-7 hrs. You'll need to do the math and see which option is cheaper when you factor in the additional costs for getting to the depot and $15 for a cab in Seattle to get to the hotel.

 

For an IHT hotels, I agree with martincath's assessment. Choose HI and HI Express near the Seattle Center or Crowne Plaza downtown. Last choice HI Seatac.

[Geldhart]

Thanks everyone; Some useful information here.

 

Answering a few questions that were asked.

 

Flying to Seattle will cost about double compared to going to YVR after accounting for the points and voucher I have.

 

Cruising out of Seattle is based on a few factors; one of them being the logistics/costs of flying to or from Alaska. I would have loved to do a b2b out of Vancouver, but financially, that's not happening yet.

 

I Like the idea of the Quick Shuttle picking us up at YVR; right now it looks like a toss up between that and taking the TRAIN. (Yes, you can call me Dr. Cooper). Since it doesn't look like Bolt goes to YVR, I can drop that from consideration. If I'm going to catch a cab to go to another form of transportation, I might as well catch a train. My son would like that as well.

 

Thanks for suggestions on the Hotels, not knowing Seattle at all, looks like I was way out to lunch on my choices. I will look into Seattle Centre or Crown Plaza downtown. Either that, or I might look at a car rental once I'm in Seattle. Some choices there look OK.

 

How does one get a $90 one-way car rental? Nothing I saw was even close to that? (Mind you I can't get my exact dates coming up yet).

 

I'm also hoping the Seattle Mariners are playing in town when we are there. Major bonus points if the visiting team is the Blue Jays, but that will have to wait until next years MLB schedule comes out. I figure I have a 50/50 chance of catching a game.

[martincath]

Thanks everyone; Some useful information here.

 

Answering a few questions that were asked.

 

Flying to Seattle will cost about double compared to going to YVR after accounting for the points and voucher I have.

 

Cruising out of Seattle is based on a few factors; one of them being the logistics/costs of flying to or from Alaska. I would have loved to do a b2b out of Vancouver, but financially, that's not happening yet.

 

I Like the idea of the Quick Shuttle picking us up at YVR; right now it looks like a toss up between that and taking the TRAIN. (Yes, you can call me Dr. Cooper). Since it doesn't look like Bolt goes to YVR, I can drop that from consideration. If I'm going to catch a cab to go to another form of transportation, I might as well catch a train. My son would like that as well.

 

Thanks for suggestions on the Hotels, not knowing Seattle at all, looks like I was way out to lunch on my choices. I will look into Seattle Centre or Crown Plaza downtown. Either that, or I might look at a car rental once I'm in Seattle. Some choices there look OK.

 

How does one get a $90 one-way car rental? Nothing I saw was even close to that? (Mind you I can't get my exact dates coming up yet).

 

I'm also hoping the Seattle Mariners are playing in town when we are there. Major bonus points if the visiting team is the Blue Jays, but that will have to wait until next years MLB schedule comes out. I figure I have a 50/50 chance of catching a game.

Ah, money - the love of it is the root of all evil and the lack of enough cause for many a suboptimal vacation decision!

 

The train trip is enjoyable and scenic - by going through US immigration in Vancouver, it's also much less hassle in terms of border wait times than either car or bus. Do book as far in advance as possible - as soon as the Saver tickets sell out, the base price for Value and Flexible tickets starts climbing toward $80ish.

 

One way car rental costs are entirely down to how many other people want to go the opposite way from you. Check ALL the rental websites - Avis might have too many cars coming northbound and offer a cheap rate to entice southbound trips, while the same day Budget could be doing the opposite. I've checked three or four times when people have asked about this, and maybe I'm just incredibly lucky but I've always found a rate with a national chain for under $100 incl all fees when it's been for a date within a month or so. Looking at the rates a year out, they're probably assuming a one-way fee will be payable and bumping that up to c. $200.

 

As to the 'look at a car rental when I'm in seattle' - if you mean stick to an out-of-the-way hotel and using a car to get around, go check your sanity at the door right now. Seattles traffic makes Vancouvers look like a formula one race and parking is even more annoying - even if you have a good credit card with full LDW etc. coverage and get a <$30 a day rate you'll spend another $30+ on parking and gas if you're moving between tourist attractions.

 

Stay downtown or Seattle Center where the action is - budgeting an extra $60 a day on a hotel would still be cheaper overall than the car rental option IMO, and of course save you travel time. If you decide to visit some of the out-of-town options listed above of course the rental car comes into it's own for at least one day.

[slickriptide]

I think maybe another question is "Do you want to spend three days in Seattle?"

 

If you're flying into Vancouver on Thursday, and cruising out of Seattle on Sunday, then you could spend Friday in Victoria and see some of the sights there, then take the Clipper to Seattle on Saturday and overnight in Seattle for the cruise next day.

 

Granted that your cruise probably has Victoria as the final stop but most of those Victoria stops are only a few hours and typically in the evening so not conducive to family activities like the Provincial Museum or Craigdorroch Castle.

 

As far as that goes, I wonder what the logistics are of disembarking in Victoria instead of Seattle? Probably wouldn't save any money on the cruise proper but it might be an interesting way to end the trip.

[mapleleaves]

Definitely DO NOT rent a car in the Seattle area and commute. Traffic is horrendous and parking is $25-$30 a day.

By staying nr the Seattle Center you can easily access downtown via the monorail ....$2 for a 5 minute ride.

(or stay nr the airport and take the Light Rail .. $3 for 40 minutes).

 

Car rates fluctuate wildly. All you can do is check rates constantly ... check the big sites like expedia, travelocity, carrental, etc, plus the individual companies sites (at the airport and nearby). Most companies don't have a cancel fee, so reserve the best rate you can find then keep checking the sites until the day you leave.

 

Bolt leaves from downtown Vancouver (at the Amtrak station) ...a $25 cab fare or the Skytrain.

 

The train will provide an enjoyable relaxing trip for all of you.

 

Good luck!

 

p.s. if budget is the driver here, fly back to Seattle from Alaska. Alaska Airlines has flights almost hourly. Then bus/train/drive back to Vancouver.

[sherryf]

Cruising out of Seattle is based on a few factors; one of them being the logistics/costs of flying to or from Alaska. I would have loved to do a b2b out of Vancouver, but financially, that's not happening yet.

 

There are 7 day round trip cruises from Vancouver. If you are definitely flying into Vancouver, one of these would really be your best choice!

[mapleleaves]

 

Cruising out of Seattle is based on a few factors; one of them being the logistics/costs of flying to or from Alaska. I would have loved to do a b2b out of Vancouver, but financially, that's not happening yet.

 

 

There are 7 day round trip cruises from Vancouver. If you are definitely flying into Vancouver, one of these would really be your best choice!

 

ya, I'm confused about that point also. :confused: A RT Vancouver is definitely the easiest option but apparently isn't a consideration.

I'm assuming the Ruby is one-way which will require a flight home from Alaska ( given his comment about flying to/from Alaska); but whether you leave from Seattle or Vanc, any one-way cruise will require a flight home from Alaska.

Edited August 20, 2014 by mapleleaves

[mapleleaves]

ya, I'm confused about that point also. :confused: A RT Vancouver is definitely the easiest option but apparently isn't a consideration.

I'm assuming the Ruby is one-way which will require a flight home from Alaska ( given his comment about flying to/from Alaska); but whether you leave from Seattle or Vanc, any one-way cruise will require a flight home from Alaska.

 

OK, I looked it up and the Ruby Princess is RT out of Seattle. So now I'm twice as confused as to why the OP mentioned flying to/from Alaska.

Definitely a RT Vancouver is the best option over a RT Seattle.

[slickriptide]

OK, I looked it up and the Ruby Princess is RT out of Seattle. So now I'm twice as confused as to why the OP mentioned flying to/from Alaska.

Definitely a RT Vancouver is the best option over a RT Seattle.

 

The Princess cruises out of Vancouver for the same period are only one-way to/from Seward. That's what he was comparing to his Seattle cruise.

 

@Geldhart appears to have a preference for Princess. Maybe he's a past cruiser with them, or maybe he just likes them best, or maybe he has a special deal with Princess or maybe he really wants to visit Seattle. Maybe he's confused and looked only at Princess when booking a cruise and he thinks all Vancouver cruises are one-way. Maybe he thinks he'll met Isaac, Gopher, Julie and Captain Stubing.

 

I suppose he'll tell us if it becomes pertinent. ;-)

 

It's something other than cost, given that (this year at least) Vancouver cruises are marginally cheaper than corresponding Seattle cruises.