Pros/cons of sailing from Seattle vs Vancouver?

[kiwicruiser55]

Cardero's is always my favourite. Just along the sea wall from Canada Place. Excellent food and on a nice day the patio is great place to spend some time.

 

Thanks Lizzie, the weather should be good then for sitting outside. Oh dear, I should have started another post for all this, oops!

[donswife]

Do you know what ports/glaciers you especially want to see? Going to Sitka was important to me, and there are very few round trip Vancouver cruises that stop there.

[dobiemom]

Does anyone know the price (exact or ballpark) of the HAL transfer from Vancouver port to Seattle (SEATAC)?

I have a cruise booked for next year and asked my TA about the HAL shuttle. She said it would be $65 per person, and the return flight from SeaTac needs to depart after 3pm.

[Mr Astro]

Kiwicruiser55:

 

It's not particularly close to CP but a short cab (or a half hour stroll) ride south on Granville Street will get you to The Twisted Fork. A very nice, small, bistro that has a very interesting menu. Tuesdays are mussel nights, very popular.

 

Enjoy your cruise

[POA1]

I have a cruise booked for next year and asked my TA about the HAL shuttle. She said it would be $65 per person, and the return flight from SeaTac needs to depart after 3pm.

Thanks. We can get into Vancouver fine, but we can get a nonstop flight from SEA to FLL on the way home.

[curtdesilets]

My wife and I have done several Alaskan Cruises

 

Vancouver's main advantage is that you get the REAL Inside Passage (East Side of Vancouver Island) both departing from and arriving back in Vancouver. It is much more scenic than the standard "Outside Passage" that usually leaves out of Seattle. Sometimes however, lines will sail the REAL Inside Passage out of Seattle. Oceania did that for us last year. But I would venture that 95% of cruise ships leaving Seattle travel on the West side of Vancouver Island where the view is primarily just Ocean.

 

Also, If you want to spend some time in BC prior or after the cruise, Vancouver is a great place to do that from. Vancouver itself is a great city to explore.

 

We however typically sail from Seattle, due solely to convenience. Our home is a 5 minute Taxi Ride to Long Beach Airport. Check in is so simple there and then we get a 2 hour+ flight to SEATAC, a half hour ride to the Port and we are on the ship. Literally a 4 hour door-to-door experience.

 

Getting to Vancouver is a whole different thing. Going to LAX, arranging for transportation to and from LAX, long lines on both ends checking in, long lines at Vancouver Airport going through Customs, travelling across Vancouver and then getting in another long line to do Customs again at the Port, especially if there is more than one ship sailing. It's a long, excruciating and generally unpleasant experience. If you have tons of patience, then I would opt for Vancouver as the double inside Passage is really cool.

 

One other thing, We often get $99-$139 flights from LGB to SEATAC (Smart Shopping). Flying to Vancouver was often much more expensive, plus the additional expenses for ground transportation.

 

Last point: Vancouver Airport used to have a "Pass Through" system whereas cruise passengers that are going direct to the ship and not going to spend time in Vancouver prior to the sailing would go straight through to the ship without the double customs routine. That was super easy. Apparently that program was cancelled however.

Edited September 24, 2014 by curtdesilets

[igraf]

I will take an opposing view. We have sailed to Alaska both from Seattle and Vancouver, and I don't see what the big deal is about the scenery out of Vancouver. First of all, the ship passes through the narrow passages mostly during the first night, so there wasn't much to see. During the return on the last day, the scenery pales compared to what was just visited in Alaska. Finally, I like having a sea day far away from land.

 

Both cities are equally interesting, but the travel logistics favors Seattle hands down. Not even close. Seriously, who wants to start and end a cruise by riding a bus for four hours each way? Or pay three times the price for airfare to Vancouver with very difficult afternoon departure times?

 

The only compelling reason to choose Vancouver is to be able to stop in Skagway.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

We've sailed from both Seattle and Vancouver. I strongly agree with what the others have said, the scenery from Vancouver is far, FAR superior. The only reason we did a second Alaska cruise from Seattle was because the 2-week itinerary we wanted wasn't an option from Vancouver. Like Alberta Quilter, we really missed the scenic cruising the first and last sea days.

 

I suppose if one has never done an Alaska cruise, Seattle would be ok as they wouldn't know what they are missing. Since we know the difference, it would take a mighty special reason to do another from Seattle. At this point I can't imagine what would be that special, but I'm leaving the door open - just a teeny crack.

[kangforpres]

Hi-

 

We have sailed from both, since we live on the West Coast (Oakland) it is a bit easier than having to take a trans-con flight.

 

Airfare to Vancouver is always higher than to Seattle if you live in the USA. We don't really like bus rides so we always fly to the Port City the cruise embarks from but if you don't mind bus rides and you come out ahead $ flying to SEA and transferring to Vancouver is an option.

 

If you have never been to either City I recommend you plan on staying a few days before or after to enjoy them. Right now the US dollar is pretty strong against the Canadian dollar so that will help offset the expense of Vancouver albeit modestly. Seattle is by no means "cheap" either but you don't have to exchange currency or do the math in your head every time you use a debit/credit card.

 

Finally, like most have said Vancouver departures utilizes the inside passage route both North and South bound whereas Seattle departures go west of Vancouver Island and sail into that sometimes very mean, nasty, majestic and wonderful Pacific Ocean.

 

-Paul

[Mary Ellen]

I will take an opposing view. We have sailed to Alaska both from Seattle and Vancouver, and I don't see what the big deal is about the scenery out of Vancouver. First of all, the ship passes through the narrow passages mostly during the first night, so there wasn't much to see. During the return on the last day, the scenery pales compared to what was just visited in Alaska. Finally, I like having a sea day far away from land.

 

Both cities are equally interesting, but the travel logistics favors Seattle hands down. Not even close. Seriously, who wants to start and end a cruise by riding a bus for four hours each way? Or pay three times the price for airfare to Vancouver with very difficult afternoon departure times?

 

The only compelling reason to choose Vancouver is to be able to stop in Skagway.

 

igraf

Opinions will vary. We've had beautiful scenery those first and last days. We go to Alaska for the scenery, not to look at open water that we can see anywhere in the world. This summer we did two Alaska cruises. Four days after we disembarked in Vancouver we boarded another in Seattle. We definitely noticed the differences. There is more to the scenery than the Seymour Narrows.

 

I do question your facts though. We've never spent 4 hours on a bus between Seattle and Vancouver. Nowhere close to that.

 

As to the price difference between flying into YVR vs. SEA being "three times the price for airfare" I do have problems with that. Checking for next June I've priced out an 8-night trip (we always fly in at least a day early). The r/t difference is $82. That would mean I could fly r/t Seattle for $41 in order for Vancouver to be three times the price. I wish. I've also priced airfares from two other cities where we used to live (both further from SEA and YVR than where we now reside). The price difference was $52 to $120. Again, that would make the SEA fares $26 or $60 if YVR was three times the price.

 

Yes, air into YVR from the US used to much higher than into SEA, but that is no longer the case.

 

For us the only compelling reason to take an Alaska cruise from Seattle is if one has a DUI and can't enter Canada easily. That isn't the case for us.

[Windsailer]

"I do question your facts though. We've never spent 4 hours on a bus between Seattle and Vancouver. Nowhere close to that."

 

Boy, we sure have. We've taken QuickCoach to/from SEATAC 4 times and it's always been 5 1/2 - 6 hours depending on the wait time on the border. And at least leaving from Vancouver you HAVE to stay at least one night before because of the bus arrival times. And AMTRAK isn't much better - a friend took the train in June from SEA to Vancouver and it arrived at 3:30 - really cutting it close.

 

After seeing all the scenery in Alaska I think the inside passage route is overrated, since most of it is at night.

 

We did Alaska twice this year from Seattle and really enjoyed the convenience of leaving from Pier 91.

 

In the future we'll only do Alaska cruises from Seattle. But YMMV.

[Spunky946]

We went this summer from Seattle on a round trip on the Westerdam. We loved the ship and scenary, but this was our first Alaska cruise. It was very bumpy in the open waters our second night.

 

Also on our cruise we had short port days, which had I noticed before we booked, I may have thought twice. We booked Seattle because we wanted to spend time in Seattle afterwards.

 

We were only in Ketchikan from 7-12:30 and did not get to Victoria until the next day at 6.

 

I can't wait to go back and explore more.

[kimbanite]

Just to add to CP's comments about scenery, I sailed from Seattle for the first time, in May. I thought, oh, well, I've seen the scenery before on previous cruises from Vancouver to Alaska.

 

I really missed the scenery. I will never, ever leave from Seattle to go to Alaska again. Well, I guess I shouldn't say never. But it sure would not be my first choice for an Alaskan cruise.

 

YMMV

 

Totally agree with this - I sailed from Seattle on my first Alaskan cruise and it was great but when I sailed out of Vancouver just this month, I was blown away. You get the actual inside passage when you sail from Vancouver.

 

Also, have to agree about Amtrak to Vancouver. We flew into Seattle and spent two nights there and then took the Cascades train to Vancouver. That was a beautiful trip as it travels up the coast. Pay the $20 extra to get business class - it's worth it. If you take the morning train, you will arrive about noon and have plenty of time to get to the ship or better yet, do what we did, and spend a night in Vancouver. It's a beautiful city and we had a blast riding bikes in Stanley Park and hanging out in Gas Town.

[kimbanite]

[quote name=curtdesilets;44208749

 

We however typically sail from Seattle' date=' due solely to convenience. Our home is a 5 minute Taxi Ride to Long Beach Airport. Check in is so simple there and then we get a 2 hour+ flight to SEATAC, a half hour ride to the Port and we are on the ship. Literally a 4 hour door-to-door experience.

[/quote]

 

Hi neighbor!:D

[fsdj1097]

Does anyone know the price (exact or ballpark) of the HAL transfer from Vancouver port to Seattle (SEATAC)?

 

We booked the HAL transfer from Canada Place to SeaTac and IIR the cost was approximately $65.

 

Current air prices from our home city to SEA is $500, to YVR is almost $900.

Edited September 24, 2014 by fsdj1097

[sambamama]

I did an Alaskan cruise in early May, and the airfare was the same for me whether I flew into Vancouver or Seattle. I flew from Hartford, CT to Vancouver and back on AC for around $580.

[igraf]

I am right about the bus ride. Read the numerous user reports. The train is no better and has very awkward departure times (7:20am or at night) from Seattle.

 

The airfare was 3x more for comparable flights from southern Califormia when comparing nonstops at convenient times of day. There are cheap direct flights to Seattle all day long on several airlines, whereas nonstop flights to Vancouver are few and far between. It is possible to reduce the cost of flying to Vancouver somewhat by taking a tiresome and lengthy 3-leg route (we did that once, never again).

 

The other problem is trying to find a convenient early afternoon departure from Vancouver. It is as if the airport shuts down for a long afternoon siesta. I am talking about trying to find a flight to LAX, and not some obscure destination! We had to fly home to an alternative airport last time.

 

The outbound scenery might have been nice, but we passed through the narrow part around midnight or later. We didn't get to see much at all. Might as well been a sea day.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

Opinions will vary. We've had beautiful scenery those first and last days. We go to Alaska for the scenery, not to look at open water that we can see anywhere in the world. This summer we did two Alaska cruises. Four days after we disembarked in Vancouver we boarded another in Seattle. We definitely noticed the differences. There is more to the scenery than the Seymour Narrows.

 

I do question your facts though. We've never spent 4 hours on a bus between Seattle and Vancouver. Nowhere close to that.

 

As to the price difference between flying into YVR vs. SEA being "three times the price for airfare" I do have problems with that. Checking for next June I've priced out an 8-night trip (we always fly in at least a day early). The r/t difference is $82. That would mean I could fly r/t Seattle for $41 in order for Vancouver to be three times the price. I wish. I've also priced airfares from two other cities where we used to live (both further from SEA and YVR than where we now reside). The price difference was $52 to $120. Again, that would make the SEA fares $26 or $60 if YVR was three times the price.

 

Yes, air into YVR from the US used to much higher than into SEA, but that is no longer the case.

 

For us the only compelling reason to take an Alaska cruise from Seattle is if one has a DUI and can't enter Canada easily. That isn't the case for us.

[CowPrincess]

I am right about the bus ride. Read the numerous user reports. The train is no better and has very awkward departure times (7:20am or at night) from Seattle.

 

The airfare was 3x more for comparable flights from southern Califormia when comparing nonstops at convenient times of day. There are cheap direct flights to Seattle all day long on several airlines, whereas nonstop flights to Vancouver are few and far between. It is possible to reduce the cost of flying to Vancouver somewhat by taking a tiresome and lengthy 3-leg route (we did that once, never again).

 

The other problem is trying to find a convenient early afternoon departure from Vancouver. It is as if the airport shuts down for a long afternoon siesta. I am talking about trying to find a flight to LAX, and not some obscure destination! We had to fly home to an alternative airport last time.

 

The outbound scenery might have been nice, but we passed through the narrow part around midnight or later. We didn't get to see much at all. Might as well been a sea day.

 

igraf

 

Living in a back-of-beyond small town, with our nearest Canadian airport pretty darn underserved (IMHO) I can truly feel your pain about flying. When we go to the Caribbean, we WORK HARD to get to the embark port.

 

I have not found the first day out or the last day heading back, on the Vancouver RT itinerary, at all like a sea day. I can, though, understand not wanting to have to really WORK to get to your cruise.

[DaveOKC]

I am right about the bus ride. Read the numerous user reports. The train is no better and has very awkward departure times (7:20am or at night) from Seattle.

 

The airfare was 3x more for comparable flights from southern Califormia when comparing nonstops at convenient times of day. There are cheap direct flights to Seattle all day long on several airlines, whereas nonstop flights to Vancouver are few and far between. It is possible to reduce the cost of flying to Vancouver somewhat by taking a tiresome and lengthy 3-leg route (we did that once, never again).

 

The outbound scenery might have been nice, but we passed through the narrow part around midnight or later. We didn't get to see much at all. Might as well been a sea day.

 

igraf

 

Sounds like the airfare varies alot depending on where you are traveling from. Here in OKC the difference is not that great (certainly not 3 times as much) plus I can often used frequent flyer miles at a good rate to get to Vancouver. As they say - one size does NOT always fit all.

 

As to the views, on our Sept. cruises I would agree with you - it got dark so early that it did not make much of a difference the first and last days. On our May cruise, it was a whole different story with great views of the Inside Passage.

 

DaveOKC

[Lizzie68]

I am right about the bus ride. Read the numerous user reports. The train is no better and has very awkward departure times (7:20am or at night) from Seattle.

 

The airfare was 3x more for comparable flights from southern Califormia when comparing nonstops at convenient times of day. There are cheap direct flights to Seattle all day long on several airlines, whereas nonstop flights to Vancouver are few and far between. It is possible to reduce the cost of flying to Vancouver somewhat by taking a tiresome and lengthy 3-leg route (we did that once, never again).

 

The other problem is trying to find a convenient early afternoon departure from Vancouver. It is as if the airport shuts down for a long afternoon siesta. I am talking about trying to find a flight to LAX, and not some obscure destination! We had to fly home to an alternative airport last time.

 

The outbound scenery might have been nice, but we passed through the narrow part around midnight or later. We didn't get to see much at all. Might as well been a sea day.

 

igraf

 

I have to agree about the train times being awkward. However, if someone can fit it to their schedule, it is a beautiful journey.

 

As to flights, I regularly compare flight prices to FFL from Vancouver or Seattle, and so far have not found a big enough difference to justify the extra travel time in driving to Seattle, finding parking, gas cost etc. So we always fly out of YVR.

[Nghthawke]

We are thinking of booking a cruise for next fall to Alaska and I'm trying to figure out if there is an advantage doing one over the other.

We noticed the quality of the food loaded onto the ship was better leaving from Vancouver. The food not so good leaving from Seattle; it made for grumpy passengers.

[PathfinderEss]

They raised the price on the transfer this last May from 65. to 70.

Adding on 140. dollars for 2 almost makes the saving flying out of

Seattle a mute point.

[kiwicruiser55]

They raised the price on the transfer this last May from 65. to 70.

Adding on 140. dollars for 2 almost makes the saving flying out of

Seattle a mute point.

 

The prices you quoted, is the $140 for two people one way or return. I presume that it is from Seattle airport to Vancouver Canada place. Is this correct?

[RuthC]

The prices you quoted, is the $140 for two people one way or return. I presume that it is from Seattle airport to Vancouver Canada place. Is this correct?

I took the HAL transfer one-way from SeaTac to Canada Place in August. Although I don't recall what I paid, the $70 quoted sounds about right for that one ride.

[fsdj1097]

We have utilized the Amtrak Cascades train from Seattle to Vancouver several times. It leaves Seattle around 7:40 and arrives in Vancouver just before noon. It is a very relaxing, scenic way to transfer between the two port cities. I would recommend booking business class for priority boarding, and nicer seats. The route takes you along Puget Sound with lots of opportunities for wildlife viewing (eagles, seals, etc.)

 

For the return trip, the train doesn't leave Vancouver until late afternoon, making for a late evening arrival in Seattle. However, if you want to do some post-cruise touring in Vancouver, you can drop your bags at the Amtrak station and pick them up prior to boarding the train that afternoon.

[jaguarstyper]

We really wanted to sail out of Vancouver on our last Alaska cruise, but the difference in airfare from Pittsburgh was amazing. Something like $300 r/t for Seattle vs $1100 r/t for Vancouver. It didn't matter much to us since we have a lot of FF miles to use, but for the friends we were cruising with, Vancouver was a budget buster.