Specific question - Princess Transfers from Vancouver to Seattle

[Wishing on a star]

Sorry for such a specific question!

But, I am hoping to find a better way to travel home, from Vancouver.

I am seeing a great option for getting to Seattle/Vancouver, but not so much the return trip.

 

I believe the ships itinerary says that it docks at 7:30a.m.

 

How long does this trip usually take.

What is the earliest one might fly home out of Seattle.

Any info or input is appreciated.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Wishing on a star

[TravelingEA]

The last time we went, we rented a car at Canada Place and returned it at the Seatac airport. I think the cost was cheaper than Princess Travel and we could go at our own pace.

[Kamloops50]

You have to count on about 3.5 hours from Vancouver to Seattle by bus.

7:30 arrival means that the first walk off start around 8AM. The bus transfer will disembark later .I would' t book a flight before 2PM to be sure .

[Wishing on a star]

Thank you so much for that information.

 

I didn't realize the transfer could take that long.

I actually hate the thought of sitting on that bus for that long.... darn.

 

We can get good non-stop flights to SEA...

But, looks like we will have to pay a bit more more for a longer flight with a layover on the way back. After that bus ride, that makes for a L O N G day of travel.

 

Maybe I will take another look at look at flying into Vancouver.

[towhee]

It's about 150 miles between Seattle and Vancouver, BC. I remember the bus trip being about 3.5 hours also, depending upon traffic. I wouldn't book a flight before 2 pm, just to keep the anxiety level under control.

[Essiesmom]

We did that transfer and they made one rest stop along the way. The big delay is at the border. EM

[Kamloops50]

We did that transfer and they made one rest stop along the way. The big delay is at the border. EM

 

At the border every passenger has to get off the bus. Then go thru Immigration while the bus I'd searched. Then everybody has to reboard.

[Potstech]

Last time we took a bus from Vancouver to Seattle (Amtrak bus) we had to get off the bus, get all our luggage, go through customs and then get back on the bus. Depnds on the number of buses at the checkpoint on how long it will take. Do not take any fruit or veggies with you.

[sonomaphil]

The last time we went, we rented a car at Canada Place and returned it at the Seatac airport. I think the cost was cheaper than Princess Travel and we could go at our own pace.

 

Exactly what we do.

[iceleven]

We took the train to Seattle after spending the afternoon exploring Vancouver. The train station will hold your luggage in a safe area. We simply wanted to relax and see the famous scenic coastline between Vancouver and Seattle you can only see from the train.

 

We didn't get into Seattle until late evening but we had already booked a hotel for our overnight stay. We love Seattle so we spent the next morning/afternoon touring around before taking the monorail to SEATAC for an evening flight to SFO. We just looked at it as an extended part of our trip. Often times the ports of arrival/departure are just as interesting as the port stops during the cruise. If one has the time to do so, it's worth it.

Edited October 28, 2015 by iceleven

[pklein9747]

Agree with taking the train. We did that last June after our Alaska cruise on the Grand. We did spend a few days in Vancouver...and fell in love with the city. Then took the train from Vancouver to Seattle. It was wonderful and well worth paying the bit extra for business seats. You get to board first and the seats are wonderful. We also spent a few days in Seattle and enjoyed that also.

[Av8tor]

We took the Princess xfer from Canada Place to SEA this spring and it was just fine. We normally use Quick Shuttle for that because it's cheaper, but with our kids and granddaughter along, it was really nice not having to schlep bags and wait in lines. If you do opt for the Princess xfer, your flight from SEA must be after the time listed for the transfer or you might not get there in time. I believe the earliest time from SEA is around 3pm. Yes, it's a long ride and the traffic and/or border delays can be lengthy, but in our case, it went smoothly and quickly.

[Wishing on a star]

Can you tell me more about Quick Shuttle...

How do you meet them and board from the ship?

 

Will it get to SEA any sooner than Princess?

 

I am having a hard time finding reasonable flight options that do not include overnight layovers that leave after 1:00 pm from SEA???

[Kamloops50]

Can you tell me more about Quick Shuttle...

How do you meet them and board from the ship?

 

Will it get to SEA any sooner than Princess?

 

I am having a hard time finding reasonable flight options that do not include overnight layovers that leave after 1:00 pm from SEA???

 

They actually arrive later than Princess. They have a number of stops to make between Canada Place and SeaTac.

[Kamloops50]

Why not consider a flight from Vancouver ?

 

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

 

Try this site to find airfare and flights

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Can you tell me more about Quick Shuttle...

How do you meet them and board from the ship?

 

Will it get to SEA any sooner than Princess?

 

I am having a hard time finding reasonable flight options that do not include overnight layovers that leave after 1:00 pm from SEA???

 

We used Quick Shuttle on our last Alaska cruise from Vancouver, to get between Seattle and Vancouver. It left around 6:30am from Seattle, and arrived at 1:00pm. The trip back, was a little quicker as only took about five hours.

 

If you look closely at their route map between the two cities, you will see something like 15-18 stops along the way. If they have passengers on board that are going to all off those stops, it could take a while. I believe we stoped 6-7 times on the way up and 2-3 on the way back.

 

Just so you realize, it's not a point-to-point transfer between the two places like you should get with Princess.

[vantec]

We used Quick Shuttle on our last Alaska cruise from Vancouver, to get between Seattle and Vancouver. It left around 6:30am from Seattle, and arrived at 1:00pm. The trip back, was a little quicker as only took about five hours.

 

If you look closely at their route map between the two cities, you will see something like 15-18 stops along the way. If they have passengers on board that are going to all off those stops, it could take a while. I believe we stoped 6-7 times on the way up and 2-3 on the way back.

 

Just so you realize, it's not a point-to-point transfer between the two places like you should get with Princess.

 

I guess we got lucky one time with Quick Shuttle, they picked up only cruise ship passengers at the airport and went directly the port in Vancouver, this was not a transfer sold through the ship. It must have been a fluke, but it was nice for us!

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks everyone...

This thread hasn't been encouraging, but it has been informative and maybe helpful to other first time cruisers from these ports.

 

I am looking again at flying to vancouver.

It is way more expensive! But, perhaps if we could do a cheap companion fare on Alaska Air, and factor in saving quite a bit on those long distance transfers, it isn't as much more than I thought.

 

*IF* we decide we want spend this much and do this cruise, I want to have a good idea of the costs and logistics. ( OCD planner here! )

[Ron the Rev]

Last time we took a bus from Vancouver to Seattle (Amtrak bus) we had to get off the bus, get all our luggage, go through customs and then get back on the bus. Depnds on the number of buses at the checkpoint on how long it will take. Do not take any fruit or veggies with you.

Bring an overnight bag if you intend to travel over the boarder on Canada day !!!

[caribill]

Last time we took a bus from Vancouver to Seattle (Amtrak bus) we had to get off the bus, get all our luggage, go through customs and then get back on the bus. Depnds on the number of buses at the checkpoint on how long it will take. Do not take any fruit or veggies with you.

 

At the border every passenger has to get off the bus. Then go thru Immigration while the bus I'd searched. Then everybody has to reboard.

 

The last time we did it, we did not have to get off of the bus or do anything with our luggage.

 

The bus driver collected all of our passports, brought them into the checkpoint building and then brought them back to us. We may have been lucky, but I do not think we spent more than about 20 minutes at the border.