Public Transit from Seattle To Vancouver For The Criminally Frugal and/or Insane

[VibeGuy]

It is entirely possible to use light rail, city buses and SkyTrain from the Seattle Airport all the way to Canada Place with less than a mile of relatively pleasant walking through a park like setting and on a paved pedestrian path, for under $15 US.

 

I'll use this thread to document the "how to" as a Live From.

 

Backstory:

 

Those of you who know me in real life know I'm generally of the opinion that "normal" is merely a setting on a washing machine, but I usually have the moderating effect of my DH to quash the most egregious random impulses. He has bowed out of this impromptu trip to have a day without me - you could promise him actual gold bars in the minibar at this point and he would still be avoiding Canada Place on a multi-ship day while recovering from knee replacement.

 

I booked the 1NT YVR-SEA on Ruby too late for Bolt Bus, Quick Shuttle, Amtrak Cascades, Greyhound or a Princess transfer. One-way flights SEA-YVR are $259 since I'm past the EZ-AIR booking cutoff. I could rent a car one way for $158, and frequently encourage people to do so, but I'm being creative this trip. I could also take my car up and park it for seven days since we'll be back to pick it up after the 3NT Emerald, but DH can't drive his car until his knee works a bit better, but my barge works well for him, so I can't be without it for a week. Princess and the stevedoring company at Canada Place declined to haul a full-size station wagon as checked baggage.

 

So here I stand, I can do no other. I hope my journey can serve as a reference for others who are equally foolhardy.

[VibeGuy]

The Routes Not Travelled:

 

 

 

 

I actually live just outside Seattle on Puget Sound. This means I have effectively three possible macro options to get from home to Canada Place: I'll get brave and try one of these first two sometime.

 

1) Get to downtown Seattle via Washington State Ferries, then take the Victoria Clipper fast catamaran to downtown Victoria, use BC Transit city bus to get to Swartz Bay, take the BC Ferries to Tsawassen, then a TransLink bus to Bridgeport Station for a Canada Line train to Waterfront Station Canada Place.

 

Using this route, it's free to get from my place to downtown Seattle walking on a Washington State Ferry. You could also use Link Light Rail or the various Metro bus services. From there, walk or Uber to Pier 69, on the Waterfront beteeen Pier 70 and the Edgewater hotel. Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to departure as they get snippy about completing the check-in process at least 15 minutes prior to departure. Fares vary depending on season and sailing, but USD110 is a good budgetary number. You'll arrive at their terminal in Victoria's Inner Harbour two hours and 45 minutes after departure, you'll clear Canadian immigration and Customs, and will have a five-minute walk to the transit centre where you will board a BC Transit bus #70 or 72 to Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. Fares are CAD2.50 cash-only and the ride takes 60-75 minutes. Once at Swartz Bay, board a BC Ferries sailing to Tsawassen for CAD17.20 and an hour and a half of your time. From the Tsawassen terminal, board Translink bus 620 after purchasing a CAD5.50 Compass Three-Zone ticket from the ticket vending machines (Canadian cash or coin, or US payment cards. If it's Chip and PIN like the Barclaycard Princess Rewards Visa, you will be prompted for the PIN). 35 minutes later you're at Brighouse Station where that Compass ticket will get you on the Canada Line - Waterfront Station train running every few minutes with a 20 minute trip to Waterfront Station. Exit Waterfront via clearly marked signage to Canada Place with a three minute walk.

 

The problem with this trip is it backtracks something fierce and the Clipper to BC Transit connection can involve a long wait. For my date of travel I would need to be at Pier 69 in Seattle by 7:30, would arrive in Victoria at 10:45 and likely end up on the 1:00 ferry to Vancouver. This puts me hitting Brighouse around 3:20 and Canada Place at 3:45 - a little too close for my personal comfort. It's also roughly USD125. Hard pass. Later in the season and with advanced booking the times and fares could improve as much as $20 and get me there more like 2:00. So don't rule it out; just consider the total time.

 

My next wacky idea also uses Victoria. Instead of the $110 Clipper, we can use public buses and the ferry from Downtown Seattle to Port Angeles and catch the Black Ball Lines' MV Coho ferry. It gets into Victoria early enough that I would definitely make the Noon ferry from Swartz Bay and possibly the 11:00 if the stars align.

 

The stars don't align. Even leaving Seattle at 6:10 in the morning, and taking the Kitsap Transit 90X bus to transfer to the Jefferson Transit #7 to the Jefferson Transit #8 to the Clallam Transit #30, you're just out of luck because you don't get to Port Angeles until 11:20 which puts you in Victoria after 3 and so on.

 

So, unless you're willing to take an overnight in Port Angeles or Victoria, or are sailing on a day when there is an early Clipper departure, these wacky plans fall apart like an AMC Pacer in the Rust Belt. Victoria is a lovely city and nice place to spend a night, so don't write it off entirely.

 

Sorry to dash your hopes.

[VibeGuy]

The Route That Won:

 

After ruling out the most complex options, one is left with the rather pedestrian true public transit options.

 

Step One: Get to Everett Transit Station

 

The trip planner at http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov

will reliable get you to Everett Transit Center from just about anywhere in the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. This is a frequent commute corridor and there are dozens of options. From SeaTac Airport and nearby hotels you'll probably take Link Light Rail to Westlake Station where you'll transfer to Community Transit express bus service to Everett, for example. From downtown Seattle or Seattle Center you'll probably just board a bus directly. Fares will be under $5.75 worst-case if you're using an ORCA card; substantially more if you're paying cash because transfers no longer exist for cash customers on these routes.

 

Step Two: Get To Mount Vernon, WA

 

Time your arrival at Everett Transit Center in time to transfer to Skagit Transit Line 90x to Skagit Station, which departs at 5:50, 6:20, 6:50, 7:50 or 8:35. If you don't make it for the 8:35, you are effectively out of luck because subsequent trips don't start until the evening commute. You want to insert $4 in the fare box -$2 gets you to Skagit Station and the $2 "change card" you'll get back will serve as your fare from Skagit Station all the way to Blaine, WA (at the Canadian border). This first segment is scheduled at 45 minutes.

 

Step Three: Hie Thee To Bellingham, WA

 

When you get to Skagit Station, board the next 80X. These depart at 6:45, 7:45, 8:45 and 10:45. Note that if you are on that 8:35 90x you'll have about an hour to kill in downtown Mt Vernon, a cute little whistle stop with decent coffee and food options close to the station. It's a 37 minute trip to

Bellingham Station.

 

It's worth noting that you'll be going from end to end on these routes so dozing off isn't going to make you miss a critical stop. You might want to tell the driver that you're connecting at the other end in case of an en route delay.

 

Welcome to Bellingham. In my next post I'll describe how to get from this onetime mill town to and across the border.

[xlxo]

Reminds me of a Canadian who went the other direction...

• http://buzzer.translink.ca/2013/06/williams-travels-vancouver-to-portland-on-public-transit/
  
• http://buzzer.translink.ca/2013/06/williams-travels-yvrtopdx-vancouver-to-portland-then-salem-on-public-transit/
  

Thoughts...

• crossing the border. There is a significant walk (2.1 miles?) from the Canadian transit stop to Washington transit stop. That walk is a great challenge when dragging luggage for a week long cruise.
  
• frequency and limited hours.... some buses operate a certain direction at a certain time of the day
  
• luggage space on a busy congested bus.
  
• congestion that can force you to miss a critical connection
  
• if you are lucky.... Bolt bus offers a limited number of seats for $1.
  

[VibeGuy]

2.1 miles ignores a service called "flex zone" that lets you off practically in the park, and a Translink stop at the roundabout on 8th just past the BC welcome center around 600m.

 

Various service improvements have created better connections. I have the taxi app that works in White Rock and an Uber account for the Washington side in the event of . . . disruptions.

[VibeGuy]

Bellingham To Peace Arch Crossing

 

The last step is to get within spitting distance of the border. You need Whatcom Transit Line 75 to Birch Bay/Blaine. Look carefully at the schedules; frequency drops to one bus every two hours mid-day. Journey time is about an hour

 

There are both Express and local buses on this route. Express Buses stop a bit further away from your next waypoint (Peace Arch State Park) in the parking lot of Cost Cutter Foods, but only take 45 minutes, buffered by a substantially longer walk - 1.5 miles Local buses take 1:15, but have Flex Area service and you can simply tell the driver you want to be let off near a pedestrian access to Peace Arch State Park. If you take an Express, you'll walk northwest through mostly residential neighborhoods on a normal city grid, from H St and 14th to roughly A and 2nd.

 

A note: despite the international border being nothing more than a ditch or kerb here, do not, under any circumstances, wander over to the Canadian side until you have entered Peace Arch Historical State Park. Both sides take this sort of thing seriously.

 

Once you enter the park, continue to make your way west towards the Arch. You are free to meander back and forth across the border at will in this space. There are marked crosswalks across the traffic lanes. Use them to reach the sidewalk on the west side of the northbound vehicle queues - low-level signage will guide you. Once you are on the sidewalk north of the Arch itself, you are in Canada. Congratulations. Proceed inside the CBSA building for inspection.

 

Recovering From Disruptions:

 

The infrequent service on the 75 can be problematic. If you aren't on the one that gets to Blaine by 11:55, you are not going to make sailaway. An Uber all the way from Bellingham to the border runs around $55. Your better bet is to cover some of the lost ground with a combination of routes to get to Ferndale and then grab an Uber from there to the border, saving $25 or so. Use the WTA trip planner for the best combination of routes at that moment.

 

Next up: Peace Arch to Sky Train.

[martincath]

This has certainly been an interesting read so far, and I'm looking forward to hearing how it actually works out in practise for your 1-nighter!!!

 

If the brown stuff hits the proverbial email me - I could pick you up if you're on the right side of the border Friday afternoon.

[VibeGuy]

Thank you!

 

I'm pretty optimistic about this; I am getting a ridiculously early start - so much so that on Wednesday next, I'll leave home later and be on the ship sooner - having driven 1:15 to the airport and flown to LAX.

 

Let's hope for mild weather - I'm a delicate flower when it comes to drizzle.

[VibeGuy]

Good lord, it is *early*. And I'm in motion.

 

Here's a route overview map:

 

 

I'm aboard the less-thrilling vessel of the day, the M/V Issaquah. 328 feet long, 3300 GWT, up to 1200 passengers and almost 40 years old. She makes 16 knots on a good day and features a snack bar that is currently making me yearn for the old-world elegance and glamour of Princess' Horizon Courts.

 

I'm en route to catch Sound Transit Route 512, which is the high-reliability express bus between Downtown Seattle and the Everett Station. You can connect to the 512 from Link Light Rail from the airport, or walk to a stop within a mile of all the downtown or Stadium hotels. Seattle Center/Space Needle/South Lake Union may need an UberX to position for early departures.

[Sea Hag]

Very interesting! Way too many moving parts, where something could go wrong, but I'll bet you had fun working this out. :)

[martincath]

I didn't get an email so I assume you made it to the pier VG... or you're stuck in a back room at the border being worked over by CBSA!

[xlxo]

do inquire about the private, confidential, secondary experience.

[geeko1]

far fewer moving parts if you hitch hike

[VibeGuy]

far fewer moving parts if you hitch hike

 

I just don't have the shapely legs for it.

[VibeGuy]

It worked. I actually made it onboard before people who took Amtrak (they had en route delays due to track issues).

 

I need to do the follow up and comprehensive How To post from an actual computer to easily integrate images, but this was really a comparable amount of walking to, say, changing from gate A2 to B18 at Atlanta without using the train.

 

The first four buses went off without a hitch. It is effectively impossible to get to Everett Station from downtown or the airport before 6:24, so the earliest 90X County Connector bus you are going to make is the 6:50 departure. This works out just fine as there is a well-timed 80X Connector. If there is an en route delay, the operators are in radio contact and holding buses for connections appears routine.

 

You get in to Bellingham at 8:32 and the only viable 75 bus departure to Blaine is 9:10. This means that it's critical to get to Everett ASAP - if you miss that 6:50 departure of the 90X you are easily delayed two hours even though you can still make it to Bellingham in a timely manner. My suggestion at that point is to throw yourself at the mercy of the Amtrak ticket agent in Everett as soon as they open.

[Straitlover]

Great read!! Glad it worked out. I do have to ask, though: you said your DH had to drive your car. Is there some reason you couldn't have driven his car and left it for the week like you said you could do for your car? Or did I misunderstand part of your post?

 

Hope the 1 nighter was fun!

[VibeGuy]

Great read!! Glad it worked out. I do have to ask, though: you said your DH had to drive your car. Is there some reason you couldn't have driven his car and left it for the week like you said you could do for your car? Or did I misunderstand part of your post?

 

Hope the 1 nighter was fun!

 

It was a blast. I always like spending time with my friends in the capable hands of hospitality professionals.

 

He can't ride in his car comfortably either - can't keep his operated leg bent in that way.