Seattle/Vancouver - what would you do?

[Alsmez]

We are sailing on Celebrity Solstice out of Vancouver and back into Seattle, Thursday May 21- Friday May 29. We have never been to either Seattle or Vancouver, so we would like to spend a couple of days in each city during the trip. We will be flying from NYC, and given the way the cruise falls in the week, we were thinking our best plan might be to fly into Seattle the Saturday or Sunday before the cruise, spend a couple of days there, then get to Vancouver for a couple of days before hopping on the ship. We could then fly directly home and have a full weekend to recover from jetlag before heading back to work.

 

The only issue with this plan seems to be getting from Seattle to Vancouver, which I didn't realize was as long a trip as it is. There will be four of us, so renting a car might be a good option, but one-way rentals are rather expensive. Any other options I'm missing? Two of our party (my parents) are in their 70s and my dad is mobile but grumpy about it; I'm not sure he will be down for the Bolt Bus. Amtrak? Other ideas?

 

We'd also love recommendations on things to see and do in both cities, as well as hotel recommendations. We were thinking of renting a car for the entire four days but depending on the availability of cabs/public transportation/etc., it may just be easier to stay somewhere central to the things we want to do and get around that way. If you were traveling with a grumpy septuagenarian with bad knees, what would you do? Thanks in advance for your advice!

[happycruzer]

Hi Alsmez, we too are on this sailing , welcome aboard 😊

Like you we’ve never been to either Vancouver or Seattle so we’d like to see some of what the cities have to offer .

We have booked the Amtrak Cascade train from Seattle to Vancouver . I believe it runs twice daily and takes approx 4 hours . We chose this option over the various  bus companies as we feel the train will be more comfortable , and as far as I’m aware we won’t have to get off the train with our luggage when we get to customs at the border .. this too was imo an easier option ... we will spend 1 night pre-cruise in Vancouver and  4 nights there  post cruise . Before heading to Banff for another 4 nights .

A suggestion for you might be to fly into Vancouver pre cruise and have some time there  , do the crusie and then have some days in Seattle before flying home from there ... or are there no flights from Seattle to your home ? 

That way it would save your dad having to travel between both cities with his troublesome knees 😉

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Ferry from Seattle to Victoria; either spend a couple of days in Victoria, or take the ferry to Vancouver as soon as possible.

 

It isn't the fastest way, just the most amazing.

[Milhouse]

Common transportation options between Seattle and Vancouver are covered in this recent thread.

I would caution that Monday, May 18 is a stat holiday (Victoria Day) in BC so you may encounter heavier northbound congestion at the border with Canadians returning home from a trip across the border, particularly Monday evening/night.

 

We typically drive down to Seattle so we have wheels to some places that are more difficult to get to than a tourist without.  

However, we normally centre our trip with a visit to Pike Place Market and vicinity.  It's tourist central but we still like going.  Outside the market on the streets to the east is the original Starbucks, really delicious Pike Place Chowder (seafood bisque is like crack and I have to buy a frozen quart to bring home with me), Piroshky Piroshky, etc. There's a bit of "tourist" pricing going on too.  One think to be aware of is there are a lot of steps in Pike Place Market and some of the East West streets are steep.  

From Pike Place, we like walking down to the waterfront to check out the ferris wheel, Ivars, etc.  

 

Beyond this central location, it's handy to have a car to zip around to the various spots:

If you're a fan of Starbucks, you might also want to check out their Reserve Roastery location.  

We like driving to West Seattle and the University District to visit a farmers market and take a walk around the neighourhoods.

Lots of interesting neighbourhoods all over the place really.

The Fremont Troll under the bridge.  

 

In Vancouver:

The downtown core is very walkable and relatively flat.  However, by that time, we should have Uber and Lyft (on top of taxis and Kater) if your dad needs a respite.  Public transport is pretty reliable and frequent too.  A car would be handy for some of the further out sites but would be a parking burden if you stay downtown.  You can always do the HOHO too.  

The big hitters in and just outside the downtown core are:  Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, Yaletown, English Bay, Jack Poole Plaza/Convention Centre/Canada Place, and various parts of the seawall.  Robson, Denman, Davie, and Granville is a decent circuit (though the south end of Granville can feel a bit sketchy).  

It's spot prawn season that time of year so you'll likely see it as a special at resto's around town. Kind of pricey though at $25-30/lb. 

[DaveOKC]

Having done both the Bolt bus and Amtrak train, my clear choice is Amtrak.  Of course, be sure to take a train during daylight hours as the scenery is great.  Plus, you get to move around the car and hit the snack/beverage bar.  Plus - no stop/congestion at the border.

Edited October 2, 2019 by DaveOKC

[Gardyloo]

Divided four ways, the car, even with the one way surcharge, is probably going to be the cheapest option.  However, would it be possible for you to postpone your visit to Seattle until after the cruise rather than before it?  

 

In my experience, by the time you add up surface transport costs in Seattle (airport to train station, for example) and the cost of the train itself, it often ends up being cheaper just to fly to Vancouver in the first place.  And that's not even considering the expense of hotels in Seattle during cruise season, which are exorbitant, often higher than NYC prices.  

 

So if you flew in advance to Vancouver and spent a couple of days exploring that marvelous city, then did the same in Seattle after the cruise, you might find the convenience and cost picture wouldn't be any worse, and possibly better.  

 

Anyway, if you choose to drive, there are routes that offer considerably better scenery than just running up the I-5 freeway to the border.  Google the places on this map - https://goo.gl/maps/G5912nvR68KAgcYeA - to see some examples.

 

 

[martincath]

I think Gl & Milhouse cover everything that I'd say about the transportation choices; M's point about Victoria Day is EXTREMELY relevant if you were considering either a car or bus on that day (the word I'd use to describe northbound holiday Mondays is 'nightmare' unless you have NEXUS for everyone in a car!) but the train is immune to the problems (no border stop at all northbound, you see CBSA on arrival in Vancouver, and springing extra for Business Class gets you priority - and Senior discounts on Amtrak are not to be sniffed at). And don't assume that an open jaw flight will be much pricier, actually plug it in on your dates and see what the difference is - unless you only fly on airlines that do not visit Vancouver (Southwest, JetBlue) by the time you consider the cost of transportation and how much your own time is worth, the simplest approach as suggested (fly in to YVR, out of SEA) may be well worth an extra $50-$100pp!

 

Only real extra info I'd add is that you're way too early to get accurate rates on a rental car - drop fees disappear and rates consistently drop as the date approaches, since the franchisees can get a much more accurate idea of how many cars are desired in each direction. In a perfect world the north and southbound trips match up, so Canadian and American cars both end up back home, and short-notice rates can be ludicrously low - but right now every rental is probably assuming they have to ship the car back or pay someone to drive it, thus a hefty drop fee or just a high rate to pad for such eventualities. So book refundable rates only, and check back next March (when bookings will be picking up as cruise season gets close) then again a month before you travel, and again a week before.

 

Book with Costco if you're a member - generally best rates, free second driver, always refundable, and compares up to 4 rentals simultaneously which is extremely desirable on this route as e.g. National might have a good balance of north/south so cut fees & rates, whereas Enterprise could have all same-way bookings and be 2 or 3 times the price (all major companies, Hertz/Avis too, allow one-ways but which is cheapest on any given date is very much up to chance, so show zero loyalty!!!)

[Alsmez]

Thank you all for the tips - the info about May 18 is especially helpful! We would probably plan to leave Seattle on the morning of the 19th to avoid traffic issues if we drive, but the train does sound like a nice option. My DH and I have Trusted Traveler IDs but my parents don't, so the border crossing could be annoying. We will also look into the possibility of flying into Vancouver and out of Seattle as suggested - I am sure the cost won't be much more than a round trip. We were thinking of planning the land visits before the cruise so that we'd have a full weekend after the cruise to relax at home before going back to work, but that's not a necessity if avoiding the trip between cities makes more sense.

[Alsmez]

Also, I forgot to mention, we will be flying from NYC, and unfortunately there are only 1 or occasionally 2 direct flights to Vancouver per day. Unless we are willing to layover, flying into Seattle gives us more options. My parents will be coming from Chicago so I think they will have more options to either city.

[Gardyloo]

For the budget conscious, if you don't mind another credit card, have a look at the Alaska Airlines-branded Visa card.  https://www.alaskaair.com/content/credit-card/visa-signature

 

In addition to 40,000 Alaska miles right off the bat (very useful with many airline partners) you also get an annual "companion certificate" (electronic now) that lets one person pay $121 for a round trip ticket if the other pays the going price.  This is good on any Alaska Airlines itinerary - one way, round trip, open jaw - to anywhere they fly including Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico.  Since Alaska bought Virgin America, the value has gone up even more.

 

So for example if a trip from NYC to Vancouver has a sticker price of $350 round trip, the cost for two is $471, or an average of $236.  Then you get another one the following year.  

 

Worth considering.

Edited October 18, 2019 by Gardyloo

[Alsmez]

Gardyloo, thank you - that is a FANTASTIC deal. I'll have to see if Alaska Air has good flight options for us. Air Canada was the only direct flight I found to Vancouver but perhaps Alaska offers one direct to Seattle. Would be well worth it!

[Gardyloo]

2 hours ago, Alsmez said:

Gardyloo, thank you - that is a FANTASTIC deal. I'll have to see if Alaska Air has good flight options for us. Air Canada was the only direct flight I found to Vancouver but perhaps Alaska offers one direct to Seattle. Would be well worth it!

Alaska flies nonstop to Seattle from both EWR and JFK, and connecting through SEA to Vancouver is very easy.  

[martincath]

6 hours ago, Alsmez said:

... My DH and I have Trusted Traveler IDs but my parents don't, so the border crossing could be annoying. ...

Unless those TT cards are NEXUS, they wouldn't help driving up from Seattle anyway (Global Entry is only valid heading into the US, not into Canada, so may be useful boarding the ship at the pier as they do sometimes have a GE queue; TSA Pre is completely worthless in Canada). If they are NEXUS, you'd need to send your parents separately before you could use the dedicated border lanes.

[scottbee]

On 10/18/2019 at 11:53 AM, Alsmez said:

Gardyloo, thank you - that is a FANTASTIC deal. I'll have to see if Alaska Air has good flight options for us. Air Canada was the only direct flight I found to Vancouver but perhaps Alaska offers one direct to Seattle. Would be well worth it!

 

Also one stop via Portland as well.

 

[disneylover89]

On 10/18/2019 at 1:35 PM, Alsmez said:

Also, I forgot to mention, we will be flying from NYC, and unfortunately there are only 1 or occasionally 2 direct flights to Vancouver per day. Unless we are willing to layover, flying into Seattle gives us more options. My parents will be coming from Chicago so I think they will have more options to either city.

We flew JFK-.Vancouver on Cathay Pacific.  At the time they only had 1 non-stop flight.  Left at 8:30pm and landed around midnight Vancouver time.  We stayed at the hotel right in the airport which was very nice and convenient.  

[Gardyloo]

2 hours ago, disneylover89 said:

We flew JFK-.Vancouver on Cathay Pacific.  At the time they only had 1 non-stop flight.  Left at 8:30pm and landed around midnight Vancouver time.  We stayed at the hotel right in the airport which was very nice and convenient.  

 

Sadly, Cathay Pacific is discontinuing that flight sometime next spring.  It's been a money loser for CX for some time, now that there are 3+ nonstops between HKG and JFK/EWR daily.  In the meantime, if you have any eligible frequent flyer miles, a business class or first class ride on that flight is the best use of FF miles in all of North America, in my view.  I'll be sad to see it go.

[Alsmez]

After talking to my mother, for now we are going to proceed as planned with flying into and out of Seattle, and rent a car on Tuesday morning for the one-way drive to Vancouver (and consider the scenic route recommended by Gardyloo!). I found downtown hotels in both cities for a pretty reasonable price, so we're tentatively set for now, pending finding a rental car. Thank you everyone for your valuable input!

[xlxo]

21 hours ago, Alsmez said:

After talking to my mother, for now we are going to proceed as planned with flying into and out of Seattle, and rent a car on Tuesday morning for the one-way drive to Vancouver (and consider the scenic route recommended by Gardyloo!). I found downtown hotels in both cities for a pretty reasonable price, so we're tentatively set for now, pending finding a rental car. Thank you everyone for your valuable input!

 

Plan ahead for where to stay/park that rental vehicle.  Downtown hotels are not cheap.  My fav is the Raddison Vancouver Airport that offers free parking.  There's also a $4 subway across the street that has you downtown in 20 minutes.

 

Also be aware Vancouver has a very high vehicle break-in's.  This is a problem downtown and around tourist attractions. Your rental vehicle will not likely have BC license plates and that makes you a stronger target for luggage theft. Here's the latest crime map from last week.  https://vancouver.ca/police/CrimeMaps/2019/1029/tfauto_191023_191029.pdf

 

Bolt bus and taxi's would give you more flexibility if you insist on staying downtown. Quick Shuttle cost more, but can take you directly from the Seattle cruise terminal and drop you off at a Downtown hotel.

 

Blue Horizon is a fav value hotel in Vancouver.  YWCA is a fav budget hotel.

Edited November 6, 2019 by xlxo

[Alsmez]

Just now, xlxo said:

Plan ahead for where to stay/park that rental vehicle. 

 

Our plan is actually just to pick up in Seattle on the morning of the trip and drive straight to the other rental agency in Vancouver to drop off that afternoon, no parking required. I noticed when searching hotels that parking was not widely available and the city seems quite manageable on foot or with public transportation/cabs, so no need to pay to rent and park a car. I found Avis locations near our hotels in both cities that allow for a one-way rental so it should be a fairly easy process. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

24 minutes ago, Alsmez said:

 

Our plan is actually just to pick up in Seattle on the morning of the trip and drive straight to the other rental agency in Vancouver to drop off that afternoon, no parking required. I noticed when searching hotels that parking was not widely available and the city seems quite manageable on foot or with public transportation/cabs, so no need to pay to rent and park a car. I found Avis locations near our hotels in both cities that allow for a one-way rental so it should be a fairly easy process. 

 

Maybe stop for lunch in the Fairhaven Historic District (WA).  Depending where you are picking up your rental car, this quaint walkable DT area  will be about 2.5 hours along your drive to Vancouver.  

 

(My husband and I are also on this sailing, but we will be taking Amtrak that Wednesday - see you onboard)

Edited November 6, 2019 by Ferry_Watcher

[CanWeGoYet?]

14 hours ago, Alsmez said:

 

Our plan is actually just to pick up in Seattle on the morning of the trip and drive straight to the other rental agency in Vancouver to drop off that afternoon, no parking required. I noticed when searching hotels that parking was not widely available and the city seems quite manageable on foot or with public transportation/cabs, so no need to pay to rent and park a car. I found Avis locations near our hotels in both cities that allow for a one-way rental so it should be a fairly easy process. 

Very good!  That was the only bit of advice I had to offer.  That adding a parking charge to the hotel bill would be pricey, driving here in Seattle can be a pain, and paying for parking once you got to your sightseeing location would likely add to costs.  

 

If you can load Uber on to your phone, it's quick and cheap.  International district in Seattle has many choices for Asian food, or stop at Uwajimaya (there is no ooo sound at the beginning of the word, just say wah-jee-maya) a Japanese store with lots of food & gift / souvenir choices as well as a good sized food court or deli area with sushi, cooked food to go etc.   

[xlxo]

14 hours ago, Alsmez said:

pick up in Seattle on the morning of the trip and drive straight to the other rental agency in Vancouver to drop off that afternoon, no parking required. I noticed when searching hotels that parking was not widely available and the city seems quite manageable on foot or with public transportation/cabs, so no need to pay to rent and park a car.

 

Yes, a one way rental for the 4 of you is a good approach.

 

Depending on where you plan to be staying downtown and what you plan to see... Grouse and Capilano have free shuttles from the cruise terminal all day.  Downtown attractions are quickly accessible by public transit, taxi and/or walking.  I was concerned for your parents how much stamina they have without the rental vehicle.  For a regular person, you can walk from one end of downtown (English Bay) to the other (cruise terminal) in around 30 minutes.

[Alsmez]

6 hours ago, xlxo said:

I was concerned for your parents how much stamina they have without the rental vehicle. 

 

My mom has more energy than I do, but we do have to watch the walking for my dad. Luckily, he is content to relax at the hotel if he's not feeling up to a given activity, and more than happy to pay for a cab/Uber if it will make his life easier.