Advice on Amtrak station to precruise hotel

[gmamo22]

Looking for advice on the best hotel location after arriving by Amtrak from Portland, Oregon.  According to the Amtrak schedule the only train that departs Portland to Vancouver arrives @ 11:00pm.  I have read trip advisor reviews and it appears the station is not in the best part of town. I am concerned with safety that time of the night so I was hoping someone could guide me on what would be the best option for choosing a hotel. Is there a hotel near the station or is it best to get a hotel near the cruise terminal since we will be boarding Carnival Spirit for a Hawaiian cruise the following day?  I did see there was a sky train that could be used but again concerned about safety that time of the evening. We are two 60ish people who are able bodied. 

[Earl Rosebery]

.   There are no decent hotels near the train station. However there are dozens within a 10 minute drive.  Take a taxi.

[martincath]

Earl summed it up nicely. The neighbourhood is getting more and more gentrified (I live within 2 blocks so I'm extremely familiar with it) but the only 'hotels' are hostels and SROs. Depending which bits of Portland you're familiar with, you may find the area plenty comfortable for hanging out in - there are several excellent restos - but since all the kitchens except the 24/7 McDs and Timmies nearby will be closed by the time the train rolls in, there's really no point in doing anything but heading to your accommodation.

 

The YWCA Hotel is the cheapest nice place in the entire region, and would be about a $10 cab ride from the station and to the pier next day - but if you have the budget for it, by all means splurge on something fancy right next to or above the pier (Pan Pacific, Fairmont Waterfront, Fairmont Pacific Rim would go in order of closeness but they run the other way in fanciness - the Pac Rim is one of the two 5* hotels in Vancouver).

 

[scottbee]

16 hours ago, gmamo22 said:

Looking for advice on the best hotel location after arriving by Amtrak from Portland, Oregon.  According to the Amtrak schedule the only train that departs Portland to Vancouver arrives @ 11:00pm.  I have read trip advisor reviews and it appears the station is not in the best part of town. I am concerned with safety that time of the night so I was hoping someone could guide me on what would be the best option for choosing a hotel. Is there a hotel near the station or is it best to get a hotel near the cruise terminal since we will be boarding Carnival Spirit for a Hawaiian cruise the following day?  I did see there was a sky train that could be used but again concerned about safety that time of the evening. We are two 60ish people who are able bodied. 

 

There are a couple of decent hotels one stop up the Expo Line Skytrain; however has already been mentioned it's barely worth it, a taxi from right out front will be $10-15 for two people vs $3/ea for the Skytrain.

[gmamo22]

Thank you all for the advice. We are thinking it would be best to get a taxi to a hotel near the pier.  Maybe one that is walkable to the pier.  If we were to take a taxi, would there be available taxi’s waiting outside or would we need to call to get one that time of the evening (11:00pm)?

[martincath]

13 hours ago, gmamo22 said:

Thank you all for the advice. We are thinking it would be best to get a taxi to a hotel near the pier.  Maybe one that is walkable to the pier.  If we were to take a taxi, would there be available taxi’s waiting outside or would we need to call to get one that time of the evening (11:00pm)?

Yes, cabs will start lining up as soon as the train arrives. Depending when you get off the train you may have a few minutes wait, but cabs will keep arriving until all the passengers are gone.