Fly to Seattle, take train to Vancouver

[englander]

Researching options for our Hawaii cruise from Vancouver in Sept 2022. Can I take Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver in morning? Currently we booked a hotel near airport, but I think I'd have to change the hotel to one closer to port since I don't see Amtrak stopping near airport in Vancouver.

Any suggestions? Or is Bellingham, WA (using Southwest Air) an option?

Edited February 7, 2022 by englander
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[Milhouse]

Are you considering taking Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver the morning of your cruise?

There appears to be a train from downtown Seattle that gets you to Vancouver before noon with the standard caveat of travelling to your departure port city day of.  Vancouver's train station is located just outside the downtown core in a somewhat sketchy neighbourhood.  But it's a short taxi/Uber ride into downtown where the port is located.  There's also a skytrain (metro) station nearby that can take you into downtown (with a caveat whether you should be taking you luggage onto this skytrain line or not).  You would need to head downtown and connect to a different skytrain line to take you to/from the airport.

 

Not sure the value of adding Bellingham into the mix heading to Vancouver.  I'd rather connect in Seattle (on Alaska Airlines or Air Canada/Star Alliance).

As things normalize, there's also a coach bus option (Quick Shuttle) to head from Seattle (and SEA) (to Bellingham/BLI) to (near YVR and) downtown Vancouver.

[klfrodo]

Currently, Amtrak "trains" are not going to Vancouver, BC. The train Border crossing has not been reopened yet. Current plans are sometime Q1 2022, but when is that really???

 Amtrak is busing passengers from the Seattle King Street Station to Vancouver train station.

 

As a side note, if you really wanted the train ride from Seattle to Vancouver, the only train that went to Vancouver was the Coast Starlighter. Every other Amtrak option was the bus from Seattle. The Coast Starlighter leaves Seattle King Street Station at something like 5:30PM and arrived in Vancouver sometime before midnight. That's the only option for "Amtrak Train" from Seattle into Vancouver.

My wife and I used to do this frequently pre-covid days. The other downer is that the return train departs Vancouver at 6AM the next morning.

[cantonoh1753]

I really wanted to take a train - I heard it was great. 

 

We will be in Seattle to visit friends, and then we will need to get to Vancouver for the cruise (hotel on Sunday, cruise on Monday).   

 

We could fly,  but doesn't sound like much fun compared to the train idea..... 

 

I did find the link for the bus - $45pp, one way, Seattle to Vancouver 

https://www.cantrail.com

Edited February 12, 2022 by cantonoh1753

[em-sk]

On 2/11/2022 at 9:30 PM, cantonoh1753 said:

I really wanted to take a train - I heard it was great. 

 

We will be in Seattle to visit friends, and then we will need to get to Vancouver for the cruise (hotel on Sunday, cruise on Monday).   

 

We could fly,  but doesn't sound like much fun compared to the train idea..... 

 

I did find the link for the bus - $45pp, one way, Seattle to Vancouver 

https://www.cantrail.com

 

If they restart the train Q1 then that is sometime over next 6 weeks.  I would book it, worse case is it is replaced by a bus.

 

However given the direction things are going I would be surprised if the train is not restarted.  

 

I would do the uber from Pacific Central Station (where the Train to Seattle depart/arrives) and Canada Place. 

 

You could also do public transit. However the line that services the airport (Canada Line) using different railcars with luggage racks.  The Expo Line that services Pacific Central does not.

Edited February 15, 2022 by em-sk

[martincath]

Q1 seems to have been abandoned - but Amtrak trains have been seen on the tracks a handful of times this year according to some local Redditors. Apparently these test runs are in preparation for passenger service to return in June (and if you check Amtrak's booking site, you'll find that trains can be booked from Friday Jun 3rd onward - before that it's only the connector bus service listed).

 

With Bolt Bus officially winding up their business here they won't return, but Cantrail (who are the main bus contractor for Amtrak on their mixed train/bus routes) as noted above seem to already be functional, and Quickshuttle have also been operating since the land border reopened. NB: that the schedules may well change between now and September - hopefully back to more frequent service!

 

As to hotels - yes, an airport location is less than ideal when arriving by train as you have an extra schlep with luggage out there and back downtown. Look at the YWCA Hotel - they're generally the best value option in the entire region, and are even potentially walkable from the station (just under a mile) and to the port (~3/4 mile) next day. A regular cab should be <$10, Uber/Lyft slightly cheaper.