Transfer from Seatac to Vancouver

[cruising deacon]

Prior to covid I had taken an Alaska cruise out of Vancouver but flew into Seattle (seatac).

 

Princess had a transfer system from the airport to the ship that took about 3 hours including going through Canadian customs.

 

Does anyone know if Princess is still offering that transfer service?  I am planning to take another Alaska cruise out of Vancouver and would like to use it, it was very convenient.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, cruising deacon said:

Prior to covid I had taken an Alaska cruise out of Vancouver but flew into Seattle (seatac).

 

Princess had a transfer system from the airport to the ship that took about 3 hours including going through Canadian customs.

 

Does anyone know if Princess is still offering that transfer service?  I am planning to take another Alaska cruise out of Vancouver and would like to use it, it was very convenient.

Yes they do

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, cruising deacon said:

Prior to covid I had taken an Alaska cruise out of Vancouver but flew into Seattle (seatac).

 

Princess had a transfer system from the airport to the ship that took about 3 hours including going through Canadian customs.

 

Does anyone know if Princess is still offering that transfer service?  I am planning to take another Alaska cruise out of Vancouver and would like to use it, it was very convenient.

If you have a TA or CVP you can book this transfer with them.

[CruzinNoony]

Another option would be to fly into Bellingham, WA.  Cheaper (at least from Las Vegas) and easier to shuttle to Vancouver.

 

[cruisingrob21]

3 hours ago, cruising deacon said:

Prior to covid I had taken an Alaska cruise out of Vancouver but flew into Seattle (seatac).

 

Princess had a transfer system from the airport to the ship that took about 3 hours including going through Canadian customs.

 

Does anyone know if Princess is still offering that transfer service?  I am planning to take another Alaska cruise out of Vancouver and would like to use it, it was very convenient.

It will not take 3 hours - that is almost guaranteed.

 

Depending when you start the timer, you'll have to wait to have the bus loaded, then slog through Seattle traffic (bad if its a weekday), then the driver may stop for a rest stop somewhere north of Seattle, then go through border customs, then it can take 45mins to an hour to drive from the border to CanadaPlace Cruise terminal.  Even if you were able to drive without stopping, it would take 3 hrs from Seatac to Vancouver.  

 

If I recall, the last shuttle bus leaves at 10am from Seatac to ensure they have time to get to the cruise terminal by 3:30.

 

I took the opposite shuttle (Canada Place to Seatac) and initially scoffed at the 5-6 hour estimate.  While I was on the bus around 8am, we didn't get to Seatac until 1pm because the bus didn't leave until 8:30 and we had some traffic leaving vancouver and had a 20 minute wait at the border.  This was a "good" travel experience.

 

Knowing what I know now, I'd rather just fly to YVR.

[Nolafan]

5 hours ago, cruisingrob21 said:

It will not take 3 hours - that is almost guaranteed.

 

Depending when you start the timer, you'll have to wait to have the bus loaded, then slog through Seattle traffic (bad if its a weekday), then the driver may stop for a rest stop somewhere north of Seattle, then go through border customs, then it can take 45mins to an hour to drive from the border to CanadaPlace Cruise terminal.  Even if you were able to drive without stopping, it would take 3 hrs from Seatac to Vancouver.  

 

If I recall, the last shuttle bus leaves at 10am from Seatac to ensure they have time to get to the cruise terminal by 3:30.

 

I took the opposite shuttle (Canada Place to Seatac) and initially scoffed at the 5-6 hour estimate.  While I was on the bus around 8am, we didn't get to Seatac until 1pm because the bus didn't leave until 8:30 and we had some traffic leaving vancouver and had a 20 minute wait at the border.  This was a "good" travel experience.

 

Knowing what I know now, I'd rather just fly to YVR.

@cruisingrob21 We are considering doing the Vancouver to Seattle shuttle in a few weeks instead of renting a car. We are planning on staying on there for a few extra days post cruise for some sightseeing. Does the shuttle have a bathroom and if not does it make bathroom sites? 

 

Also - the average transport time is 5-6hrs?

 

Thanks! 

[cruisingrob21]

18 minutes ago, Nolafan said:

@cruisingrob21 We are considering doing the Vancouver to Seattle shuttle in a few weeks instead of renting a car. We are planning on staying on there for a few extra days post cruise for some sightseeing. Does the shuttle have a bathroom and if not does it make bathroom sites? 

 

Also - the average transport time is 5-6hrs?

 

Thanks! 

The buses are pretty standard "long distance" coaches.  Most, if not all, have a bathroom but they are very small and I've seen it once where the bathroom was out of order.  If the bathroom is broken its likely the bus will stop at a rest area once in Washington State.  You might want to ask the driver about that when you board.  Our bus did not stop and there was no "all-call" if a stop was needed.

 

I can't speak to the average, but of the 3 or 4 times I've taken the transfer, the first buses will start leaving Vancouver between 8:00 and 8:30 as they fill up and arrive at Seatac airport around 12:30 to 1:30.  That all assumes that the border screening is "easy" where everyone stays on the bus.  In this scenario, the bus will wait at a designated area at the border while border guards may come on and look at passports.  Note that if there are any other ships in port, your bus won't be the only one and you may be waiting while other buses are inspected.  If you get the "hard" screening, everyone will have to get off the bus at the border and go into the border facility to have a quick chat with agents, similar to what you go through in airport customs.  As you can imagine, that can easily add 30-40 minutes for a bus of 40 people.

 

Once all that is complete, the bus will head toward Seattle.  If its a weekday, the bus will hit traffic north of seattle and will take a bit longer to get the airport.  So it takes about an hour to drive from the cruise terminal to the border, at least 30 minutes at the border and another 2 to 3 hours from the border to Seatac without too much traffic.  That's 4 hours at best from when the bus leaves the terminal.  If you got to loading area and are the first person on the bus, add another 30 minutes for the bus to fill up.  If a rest stop is made, it will add another 15 minutes or so.

 

I personally wouldn't plan on a flight before 3pm from Seatac.

 

Have you considered amtrak?  It's a great way to go and takes about the same amount of time, maybe a bit less.  The main reason its not well used by cruise passengers is because the AM train runs around 7:45am, and the pm train runs around 7pm (double check) which aren't really practical if you try to get home on disembarkation day.  Its much more scenic and you process all customs at the train station in vancouver.  The train will stop at the border but only for 10 minutes or so while agents walk through the train, sometimes requesting to see passports.  Once you get to Seattle, you'll either have to take an uber/taxi to the airport (20 minute ride) or take the light rail which is a short walk.

Edited May 23, 2023 by cruisingrob21

[Italy52]

36 minutes ago, Nolafan said:

@cruisingrob21 We are considering doing the Vancouver to Seattle shuttle in a few weeks instead of renting a car. We are planning on staying on there for a few extra days post cruise for some sightseeing. Does the shuttle have a bathroom and if not does it make bathroom sites? 

 

Also - the average transport time is 5-6hrs?

 

Thanks! 

We decided to do the Princess transfer bus trip from Vancouver to Seattle during the COVID-ArriveCan days because we thought it would be easier -- not.  Anyway, our bus did have a restroom; however, it was not operational.  When we stopped at the border a few of us made a quick stop there.  Our driver did stop at a rest facility shortly after we left the border.  Unfortunately, our journey was long as we encountered construction traffic on the freeway going into Seattle as well as an accident backing up traffic.  Some of the bus passengers were getting a little antsy to use a restroom. 

 

Your 5-6 hour transport time sounds about right.  All I know is I was glad that we were not catching a flight that day.  We had opted to spend the night in Seattle and take an early flight out the next morning --- less stressful for sure.

[Nolafan]

Thanks @cruisingrob21and @Italy52for your insights, thoughts, and experiences! Much appreciated!!!

 

@cruisingrob21- We did consider and look into the train but as you mentioned the only 2 train times aren't convenient. The 1st one is too early ( 6:35 am ) or too late ( 5:45 pm). 

 

We have decided to just go with our initial plan of renting a car and driving there to Seattle. Between the time travel and bathroom situations we are going to stick with driving.

 

We aren't catching a plane that day so we aren't in any hurry  get to Seattle.

 

Thanks again for your advise!!!!  

[cruisingrob21]

7 minutes ago, Nolafan said:

Thanks @cruisingrob21and @Italy52for your insights, thoughts, and experiences! Much appreciated!!!

 

@cruisingrob21- We did consider and look into the train but as you mentioned the only 2 train times aren't convenient. The 1st one is too early ( 6:35 am ) or too late ( 5:45 pm). 

 

We have decided to just go with our initial plan of renting a car and driving there to Seattle. Between the time travel and bathroom situations we are going to stick with driving.

 

We aren't catching a plane that day so we aren't in any hurry  get to Seattle.

 

Thanks again for your advise!!!!  

I think that's a wise idea.

 

There are also a lot of great "side trips" on the way such as taking highway 20 and driving south on Whidbey Island.  You catch a 20 minute car-ferry at the southern end which will put you in the northern periphery of Seattle.  Deception Pass state park is a beautiful place to visit.

[VibeGuy]

Also plan to take the Chuckanut Drive scenic route from Fairhaven to Bow.  It’s one of the nicest scenic drives in Washington and only adds a few minutes to your trip.  
 

The bus transfers are awful.  It’s literally like flying into Orlando to catch a cruise in Ft Lauderdale + Customs and immigration.  You’re making a smart choice. 

[Nolafan]

Thanks @cruisingrob21 and @VibeGuyfor the route suggestions. I have made a note of y’all’s routes. That was our plan on taking a more relaxing scenic drive and your suggestions sound awesome. Thanks!!! 

[Buckeye10640]

12 hours ago, Nolafan said:

Thanks @cruisingrob21and @Italy52for your insights, thoughts, and experiences! Much appreciated!!!

 

@cruisingrob21- We did consider and look into the train but as you mentioned the only 2 train times aren't convenient. The 1st one is too early ( 6:35 am ) or too late ( 5:45 pm). 

 

We have decided to just go with our initial plan of renting a car and driving there to Seattle. Between the time travel and bathroom situations we are going to stick with driving.

 

We aren't catching a plane that day so we aren't in any hurry  get to Seattle.

 

Thanks again for your advise!!!!  

Be sure to get your car rental plenty early. I looked into this for our cruise  last May and one way rentals were expensive and hard to find. Ultimately we stuck with our plan to fly home from YVR instead of SEA. 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Buckeye10640

[Nolafan]

1 hour ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Be sure to get your car rental plenty early. I looked into this for our cruise  last May and one way rentals were expensive and hard to find. Ultimately we stuck with our plan to fly home from YVR instead of SEA. 

Thanks @Buckeye10640! We have already rented our car awhile back. It is more expensive than the Princess transfers but DH likes the freedom and the flexibility of having a car.

 

I was just trying to explore our options when I saw this thread. We are staying on in Seattle for 2 days post-cruise to do some sight seeing.