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Flying to Vancouver or Seattle for a cruise from Vancouver?

surfside1101

By surfside1101,
in West Coast Departures

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richart

richart

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 9/4/2023 at 11:13 PM, surfside1101 said:

Which is better. Flying to Vancouver or Seattle and bus to Vancouver?

Our cruise embarks from Vancouver and debarks in Seattle. The nonstop flight from ATL to YVR was 1/3 less than the SEA to ATL flight. It pays to check prices as they vary so much by time of day and day of week. 

Edited by richart
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julia

julia

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, richart said:

Our cruise embarks from Vancouver and debarks in Seattle. The nonstop flight from ATL to YVR was 1/3 less than the SEA to ATL flight. It pays to check prices as they vary so much by time of day and day of week. 

Flights are always less "coming" than "going"...  I can fly to a dozen touristy places, but getting back to my non-touristy home??  $$!

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DaveOKC

DaveOKC

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, richart said:

Our cruise embarks from Vancouver and debarks in Seattle. The nonstop flight from ATL to YVR was 1/3 less than the SEA to ATL flight. It pays to check prices as they vary so much by time of day and day of week. 

Not certain, but I think there is a significant departure tax out of Vancouver.

 

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maggiev

maggiev

Posted
Posted
On 9/5/2023 at 12:25 PM, jsn55 said:

US-Canada fares may be much more expensive, check that out first.  Any possibility of taking a ferry from Seattle to Vancouver?  It's a gorgeous ride out of SEA.

What is the name of the Ferry?

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martincath Holiday Sharing Rare

martincath

Posted
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11 minutes ago, maggiev said:

What is the name of the Ferry?

There isn't one - but you can take the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria, and then BC Ferries to the mainland from the Island. There's a coach that usually works out as the best combo of cost/convenience if you just want transpo - picks up and drops off in downtown Vic and Van, synched to the ferry times, approx. US$50ish pp.

 

Honestly though, unless you make the pre-cruise transport part of the vaycay and plan at least a night or three in Seattle and Victoria, the time and cost involved makes this a non-starter for most folks!

 

Even doing the 'fly to Seattle, bus or train to Vancouver' thing only saves big bucks if you place no value on your own time - even if you have a nonstop option from your local airport to SEA but only layovers going to YVR, odds are that you'll find a flight with a <2hr connection far more convenient than a ~4 hours bus or train ride at fixed times, with lots of padding to ensure a flight delay won't make you miss it... it's not just the US$30-80pp cost of transpo, it's the many hours extra time spend you need to factor in. The older I get, the more I value my time over my money!!!

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Meander Ingwa

Meander Ingwa

Posted
Posted

you are going to need a paper and pencil to work it out.

 

If you are embarking VANC and debark SEA somewhere you are going to have a logistics challenge.

 

It is usually more economical to book a round trip air fare via one city.  You then have to figure out the logistics of getting to or from the secondary city.

 

Most people who fly in to SEA will take the train or bus to VAN.  Factor in the time of departure for the bus or train, and the possible need for a hotel in getting that connection.Choices are somewhat limited

 

dont over look round trip Air to SEA with a one way flight to Vancouver to start  your trip.   I am seeing ,with a quick glance about 120 for that one way trip.  I consider that only nominally more expensive over the bus or train when you add in the logistics of getting to that bus or train plus the added time in transit.  

Personally I will pay more for the one way flight over the aggravation of transferring in to town to get the train or staying overnight to get the bus that shuttles to the cruise port in Vancouver from SeaTac.  Now mind you this is coming from a Seattleite who LOVES trains, but probably not after  6 hour cross country flight

 

remember that if you are flying from the east coast time zones you are gaining a little time in your logistics so while it will be a long day, a connecting flight to Vanc at SEA might get you to your hotel in Van by late afternoon.

 

 

 

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maggiev

maggiev

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 10/16/2023 at 9:53 PM, Meander Ingwa said:

you are going to need a paper and pencil to work it out.

 

If you are embarking VANC and debark SEA somewhere you are going to have a logistics challenge.

 

It is usually more economical to book a round trip air fare via one city.  You then have to figure out the logistics of getting to or from the secondary city.

 

Most people who fly in to SEA will take the train or bus to VAN.  Factor in the time of departure for the bus or train, and the possible need for a hotel in getting that connection.Choices are somewhat limited

 

dont over look round trip Air to SEA with a one way flight to Vancouver to start  your trip.   I am seeing ,with a quick glance about 120 for that one way trip.  I consider that only nominally more expensive over the bus or train when you add in the logistics of getting to that bus or train plus the added time in transit.  

Personally I will pay more for the one way flight over the aggravation of transferring in to town to get the train or staying overnight to get the bus that shuttles to the cruise port in Vancouver from SeaTac.  Now mind you this is coming from a Seattleite who LOVES trains, but probably not after  6 hour cross country flight

 

remember that if you are flying from the east coast time zones you are gaining a little time in your logistics so while it will be a long day, a connecting flight to Vanc at SEA might get you to your hotel in Van by late afternoon.

 

 

 

Never thought of flying Seattle to Vancouver. I’ll look into that. 
 

Also, @martincath I could not agree more — my time & energy are worth a few extra bucks to go directly to Vancouver.  I thought if the ferry or train were easy enough it would be a nice scenic trip, but I don’t want a hassle 

 

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