Driving from Oregon, where to pre-day stay and park

[Southpaw97470]

We are taking 7 day Alaska HAL out of Vancouver and decided to drive since we live in Southern Oregon. I've seen posts of places to stay if flying, but we are driving and we are not sure where to stay that are safe but budget friendly and able to leave our car for the duration of the cruise.

We have a 6hr drive to Seattle and an 8hr drive to BC so we want to do one pre-day stay either in Wa or BC. I have a couple of options I'm looking at but need suggestions for safety, ease and budget.

1.Drive to either Seattle or Bellingham Wa then next day drive (2 hr approx) to Canada Place for cruise. Where should we leave our car for the week with easy access to CP with luggage? Airport, CP, or other parking garage.

2. Drive and stay in Seattle or Bellingham, & leave our car there (possible at either WA airport). Then next day find transport to CP. Or would that not give enough time for a relaxed embarkation?

3. Drive and pre-day stay in Vancouver (not enough time to see the sights so basically just a place to relax and rest our heads before next day cruise). Where to stay, park for a week and get to CP via car, shuttle, train or??

 We're debating on adding a post-day stay in Vancouver to actually sightsee, so possibly  staying at a place that we can both pre and post stay and leave our car there for the duration of the cruise. 

 

Many might think I'm being silly because we're not going until May 2025, but I like to plan as early as possible so I can get an idea of the extra costs, knowing full well prices and options between now and next year could and probably will change dramatically.😃

TIA,

 

 

[princeton123211]

45 minutes ago, Southpaw97470 said:

1.Drive to either Seattle or Bellingham Wa then next day drive (2 hr approx) to Canada Place for cruise. Where should we leave our car for the week with easy access to CP with luggage? Airport, CP, or other parking garage.

You seem like someone who is a bit on the risk adverse side planning this early, so I would say that getting into Canada the day before, and not staying in WA, would be the best way to remove the biggest thing out of your control from the equation: the border crossing. I would expect it to be fairly routine but if there was going to be a bottleneck you can't control out of anything you've mentioned-- this would be it. 

[martincath]

Accent Inn by the airport - cheapest longterm parking in the area at $40 per week, as well as being a fairly budget hotel for the room cost.

 

Their airport shuttle will drop you at one of the SkyTrain stations on the Richmond fork - so you save $5pp heading in to cruise or sightsee downtown compared to boarding it at the airport and also a few minutes time saving as you don't have to drive as far on the shuttle.

 

Depending what you plan to see/do post cruise you might want to consider moving to a more central hotel for the post-cruise nights, as so many things are walkable with the downtown core.

[Glaciers]

We drove up from Seattle and parked at the long term value lot at the Vancouver airport next to the Templeton Station. 2 years ago it was $135 for 2 weeks. Took the train into downtown. We'd do it again.

[Urban trekker]

While I haven't used the parking option I do agree with Martin Cath about the Access Inn near the airport - I stayed there recently prior to catching an Amtrak bus to Seattle - it is a well maintained property and I would stay there again. I got some really good pricing by booking during a Black Friday sale. When checking in the clerk even commented about that price.

[memoak]

We live in Oregon and take the train. Easy 2 day trip in comfort 

[Ferry_Watcher]

Please be prepared for crazy I-5 traffic, especially if you are driving up on a Friday or Saturday (not sure if you have a Wed or a weekend departure).

 

If you want to spend the night near Seattle, then Cedarbrook Lodge might be a good choice for you.

https://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/

 

If you want to get a bit closer to Vancouver, then your idea of staying in Bellingham could be a good choice. 

If you want a fancier hotel closer to the border, then check out Semiahmoo:

 

https://www.semiahmoo.com/

 

Just be prepared for the traffic on I-5, and at the border. Have your passports ready.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

[Southpaw97470]

Thank you EVERYONE. You gave me great options. Hadn't thought about I-5 traffic.

[martincath]

A couple of other things sprang to mind, since this sounds like perhaps a first time driving up to Vancouver: first, gas prices - even in a super efficient vehicle you'll be refilling your tank at least once each way and you don't ever want to buy gas in BC! We do have a fair few charging stations around Vancouver if you're all-electric, but also a crapton of electric car owners so the wait time gets very annoying if you're road-tripping and have to top up rather than being able to do so off-peak, but the extra gas taxes here are hefty - I have literally filled my tank in Vancouver once (during Covid), we get 98% of our gas in Bellingham, Lacey, and Portland Costcos as I pretty much walk or transit everywhere here.

 

If you're Costco members, hitting up the I5 corridor Costcos for gas on the way works well - but sometimes the Angel of the Winds casino (exit 210) is even cheaper than Costco in Bellingham (non-members of their gambling program paying by credit can even save, as the base cash price for regular gas often runs 15c less than Costco). Be sure to top up before you hit the border regardless, it's a ~hundred mile round trip to Richmond from Bellingham, more into downtown Vancouver (and local 87 Octane gas price works out almost US$6 per gallon!)

 

Secondly, if you are just blowing through Seattle rather than stopping to do something, check WSDOT for roadworks especially on weekends (there's been some majorly inconvenient roadwork, e.g. shutting I5 down to a single lane overnight near Seatac then 2 lanes for another night and all the weekend after), and even if there's no major hassles timing your trip so you can use the Express lanes can help a lot. Lots of less frequent visitors also seem unaware that the pay lanes on I405 are free for anyone on weekends, so it's often faster than I5 when the express lanes are not going in your direction... highway signs give some advance warning to compare I405 and I5 times, but not enough to give much thinking time (or lane changing time if you're over in the HOV!) so it's best to check for known issues in advance, and even better also have passenger check WSDOT for accidents, or Waze if you use it, as you drive.

 

Thirdly, the border - again, get your passenger to check their smartphone for border wait times as you get close to the junctions where you have a choice about which to take - there are also signs above the highway as you approach the key decision points. I5 compared to the 'truck crossing' at Pacific highway/543 are close to each other, - just don't peel off I5 unless you can save at least 10mins at Pacific, as it's at least an extra 10mins drive time if you're heading to YVR or downtown! Opting for the always-temptingly-quiet Lynden or Sumas crossings though add at least 40mins drive time, so savings really need to be more like an hour to be definitely worth the extra drive time and gas and you need to make that call before leaving Bellingham or waste even more time on backroads to get to them. For folks staying east of Vancouver these crossings might make a lot of sense, maybe even parts of Surrey, but anywhere in Richmond or Vancouver stick to I5 unless you see warnings of a total closure or 2+ hour tailbacks...

 

With 6 hours to Seattle I'm guessing you guys are well south, east, or west of Eugene - maybe Reedsport,  Roseburg, Bend neck of the woods @Southpaw97470? From Portland the Amtrak Cascades is a very enticing alternative, but now that the PDX-Eugene legs are only done by trains from Seattle, never the full ride from Vancouver, you'd have the pfaff of connecting Thruway buses or very long transfers between Coast Starlight and Cascades services even if you can conveniently get into Eugene - so unless you have friends who could drop you in Portland I'd stick to driving (but the train ride is very nice - especially the 'private' immigration processing at the station just for folks on the train!)

[Ferry_Watcher]

4 hours ago, martincath said:

Thirdly, the border - again, get your passenger to check their smartphone for border wait times as you get close to the junctions where you have a choice about which to take - there are also signs above the highway as you approach the key decision points.

 

Great advice re checking wait times at the various border crossings.

Remember to have your passports ready, you also might consider having a printed copy of your ship boarding passes at-the-ready (just to show the Canadian Border Officers), and if you use your car for any hunting activities, make sure it is clear of any hunting equipment.

[memoak]

7 hours ago, martincath said:

A couple of other things sprang to mind, since this sounds like perhaps a first time driving up to Vancouver: first, gas prices - even in a super efficient vehicle you'll be refilling your tank at least once each way and you don't ever want to buy gas in BC! We do have a fair few charging stations around Vancouver if you're all-electric, but also a crapton of electric car owners so the wait time gets very annoying if you're road-tripping and have to top up rather than being able to do so off-peak, but the extra gas taxes here are hefty - I have literally filled my tank in Vancouver once (during Covid), we get 98% of our gas in Bellingham, Lacey, and Portland Costcos as I pretty much walk or transit everywhere here.

 

If you're Costco members, hitting up the I5 corridor Costcos for gas on the way works well - but sometimes the Angel of the Winds casino (exit 210) is even cheaper than Costco in Bellingham (non-members of their gambling program paying by credit can even save, as the base cash price for regular gas often runs 15c less than Costco). Be sure to top up before you hit the border regardless, it's a ~hundred mile round trip to Richmond from Bellingham, more into downtown Vancouver (and local 87 Octane gas price works out almost US$6 per gallon!)

 

Secondly, if you are just blowing through Seattle rather than stopping to do something, check WSDOT for roadworks especially on weekends (there's been some majorly inconvenient roadwork, e.g. shutting I5 down to a single lane overnight near Seatac then 2 lanes for another night and all the weekend after), and even if there's no major hassles timing your trip so you can use the Express lanes can help a lot. Lots of less frequent visitors also seem unaware that the pay lanes on I405 are free for anyone on weekends, so it's often faster than I5 when the express lanes are not going in your direction... highway signs give some advance warning to compare I405 and I5 times, but not enough to give much thinking time (or lane changing time if you're over in the HOV!) so it's best to check for known issues in advance, and even better also have passenger check WSDOT for accidents, or Waze if you use it, as you drive.

 

Thirdly, the border - again, get your passenger to check their smartphone for border wait times as you get close to the junctions where you have a choice about which to take - there are also signs above the highway as you approach the key decision points. I5 compared to the 'truck crossing' at Pacific highway/543 are close to each other, - just don't peel off I5 unless you can save at least 10mins at Pacific, as it's at least an extra 10mins drive time if you're heading to YVR or downtown! Opting for the always-temptingly-quiet Lynden or Sumas crossings though add at least 40mins drive time, so savings really need to be more like an hour to be definitely worth the extra drive time and gas and you need to make that call before leaving Bellingham or waste even more time on backroads to get to them. For folks staying east of Vancouver these crossings might make a lot of sense, maybe even parts of Surrey, but anywhere in Richmond or Vancouver stick to I5 unless you see warnings of a total closure or 2+ hour tailbacks...

 

With 6 hours to Seattle I'm guessing you guys are well south, east, or west of Eugene - maybe Reedsport,  Roseburg, Bend neck of the woods @Southpaw97470? From Portland the Amtrak Cascades is a very enticing alternative, but now that the PDX-Eugene legs are only done by trains from Seattle, never the full ride from Vancouver, you'd have the pfaff of connecting Thruway buses or very long transfers between Coast Starlight and Cascades services even if you can conveniently get into Eugene - so unless you have friends who could drop you in Portland I'd stick to driving (but the train ride is very nice - especially the 'private' immigration processing at the station just for folks on the train!)

We do the train ride in 2 parts Oregon to Seattle overnight and the Seattle to Vancouver very relaxing

[martincath]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

We do the train ride in 2 parts Oregon to Seattle overnight and the Seattle to Vancouver very relaxing

If we wanted to Do Stuff in Seattle on the way to/from Portland we might consider doing the same; lots more train options on the PDX-SEA part of the route!

[Southpaw97470]

 I knew I posted on this board for a reason. All your suggestions are giving me awesome information I hadn't thought of.

 

[jeromep]

Have you thought about just taking the train all the way from Portland to Vancouver?  That is Amtrak Cascades bread and butter route, plus you have no wait times going through the border crossing.  You could even just take the train from Portland to Seattle, stay overnight, then catch the next train to Vancouver, stay another night and catch the cruise.  You won't be exhausted from driving, you won't have all the fuel expense from having to fuel up along the way and no border crossing wait times, especially on the return trip back in to the U.S.

 

I did a dummy trip for July 11th of this year.  Going from Portland to Vancouver on the 518 train, departs at 2:10pm, arrives Vancouver at 10pm.  Coach seat is $52 and a business class seat is $162.  Basically more leg room for business class.  But consider that you can get up and wander around as you wish.  There is a cafe car on board, so you aren't going to starve, and the scenery along the way is some of the best of any train route in the nation (in places).  This is a tremendous value.

[memoak]

We always do the 2 day trip on the Cascades route. We take the 10:40 from Portland gets to Seattle 2:05. Overnight with a nice dinner. Then 2nd day 8:30 train to Vancouver 12:30. You do need to get to Seattle station a little early for passport check and be aware there are sometimes delays. We get in 1 day before sailing