Amtrak-Vancouver to Seattle-Customs

[kckitties]

When traveling post-cruise by train from Vancouver to Seattle, when and where do you go through customs? How long does it take to clear customs?

 

TIA,

kckitties

[kckitties]

Bumping up--any one know the answer?

[West Coast]

The train stops at the border.

 

This travel article expains the process.

 

"Darkness fell before our train rumbled across the border at 7:10 p.m., We could see the headlights on the cars lined up at the Blaine crossing. The train stopped, and U.S. Customs officials came aboard to inspect. Fifteen minutes later, we were rolling again."

[davis0056]

We took the train post cruise last year and the stop for customs was about 15 minutes just as the previous poster quoted. The ride was great and the views were as good as what we saw in Alaska. Upgrade to business class for a few dollars more, its worth it. The only problem was that when we got to Seattle, a football game was ending at the stadium accross the street from the rail station. It was a mess for cabs. There were no luggage carts and after 3 weeks in Alaska, we had plenty of luggage. Also we got in about an hour late. We'd do it again in a heartbeat, but wouldn't plan to catch a plane at 8 AM.

Dave and Elaine

[aussie jb]

I'm pleased I came across this thread, we'll be doing this train trip late September, is it something we need to book in advance or can we leave it till the week before to get tickets? I remember looking at the Amtrak schedule a while ago, maybe I should go back and have another look. We don't fly out of Vancouver till later at night, so we'll have a whole day there. Where the train gets in at YVR from SEA, am I correct in thinking we can also catch a train to the airport from the same station? If so, any suggestions what to do with luggage for the day?

[West Coast]

The Amtrak train arrives in vancouver at the Pacific Central Station. It is located about 3-4 miles from downtown Vancouver.

 

You could easily catch a cab from the train station to d/t Vancouver for about $10-$12. Or, for the not so faint at heart, you could walk across the street (a good 5 min. walk) and take the skytrain downtown ($2 per person), and then walk to your hotel. If you ask me, it's a lot of schlepping to save few bucks!

 

There is no scheduled transit service from the train station to the Vancouver airport (YVR). For this, you would be best to take a cab - allow 30 minutes (non-rush hour) and approx $30-$35 for the fare.

[aussie jb]

Thanks for the speedy reply West Coast, I only had enough time to have a quick look at Amtrak :o) The day we catch the train to Vancouver will be the last day of our trip, so we're coming in at 11.45ish and then have to be at the Airport by about 7pm (from memory) We would have already had a few days in Vancouver at this stage, so I anticipate that this will just be a day for running around and getting any last minute goodies. In the meantime....any suggestions for what to do with the luggage we will have in tow??

[kckitties]

Thanks for the information regarding customs. Today we bought our Amtrak tickets for Vancouver to Seattle for May 2005. Yes, we got Business Class tickets! The Amtrak site isn't very specific regarding the perks of Business Class, but I think it involves more legroom (not sure) and that would be well worth it!

 

Like aussie jb, I'm also interested in finding out where to store luggage following disembarkation until leaving on the train.

 

Dave and Elaine, our flight out of Seattle is at 2:30 p.m. Do you recommend a hotel downtown or by the airport?

 

kckitties

[West Coast]

We would have already had a few days in Vancouver at this stage, so I anticipate that this will just be a day for running around and getting any last minute goodies. In the meantime....any suggestions for what to do with the luggage we will have in tow??

Are you staying in a hotel downtown and plan to do your running around downtown? If so, you would probably want to leave your bags with the bellman at your hotel and then go back and get them before heading over to the Train Station.

 

Keep in mind, that the Train Station is not walking distance from downtown hotels. For those unfamiliar with downtown Vancovuer the Pacific Central Station (train station) is NOT located inside <or anywhere near> the Pacific Centre shopping mall.

 

Here's some good info on baggage questions:

 

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/baggage.aspx

 

And some good info on Customs formalities:

 

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/BorderCrossing.aspx

[davis0056]

We stayed at the airport becuase of the early morning flight. They had a shuttle to the air terminal. Sorry, can't remember the name, but there were several within a block or two of each other. On the train, they even showed movies, which was nice after sunset, when we lost the wonderful view. On a regular basis the TV monitors throughout the train car (where movies were shown) displayed a map of the route, where the current location was and ETA. Hope you enjoy the train as much as we did.

 

Dave and Elaine