Seattle to Vancouver - Amtrak or Princess bus?

[hansonsk20]

Is it better to take the Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver or to take the Princess bus? Our cruise leaves out of Vancouver at 4:30PM. The bus will get us there around 3:00 and the train would get us there around noon. Is there risk in taking the train vs Princess transportation?

[pamwinn]

The train is vastly superior to the bus. Sit on the left side for a fantastic view. Upgrade to business class for extremely comfortable seating.

[wrp96]

The train is great - no border hassles unlike with the bus.

 

 

If business class is available, then try that. Unfortunately they still haven't returned business class to the route. Hopefully it will return soon.

[Putterdude]

I'd go with the train, during the summer it is extremely reliable. There is only coach seating available on this route.

[hansonsk20]

What are the logistics of using Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver? We are going to be using Hilton points so would be looking at staying at a Hampton Inn. Is it better to stay downtown near the Amtrak station to be able to go to the Space Needle and Pike Place Market? Would you take a cab from the airport?

[NWWanderer]

If you go to the West Coast Departures forum, there are lots of posts about Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver, what time to get there, etc.

 

If you get in early enough on the previous day then yes, it makes sense to stay downtown rather than at the airport so you can do a bit of sightseeing, although the Hampton Inn isn't the best location for walking to sights like the Market (but it's very close to Seattle Center for the Space Needle) and it's going to be a longer cab ride to the Amtrak station than if you stayed right downtown. Can you get the Hilton itself?

[GrumpaTom]

Taking the train from Seattle to Vancouver is a breeze and while it is consistantly late it is rarely late enough to affect getting to the cruise terminal on time.

 

You want to get to the Amtrak Station 30 minutes before the train departs to get your seat assignment and to check any luggage you have.

 

Previous posters pointed out that the best place to sit is on the left side of the train. You will have to request that when you get your seat assignments because the seats are randomly assigned.

 

They currently are using Superliner Cars for the route to Vancouver, so if you want a power outlet there is only one and again you have to request it, if it is still available. The conductor should know which seat it is at.

 

Once you are on the train, sit back and relax as it is an enjoyable ride and you will have plenty of room to move around. There is a snack bar on the train that has tables you can sit at as well.

 

When you get into Vancouver you will have to wait for each car to disembark, your luggage will be lined up beside the train to pick up and then you will go through customs, which is very painless.

 

Getting to the cruise terminal from the train station is inexpensive, there is the skytrain which will cost $2.50 per person and will take you to half a block from Canada Place, but if you have luggage the best option is a Taxi and it will cost appx. $15.00 CD, if you are from the US you can pay using your debit or credit card and the card will do the conversion for you. It is less expensive then paying the driver with USD as he will want to do a 1:1 rate while the CD is worth about 0.81 to 1.00 USD right now.

[gracecarmo]

PokrTom: thanks for all your excellent advice. One question: in Seattle, which station does Amtrak go out of...is it King St?

 

I want to book a hotel near the station, just for a short taxi ride. Any suggestions?

 

How do you check your luggage for the train? I assume they have a luggage car?

[98Charlie]

King St. Station.

 

When you get to the Amtrak station on the morning of your ride there is a luggage check in area. Check your luggage in then go to the line to board the train.

 

Dianne

[hansonsk20]

gracecarmo - We booked the Westin through Priceline for 85.00 a few minutes ago. Might want to try Priceline.

[gracecarmo]

Thanks everyone for the very precise and informative info. Now I feel better!

 

Now I have to find a good hotel near the station for easy transfer.

 

Any recommendations? Is the Westin near the station?

 

Another decision: am I pretty safe booking the train from Seattle to Vancouver on embarkation day? Or should I get into Vancouver one day prior?

 

I am always afraid of missing the ship!:eek:

[wrp96]

The train from Seattle to Vancouver rarely runs late. You are fine taking it up the day of the cruise.

[hansonsk20]

Westin is near King Street Station. 1.21 Miles.

 

Start out going SOUTHEAST on 5TH AVE S toward PIKE ST.

Turn RIGHT onto S JACKSON ST.

End at 303 S Jackson St Seattle, WA 98104-2824

 

Estimated Time: 4 minutes Estimated Distance: 1.21 miles

[GrumpaTom]

Another decision: am I pretty safe booking the train from Seattle to Vancouver on embarkation day? Or should I get into Vancouver one day prior?

 

You will be OK arriving in Vancouver on Embarkation day. The train is scheduled to arrive in Vancouver around 11:30am, you should be through customs no later then 1:00pm. You should head straight to the cruise terminal.

 

If you wanted to explore Vancouver, which is a wonderful city with some great sights then I would arrive the day before.

 

The train from Seattle to Vancouver rarely runs late. You are fine taking it up the day of the cruise.

 

Actually, if you check the stats for this run it is actually late most of the time, but only by about 5-20 minutes. Since it is a short run it doesn't normally have the chance to get really late.

 

This is because Amtrak does not own any of the rail lines it owns, it leases the lines from the frieght lines and has a lower priority then freight trains.

 

The Coast Starlight (a different train that attempts to connect to this run) has actually garnered the nickname The Coast Starlate because it is consistantly so late that it's time schedule is almost meaningless. We have taken the Coast Starlate several times and have been as late as 12 hours behind schedule.

[tetleytea]

We just did the bus this time around (scheduling issues), and although the bus is not as good as the train, we were exhausted and wanted to sleep the whole way anyway. I don't think it would have made much difference for us.

 

That said, I really regret not just renting a car one-way and driving it. That was cheaper. The border crossing would have been worse, but that's more than made up for by all the rigamarole with waiting for the bus, not getting dropped off exactly where you want, etc.. Plus there were a number of times we would have just liked to stop--particularly, at the Boeing plant in Everett, on the way down.