Flights for Alaska Cruise Question

[JenPinks]

We did Seattle then Quick Shuttle.....It was a very long day.
6 hour flight, then 7 hours on the bus.....yuck.
We came in from Ft Lauderdale

The bus ride is 7 hours???

 

[Shanti]

I'm going to follow this also. I have an Alaskan cruise on hold for summer 2018. My husband and I both have Southwest CC's so normally we fly on those points, but we'd need to both open up another CC to have enough to fly 4 adults to Seattle, so I'm currently researching if there is another CC that offers a better deal perhaps right into Vancouver. Disney World is so much easier to plan!

Book directly via Westjet for better pricing.

 

[Donna3271]

We flew out of NYC area, and it was very reasonable to fly into Vancouver. We flew direct, and took advantage of US Customs Direct. It was so convenient.

We flew Air Canada. I guess it all depends on where you fly from. Air Canada has several flights a day, so it is reasonable. With kids, it is all about convenience. Good luck!!

 

[RedSox68]

Looking at booking Alaska in the future. Whats been everyones experience on flights. It seems like unless you want a 14 hour flight time you pay through the nose. Is this the general consensus? What have you done to make getting there and back more affordable without drawing out the timeline?

When we did HAL out of Vancouver in 2012, we flew into Seattle and took the Amtrak train to Vancouver round-trip. It saved us hundreds over a direct flight to Vancouver, plus the train trip was just a gorgeous ride! And we got to visit Seattle for a few days. If we left out of Vancouver in the future, I'd do it the same way as I love trains!

 

[MUN]

We did Seattle then Quick Shuttle.....It was a very long day.
6 hour flight, then 7 hours on the bus.....yuck.
We came in from Ft Lauderdale

7 hour bus ride! Yuck! We drove and it was about 3 hours. Some traffic getting out of Seattle and some traffic coming back into the US, but not 7 hours.
We flew SW into Seattle, rented a car, drove to Vancouver, turned in the car, spent 2 nights in Vancouver, and did the opposite on the way back. We loved both Seattle and Vancouver. The trickiest part of the trip was finding the car rental return in downtown Seattle.

We had a great time and if we ever take another cruise out of Vancouver, I think we would do it the same way.

 

[lorimay]

It was all the stops that Quick Shuttle had to make plus traffic.
Next time I will get my chicken self on an Alaska air flight from Seattle to Vancouver, small plane or not.

 

[RedSox68]

It was all the stops that Quick Shuttle had to make plus traffic.
Next time I will get my chicken self on an Alaska air flight from Seattle to Vancouver, small plane or not.

Take the Amtrak ride - and it's probably cheaper than a flight, but a lot more relaxing with gorgeous scenery.

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts... 2.5 hrs on Google Maps from Pan Pacific to downtown Seattle driving straight. However actual travel time can vary...

• add additional 20 to 60 minutes if you trying to get from Seattle downtown to Seattle airport by car, bus, or light rail
• border crossing can be minutes to hours of additional time depending if you are driving a rental across a busy long weekend
• buses need additional time due to border inspections
• traffic congestion. Seattle and Vancouver can have brutal delays 3 to 7pm. I plan to avoid travelling at theses times.
• some buses are more direct than others..... research their schedules and stops.
• Amtrak travels slower than bus.... Good idea for those wanting to explore Seattle, but for others.... need to budget for hotels to meet their early morning or evening train schedule.
• you might save money flying in/out of Seattle, but you may find yourself losing a full day round trip in travel time.
• in general, I like Quick Shuttle.... no transfers needed to/from bus stations in Vancouver and Seattle. There's 6 to 7 daily trips. Some trips have more stops than others. You'll see the S4 and N4 is faster with fewer stops.
  http://www.quickcoach.com/schedule.htm

 

[lorimay]

Take the Amtrak ride - and it's probably cheaper than a flight, but a lot more relaxing with gorgeous scenery.

That sounds wonderful!

 

[RedSox68]

That sounds wonderful!

When you get to the station to pick up your boarding passes, ask for a window seat on the ocean side. They try to be accommodating. And the train is two levels. It was a great experience and we only paid $114 each way for 3 adults. (We used AAA discount too).

 

[chik1987]

When you get to the station to pick up your boarding passes, ask for a window seat on the ocean side. They try to be accommodating. And the train is two levels. It was a great experience and we only paid $114 each way for 3 adults. (We used AAA discount too).

Thats what I was looking at I was suprised how affordable it seemed. Hopefully when it comes to it the schedule gods will sync up and it will all work out. I have also been looking at flying from Anchorage to Seattle and then Seattle home on Southwest and that seems like a much more affordable option as well. You can get from Anchorage to Seattle for about $100 a person.

 

[yowcruiser]

I was looking at some random dates over this summer and the fare difference between direct flights to Seattle vs 1-stop to Vancouver was around $70CAN pp (so roughly $50US) and travel time is approximately 7-8 hours including connections. Some week-ends, especially in early August, will be more expensive. Fares available on Air Canada (via Toronto) and depending on the day. some decent connections on American or Alaskan

 

[xlxo]

When you get to the station to pick up your boarding passes, ask for a window seat on the ocean side. They try to be accommodating. And the train is two levels.

For those on the morning trains... research

• what time does the train depart?
• what time do you need to be at the station?
• what time do you need to get there to secure those popular ocean view window seats?
• how much is business class upgrade?

 

[RedSox68]

For those on the morning trains... research

• what time does the train depart?
• what time do you need to be at the station?
• what time do you need to get there to secure those popular ocean view window seats?
• how much is business class upgrade?

Our morning train left at 7:30 a.m., but we found out the window for seat assignments didn't open until 7 a.m. We got there by 6:30 to get in line and were the third in line

 

[steph]

We also have been searching flights in Vancouver for our August Alaska trip. We have already got a hotel for a few days prior to the cruise so we can explore the city. We are flying from the LEX area, have been checking prices from CVG and SDF also.
Westjet is the cheapest, but I am wondering how comfortable the flight will be? IE: how the seat size, leg room etc. I had been considering Delta, but the comfort seats will be about double the cost of Westjet.
Any input will be appreciated. We considered Seattle but decided to go straight to Vancouver so we would have a couple days prior to the cruise.

Thanks

 

[TinkLoverSam]

We also have been searching flights in Vancouver for our August Alaska trip. We have already got a hotel for a few days prior to the cruise so we can explore the city. We are flying from the LEX area, have been checking prices from CVG and SDF also.
Westjet is the cheapest, but I am wondering how comfortable the flight will be? IE: how the seat size, leg room etc. I had been considering Delta, but the comfort seats will be about double the cost of Westjet.
Any input will be appreciated. We considered Seattle but decided to go straight to Vancouver so we would have a couple days prior to the cruise.

Thanks

WestJet seats are "regular" size seats which I have found to be quite sufficient even for long flights with a lap baby. They do offer a plus category where the center seat has been removed for a large center console with cup holders.

 

[steph]

WestJet seats are "regular" size seats which I have found to be quite sufficient even for long flights with a lap baby. They do offer a plus category where the center seat has been removed for a large center console with cup holders.

"Regular" size would be good, we are use to 2 hr flights to Orlando, so was worried about much longer flights and being comfortable. Neither of us are very large people, just want to have some leg room etc. Unfortunately, there were no plus category seats available on the flight from West Jet.

 

[jdg345]

Subscribing ... we booked a 2018 Alaska Cruise and are trying to figure out if Seattle+Ground Transport is better/worse than Vancouver direct. Unfortunately, no non-stop to VCBC from where we are coming from.

 

[chik1987]

Subscribing ... we booked a 2018 Alaska Cruise and are trying to figure out if Seattle+Ground Transport is better/worse than Vancouver direct. Unfortunately, no non-stop to VCBC from where we are coming from.

Have you looked at if the amtrak will work with your flight schedule? I was surprised how reasonable it was.

 

[jdg345]

Have you looked at if the amtrak will work with your flight schedule? I was surprised how reasonable it was.

We are looking at the trains too. The concern is the party is going to be large, there could be 11-15 of us.