Alaska Cruise -- fly to Seattle or Vancouver?

[poison ivy]

Please look at ALL costs. Airfares are just one part of the puzzle.

Thanks everyone - it sounds like I need a spreadsheet to really make the best decision! Our group includes 8 kids aged 3-12 and 4 grandparents (all very active), so we're happy to be on the go.

With those ages for the kids, Vancouver may have a lot more to offer. We biked around Stanley Park which was a big hit - spectacular views. There's also Grouse Mtn and the Capilano Suspension Bridge to consider.

I did a spreadsheet and included all hidden costs: lodging, meals, airline fees and transportation costs to and from every point depending on where we arrived and travelled to. I was surprised how small the additional cost to fly directly into Vancouver was in comparison. the time and convenience more than made up for it.

As mentioned, the train from SEA to Vancouver is the Amtrak Cascades Line which runs only 2X daily = 1 morning (7:45am - 11:45am) and 1 evening (6:50pm - 10:50pm). There was no way we could ever get any flight to arrive in SEA in time to catch the early train to Vancouver, so an overnight stay was required, or we'd lose an entire day to travel with the later train. The only other options were bus or private shuttle or drive ourselves which each took over 3 hrs. Several car rentals weren't giving unlimited mileage.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

It was probably more for us to fly into Seattle and take the train, but I really wanted to take a train like that in the States (I've only been on the trains in Europe before), see the Space Needle, and see the Museum of Flight (they have the first jet Air Force One, as well as a Concorde). Living in Florida, I thought it was prudent to stop off in Seattle anyway since we were going to be "in the neighborhood" and we had never been there before.

 

[bumbershoot]

It was probably more for us to fly into Seattle and take the train, but I really wanted to take a train like that in the States (I've only been on the trains in Europe before), see the Space Needle, and see the Museum of Flight (they have the first jet Air Force One, as well as a Concorde). Living in Florida, I thought it was prudent to stop off in Seattle anyway since we were going to be "in the neighborhood" and we had never been there before.

See, you had lots of things you wanted to do, you had good reasons for going into Seattle. The OP doesn't seem to be going at it from that angle; for them it seems to be cost. Or wanting to know what there is to do in Seattle etc.

It's totally OK to decide to go into Seattle to spend some time, see some sights, etc, even if it makes the cost higher. But if cost is the ONLY thing you're looking at, again, gotta write down ALL the costs and the schedule for it, to make sure the best choice is made.

 

[Mark D.]

Be sure to check out one-way flights into each airport. Your best deal may not be round trip from the same airport.

For example, we've got a July 2016 cruise planned. From what I've researched, it may be more cost effective for us to fly into Seattle on Saturday, and take Amtrak up to Vancouver on Sunday. We'll spend one night in each city. On the way back, it looks like it may be cheaper to fly home straight from Vancouver on Tuesday, rather than take the train back to Seattle and fly from there.

 

[Masonmj84]

We took a trip to BC last summer where we flew in and out of Seattle and drove up because the airfare was cheaper into Seattle than Vancouver. The biggest downside to this was that the drive between Seattle and Vancouver took a lot longer than I anticipated due to Seattle traffic and sitting in a line of cars waiting to cross the border (ended up taking 5 hours each way).

We're considering doing the Disney Alaska cruise during the summer of 2017 and, if we do, we'll probably fly into Vancouver, in part, because we want to have time to do some BC stuff like Butchart Gardens and Stanley Park prior to the cruise.

 

[Rapunzel22]

We did Alaska June 2015 and flew in and out of Vancouver. If you do, I recommend the post cruise port excursion that takes you and your bags from the cruise, on a tour of Vancouver and to capilano suspension bridge. It was $99 per person, more than just a regular transfer but it was an interesting, fun way to spend the day before our late afternoon flight. It must be booked on board