Alaska Cruise in May (yippee!!) but other planning is a bit overwhelming

[scrapperkimmydee]

I'm in California and trying to plan this trip. Here are my rough plans...

Fly to Seattle, WA on May 17
spend a day touring Seattle
Train to Vancouver on the 19th,
then Ferry to Victoria on 19th,
Butchart Gardens on 20th
Ferry to Vancouver on 21st
Cruise on 22nd
Disembark on 29th, do the Vancouver excursion, and fly home

It's all the in-between stuff I'm struggling with. How do I get from the Sea-Tac airport to the train station? Then, from train station to Ferry? Then Ferry to a hotel? Hotel near Butchart Gardens? Or near downtown Victoria? Then back to Ferry station. Then to a hotel in Vancouver from the ferry station? Is there Lyft in Canada? Or do we use taxis?

 

[Quellman]

Calm down. Breathe. There are tons of ways to research and look up exactly what you are trying to do. There is a metrolink train that runs from Sea-Tac to downtown and points beyond. Then it is about a block and a half walk to the Amtrak station. Each city has a great public transit site where you can put in where you are and where you want to go. It will show you where to get off and switch busses or boats or whatever. Vancouver is particularly easy as most fares allow you to cross use ferries, busses, and the metro all on the single ticket. Do be aware that you may have roaming charges for your mobile device while in Vancouver. No lyft or Uber in that city, but taxis are plentiful and can be arranged by your hotel. You'll have a great time, just take a little bit of time and plan one part of your trip at a time.

 

[JenMarie82]

We did the train from the airport to downtown in Seattle with our 5-year-old and 11-year-old and had no problems. We each had a rolling suitcase and a backpack. We then took a taxi from our hotel by the space needle to the train station for Vancouver for less than $15.

 

[Geomom]

Isn't there a ferry from Seattle to Victoria? You might look into that as it looks like your plan is to go from Seattle to Vancouver to Victoria all in the same day.

 

[bcwife76]

I agree with Geomom - take the Victoria Clipper to Victoria! Seattle-Vancouver-Victoria-Vancouver is a LOT of hassle IMO.

http://www.clippervacations.com/seattle-victoria-ferry/

And yes as someone already stated we do not have Lyft or Uber in British Columbia (grrrrr which sucks!!)

 

[xlxo]

You can also Orca whale watch your way from Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver...
http://princeofwhales.com/tours_seattle/seattle-to-Vancouver/

 

[xlxo]

BTW.... have you considered boarding the Wonder in San Diego....
https://cruise.expedia.ca/Cruise/en-CA/Itinerary?item=875066

Not sure about the Jones Act... but I wonder if they allow you to pull your luggage off the boat and then reboard a few hours later.

 

[mrp4352]

Whew! You almost cost me a bunch of money! Sadly (but thankfully for my wallet), the tours start after my Alaska cruise, so I can't do this.

You can also Orca whale watch your way from Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver...
http://princeofwhales.com/tours_seattle/seattle-to-Vancouver/

 

[kgwoozle]

I second the idea of taking the Victoria Clipper from the Seattle waterfront to Victoria's inner harbor. In the end I think it will be faster and a whole lot less hassle. The train ride is nice but imho not worth the hassle. Keep in mind both the BC Ferry terminals are about 20 miles (in opposit directions) from the Amtrak station in Vancouver.

 

[xlxo]

I almost forgot.... for those getting between the cruise terminal and airport..... ask the taxi driver to go along "Cambie" to check out the cherry blossoms around the volcano.

 

[scrapperkimmydee]

I agree with Geomom - take the Victoria Clipper to Victoria! Seattle-Vancouver-Victoria-Vancouver is a LOT of hassle IMO.

http://www.clippervacations.com/seattle-victoria-ferry/

And yes as someone already stated we do not have Lyft or Uber in British Columbia (grrrrr which sucks!!)

Will definitely look into this. Thank you!