Getting to/from Vancouver for Alaskan Cruise

[Memorymakerfor4]

Hi all, we're booked for one of this year's Alaskan cruises and have a few specific questions about travel to and from Vancouver. I already have flights booked to Seattle two days before departure. We land at 1 pm and I was planning on taking one of the late afternoon Amtrak Cascades trains up to Vancouver. We're really looking forward to this part of the trip. I've heard the views from the train are fantastic!

1 - How long should I allow from arrival at SEA to the train station? Would 3 hours be sufficient? I should add we'll be traveling with a senior family member who has trouble walking long distances, so I want to make this as easy as possible. I know there's a light rail, but would a taxi be better for them?

2 - When coming home after the cruise, it looks like Air Canada has the best rates/times/schedule for us. I'm thinking about Comfort for the extra legroom. Experiences with this airline? We've never flown with them but like that we'd get free checked bags.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Air Canada is a decent airline, they codeshare with United. It's one of the two major airlines in Canada, the other being Westjet. There will be varying opinions on both WJ and AC but personally I really hate flying Westjet and feel they are trying to lead the race to the bottom in terms of value for price.

 

[AgentMama]

If nothing goes wrong, 3 hours should be fine. I think taxi or Uber would be easier than navigating someone with mobility issues and luggage onto the light rail.

We have had no issues with Air Canada.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We flew Air Canada home from Vancouver. No issues, nice flight. The Cascades train was amazing! Views awesome. We did business class-well worth it. We found Seattle to be a bit of a mess. Do allow plenty of time. They say the light rail is the way to go, and I think it is, but with bags and someone that has mobility issues, I would jump right into a cab.

 

[yowcruiser]

As someone who flies 100+ times a year on Air Canada, and have also been on WestJet and Porter, I'd say that your best Canadian airline option is Air Canada, especially if you get a direct flight.

Now, keep in mind that Comfort is a fare class, not an actual cabin like it is on Delta. With that said, yes, Comfort fare will give you access to preferred seats, which, depending on the aircraft are scattered throughout the plane and do offer more legroom, the seat being the exact same as any other economy seat

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

As someone who flies 100+ times a year on Air Canada, and have also been on WestJet and Porter, I'd say that your best Canadian airline option is Air Canada, especially if you get a direct flight.

Now, keep in mind that Comfort is a fare class, not an actual cabin like it is on Delta. With that said, yes, Comfort fare will give you access to preferred seats, which, depending on the aircraft are scattered throughout the plane and do offer more legroom, the seat being the exact same as any other economy seat

It is direct, saving us a lot of time! Yes, the Comfort thing took me a bit of time to figure out between the two airlines. Delta was the next best option, but a few hundred more and hard to justify. Right now it says we'll be on a Max 8, which is the same plane we flew to HI last year.