Help please!

[storknurse13]

Our family is cruising out of Vancouver in June 2016 for a 7 day cruise on the Wonder to Alaska. What is the process? Do we fly into Seattle? Vancouver? Our plan is to fly in the day before and stay at a hotel. What is close to the cruise terminal and does any hotels provide transportation to the terminal? If not, who is a reputable company to get to the port? There will be a total of 4 people. Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[jdb in AZ]

You can fly into Vancouver but a lot of cruisers find it much cheaper to fly into Seattle. There are several hotels near the cruise terminal -- the Pan Pacific is right there. We just caught a cab from a less expensive hotel in the city.

 

[storknurse13]

Thank you for your quick reply. How then do you get from Seattle to Vancouver?

 

[MUN]

Thank you for your quick reply. How then do you get from Seattle to Vancouver?

We flew into Seattle and rented a car, dropped it off in Vancouver and spent 2 nights in Vancouver. After the cruise, we did just the opposite. We rented a car in Vancouver and dropped it off in Seattle and spent 2 nights in Seattle before our flight home.

MUN

 

[Shea&Van]

Following...I'm interested in this process as well. Hoping to do Alaska in the summer of 2017.

I think I've read there is a train that takes folks up there from Seattle or perhaps a renting a car might be an option.

Happy planning!

 

[Quellman]

Following...I'm interested in this process as well. Hoping to do Alaska in the summer of 2017.

I think I've read there is a train that takes folks up there from Seattle or perhaps a renting a car might be an option.

Happy planning!

We took the train, but it departs early in the day. So we were able to red eye flight to seattle, spend a few hours there, take the train to downtown Seattle, walk a few blocks to the AMTRAK station and take the train to Vancouver. In Vancouver we walked across the street from the AMTRAK station, picked up the Vancouver transit to the place closest to our hotel and spent a few days before catching the Vancouver subway to the closest port stop.

Amtrak also runs a bus service throughout the day that takes about the same amount of time. There are also other bus lines and shuttles that will do it as well.

We choose to Fly Seattle because it was cheaper for us. Another benefit was that the cruise was a Vancouver to Alaska to Seattle Cruise. So it made getting back to the airport super easy at the end.

 

[jburge12000]

Last summer we flew into Seattle early in the afternoon. Had time to go to the waterfront and later catch a Seattle Mariners game. From where we live, it was a lot cheaper for fly Southwest to Seattle and stay the night then fly directly into Vancouver. The Amtrack Cascades leaves very early, but gets into Vancouver around lunch. Very relaxing and easy. We had time to check into our hotel and go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge without much of a rush that day. We took the Bolt Bus back to Seattle after our cruise that leaves directly from the cruise terminal. We got stuck at the boarder when a person on the bus had fruit and to much duty free with them that delayed us over an hour. Would recommend the Amtrak over one of the Bus services for that reason.

 

[Geomom]

We're doing an August 2016 DCL Alaskan cruise. Since we're flying out of Boston, MA and already have such a long travel time; we're flying to Vancouver instead of Seattle--I don't want an extra 4 hr train ride on top of the flight. Our airfare to Vancouver next August on Air Canada is less than our February airfare to Orlando on Southwest. We're flying in Friday night to save $75/person over flying Saturday--that way we'll have 2 full days to explore Vancouver. We decided to stay at the Westin Bayshore doing the 'pay your birth year' deal--first night is at rack rate, 2nd and 3rd at your birth year--so it's not really worth it unless you're spending 3 nights. It looks too far from the cruise terminal to walk with luggage (DH may disagree with that, lol), but taxi shouldn't be more than $10 from hotel to cruise terminal.

 

[bcwife76]

We're doing an August 2016 DCL Alaskan cruise. Since we're flying out of Boston, MA and already have such a long travel time; we're flying to Vancouver instead of Seattle--I don't want an extra 4 hr train ride on top of the flight. Our airfare to Vancouver next August on Air Canada is less than our February airfare to Orlando on Southwest. We're flying in Friday night to save $75/person over flying Saturday--that way we'll have 2 full days to explore Vancouver. We decided to stay at the Westin Bayshore doing the 'pay your birth year' deal--first night is at rack rate, 2nd and 3rd at your birth year--so it's not really worth it unless you're spending 3 nights. It looks too far from the cruise terminal to walk with luggage (DH may disagree with that, lol), but taxi shouldn't be more than $10 from hotel to cruise terminal.

I live in Vancouver and we're doing an Alaskan cruise in August 2016 as well! Just wanted to chime in that the Westin Bayshore would be a hike with luggage from the cruise terminal so yeah.....do yourself a favour and take a cab ;-) The Westin is a nice hotel though and you'll see some great views (including the Wonder going right by your window if you have a water view the morning of the cruise!)

 

[Geomom]

I live in Vancouver and we're doing an Alaskan cruise in August 2016 as well! Just wanted to chime in that the Westin Bayshore would be a hike with luggage from the cruise terminal so yeah.....do yourself a favour and take a cab ;-) The Westin is a nice hotel though and you'll see some great views (including the Wonder going right by your window if you have a water view the morning of the cruise!)

Thanks! I've enjoyed your Vancouver to San Diego trip report! This will be our first cruise. With this deal the hotel is less than the Days Inn Downtown...farther away, but nicer and DH and I are not 'city' people, so we'll be happier with the harbor on one side of us vs surrounded by big buildings. Looking forward to walking to Stanley park from the hotel. I'm sure we'll walk to the cruise terminal without luggage one day and that ought to convince DH to do a taxi with the luggage!

 

[MUN]

Thanks! I've enjoyed your Vancouver to San Diego trip report! This will be our first cruise. With this deal the hotel is less than the Days Inn Downtown...farther away, but nicer and DH and I are not 'city' people, so we'll be happier with the harbor on one side of us vs surrounded by big buildings. Looking forward to walking to Stanley park from the hotel. I'm sure we'll walk to the cruise terminal without luggage one day and that ought to convince DH to do a taxi with the luggage!

That's a nice hotel. Easy walk to the cruise terminal and Stanley Park. Good advice about it being a long walk with luggage. Vancouver has a terrible drug addict / hobo problem, but that part of downtown is really nice.

MUN

 

[bcwife76]

Thanks! I've enjoyed your Vancouver to San Diego trip report! This will be our first cruise. With this deal the hotel is less than the Days Inn Downtown...farther away, but nicer and DH and I are not 'city' people, so we'll be happier with the harbor on one side of us vs surrounded by big buildings. Looking forward to walking to Stanley park from the hotel. I'm sure we'll walk to the cruise terminal without luggage one day and that ought to convince DH to do a taxi with the luggage!

Wow, with a deal like that you cannot pass it up!! Plus Days Inn vs Westin? Ha, no competition ;-)

Which sailing are you on? We are on the last one of the season, August 15-22.

 

[Geomom]

Which sailing are you on? We are on the last one of the season, August 15-22.

8/8 sailing. We'll get home early on 8/16 and the kids will then have 2 weeks to adjust back to Eastern time zone before school starts on 8/31, when they need to get on buses at 6:45 and 7:15AM.