Renting Car in Vancouver returning to Seattle?

[MinnieMomMe]

Hello,

We have two nights in Seattle following our Alaska cruise before we fly home. We are planning on renting a car in Vancouver the morning we get off the Wonder and returning it in Seattle that night or following morning. Our other option is to take the train but it gets us into Seattle really late and we'd rather not do that. We will have toured Vancouver for two days before the cruise so we'd like to get to Seattle sooner than later.

Has anyone done this before? We thought it would be a nice roadtrip down the coast with some stops along the way, and maybe a stop at the Boeing Future of Flight Tour if time allows. My concerns are the traffic at the border crossing, and the rental. I think we're going to go directly to the border and get across as early as possible. We can only get a rental through Avis and they have pretty poor reviews.

Thanks for any advice and thoughts!

 

[amyg1]

I think you might have issues with bringing a rental car across the border for a one way rental. Have you looked at the Quick Shuttle? They go to downtown Seattle, or the airport. And they leave from the cruise terminal at a convenient time. It is way less stressful.

 

[bumbershoot]

We can only get a rental through Avis

Why?

Alamo is right at the port in Vancouver.

Just price out the rental. If they have cars in Vancouver that they need in Seattle then they’ll rent the car to you. If not then they won’t be available.

We thought it would be a nice roadtrip down the coast with some stops along the way, and maybe a stop at the Boeing Future of Flight Tour if time allows.

You will not be driving down the coast at all. Check out I-5 and see where it goes.

The train goes along the coast some, but the highway doesn’t.

Boeing Field is south of Seattle, in case you aren’t aware. It’s no real problem to get there, but it’s not right there.

I’ve never waited ghastly amounts of time at the border going either way, fwiw.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

like the pp said, the drive is not along the coast. The drive is still nice though, lots of foresty areas. The border times can vary. some times it is only about 15 minutes, other times in the summer it can be over an hour. I would say the earlier you cross the better.

 

[MinnieMomMe]

Why?

Alamo is right at the port in Vancouver.

Just price out the rental. If they have cars in Vancouver that they need in Seattle then they’ll rent the car to you. If not then they won’t be available.



You will not be driving down the coast at all. Check out I-5 and see where it goes.

The train goes along the coast some, but the highway doesn’t.

Boeing Field is south of Seattle, in case you aren’t aware. It’s no real problem to get there, but it’s not right there.

I’ve never waited ghastly amounts of time at the border going either way, fwiw.

Thank you for your response. I've tried every single rental car agency in the area and Avis is the only one that still has cars to rent with a drop off in Seattle. The strange thing is, Enterprise and one other rental car agency (I can't remember which one) come up being closed on Mon July 2 for all downtown stores, the day we return. Not sure if something is happening that day that they would all be closed. Maybe that's why all the other agencies are sold out?

I read someplace that instead of driving straight down I-5 we can drive from Bellingham down WA11 through Deception Pass, Fort Casey, Greenbank Farm, Langley, Mukilteo, to the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Tour (which is north of Seattle). It's a longer drive, but it's along the coast and seems like lots of places to stop along the way.

Any thoughts on whether this is a good idea or not appreciated.

 

[MinnieMomMe]

like the pp said, the drive is not along the coast. The drive is still nice though, lots of foresty areas. The border times can vary. some times it is only about 15 minutes, other times in the summer it can be over an hour. I would say the earlier you cross the better.

Thanks. Please see my reply to bumbershoot. Do you think the drive down WA11 is a good idea or not?

 

[FigmentSpark]

July 1st is Canada Day (which is like your July 4th). Because it falls on a Sunday, the Monday, July 2 will be a national holiday. This could be why rental agencies are sold out and maybe why the Enterprise is closed.

 

[MinnieMomMe]

I think you might have issues with bringing a rental car across the border for a one way rental. Have you looked at the Quick Shuttle? They go to downtown Seattle, or the airport. And they leave from the cruise terminal at a convenient time. It is way less stressful.

Thanks! I called Avis directly (they are the only ones that still have cars left for a one way rental), to make sure it's okay to return the car in Seattle. Part of the reason of driving instead of train or bus is to make it a road-trip, hopefully see some sights, and stop if and when we feel like it. The goal is not to get to Seattle as quickly as possible, but make a day of it, and get to Seattle by dinner time. We would totally do the train (I love train trips), but it will be close to midnight by the time we get to our hotel and that just seems too late.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Double post... bad internet connection. Carry on...

 

[MinnieMomMe]

July 1st is Canada Day (which is like your July 4th). Because it falls on a Sunday, the Monday, July 2 will be a national holiday. This could be why rental agencies are sold out and maybe why the Enterprise is closed.

Thank you! I was scratching my head wondering why in the world there were so many closed locations. Totally makes sense now. Unfortunately for us, that limits our rental choices and it's very expensive, almost the same as four business class train tickets.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Could you spend a day in Vancouver and do your rental on the Tues?

Edit - Sorry, just re-read your post that you'll have already done that. Nevermind.

 

[MinnieMomMe]

Could you spend a day in Vancouver and do your rental on the Tues?

We will have already spent two full days in Vancouver before the cruise, We booked our flight home from Seattle so we could spend a full day or two there. We're resolved to accept the cost, just hoping we don't have a poor experience getting the car, getting across the border, and that the drive is worthwhile. Two summers ago we drove from Dublin to Shannon and had a blast on the narrow Irish country roads. It was a beautiful drive. Hoping it will be similar. If not, I guess we won't stop and shoot down to Seattle quicker. Just trying to make sure we're not making a big mistake!

 

[MelSpees]

Thank you for your response. I've tried every single rental car agency in the area and Avis is the only one that still has cars to rent with a drop off in Seattle. The strange thing is, Enterprise and one other rental car agency (I can't remember which one) come up being closed on Mon July 2 for all downtown stores, the day we return. Not sure if something is happening that day that they would all be closed. Maybe that's why all the other agencies are sold out?

I read someplace that instead of driving straight down I-5 we can drive from Bellingham down WA11 through Deception Pass, Fort Casey, Greenbank Farm, Langley, Mukilteo, to the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Tour (which is north of Seattle). It's a longer drive, but it's along the coast and seems like lots of places to stop along the way.

Any thoughts on whether this is a good idea or not appreciated.

Just thought I'd make sure you knew this route will entail taking a ferry in Mukilteo as you will be driving down Whidbey Island. It is a beautiful drive although a little circuitous. Deception Pass is pretty incredible. Be sure to park and walk out on the bridge for amazing views of the roiling current below.

 

[MinnieMomMe]

Just thought I'd make sure you knew this route will entail taking a ferry in Mukilteo as you will be driving down Whidbey Island. It is a beautiful drive although a little circuitous. Deception Pass is pretty incredible. Be sure to park and walk out on the bridge for amazing views of the roiling current below.

Thank you! I did not realize that. Looking closer it is pretty circuitous, plus the ferry crossing. Now I'm thinking of going through La Connor and heading back to I-5. Do you think it's worth the extra detour to see Deception Pass? Thanks!

 

[lilsonicfan]

Are you looking at rental car locations in Vancouver itself? If so, then I’m not surprised they are closed for Canada Day. IF you haven’t already, try locations at the airport for rental.... they may not be closed. It’s a fairly short trip taking the subway (Canada Line) to the airport and it’s not too expensive either.

 

[MinnieMomMe]

Are you looking at rental car locations in Vancouver itself? If so, then I’m not surprised they are closed for Canada Day. IF you haven’t already, try locations at the airport for rental.... they may not be closed. It’s a fairly short trip taking the subway (Canada Line) to the airport and it’s not too expensive either.

Thanks, I did check the airports too. The only car I've seen available is a premium cross-over for over $500 through Enterprise. We've reserved a SUV through Avis for half that. It's just the bad Avis reviews that have me a little nervous. I'll keep checking periodically. Otherwise, I guess we'll take our chances with Avis! Thanks so much.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Also, keep checking back. It's possible the prices will drop within the next month. It happens sometimes, but I don't know about for one-way rentals. Anyway, you can always check. You might get lucky.

 

[woody64]

We rented from Avis (757 Hornby Street) location and it was nice and easy. I walked to pick up the car, drove back to the port to pick up the family and we were off. Drive was nice and it didn't take too long to get over the border. Drop off was nice and easy at the airport.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don’t know what sort of reviews you’ve read about Avis but I feel they are perfectly fine.

Thanks! I called Avis directly (they are the only ones that still have cars left for a one way rental), to make sure it's okay to return the car in Seattle.

If you enter the pickup and drop off info and they come up with a price, then it’s ok to drop off in Seattle. I don’t know why the first responder said there would be an issue taking the car across. Cross border rentals are common and fine.

I’d rqtger drive the normal way. If your family are Psych fans, stop in White Rock since that’s where they filmed many scenes. There are little places to stop along the way down the main highway.

But yeah with Canada day then the 4th, things are going to be busy and expensive and there’s going to be traffic.

 

[cruiser21]

Thanks. Please see my reply to bumbershoot. Do you think the drive down WA11 is a good idea or not?

I've rented from Seattle to Vancouver The rental car was 50.dollars prices dropped as we got closer. I thought the I5 was easy and lovely. Hopefully you get some good advice on the other route. If you have the time for the more scenic route I would do it.