NEED HELP/ADVICE ON BEST WAY FROM SEATTLE TO VANCOUVER

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kdlisa1469

Guest
HI EVEYONE,
THIS IS A GREAT SITE, JUST JOINED, AND I NEED SOME HELP. WE'RE TAKIN THE "SERENADE OF THE SEAS" IN SEPT TO ALASKA WITH MY HUBBYS FAMILY AND I NEED TO KNOW THE BEST WAY TO GET FROM SEATTLY AIRPORT TO VANCOUER EMBARKATION PORT. SHOULD WE TAKE A LIMO, A SHUTTLE, TAXI, RENT A CAR? ANY OTHER HELPFUL INFO WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS SO MUCH, kATHY
 
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ajdegumbia

Guest
check out quick coach.com they have various times and schedules if you wish to do a shuttle. Also, I have heard others on the Cruisecritic board speak of the Amtrak train from Seattle - Vancouver and say it is wonderful and reasonable.
 
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Griffen

Guest
Our familyof 4 is renting a car for $60. Only $15 per person! We're on the Radiance in July!
 
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BSeabob

Guest
Above info is good. Watch Amtrack as most of their routes up here are Buses, Only one train a day each way.
 
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nerak

Guest
We have booked the Royal Caribbean transfers for May 30 to the Serenade. I do know your flight MUST arrive by noon to be able to catch this transfer and leave no earlier than 2:00 PM if you are using the return transfer. I will let you know how it worked for us when we get back.
 
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cruisegary

Guest
You did not say, but assume your flight and cruise are the SAME day. Lots of ground to cover that I personally would not do, but to each their own.

though some talk about LONG delays for border crossing, there is some good news. Leaving the US is less of an issue than coming into the US... we are the paranoid ones and think we can stop bad things from happening at the border, duh....

Anyway, the train is nice, but you have to get from the airport to downtown seattle to catch it. AND, the only actual train is at 7:45 am. The others are buses. So you might as well go with transfers direct from the airport.

We are doing 2 days in SEA and 2 in Vancouver and will take the train before the cruise.
 
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marvholly

Guest
Be very carful about car rental. I started to book this last year and then found out There was a $300 on way drop off charge.
 
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dusty

Guest
i called quick shuttle and they are somewhat misleading as to the hotels downtown seattle that are drop-offs. the lady i talked to said the only hotel downtown that is a actual stop is the best western executive by the needle. i feel this is very strange for being a seattle based business. that means one must take a taxi or other transportation to get to your hotel once you get to seattle. vancouver has lots of great drop-offs and it is a shame that there arent more of them in the seattle area. but for the huge savings on the plane ticket we will still use it for our upcoming trip to get from seattle to vancouver and back.
 
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cruisegary

Guest
If you are staying in downtown Seattle, you might look into rental car, even if only for transportation to the hotel. We got a good deal on a one day rental, drove around a bit, dropped off bags at hotel, then the car.

For example. Avis is across the street from Westin, and Budget is a block away. Hertz is close by and across from Sheraton. Saved money compared to bus or taxi and toured around town a bit on the way in.
 
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TwoCruisers

Guest
Amtrak Question

Does anyone know where the train station is in seattle in relation to the airport, and how much cab fare would be from there as well?

Is there enough storage room for all of our luggage on the train?

And... where does the train drop you off in Vancouver, and how much is cab fare from the train station to the pier?

Thanks,
 
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bravemom

Guest
If you are going to do Amtrak check availability asap-these trips tend to fill up quickly.

We were going to do this for our August trip but in checking out Alaska Air we found some one way fares that we will be taking advantage of.

From my research the cab fare from the airport will run you at least $40.00, and then in Canada from the station to the port will be about $10.00 (Canadian). Then there is the added cost of the train fare. If you are a large group (6 or more) it may be more cost effective to hire a limo, but whatever you decide to use as your transportation remember that there will could be delays due to traffic and border crossing.
 
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kdlisa1469

Guest
THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE ADVICE...
I BOOKED US IN THE HILTON AIRPORT; HILTON SHUTTLE WILL TAKE US TO QUICK SHUTTLE PICK UP POINT, UNLOAD OUR BAGS; QUICK SHUTTLE ROUND TRIP TO VANCOUVER DOCK AND BACK TO HILTON SEATTLE (A WEEK LATER) $74 PPERSON. THANKS EVERYONE
 
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dusty

Guest
kdlisa

im glad you got all of your transportation straightened out. we also will using quick shuttle. and it is good to know that the hilton will pick you up from your drop off point.
 
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cruisegary

Guest
Just took the train from Seattle to Vanc.... nice easy ride. Cab to downtown hotel - Hyatt was about $7.... would be maybe $8 to pier. Don't foget exchange rate. $10 US is $13 Canadian... taxis use lower exchange rate... $12.50... still good deal.

Getting taxi at train station took about 10, maybe 15 minutes... due to about a dozen people waiting
 
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dusty

Guest
cruisegary

was it expensive to get from the airport to the train station?? or did you get to the depot on your own? i am still trying to figure out what will be the least expensive way to get to vancouver from seattle without driving myself. renting a car is not an option for me. so it is either the shuttle or train.
 
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kdlisa1469

Guest
Dusty,
I talked to a quick shuttle agent for about 15 min. asked lots of ?'s; she was very nice and told me that they dont usually have a problem with delays at border crossing. The main reason I booked with quick shuttle was because we have guarranteed transportation; no waiting a cab, or rental car; very reasonable ($74 pp); and WE GET PUT IN THE VERY FIRST GROUP TO DISEMBARK THE SHIP.....because we have booked transportation, much like having a plane to catch. WORKS FOR ME!! HOPE THIS HELPS!!!!
 
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dusty

Guest
kdlisa

i did some checking into quick shuttle also and did not know about the earliey disembarkation from the ship. that makes a difference also in the benifits of using them. like i said though, according to the women i talked too they only drop off in seattle at the best western ex by the needle and then at the airport. it is a shame they dont go farther downtown. oh well, we cant have everything.
 
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