?'s and help needed with planning Hawaiian cruise

[ctc917]

I have booked the 10 day Hawaiian cruise for my husband and I and we have only cruised from Florida and I'm so confused, lol. You would think it wouldn't be so hard to figure out cruising from side of the US to the other but it is, am I the only one? So here is my first problem getting myself from the east coast to the west and I have figured out that we are going to fly into Settle, but my biggest question is what is the best and easiest way to get to Vancouver to get to the ship? I've tried to look for people's trip reports to see how they travelled and but I keep coming up with nothing so it must be what I asking that's causing that. So my first question is I'm looking for how people traveled to Vancouver for either their Hawaiian or even cruises to Alaska and what they liked and disliked about it and if they were to do it again would they change their travel plans to some other way to travel from Settle to Vancouver?

My second issue is trying to book travel insurance and when it asks where I going to I put in Hawaii but after I do that I seem to get very limited options for insurance, did this happen to you? Any suggestions?

Thanks
ctc917

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Vancouver is in Canada so be sure to have a passport.

You can take the train from Seattle, take a bus, or rent a car.

 

[Geomom]

You can also fly into Vancouver, Canada, but you do need a passport to fly there. Compare the cost of flying to Vancouver vs flying to Seattle, and then taking the bus or train to Vancouver. Make sure you arrive at least a day in advance.

 

[ctc917]

Thank you for the passport info our Travel agent did remind us of that and we both have current passports so we are all set there.
I did look into flying into Vancouver but the difference in pricing was more than getting some form of transportation across the border, so that's why I'm looking for information of how other travelers made their way into Canada and if they would use that option again or change it? Between the different bus companies, private shuttles, train and flying I'm so confused on which one of these options got people to the port as smoothly as possible. So any help there would be great.
And we are flying in at least 1 or 2 days early since my travel nerves couldn't take arriving the day of my cruise.

 

[auntlynne]

I have cruised out of Vancouver after a flight to Seattle. Same reason as you: price.

A beautiful and gentle way to go is Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver. It takes a few hours; there is both an early morning and an evening train with direct service.

It is the Amtrak Cascades line.

The Vancouver train station was a fairly short ride by taxi (10 minutes) to the cruise port (or nearby hotels).

In Seattle, boarding is at the King St Station (S of Pioneer Sq/ N of the sports stadiums).

There is also a stop in Tukwila, near SeaTac airport. The stop is in an area called Southcenter, with several hotel and dining options and a shopping mall. Many hotels have free shuttles to the airport. The train line is very close to some of the hotels and may provide transport there, too. Hotels here are often less expensive than those in downtown.

Seattle does have a light rail which can get you close to downtown hotels, quickly, cleanly, and inexpensively. Car traffic can be heavy.

For our train ride, we shared a car service (before the days of Uber) with cruise mates to catch the morning train. We actually rode the train the morning of the cruise.

My sister will take the train again this summer. It would be our family’s chosen way to do that route. And we have flown directly to Vancouver, but utilize Seattle when we are able to save money and have the time.

Our experience was for a one-way cruise.

No backups at the border crossing!

 

[auntlynne]

And for a Hawaiian visit. Such a lovely place - and people.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I flew from Seattle to Vancouver. It's a small plane and your feet vibrate the whole time. It was quite the experince!
People who aren't in a hurry take a bus or train. I've read that on a rare occasion, someone will accidently travel to Vancouver, WA on the bus or train. That's in a different direction so make sure you are going to Canada if you choose one of those.

 

[LAS2AMS]

You can also fly into Vancouver, Canada, but you do need a passport to fly there. Compare the cost of flying to Vancouver vs flying to Seattle, and then taking the bus or train to Vancouver. Make sure you arrive at least a day in advance.

It’s not a closed loop cruise so a passport is required anyway.

 

[Distinkt]

We are on the same cruise and are flying into Vancouver this time, but when we went on the Alaskan cruise a few years ago we flew from Nashville to Seattle and then rented a car. It was very easy and we had no issues with customs at all. I really enjoyed the drive and scenery. I will be interested to see if entry through YVR customs will be more or less complicated than our previous trip. We did choose the rental car option bc we had points for the car, but the plane tickets were a lot cheaper into Seattle than Vancouver.

 

[sadiecatie]

Make sure that you’re factoring in the cost of not only the transportation from Seattle to Vancouver (train tickets, rental car. Etc.), but also other expenses like extra nights in hotels. We originally planned to fly into Seattle for our Alaska cruise, but once I thought through all of the timing of transfers, I realized we wouldn’t actually end up saving much at all and we didn’t want the stress of added legs to our journey. That may not be the case for you, but do make sure you aren’t just looking at the plane ticket costs and nothing else.

 

[jimmymc]

I just flew to Vancouver. It's a bit more expensive than Seattle, but it's easy, and you can take public transit to downtown.

 

[msmama]

I am flying into Vancouver for my upcoming Alaska cruise, but that decision was, by far, the most difficult part of the planning (and I have to fly out of Newark -- there are at least 3 closer airports, but I have to go to New Jersey!!). After the cruise we're taking the train to Seattle for a few days and flying from there.

I will say, the price of crossing the border with a rental car was CRAZY high. If you want a scenic trip, you could take the ferry from Seattle to Victoria, and then bus from Victoria to Vancouver (I briefly considered that).

 

[readyplayer]

Taking the Amtrak Cascade from Seattle King St station to Vancouver's Pacific Central station takes about 4 1/2 hrs and costs $32/person. From the Pacific Central station you can go to the Skytrain. Tickets can be bought at the kiosk before entering. The Main St station is around the corner/across the street from the Amtrak station. The Skytrain takes you to Waterfront Station (end of the line) where the port is a 5 minute walk away.

 

[auntlynne]

I am flying into Vancouver for my upcoming Alaska cruise, but that decision was, by far, the most difficult part of the planning (and I have to fly out of Newark -- there are at least 3 closer airports, but I have to go to New Jersey!!). After the cruise we're taking the train to Seattle for a few days and flying from there.

I will say, the price of crossing the border with a rental car was CRAZY high. If you want a scenic trip, you could take the ferry from Seattle to Victoria, and then bus from Victoria to Vancouver (I briefly considered that).

After a Southbound cruise, we did the bus + ferry to Victoria. Saw Butchart Gardens during rose season (the scent was wonderful), spent the night, caught the hydrofoil to Seattle. Got a quick day of sightseeing, including the Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens, and Pike Place Market. The following day we took the light rail to SeaTac, and flew home. Not the “easiest” way, but it was full of little delights.

Fun reminiscing.

Was the crossing price high on the rental (perhaps one-way drop-off) or another factor?

 

[auntlynne]

Taking the Amtrak Cascade from Seattle King St station to Vancouver's Pacific Central station takes about 4 1/2 hrs and costs $32/person. From the Pacific Central station you can go to the Skytrain. Tickets can be bought at the kiosk before entering. The Main St station is around the corner/across the street from the Amtrak station. The Skytrain takes you to Waterfront Station (end of the line) where the port is a 5 minute walk away.

Thanks for that info on the Skytrain from the train station. I thought I saw one and wondered if it was an easy walk.

 

[Flossbolna]

After a Southbound cruise, we did the bus + ferry to Victoria.

We did that after our Alaska cruise. It was very easy with the bus departing directly from the cruise terminal. Can absolutely recommend. We flew from Victoria to San Francisco then afterwards to see my aunt. When you are coming from Europe, it’s just around the corner.

 

[o&smom]

I would book a flight to Vancouver. There can be hours long back ups at the border if you drive. The train is notorious for being delayed or cancelled. Then you would be bussed. Fly to Vancouver.

 

[mmouse37]

We did the 10 day HI to Vancouver cruise 2 years ago in May. Post cruise we spent the night in the hotel right in the Vancouver airport for convenience and flew back to Newark the next day. How much of a price difference is it to fly into Vancouver? If it is more than $100 pp than I may fly into Seattle but $100 or under I would suck it up and fly into Vancouver.

MJ