Alaska cruise info-Vancouver, cruise excursions, clothes, etc

[saintstickets]

DW and I recently booked our first DCL Alaska cruise for 8/24/15. We are starting at ground zero in where to stay, what to do and what to wear. This thread hopefully will give us guidance from you Alaska cruise vets. I am sure others will have need of the same info and questions of their own. I will start it off with a few questions of my own...

1) Where to stay in Vancouver? In our case we will arrive on the Sunday before the sail date so there will be little time to spend in Vancouver. We will be coming from a short stay in Sacramento, CA so we will either fly direct to Vancouver or fly to Seattle and then take the train to Vancouver which begs other questions. Is the train trip doable? Suggestions on where to stay in Vancouver? I see where there are two cruise line ports in Vancouver. Does DCL always dock at the same one?

2) Excursions? We are VERY interested in the helicopter to glacier/dog sled excursion. Is it better to do it in Juneau or Skagway? Anyone's thoughts on booking thru DCL vs direct to the local operator? We're also considering a whale watching tour and a train ride thru the mountains (especially if we do not take the train from Seattle to Vancouver). Are there any "must do" excursions?

3) Clothing? DW and I are from Mississippi. Our idea of a hard winter is 1/2" of snow and 3 straight days in the 30's! Needless to say, we will be purchasing cold weather clothing. Every blog I've read about the weather during the cruise months say layer, layer, layer. Our idea of layers in the South is a t-shirt and a long sleeve shirt. I have also read where the weather can change considerably from day to day and even hour to hour so wear items that can be easily removed or added. Suggestions on types of clothing? Gore-Tex or some other waterproof, cold weather outer wear? And then there are the shoes. Hiking/hunting boots necessary or Nike's with an extra pair of socks? I know a lot will depend on the excursion but any suggestions will be appreciated.

There you go. I've started the discussion now jump on in and give your 2 cents worth! TIA

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

DW and I recently booked our first DCL Alaska cruise for 8/24/15. We are starting at ground zero in where to stay, what to do and what to wear. This thread hopefully will give us guidance from you Alaska cruise vets. I am sure others will have need of the same info and questions of their own. I will start it off with a few questions of my own...

1) Where to stay in Vancouver? In our case we will arrive on the Sunday before the sail date so there will be little time to spend in Vancouver. We will be coming from a short stay in Sacramento, CA so we will either fly direct to Vancouver or fly to Seattle and then take the train to Vancouver which begs other questions. Is the train trip doable? Suggestions on where to stay in Vancouver? I see where there are two cruise line ports in Vancouver. Does DCL always dock at the same one?

2) Excursions? We are VERY interested in the helicopter to glacier/dog sled excursion. Is it better to do it in Juneau or Skagway? Anyone's thoughts on booking thru DCL vs direct to the local operator? We're also considering a whale watching tour and a train ride thru the mountains (especially if we do not take the train from Seattle to Vancouver). Are there any "must do" excursions?

3) Clothing? DW and I are from Mississippi. Our idea of a hard winter is 1/2" of snow and 3 straight days in the 30's! Needless to say, we will be purchasing cold weather clothing. Every blog I've read about the weather during the cruise months say layer, layer, layer. Our idea of layers in the South is a t-shirt and a long sleeve shirt. I have also read where the weather can change considerably from day to day and even hour to hour so wear items that can be easily removed or added. Suggestions on types of clothing? Gore-Tex or some other waterproof, cold weather outer wear? And then there are the shoes. Hiking/hunting boots necessary or Nike's with an extra pair of socks? I know a lot will depend on the excursion but any suggestions will be appreciated.

There you go. I've started the discussion now jump on in and give your 2 cents worth! TIA

I stayed in Pan Pacific thats above the cruise terminal.

I booked private tours in each port in fact two in each port and saved $$$$$ and choose my own times, most of the time it was just us and for cheaper than DCL would do on a tour with everyone.

Our Helicopter was in Juneau and included a glacier walk.-Coastal copters.
Skagway We had a flight to glacier bay and we went on the white pass railway with Chillkoot charters.
Ketchikan we used Seawing Airways to the misty fjords.

Clothing, we took to much it was warm in August and we didn't need any layers we were going around in T Shirts most of the time.

Look on my link below for many photos.

 

[scm]

DW and I recently booked our first DCL Alaska cruise for 8/24/15.

Unless there has been a change since my opening day booking, Alaska departure 8/24/15 is from Port of Vancouver's Ballantyne Cruise Terminal, located at 851 Centennial Road*, Vancouver, not the usual picture postcard Canada Place where Wonder will dock on return.
Complimentary motorcoach transportation will be provided to Ballantyne Cruise Terminal from Canada Place Cruise Terminal.

I was unable to find the cost savings many posters refer to if you book privately,ex. 2 adults+3 kids for Skagway helicopter / dogsled. The saving of $140 on expenditure of $2545 to $2684 seems insignificant.

 

[scm]

double post

 

[gdstone04]

We did that cruise but one week later in 2013. It was lovely. We are from GA so similar weather but we found that most days at sea, jeans/shorts, long-sleeved shirts, etc. We go skiing every year so we had appropriate jackets and such. I would suggest thermal layers with a rain jacket-type outer layer--especially for anything on glaciers, etc.

We went all out and stayed at the Rosewood Georgia. It was super nice and centrally located for exploring the city. I cannot recommend that hotel enough. Sigh.

We left out of Canada place so I can't help on the ports at all.

We did a whale-watching tour. It was breath-taking. I cannot imagine not doing one on an Alaskan cruise. We also did a rainforest hike and a helicopter ride to a glacier. Our favorite excursion (besides the whale-watching) was a fishing expedition in Ketchikan. We used solely Disney excursions as it was our first cruise and we were a little wary of getting into a two-bit Johnny Shenanigans operation.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[sambycat]

it’s going to be an amazing cruise!

there are many many threads addressing these kinds of questions! have you seen this one yet - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2283011

a great starting place if you haven’t!

 

[scm]

Chat with your fellow passengers here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3255665

 

[xlxo]

DW and I recently booked our first DCL Alaska cruise for 8/24/15. We are starting at ground zero in where to stay, what to do and what to wear. This thread hopefully will give us guidance from you Alaska cruise vets. I am sure others will have need of the same info and questions of their own. I will start it off with a few questions of my own...

1) Where to stay in Vancouver? In our case we will arrive on the Sunday before the sail date so there will be little time to spend in Vancouver. We will be coming from a short stay in Sacramento, CA so we will either fly direct to Vancouver or fly to Seattle and then take the train to Vancouver which begs other questions. Is the train trip doable? Suggestions on where to stay in Vancouver? I see where there are two cruise line ports in Vancouver. Does DCL always dock at the same one?

Vancouver is a compact city and very easy to get around. There are hundreds of hotel choices depending on your budget and preferences.
The Panny is the fav on this forum for luggage service onto the ship. However it's hard to get the rooms on sale and you might find yourself paying $500 a night.

Personally I have my friends stay by the airport for under $150 a night (Raddison) and catch a $30 cab to the cruise ship terminal.
http://www.expedia.ca/Vancouver-Hot...2015&chkout=24/08/2015&rm1=a2#rooms-and-rates

If you are short on time... flying DIRECT to Vancouver will be the most convenient with a $30 cab ride to your fav downtown hotel. With a large family, some find the Seattle savings is worth the 6 to 7 hours train/bus inconvenience to Vancouver.

The Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver is 5hrs as it winds it way through Canada. However you need to consider transportation from Seatac to the train station. You also need to consider transportation from the Vancouver train station to the hotel. There are two trains from Seattle to Vancouver (7:45am and 6:50pm). For the nearly the same price as the train, many are opting for the 5 daily Seatac to Vancouver hotel shuttles for $45.
http://www.quickcoach.com/

In addition to walking the 157 miles... some are using the Bolt bus service for savings (some rides are $1 if you are quick on the reservations) to get to Vancouver.
https://www.boltbus.com/

With little time in Vancouver pre-cruise... what about post-cruise? Vancouver is much more bigger than all those Alaskan ports combined. In addition to tourist attractions, it is a mecca for Asian foods, chocolates, and award winning ICE CREAM! You should plan to stay a week or more to meet the syrup sucking ice holes!

2) Excursions? We are VERY interested in the helicopter to glacier/dog sled excursion. Is it better to do it in Juneau or Skagway? Anyone's thoughts on booking thru DCL vs direct to the local operator? We're also considering a whale watching tour and a train ride thru the mountains (especially if we do not take the train from Seattle to Vancouver). Are there any "must do" excursions?

The train ride through the mountains is called the White Pass railway. They just patched it up from this summer after a little incident.
http://o.canada.com/news/popular-to...st-alaska-minor-injuries-of-9-people-reported

The White Pass railway is much more interesting than the Seattle Amtrak as you retrace the path of the miners. Note there are a dozen variations and distance with the White Pass excursions. Would you like to explore the Yukon with the train ride? Would you like to see Liarsville with the train ride? Would you like to do some hiking with the train? Sorry you can't do it all!

If you do go for helicopter rides... book early. Marine and flight excursions are the first to sell out.

3) Clothing? DW and I are from Mississippi. Our idea of a hard winter is 1/2" of snow and 3 straight days in the 30's! Needless to say, we will be purchasing cold weather clothing. Every blog I've read about the weather during the cruise months say layer, layer, layer. Our idea of layers in the South is a t-shirt and a long sleeve shirt. I have also read where the weather can change considerably from day to day and even hour to hour so wear items that can be easily removed or added. Suggestions on types of clothing? Gore-Tex or some other waterproof, cold weather outer wear? And then there are the shoes. Hiking/hunting boots necessary or Nike's with an extra pair of socks? I know a lot will depend on the excursion but any suggestions will be appreciated.

Bring them all... the sad news is late August is the wet cruise season for Alaska and the start of the wet season in Vancouver. While many love Spandex, I love Goretex in Alaska. Yes weather can be 30C in the sun and be 12C when it rains. Another option is to just check the forecast as you pack your bags for the trip. If the weather is bad.... pack extra rain gear.

 

[racingfandj]

We did Alaska last summer in early July. Long sleeve shirts, a sweat shirt and a rain jacket were how we layered clothing. For the trip, we flew to Seatac and took the Amtrak train to Vancouver. It is a beautiful train ride and only took about 3 hours. Very reasonably priced too. We used the city train in Seattle to get to it. Post cruise in Vancouver, we used the Vancouver city trains to get back to the Amtrak station too. Great, cheap transportation.

We stayed at a Holiday Inn in downtown that was about 1 mile from Canada Place. Since there were 8 of us (3a, 5k), I arranged a private shuttle to take us to the port. It was also Canada Day, so I didn't have to worry about any closures or reroutes on my own that way during the celebrations.

I would shop around on the excursions. Everyone has different experiences. Sometimes you find cheaper prices or different time options available. We wanted to zip line. Disney's age restriction wouldn't allow my DD (missed it by 4 years). The private operator had an age recommendation that she was 2.5 weeks shy of, but went by weight and height measurements that she met hands down. We had a great time with them.

 

[bumbershoot]

Unless there has been a change since my opening day booking, Alaska departure 8/24/15 is from Port of Vancouver's Ballantyne Cruise Terminal, located at 851 Centennial Road*, Vancouver, not the usual picture postcard Canada Place where Wonder will dock on return.
Complimentary motorcoach transportation will be provided to Ballantyne Cruise Terminal from Canada Place Cruise Terminal.

Good info.


While it's not pretty, it's a proper working port, and for some (like me and DH) that's actually cooler to leave from than something all prettified. We left from there for our RCCL honeymoon and it was fine, and we didn't even get free transportation there.


You want to look at *downtown* Vancouver hotels. While the Pan Pacific is a huge favorite, you can have a totally awesome stay in Vancouver without staying there. Cabs are decent, if you're in downtown nothing is too far away, and walking around is lovely. If someone gave me a Vancouver cruise right now and asked where I would stay, I would say the Listel Hotel, which is an art boutique hotel (but nowhere near as snooty as that description makes it sound). It's also near Whole Foods and a neat looking Korean food place if I recall correctly, and across the street from a tiny but good Indian restaurant. (we love Vancouver) If I had a minute to think and if I could find a good deal, then I would stay at Sutton Place or La Grande Residence at Sutton Place.


Amtrak...the problem is that there are only two departures a day from Seattle. There are really no flights that get in early enough to let you get from Seatac to Seattle in time to get on the early train. And getting on the late train gets you in too late for that day's sailing. So going into Seattle means at least one extra night either in Seattle or Vancouver. Now, I highly recommend staying in Vancouver a few nights extra, but if you're going into Seattle to save money, it can really work against you to take the train.


Late August is the end of the season, and it can be colder and wetter than in the middle of the summer. That's about when our honeymoon cruise was, and we packed long pants, warm socks, athletic shoes, and 3-in-1 coats. The things we wished we had had were scarves, good gloves, and nice knit or fleece hats.

The only excursion we could afford was a tea in Skagway at Jewell Gardens. It's perfectly possible to do an Alaskan cruise without helicopters (I wouldn't get on one anyway, personally), whale watching (we didn't even see one from the ship, LOL), and that sort of thing. If you can afford it and want to do those things, of course, do it.

 

[jburge12000]

We did the Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver pre cruise and the Bolt bus after to get back to Seattle after flying from the Bay Area. We really enjoyed the train ride. It was on time and very convenient. The Bolt Bus was good until we crossed the boarder and one of the other passengers did not disclose an orange in their bag. They kept the bus for an hour at the boarder before they finally pulled the offending partys luggage off the bus and they were left at immigration with their bags while the bus finally departed on its way. We luckily were staying in Seattle that night so the delay did not cause to many problems, but if we were trying to get to SeaTac for a flight we would have been absolutely freaking out.

I would recommend the whale watching in Juneau and the Seasonal Bear Excursion in Ketchican. If you are a nature lover, it is really amazing what you will see.

The only day we needed more then a sweatshirt and jeans was in Tracy Arm when it got a little colder, and when it would rain. I light rain jacket was enough.

We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn and were very happy with it. $6 cab ride to the cruise terminal.

 

[AngelDisney]

Unless there has been a change since my opening day booking, Alaska departure 8/24/15 is from Port of Vancouver's Ballantyne Cruise Terminal, located at 851 Centennial Road*, Vancouver, not the usual picture postcard Canada Place where Wonder will dock on return.
Complimentary motorcoach transportation will be provided to Ballantyne Cruise Terminal from Canada Place Cruise Terminal.

I was unable to find the cost savings many posters refer to if you book privately,ex. 2 adults+3 kids for Skagway helicopter / dogsled. The saving of $140 on expenditure of $2545 to $2684 seems insignificant.

According to this website, the Vancouver port has Canada Place as its only cruise terminal now.

http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/about/cruiseandtourism/faq.aspx

Which pier is my cruise departing from?
The Port has one cruise ship terminal at Canada Place. Cruise ship terminals no longer depart from Ballantyne pier.

I hope this is true since I have already booked Pan Pacific via Hotwire for my August 24, 2015 cruise, and I have planned to watch the Wonder docks that morning. It is only me and DD17 (will be 18 then), so I plan to book my excursions through Disney. I agree with you that the price difference is not huge comparing to the cost of the entire trip, and I prefer the peace of mind. However, I am going to keep my eyes open for other options if any excursion gets cancelled due to inclement weather.

Have fun planning!

 

[Mackie Mouse]

1) Where to stay in Vancouver? In our case we will arrive on the Sunday before the sail date so there will be little time to spend in Vancouver. We will be coming from a short stay in Sacramento, CA so we will either fly direct to Vancouver or fly to Seattle and then take the train to Vancouver which begs other questions. Is the train trip doable? Suggestions on where to stay in Vancouver? I see where there are two cruise line ports in Vancouver. Does DCL always dock at the same one?

I sailed to Alaska during the summer of 2013, so I can't speak to plans for next summer, but I can tell you to look on hotwire and priceline in the months preceding your cruise for a good deal on a hotel. While I didn't find a good deal in 2013 on the Pan Pacific, my husband and I wound up at the all-suite Westin Grand in Vancouver before our cruise and had a fantastic stay there. All of downtown Vancouver was walkable for us, and the port was a short and inexpensive cab ride away when we left for our cruise. Pretty much all of the hotels in the immediate downtown Vancouver area are wonderful; I would go with whatever four-star hotel you can find cheapest.

2) Excursions? We are VERY interested in the helicopter to glacier/dog sled excursion. Is it better to do it in Juneau or Skagway? Anyone's thoughts on booking thru DCL vs direct to the local operator? We're also considering a whale watching tour and a train ride thru the mountains (especially if we do not take the train from Seattle to Vancouver). Are there any "must do" excursions?

Alaska is what you make of it. There is SO MUCH to do at each port, and I wouldn't characterize any one specific activity as "must-do". You cannot do it all, so you need to just figure out what fits best with your interests and budget. If you are dead-set on a dogsledding excursion by helicopter, though, know that this is the most frequently canceled excursion due to weather, and be prepared with a backup in mind. I would also very highly recommend booking this excursion on our own, as rescheduling due to cancellation will actually be a little easier/more flexible that way. You will also save a good bit of money, and I can assure you that in Alaska, tour companies you find on your own will be very reputable and will get you back to the shop on time.

In Skagway, my husband and I booked an excursion on your own that included a drive up into the Yukon and a ride on the White Pass Railroad, which was beautiful. I would highly recommend that excursion, which we booked through Chilkoot Charters.

Juneau will have the best whale watching opportunities, if that interests you.

Something you haven't considered but which is well, well worth the expensive is a floatplane ride through Misty Fjord in Ketchikan. This was the absolute highlight of my Alaska trip, and I cannot recommend it enough. Surreal was not the word for the scenery we saw!

3) Clothing? DW and I are from Mississippi. Our idea of a hard winter is 1/2" of snow and 3 straight days in the 30's! Needless to say, we will be purchasing cold weather clothing. Every blog I've read about the weather during the cruise months say layer, layer, layer. Our idea of layers in the South is a t-shirt and a long sleeve shirt. I have also read where the weather can change considerably from day to day and even hour to hour so wear items that can be easily removed or added. Suggestions on types of clothing? Gore-Tex or some other waterproof, cold weather outer wear? And then there are the shoes. Hiking/hunting boots necessary or Nike's with an extra pair of socks? I know a lot will depend on the excursion but any suggestions will be appreciated.

I have to agree with the layer, layer, layer advice. That said, I would not bring a heavy winter coat. The coldest, rainiest day of our trip was Tracy Arm day - temperatures were in the mid-to-upper 40's and a chilly drizzle fell from the sky for most of the day. On that day, I wore:

-thick knee-high socks
-waterproof hiking pants (an *awesome* investment)
-a long-sleeved tee
-A hooded sweatshirt
-A North Face fleece
-A rainjacket shell that zipped over my North Face
(Yes...four layers! It worked great.)
-Light gloves and earmuffs

Our best weather was in Ketchikan, was is ironic because it is usually very rainy there! Low 70's and sunny. A t-shirt and jeans was all we needed.

This is not counting the fact that it was nearly 80 and gorgeous on the day we departed from Vancouver...lots of people in the pools that day!

I would recommend buying waterproofing spray for whatever shoes or sneakers you plan to bring; you don't need to buy expensive hiking shoes just for this trip if you won't wear them again, unless you are really planning on doing an excursion with heavy hiking involved. Bringing a good fleece to keep warm with if needed and a good rain jacket is essential, though! Also, since you will likely be doing a good bit of walking in various weather conditions, a couple of pairs of high-quality running socks or hiking socks (NOT regular cotton socks) is a good investment. Wool or synthetic socks will cut down on moisture and blistering.

 

[xlxo]

took the Amtrak train to Vancouver. It is a beautiful train ride and only took about 3 hours. Very reasonably priced too. We used the city train in Seattle to get to it. Post cruise in Vancouver, we used the Vancouver city trains to get back to the Amtrak station too. Great, cheap transportation.

3hrs? Perhaps by driving. Looking at the Amtrak schedule, the train ride alone is 4hrs. (7:45am depart will arrive at 11:45am, 6:50pm arrives at 10:50pm).

• Google maps states it's a 20 min drive or 35 min from Seatac. How early do you need to be a the train station to check-in? Let's budget a full hour to 90 minutes for Amtrak.
• Clearing Vancouver customs can take 5 to 20 minutes depending on where you are on the train. Tip.... sit closer to the front of the training to get off quicker. Then comes the 5 to 10 minute cab ride into your downtown hotel.

Thus, you should budget 6 hours for the Amtrak train. Especially if your flight arrives at an impractical time for the train departure.

In comparison, here's Quick coach's schedule.... it's 4hrs from Seatac to the cruise ship terminal.
http://www.quickcoach.com/schedule.htm

I agree with bumbershoot.... fly direct to Vancouver if you are on a tight timeline. There's savings in Seattle, but you loose a half-day with the extra transfer time. If you want to save money, consider downgrading from a 5 star hotel to something 2 star that has you walking a little bit further.

Saintstickets stated pre-cruise time is short, perhaps post-cruise is better to fly-out of Seatac.

In addition to the train, there's also options with ferries to Victoria to catch their attractions along the way.

 

[scm]

According to this website, the Vancouver port has Canada Place as its only cruise terminal now.

http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/about/cruiseandtourism/faq.aspx

Which pier is my cruise departing from?
The Port has one cruise ship terminal at Canada Place. Cruise ship terminals no longer depart from Ballantyne pier.

I am glad you posted as I apparently confused the pier with an earlier Disney reservation. Neither Disney reservations nor cruise port sites could confirm Canada Place but I feel that is a reliable assumption.

"I agree with you that the price difference is not huge comparing to the cost of the entire trip,.."

Just to clarify, my cost comparison was for one Skagway excursion~ between Disney's charge and booking it privately.

 

[bumbershoot]

3hrs? Perhaps by driving. Looking at the Amtrak schedule, the train ride alone is 4hrs. (7:45am depart will arrive at 11:45am, 6:50pm arrives at 10:50pm).

It used to be more along the lines of 3 hours. Sigh. The old days.

The other issue with Amtrak (and you would never guess how much I love a train by my posts about taking Amtrak for a cruise...I do love it, but it's simple for us living here...someone coming in for a truly special experience NEEDS to be aware of the realities) is landslides. If there is one that impacts the train track, the track closes for something like 72 hours from the time of the slide. That means that ALL of the trains inside that time period get to go on buses.

Now these buses aren't the nicer Amtrak buses, but random charter buses. Without bathrooms from our own experience. Without food or water or anything you might have been expecting and maybe counting on for the ride (in my experience). With 3 rest area stops, where people get off in the drizzle and smoke, making it hard for those with sensitive noses and lungs (in my experience) when those people wouldn't be able to get off and do that on the train.

Very very different if that impacts your trip. VERY important to monitor the Amtrak site for such events, so you don't show up with no water and no snacks and no anticipation of having to bus it.

It's also VERY different views from I-5 vs much of the traintracks...sigh.

 

[xlxo]

Amtrak Cascades "landslides" are only a concern if the Disney Wonder is running at Christmas to give passengers a truly Alaskan experience. Not such a concern in the summer...

• http://www.transportationissuesdail...angerous-to-ride-amtrak-in-seattle-in-winter/
• Here's a the twitter feed. It appears the last major incident was April 1st.
  https://twitter.com/Amtrak_Cascades

Just found this video of the Amtrak route on what you would see...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-IyrUzYckg

If you have time and want scenery... also consider the Seattle Clipper cruise to Victoria and then after a day of sightseeing... BC Ferries to Vancouver. There's also a Orca whale watching cruise Vancouver to Victoria, however it's unclear if they are able to transport large pieces of cruise luggage.
http://princeofwhales.com/vancouver-departures/vancouver-whales-to-seattle

 

[linetbo]

Amtrak Cascades "landslides" are only a concern if the Disney Wonder is running at Christmas to give passengers a truly Alaskan experience. Not such a concern in the summer...

• http://www.transportationissuesdail...angerous-to-ride-amtrak-in-seattle-in-winter/
• Here's a the twitter feed. It appears the last major incident was April 1st.
  https://twitter.com/Amtrak_Cascades

Just found this video of the Amtrak route on what you would see...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-IyrUzYckg

If you have time and want scenery... also consider the Seattle Clipper cruise to Victoria and then after a day of sightseeing... BC Ferries to Vancouver. There's also a Orca whale watching cruise Vancouver to Victoria, however it's unclear if they are able to transport large pieces of cruise luggage.
http://princeofwhales.com/vancouver-departures/vancouver-whales-to-seattle

Are those Victoria the same? You can go either from Vancouver or Seattle? Or they are two?

 

[bumbershoot]

The last time we went on Amtrak was mid august of 2013 and that is when we had the experience I described. It's not that it's a big huge slide that will endanger you necessarily, but anything that goes across the tracks seems to stop things.

It can rain here anytime, and that's what causes them. It's worth mentioning. If someone had informed me of the possibility last year and what they do after, it would have been good. We were traveling home when we were impacted by it, and as we were getting into Seattle they announced that the time period would be up by that late afternoon so those just spending a day in Seattle would have a train home. If I had known this I would have waited in Vancouver for the actual train, instead of dealing with the charter bus.

 

[tnshsms]

Bump.