Please advise on airline and airport for Alaskan Cruise in June 2020

[brianvdb]

Yesterday we booked our family on the Disney Wonder Alaska cruise for June 29! We are a family of 4 and my husband has no problem driving. We would use Newark airport and could fly directly to Vancouver with Air Canada. Pros... Convenience of arriving in port city! Cons...My husband and I have been to Vancouver twice in past years and Air Canada doesn't seem to have glowing reviews.
We are also considering flying direct to Seattle with Alaska Air! We would fly in a day early. Pros: We love National Parks and there are 3 in the area of Seattle! Cons: Getting to Vancouver! Do we rent a car and drive? Do we take the train? or the bus? I also saw there is a ferry but it doesn't go directly to Vancouver.
What is your recommendation?
What are your experiences with either airline?
What are your experiences driving, using the train or taking the bus to Vancouver?
Thanks in advance for your help! Hoping to book airfare this week!

Alaska Air has flights from Seattle to Vancouver.

 

[tvguy]

What about WestJet? Their website shows they fly Newark to Vancouver. I flew them Los Angeles to Vancouver last month and I was very impressed.

 

[Dizney73]

First, the Seattle Mariners play at home, very close to the Amtrak station, from July 3-12.
There’s also the possibility of the Sounders playing at the same time.

Seattle Hotels - My favorite is the Arctic Club, less than a mile from the King St station. We have also stayed at Hilton Garden Inn in Renton and Hampton Inn in Federal Way (south of SeaTac; on your way to Mt Rainier). I also enjoyed Cedarbrook Lodge near SeaTac. They will pickup/drop off at the airport, Tukwila train station and the Light Link rail.

“Having” to stay in Vancouver just to catch a train, after being there before the cruise - and knowing you want to see NPs in Washington - would make me feel like I was just burning up time. And the summer hotel rates in Vancouver are very pricey. The Hampton Inn on Robson is C$500 per night (w/o AAA or other discount) pre-cruise.

I’ve stayed at the YWCA (co-ed for lodging), summer pricing, and the Pan Pacific, shoulder season, in Vancouver.

Washington first, up to Vancouver on Saturday? You know how your family does with travel. We usually are ready to go home when we get off the boat. Straight to the airport while we are relaxed after a week at sea.

[Caveat - my niece and I followed a week cruise southbound from Anchorage to Vancouver by taking a bus + ferry to Victoria BC. Did a late afternoon visit to Butchart Gardens, overnight at the Fairmont Empress. Hovercraft to Seattle. Chihuly museum, monorail, Space Needle, overnight at Arctic Club. Lightlink rail to SeaTac and Southwest to Nashville and 2 hr drive home. It was the final two hours that were long.]

Thank you for all of your great information! The hotels are just what I needed!
Our family travels often and always around my husband's work schedule...we booked the cruise and then see what else we can fit in around his vacation /personal time dates and work around it. We don't have the luxury of switching dates. It's just how we roll. Our goal for traveling is to see the world...we aren't much about the relaxing part unless we are home.
Our kids are great at traveling and are the ones who actually chose this cruise! We travel to different national parks each year for hiking and exploring. If we could stay longer to visit all the Washington parks...we would!
Thanks again for sharing your awesome info! I can use all we can get!

 

[Dizney73]

We flew into Seattle on points with South West from Boston. We spent 2 days exploring there. If there is baseball going on as another poster mentioned, it is a lot of fun to go to a game. The national parks are not close, so you would have to plan for that. We took Amtrak business class (train) the morning before our day of depature to Vancouver. I really enjoyed the train. We had a delay of about one hour getting into the station in Vancouver due to another train needing to leave before we could pull in. Leaving Vancouver we spent the day exploring the city, spent the night at the Fairmont at the airport and flew Air Canada non stop back to Boston in the morning. We did this to avoid all the red eye flights on the day of debarkation. I too read all the reviews on Air Canada, but with a non stop I was a bit less worried. We found them to be just fine. Cabin crew was wonderful. Good luck with your planning. You will love Alaska!

Thanks for the vote of confidence in Air Canada! I did book then nonstop from Newark to Vancouver!
I needed that! My husband and I have already been to Alaska twice...once in Princess and once on Royal Caribbean! We always say it is the one place we would return to in a heartbeat so when our 14 and 11 year old said they wanted to go on a Disney cruise to Alaska...we jumped on it!

 

[Ashleybritton]

I would stick with the train, but have a few options as a back up just in case.

 

[traderginger]

Following for the Seattle to Vancouver discussion for a potential 31Aug-1Sep Alaska cruise. Lived across the sound on the Kitsap Peninsula for 3 years, loved the area. Using the LINK Light Rail from SEATAC up to Seattle is extremely easy and beats the traffic, must have done it 20 times. Getting to the Mariners Stadium is an easy walk if staying downtown. Can offer some great, simple travel options for the 1-2 nights extra, such as one of the best restaurants in all of the city just a ferry ride and short walk across on Bainbridge Island in Hitchcock. Tons of other tourist options in the Needle, AMP, other museums, or just touring the waterfront and markets.

Considering flying to/from SEA vice YVR, as the price is better and the nonstops from HNL are not super, just Air Canada and WestJet red-eye's with what will be a 1yr old. The train is an option I had not considered. Looking at the maps, it is an easy embark there is Seattle, and mostly easy in Vancouver with plenty of hotel options near the station.

 

[Dizney73]

I would stick with the train, but have a few options as a back up just in case.

Thanks! we do really want to do the train! We are going to stay at a hotel in Vancouver following the cruise, rent a car and drive to Whistler for a day of sightseeing. Then leave on the 6:30 am train to Seattle the next day. The train is part of the destination!

 

[RAD]

When we did the cruise we flew into Seattle and spent a couple days there, lots to do in the Seattle area. We took the Amtrak train to Vancouver, the early morning train a day before the cruise. For the same reason we never fly into the departure port the day of the cruise I didn't want to take a chance on the train. This was in 2017 and there were a number of slow zones due to construction, don't know if they're still working on the tracks, which caused us to get into Vancouver close to 2 hours late. If you have the time and the money the train ride is a very nice trip, just make sure you get seats on the left side of the train.

 

[auntlynne]

Thanks! we do really want to do the train! We are going to stay at a hotel in Vancouver following the cruise, rent a car and drive to Whistler for a day of sightseeing. Then leave on the 6:30 am train to Seattle the next day. The train is part of the destination!

Sounds fun. The map shows the route running by a beautiful lake.

On the train ride south, the views of the ocean on the right side are great. There are mud flats (or tidal pools along the way. And Puget Sound.

The train station in Vancouver is nothing special, but it in Seattle it is beautiful, lovingly restored.

 

[ironz]

Whew.
Your initial idea of flying one day early and wanting to hit a NP freaked me out lol. Rainier is a very solid drive (as are the Olympics) and you would run out of time.

Watch the Amtrak site. If there is a landslide anywhere near the tracks they close the tracks to Amtrak trains for
3 full days, and you’ll get a charter bus instead.

Also remember there are only two trains each way per day. All the other things you can book are buses. Make sure you book the train.

I had the same thought as bumbershoot! One day would not get you to the 3 NPs in the area!
We flew right into Vancouver for our Alaskan cruise--easy connection in Seattle-- so I can't comment as to the train, driving, etc.
Though I will follow this thread as we hope to hit a couple of the National Parks up there AFTER a cruise that ends in Vancouver in 2021. (Have been to Rainier, but would like to visit Western Cascades and Olympic)

If you have the National Parks passport, do remember to bring it on the cruise-- you can get stamps in Skagway and Ketchikan.

 

[Dizney73]

I had the same thought as bumbershoot! One day would not get you to the 3 NPs in the area!
We flew right into Vancouver for our Alaskan cruise--easy connection in Seattle-- so I can't comment as to the train, driving, etc.
Though I will follow this thread as we hope to hit a couple of the National Parks up there AFTER a cruise that ends in Vancouver in 2021. (Have been to Rainier, but would like to visit Western Cascades and Olympic)

If you have the National Parks passport, do remember to bring it on the cruise-- you can get stamps in Skagway and Ketchikan.

Oh no! We were not going to do 3 parks in one day! We were going to fly round trip to Seattle and fly in one day early to take the train or drive to Vancouver. Then, after the cruise we would go back to Washington to visit the others! But we decided to split up the air and fly to Vancouver 2 days early... then cruise... the Vancouver another night to take the train the following day and spend 3 more nights in Seattle.
We've done Alaska twice already, including mainland, but I'll still get new stamps! I swore I'd never do DCL to Alaska because they don't do Glacier National Park (that's why we did Princess on our first visit) or go to mainland Alaska. But... a trip to Rainier will help with that!

 

[KMack]

Okay, thanks. About what I would expect for a low cost carrier. It's not too long a flight so I should be okay.

Rouge has an app for your tablet that you can use on the flight in lieu of a back of the seat entertainment system.