Hi there!

I'm arriving in a cruise in Vancouver, and my international flight leaves from Seatlle. What is the best (cheap) way to transfer 2 passengers? Thank's for your help!

Roger

QuickCoach - http://www.quickcoach.com
Be sure to allow plenty of time for border delays and traffic.

Most cruise lines will provide transfers from the Port of Vancouver to Seattle Airport. They charge a fee of course but it will mean you don't have to shlep your luggage off the ship and to a bus depot.

Amtrak (train or bus) from Vancouver (city) to Seattle costs $23 per person, and takes about 4 hours. If you can take the train, there should be no hassle at the border (or at least, I hope not, because that's what we are doing).

"there should be no hassle at the border"
Just remember that you have to have proof of your US American citizenship-passport is best.

Sam_Salmon: I was wondering about the passport thing. I have a friend who works in our local passport office, and she said they are advising people to get a passport when traveling to Canada (maybe since 9-11?). Is it really necessary? We don't have passports, and I'd really like to use the $85 times 3 for something else.

A picture ID or driver license and your birth certificate together can prove citizenship. If you bring those, you cannot have problem. But if you don't take your birth cert, then you're taking a chance, and may depend on the mood of the INS agent.

I know many people go to Mexico with just their DL, but I wouldn't recommend taking any chances.

I've done the Seattle -> Vancouver train and it is a bargain. There is some beautiful coastal scenery toward the Seattle end. I would be careful, though, to leave plenty of extra time because crossing the border can take a while, even for train passengers, and the trains sometimes run behind schedule because of that.

You should be fine without passports - as long as the cruise line doesn't demand them. (They do for some routes.) But you might consider the extra protection a passport offers. My daughter is a U.S. citizen studying at a Canadian university, and we always travel across the border with passports. They get a lot more respect and we get a lot less scrutiny at Canadian (and Mexican) border points and when boarding a cruise ship. And the $85 passport lasts 10 years. $8.50 a year isn't much.

Thank's for all replies. I think that's train is a good option for us. We have plenty time to transfer, because our flyght just leave in the following day. Now I have a question. Were, in Vancouver, i get the train? Is it close to the pier? Thank's again.

Roger

Information about taking the train from Vancouver, BC to Seattle is at:

www.bcpassport.com/transportation/trains.html

Read the paragraphs about "Pacific Central Station" (Vancouver) for station location, and "Amtrak" for trip info. (The train you want is the Cascades line.)

Your only problem will be that there is only one train per day, leaving Vancouver at 6 p.m. and arriving in Seattle at 9:55 p.m., so you will most likely need to have booked a hotel room in Seattle. I've been told that taxis are readily available at King Street Station in Seattle.

You can buy your tickets online at the Amtrak website.

Also, you may know this, but there is also a Vancouver, Washington. When asking questions, make sure the person you are asking knows you are leaving from Vancouver, BC.

The train option will also require a cab to get from the Amtrak Station to the airport. QuickCoach takes you directly to the airport. Either way will work fine.

BTW, the required standard rate from downtown Seattle to the airport is $25 by cab.