Seattle
 

We are traveling to Seattle in June, with a group of 15, youngest is 8. Which would be a better choice, Vancouver or Victoria Island?
And is the Silver Cloud at Lake Union nice?

Victoria (the city) is on Vancouver Island. Vancouver (the city) is on the Canadian mainland. This seems to confuse everybody.

As to which would be better, either would make a nice side trip from Seattle. Victoria is smaller, has charming architecture, an Olde English feel, a great museum and Butchart Gardens. Vancouver is a big city with features that would interest almost everyone.

And yes, I've heard good things about that Silver Cloud Inn, but I would check the reviews on TripAdvisor before booking. Location is good, though.

We always stay at a Silver Cloud when we visit relatives in Seattle. We usually stay at the one in University Village, because it's near the relatives, but I believe we stayed once at the Lake Union Silver Cloud, and it was perfectly nice.

In general, I think the Silver Clouds are pleasant hotels. There is a decent continental breakfast, and the staff are very helpful and friendly.

We've stayed at the Silver Cloud Inn, Lake Union and found it very nice and wouldn't hesitate to return. Rooms were very clean - beds (including sofa bed)very comfortable. We had a small suite, with fridge, micro, 2 x TVs, free internet, view of the lake. Everybody was very friendly, including the shuttle drivers, who will drop you off at Pioneer Square, Space Needle, Waterfront and maybe a couple other places (they appreciate a tip!). We didn't use our car when there.
Hope that helps.

Moving around with such a large group of people taking a day trip to Victoria, using the Victoria Clipper (departs/returns downtownn Seattle daily), might be a fun idea. People could visit together on the boat ride, which would be less stressful than driving.

Vancouver is a big city, similar to Seattle, so it partly depends how long this trip is, what I'd recommend trying to fit in.

I've only seen it from the outside driving by, since I live here, but Silver Cloud at Lake Union looks fine.

Thanks for the feedback,
We have decided to go to Victoria,
We were thiking of taking the Clipper, but do people usually get seasick? And do you see many whales on the clipper?
Thanks again

No, I did not get seasick (and I'm quite motion sensitive)... it's a VERY large boat/ship.

No, I have never seen a whale in the Puget Sound myself (lived here 20+ years).

Some people do get seasick on the Clipper even though it's pretty big, although the chances that it'll be choppy in June are not high. They sell Dramamine on board just in case.

The last time I took the Clipper (this past Sept) we saw a few orcas off of Whidbey Island on the way back to Seattle--that was pretty cool. But it would be very random to see them--so you might consider doing a whale watching trip while you're in Victoria (or doing the Clipper day trip to the San Juans that includes whale watching instead).

Thanks NWwanderer, that's good to know. I thought I was the most seasickest person on the planet, and I did OK. But I'd rather err on the side of caution when giving advice on the sensitive subject!

Have any info on taking Amtrak into Vancouver?
Can you drive to Vancouver?
Any hotel recommendations for Vancouver?
Thanks

Yes you can take Amtrak to Vancouver, there's at least one train per day. Beware though, on some of the times/routes that the "train" is a really a bus instead.

Yes you can drive to Vancouver. It's approximately 3 hours due north on I-5 freeway.

The train to Vancouver leaves around 7 in the morning, and it leaves Vancouver for Seattle around 6 PM.

I'm thinking that if the Silver Cloud is the type of accommodation you like, then the Hampton Inn and Suites in Vancouver might be a good fit.

What would be the easiest way to get to Vancouver from Seattle?
And is it better to book that trip thru someone, or do it ourselves?
I am worried that the train ride will be too long, the clipper might be difficult for those in my group with motion sickness, and some in the group think it might be hard to drive there!

I think the easiest way (as in least hassle) would be to take the train. It only takes about an hour longer than driving. You can book that directly through Amtrak.

The Clipper doesn't go to Vancouver from Seattle, it goes from Seattle to Victoria--so that's not an option if Vancouver is your immediate destination (although you could go to Victoria first then to Vancouver via bus/ferry that you can book through the Clipper--but that only makes sense IMO if you have at least an overnight to spend in Victoria).

There's nothing hard about driving to Vancouver from Seattle. It's straight up I-5 freeway, about 3 hours.

The Clipper (as mentioned above) goes only to Victoria, so if you want to go to Vancouver that's definitely not what you want to do.

The train ride is not long. About 4 hours I think. It would be the easiest imo.

Since people seem a bit resistant, maybe you'd rather just spend the time in and around Seattle instead? Lots of great things you could do closer than going to Canada.

I would love to not go into Canada, but seems to be a dream of my fathers!
So, I guess we will do the train, I think we are going to stay at a Hampton Inn and Suites there.
I really appreciate all the help.

The most difficult part of the trip from Seattle to Vancouver BC (the city) might be the border crossing--can be very congested and time consuming. Also, be sure to bring a passport--you need one now.

artlover - passports are not required for Canada by land or sea until June 1, 2009. Driver's license and birth certificate will do for now.

any idea of how long the border crossing takes?

It totally depends on the time of day, day of the week, etc--it can take from as little as 15 minutes (pretty rare these days) to a couple of hours (particularly coming back into the US).

That's a large part of the reason I strongly suggest taking the train because you don't have to stop at the border. But make sure you're booking the actual train, not the bus. It leaves Seattle once a day around 7 AM and returns around 6 PM.