Moemg
Gone but not forgotten
We are planning on an Alaskan cruise next May . The one cruise we are considering leaves from Vancouver . How do you get from Seattle to Vancouver and recommendations on things to see in Vancouver ?
Alaska
- Thread starter Moemg
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Vancouver is a very very nice place We stayed in English Bay and it is just charming.
Aquarium is super
Friends have taken the shuttle to vancouver from SEATAC http://www.quickcoach.com/
Aquarium is super
Friends have taken the shuttle to vancouver from SEATAC http://www.quickcoach.com/
kumquat
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Why not fly from your home to Vancouver?
See Stanley Park.
See Stanley Park.
mh
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i concur w/ kumquat. vancouver airport is big enough
that you should be able to find a flight to vancouver
through some west coast us city at a minimum..
mh
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the museum of anthropology at the university of BC is unique
if i had to pick one place to visit in vancouver, that would be it for me..
Welcome to MOA! A place of world arts + cultures | Museum of Anthropology at UBC
misanman
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Our Alaska trip originated from Vancouver. We were scheduled to fly into Vancouver but a last minute passport problem forced me to fly to Seattle, rent a car, and then drive up to Vancouver where I met up with my wife and the rest of my party.
fisherman
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When we last cruised in Alaska (That is our favorite cruise to date) we left from Vancouver also. To get there we flew to Seattle and then took the jet boat to Vancouver. We spent a couple of days in Seattle and really enjoyed them. After the cruise we spent a few days in Vancouver and also Victoria. You really should look into seeing Victoria it is a beautiful coastal town.
Have a great cruise!
Have a great cruise!
Moemg
Gone but not forgotten
Thanks everybody ! We will probably fly into Seattle and take the jet boat or fly into vancouver if we can find a decent flight most of them have several connections . We are also adding a few days in Vancouver & Victoria.
kumquat
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In Victoria check out Butchart Gardens and Royal Museum
Birdie Num Nums
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The short flight from Seattle to Vancouver is just gorgeous--particularly on a sunny day. You get to see the beauty of the Pacific Northwest from above, and the many islands along the way.
Red_y
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Another option is to take Amtrak. The "Cascades" train runs several times a day from Seattle to Vancouver, costs less than $40 if you book this far in advance, and winds along Puget Sound most of the way. It takes about 4 hours and you can take in the stunning scenery as you go.
Train travel is very civilized and relaxing, compared to flying or driving, IMHO.
http://media.wsdot.wa.gov/media/AmtrakCascades/AmtrakCascades.wmv
Train travel is very civilized and relaxing, compared to flying or driving, IMHO.
http://media.wsdot.wa.gov/media/AmtrakCascades/AmtrakCascades.wmv
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Moemg
As others have said, Vancouver is a great city. Second Buchart Gardens. If you are a foodie, Vancouver has some of the greatest dining especially asian fusion. Great China town with some great dimsum places. Also include Grandville Island on your list for super sidewalk/people watching and food as well.
Not sure they are still offerring the jet boat but it is a great Amtrak trip or easy drive.
Lots to do in Seattle as well, especially if it is your first trip.
Nwsteve
As others have said, Vancouver is a great city. Second Buchart Gardens. If you are a foodie, Vancouver has some of the greatest dining especially asian fusion. Great China town with some great dimsum places. Also include Grandville Island on your list for super sidewalk/people watching and food as well.
Not sure they are still offerring the jet boat but it is a great Amtrak trip or easy drive.
Lots to do in Seattle as well, especially if it is your first trip.
Nwsteve
Upon arriving, we thumbed through one of the tourist/current events magazines.
Went to a very cute/entertaining play in a small venue. Also went to one of the museums.
Lucked out and saw the fireworks on barges competition (set to music) from our hotel balcony.
The next morning, there were a few "treasure hunters" with metal detectors walking the beach looking for change and jewelry where the crowd had been the night before for the event. We decided to walk there ourselves and look for treasure.
We didn't find treasure, but we found someone's drivers license and turned it in. The person was not yet aware she'd lost it.
Went to a very cute/entertaining play in a small venue. Also went to one of the museums.
Lucked out and saw the fireworks on barges competition (set to music) from our hotel balcony.
The next morning, there were a few "treasure hunters" with metal detectors walking the beach looking for change and jewelry where the crowd had been the night before for the event. We decided to walk there ourselves and look for treasure.
We didn't find treasure, but we found someone's drivers license and turned it in. The person was not yet aware she'd lost it.
DougViages
Recycles dryer sheets
Did a Alaska cruise/tour in August
We flew into Fairbanks, and came south through Denali/McKinley. We boarded a Princess cruise ship in Whittier, and came south to Vancouver on a seven day itinerary. In Vancouver we stayed at a wonderful, classy smaller hotel, L'Hermitage. We flew out of Vancouver back to Michigan.
It all worked out really well. The best scenery was on the cruise, from Whittier to Hubbard Glacier, and on to Glacier Bay. Nothing was cheap, be prepared for that (a trip to Europe might have been cheaper).
Have a great time! Drop me a message if you want more info. I strongly suggest that you join Cruise Critic, and use the information and sources on that site.
We flew into Fairbanks, and came south through Denali/McKinley. We boarded a Princess cruise ship in Whittier, and came south to Vancouver on a seven day itinerary. In Vancouver we stayed at a wonderful, classy smaller hotel, L'Hermitage. We flew out of Vancouver back to Michigan.
It all worked out really well. The best scenery was on the cruise, from Whittier to Hubbard Glacier, and on to Glacier Bay. Nothing was cheap, be prepared for that (a trip to Europe might have been cheaper).
Have a great time! Drop me a message if you want more info. I strongly suggest that you join Cruise Critic, and use the information and sources on that site.
happy2bretired
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I second Granville Island...loved that place just to walk around and look. If you get to Victoria, you might want to do "tea" at the Fairmont. That was fun for my daughter and me a few years ago when we went on our Alaskan cruise.
Victoria was one of the absolute top highlights of our Alaskan cruise. Others were the helicopter flight to walk on a glacier at Juneau, and cruising around Glacier Bay to watch the glaciers calving.
Actually, the southeast Alaska cruise was our first cruise ever, and the overall experience made me decide that it would also be the last one. Nevertheless, the highlights were good enough that it was almost worthwhile.
Really, I'm not trying to be negative. Some people love cruising, others don't. You don't really know which group you're in until you've done it.
Actually, the southeast Alaska cruise was our first cruise ever, and the overall experience made me decide that it would also be the last one. Nevertheless, the highlights were good enough that it was almost worthwhile.
Really, I'm not trying to be negative. Some people love cruising, others don't. You don't really know which group you're in until you've done it.
Moemg
Gone but not forgotten
Thanks again , All the suggestions are great . I do already belong to Cruise Critic and find it a valuable source of info. Braumeister , sorry you did not like cruising . It is not for everybody . I like it but I like almost any form of travel . Lot's of good suggestions on Vancouver .
mh
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it's kinda like pike place market in seattle or farmers market in LA.. (+ more besides food oriented stuff)
not an exact analogy but you'll get the idea if you know those places..
it's not really an island either so don't worry about how to get there
it's another section of the city of vancouver
not an exact analogy but you'll get the idea if you know those places..
it's not really an island either so don't worry about how to get there
it's another section of the city of vancouver
WhoDaresWins
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Vancouver and Alaska are both high on my "must see" list. Maybe one of these days I will book an educationally oriented/small ship adventure that also includes a land trip into Denali. I would like to start or end in Vancouver so as to spend a week or so exploring. I love Seattle but I have been there several times (not that I have seen everything there is to see by any stretch of the imagination).
happy2bretired
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Another thing we did while in Vancouver was visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge. We had to take a ferry, then a bus, if I remember correctly. It was fun. You have to walk it twice, over and back. Going over wasn't too bad since there wasn't many people there first thing in the morning, but when we started back there was a bus load of people on the bridge.
After you cross the bridge there are very short trails and tree houses. It was fun just being close to those tall trees (fir trees?).
Attractions in BC: Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver - BritishColumbia.com
After you cross the bridge there are very short trails and tree houses. It was fun just being close to those tall trees (fir trees?).
Attractions in BC: Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver - BritishColumbia.com
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Rustic23
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We did the Vancouver to Alaska cruise. We flew direct to Vancouver. However, our return was not smooth. When we arrived in Anchorage, we found our flight back to Houston had been canceled due to weather in Houston. There were only four scheduled flights out of Anchorage, and as you can guess, most were booked up. We finally got out to Chicago, and it took almost 48 hrs from the time we left the ship until we arrived in Houston.
We are planning a family Alaskan cruise a couple of years from now, but we are going to fly to Anchorage, spend a couple of days there, take the train over to the port and cruise back to Vancouver. I figure there has to be more planes going out of Vancouver/Seattle than Anchorage.
We are planning a family Alaskan cruise a couple of years from now, but we are going to fly to Anchorage, spend a couple of days there, take the train over to the port and cruise back to Vancouver. I figure there has to be more planes going out of Vancouver/Seattle than Anchorage.
ScottFromUtah
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DW and I have been to Vancouver two or three times. We loved it. We also visited Victoria, and thoroughly enjoyed that trip.
We did an Alaskan cruise a few years ago. It was wonderful, but IMHO, land travel to Denali National Park is an absolute must, if you can afford the time and money.
We did our cruise through a travel agency, which arranged for a bus to take us from the SeaTac airport to Vancouver. That worked out nicely.
Have a great cruise.
We did an Alaskan cruise a few years ago. It was wonderful, but IMHO, land travel to Denali National Park is an absolute must, if you can afford the time and money.
We did our cruise through a travel agency, which arranged for a bus to take us from the SeaTac airport to Vancouver. That worked out nicely.
Have a great cruise.
NW-Bound
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Suggestions from others about Vancouver are all good, but I have not seen Whistler mentioned.
It is possible to drive to Whistler from Vancouver and back as a day trip. It has been voted the #1 ski resort in North America. I am no skier but have been to Vail and Aspen and have to agree with that consensus. We also visited it in the summer, and the scenery was simply spectacular.
It is possible to drive to Whistler from Vancouver and back as a day trip. It has been voted the #1 ski resort in North America. I am no skier but have been to Vail and Aspen and have to agree with that consensus. We also visited it in the summer, and the scenery was simply spectacular.
