Seattle/Vancouver in Sept
Discussion
Hi folks,
Off again…can’t take it with you etc! In order to use our last companion voucher we’ve booked 2 weeks next Sept LHR-SEA with BA. PE out, Club Suites back which hopefully should be worth it and a good price… miles and £400 each return.
Ever the master of overdoing it, we have 5 nights to start off, then a 7 night Alaska cruise on Celebrity Edge (Very good deal) which winds up at Vancouver, then 4 nights.
Would like some ideas of places to see, where to stay etc. thinking about a couple of nights in Seattle then over to Olympic NP maybe? Also considering train back Vancouver-Seattle.
Off again…can’t take it with you etc! In order to use our last companion voucher we’ve booked 2 weeks next Sept LHR-SEA with BA. PE out, Club Suites back which hopefully should be worth it and a good price… miles and £400 each return.
Ever the master of overdoing it, we have 5 nights to start off, then a 7 night Alaska cruise on Celebrity Edge (Very good deal) which winds up at Vancouver, then 4 nights.
Would like some ideas of places to see, where to stay etc. thinking about a couple of nights in Seattle then over to Olympic NP maybe? Also considering train back Vancouver-Seattle.
Seattle is just a nice city to wander around in, although there's an increasingly bad homelessness problem.
Pike Place Market for a bowl of clam chowder, a coffee in the original Starbucks just across the road, Space Needle is actually worth the money imho, boat around Pugit Sound and whale watching (I never saw a single bloody whale). Do a good walking tour, or a music themed one if you're into Nirvana. The gum wall is the world's worst tourist spot, so go just to say you've done it. Boeing museum, fi that's your thing (not mine).
Top tip, getting from Pike Place market down to the sea front can be a very long and convoluted walk. And worse coming back and uphill. But there's a hidden lift in the market that takes you up and down, so ask one of the shopkeepers.
The weather can be crap. Lots of rain. I had 3 days there in Feb 24 and was really lucky, sunny, cold and dry.
Pike Place Market for a bowl of clam chowder, a coffee in the original Starbucks just across the road, Space Needle is actually worth the money imho, boat around Pugit Sound and whale watching (I never saw a single bloody whale). Do a good walking tour, or a music themed one if you're into Nirvana. The gum wall is the world's worst tourist spot, so go just to say you've done it. Boeing museum, fi that's your thing (not mine).
Top tip, getting from Pike Place market down to the sea front can be a very long and convoluted walk. And worse coming back and uphill. But there's a hidden lift in the market that takes you up and down, so ask one of the shopkeepers.
The weather can be crap. Lots of rain. I had 3 days there in Feb 24 and was really lucky, sunny, cold and dry.
Vancouver is a really characterful place, but 4 days may be pushing it.
If you can make the logistics work (not sure if a car or not), get down to Vancouver Island for at least 1 night.
- Victoria is nice
- there's a bunch of whale-watching trips out of Victoria - we did that time of year and saw a grey+calf, a good pod of orca and a load of seals
- the whole island looks tailor-made for wildlife watching (we didn't realise and didn't overnight and ran out of time)
If you can make the logistics work (not sure if a car or not), get down to Vancouver Island for at least 1 night.
- Victoria is nice
- there's a bunch of whale-watching trips out of Victoria - we did that time of year and saw a grey+calf, a good pod of orca and a load of seals
- the whole island looks tailor-made for wildlife watching (we didn't realise and didn't overnight and ran out of time)
havoc said:
Vancouver is a really characterful place, but 4 days may be pushing it.
If you can make the logistics work (not sure if a car or not), get down to Vancouver Island for at least 1 night.
- Victoria is nice
- there's a bunch of whale-watching trips out of Victoria - we did that time of year and saw a grey+calf, a good pod of orca and a load of seals
- the whole island looks tailor-made for wildlife watching (we didn't realise and didn't overnight and ran out of time)
I would agree that 4 days in Vancouver may be a bit too much. We felt we had seen enough in 2 days.If you can make the logistics work (not sure if a car or not), get down to Vancouver Island for at least 1 night.
- Victoria is nice
- there's a bunch of whale-watching trips out of Victoria - we did that time of year and saw a grey+calf, a good pod of orca and a load of seals
- the whole island looks tailor-made for wildlife watching (we didn't realise and didn't overnight and ran out of time)
I would concur with going to Vancouver Island although 2 days not long enough given the distances involved. You are better going further north for the whale watching although you should get the opportunity on the cruise to do that which should be better.
If you have time then go across to the west coast of VI, we really enjoyed it there.
Have a great trip, we did the Alaska cruise from Vancouver last year, absolutely stunning scenery and we were blown away with the day we spent sailing into Glacier Bay NP and if you enjoy a saloon The Red Dog in Juneau is great fun.
You may visit Vancouver Island and Victoria as part of the cruise? If so lunch at the Flying Otter is pretty good, I can spend hours just watching the seaplanes coming and going. Same in Vancouver, they take off right in front of Mahoney's Tavern.
A good two day or so loop ( by car ) would take in Olympic NP to Astoria, The Cannery Pier Hotel juts out right into the Columbia river with bulk carriers passing right by your balcony. There’s also quite a bit of Lewis and Clarke history in that area.
Walla Walla is a cool little wine town which is well worth a visit.
You may visit Vancouver Island and Victoria as part of the cruise? If so lunch at the Flying Otter is pretty good, I can spend hours just watching the seaplanes coming and going. Same in Vancouver, they take off right in front of Mahoney's Tavern.
A good two day or so loop ( by car ) would take in Olympic NP to Astoria, The Cannery Pier Hotel juts out right into the Columbia river with bulk carriers passing right by your balcony. There’s also quite a bit of Lewis and Clarke history in that area.
Walla Walla is a cool little wine town which is well worth a visit.
The ferry from Seattle across to Bainbridge Island makes a nice half day trip. Lots of little shops and eating places over there and a few walks/cycles you can do if so inclined.
I was over there in April last year. As above, Seattle is nice in places but let down by a big homeless/drug problem that doesn t seem to be getting sorted out. Even walking between the hotel and the market area was a bit dodgy if choosing the wrong street.
I also did an excursion out to do a walk in the forest and Snoqualmie falls which was excellent. Probably still ok in Autumn but bring wet weather gear.
The museum at Boeing field is worth a visit if you are into that.
I was over there in April last year. As above, Seattle is nice in places but let down by a big homeless/drug problem that doesn t seem to be getting sorted out. Even walking between the hotel and the market area was a bit dodgy if choosing the wrong street.
I also did an excursion out to do a walk in the forest and Snoqualmie falls which was excellent. Probably still ok in Autumn but bring wet weather gear.
The museum at Boeing field is worth a visit if you are into that.
colin79666 said:
The ferry from Seattle across to Bainbridge Island makes a nice half day trip. Lots of little shops and eating places over there and a few walks/cycles you can do if so inclined.
I was over there in April last year. As above, Seattle is nice in places but let down by a big homeless/drug problem that doesn t seem to be getting sorted out. Even walking between the hotel and the market area was a bit dodgy if choosing the wrong street.
I also did an excursion out to do a walk in the forest and Snoqualmie falls which was excellent. Probably still ok in Autumn but bring wet weather gear.
The museum at Boeing field is worth a visit if you are into that.
The factory tour is fantastic too.I was over there in April last year. As above, Seattle is nice in places but let down by a big homeless/drug problem that doesn t seem to be getting sorted out. Even walking between the hotel and the market area was a bit dodgy if choosing the wrong street.
I also did an excursion out to do a walk in the forest and Snoqualmie falls which was excellent. Probably still ok in Autumn but bring wet weather gear.
The museum at Boeing field is worth a visit if you are into that.
Lovely, some great suggestions. Ports are as follows:
Day Port
1
Seattle, Washington
Departs At 4:00 pm
2
Cruising (Cruising)
Day At Sea
3
Ketchikan, Alaska
From 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
4
Endicott Arm (Cruising)
Day At Sea 6:15 am - 10:30 am
4
Juneau, Alaska
From 1:30 pm - 10:00 pm
5
Skagway, Alaska
From 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
6
Cruising (Cruising)
Day At Sea
7
Victoria, British Columbia
From 5:30 pm - 11:59 pm
8
Vancouver, British Columbia
Arrives At 6:00 am
So basically we’ve got from Friday morning until Sunday evening to get back from Vancouver to Seattle…was planning to get Sun morning train down.
Day Port
1
Seattle, Washington
Departs At 4:00 pm
2
Cruising (Cruising)
Day At Sea
3
Ketchikan, Alaska
From 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
4
Endicott Arm (Cruising)
Day At Sea 6:15 am - 10:30 am
4
Juneau, Alaska
From 1:30 pm - 10:00 pm
5
Skagway, Alaska
From 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
6
Cruising (Cruising)
Day At Sea
7
Victoria, British Columbia
From 5:30 pm - 11:59 pm
8
Vancouver, British Columbia
Arrives At 6:00 am
So basically we’ve got from Friday morning until Sunday evening to get back from Vancouver to Seattle…was planning to get Sun morning train down.
carreauchompeur said:
Lovely, some great suggestions. Ports are as follows:
Day Port
1
Seattle, Washington
Departs At 4:00 pm
2
Cruising (Cruising)
Day At Sea
3
Ketchikan, Alaska
From 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
4
Endicott Arm (Cruising)
Day At Sea 6:15 am - 10:30 am
4
Juneau, Alaska
From 1:30 pm - 10:00 pm
5
Skagway, Alaska
From 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
6
Cruising (Cruising)
Day At Sea
7
Victoria, British Columbia
From 5:30 pm - 11:59 pm
8
Vancouver, British Columbia
Arrives At 6:00 am
So basically we ve got from Friday morning until Sunday evening to get back from Vancouver to Seattle was planning to get Sun morning train down.
I did several seasons in Alaska, one of my favourite places in the world. Day Port
1
Seattle, Washington
Departs At 4:00 pm
2
Cruising (Cruising)
Day At Sea
3
Ketchikan, Alaska
From 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
4
Endicott Arm (Cruising)
Day At Sea 6:15 am - 10:30 am
4
Juneau, Alaska
From 1:30 pm - 10:00 pm
5
Skagway, Alaska
From 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
6
Cruising (Cruising)
Day At Sea
7
Victoria, British Columbia
From 5:30 pm - 11:59 pm
8
Vancouver, British Columbia
Arrives At 6:00 am
So basically we ve got from Friday morning until Sunday evening to get back from Vancouver to Seattle was planning to get Sun morning train down.
If you want to get away from the crowds, have a walk up the the Upper Dewey lake in Skagway. I've seen brown and black bears up there.
https://www.google.com/maps/@59.4437991,-135.26866...
ExBoringVolvoDriver said:
havoc said:
Vancouver is a really characterful place, but 4 days may be pushing it.
If you can make the logistics work (not sure if a car or not), get down to Vancouver Island for at least 1 night.
- Victoria is nice
- there's a bunch of whale-watching trips out of Victoria - we did that time of year and saw a grey+calf, a good pod of orca and a load of seals
- the whole island looks tailor-made for wildlife watching (we didn't realise and didn't overnight and ran out of time)
I would agree that 4 days in Vancouver may be a bit too much. We felt we had seen enough in 2 days.If you can make the logistics work (not sure if a car or not), get down to Vancouver Island for at least 1 night.
- Victoria is nice
- there's a bunch of whale-watching trips out of Victoria - we did that time of year and saw a grey+calf, a good pod of orca and a load of seals
- the whole island looks tailor-made for wildlife watching (we didn't realise and didn't overnight and ran out of time)
I would concur with going to Vancouver Island although 2 days not long enough given the distances involved. You are better going further north for the whale watching although you should get the opportunity on the cruise to do that which should be better.
If you have time then go across to the west coast of VI, we really enjoyed it there.
Victoria is a bit twee for my tastes though afternoon tea at the Empress is so OTT twee that it’s weirdly charming.
Tofino is a good spot to visit for an overnighter or longer though. It’s a long twisty slow drive across the island so again a floatplane is the smart option. Downside is that the good hotels get booked up close to 12m in advance.
We did a couple of days in Vancouver as a side trip from Seattle before heading to Yellowstone about 5 years ago. We got the train as it was only a 4 hour trip each way and wanted to see a bit more of the countryside at a more leisurely pace than flying. It was a really good experience and very simple to organise, just make sure you book seats on the left going to Vancouver and on the right if you're coming back, they tend to sell out fairly quickly for obvious reasons.
The only other thing to remember is you pass through immigration and customs when you get to the border, The US guys come on the train to check passports etc. and the Canadians check them at the station when you arrive/depart. You also give your luggage to the red caps at the station when you board and it's unloaded and you pick it up from the station when you arrive. All in all a pretty painless and worthwhile experience.
To get to/from Vancouver station there is a Metro station on the Expo Line over the road from the main station entrance that'll take you to/from the city and it was quite cheap and efficient.
The only other thing to remember is you pass through immigration and customs when you get to the border, The US guys come on the train to check passports etc. and the Canadians check them at the station when you arrive/depart. You also give your luggage to the red caps at the station when you board and it's unloaded and you pick it up from the station when you arrive. All in all a pretty painless and worthwhile experience.
To get to/from Vancouver station there is a Metro station on the Expo Line over the road from the main station entrance that'll take you to/from the city and it was quite cheap and efficient.
Edited by Voodoo Blue on Sunday 2nd November 16:47
BlackTails said:
ExBoringVolvoDriver said:
havoc said:
Vancouver is a really characterful place, but 4 days may be pushing it.
If you can make the logistics work (not sure if a car or not), get down to Vancouver Island for at least 1 night.
- Victoria is nice
- there's a bunch of whale-watching trips out of Victoria - we did that time of year and saw a grey+calf, a good pod of orca and a load of seals
- the whole island looks tailor-made for wildlife watching (we didn't realise and didn't overnight and ran out of time)
I would agree that 4 days in Vancouver may be a bit too much. We felt we had seen enough in 2 days.If you can make the logistics work (not sure if a car or not), get down to Vancouver Island for at least 1 night.
- Victoria is nice
- there's a bunch of whale-watching trips out of Victoria - we did that time of year and saw a grey+calf, a good pod of orca and a load of seals
- the whole island looks tailor-made for wildlife watching (we didn't realise and didn't overnight and ran out of time)
I would concur with going to Vancouver Island although 2 days not long enough given the distances involved. You are better going further north for the whale watching although you should get the opportunity on the cruise to do that which should be better.
If you have time then go across to the west coast of VI, we really enjoyed it there.
Victoria is a bit twee for my tastes though afternoon tea at the Empress is so OTT twee that it s weirdly charming.
Tofino is a good spot to visit for an overnighter or longer though. It s a long twisty slow drive across the island so again a floatplane is the smart option. Downside is that the good hotels get booked up close to 12m in advance.
Agree about the drive across, it does take a while and definitely not a day trip!
Tofino ooks great! Think we will struggle in our time parameters though…
I was a bit skeptical about doing a cruise for half the time but I think it will probably pay off, seeing some of the places we want to without spending ££££££ on hotels and food, seems a pricey corner of the states!
Will definitely have to weave in a visit to Boeing, we are both Avgeeks.
I was a bit skeptical about doing a cruise for half the time but I think it will probably pay off, seeing some of the places we want to without spending ££££££ on hotels and food, seems a pricey corner of the states!
Will definitely have to weave in a visit to Boeing, we are both Avgeeks.
We did a very similar trip in 2023. Alaska is absolutely amazing.
Couple of tips:
Seattle has a really cool underground tour of the remains of parts of the original city - great way to spend an hour.
The old monorail is a great way to get to the space needle
We did an amazing glacier tour on a smaller boat that could get right up the the glacier, and dropped us back off on the cruise ship later.
Book a small whale watching tour instead of the cruise organised stuff
Enjoy!
Couple of tips:
Seattle has a really cool underground tour of the remains of parts of the original city - great way to spend an hour.
The old monorail is a great way to get to the space needle
We did an amazing glacier tour on a smaller boat that could get right up the the glacier, and dropped us back off on the cruise ship later.
Book a small whale watching tour instead of the cruise organised stuff
Enjoy!
Edited by miniman on Sunday 2nd November 18:15
carreauchompeur said:
Tofino ooks great! Think we will struggle in our time parameters though
I was a bit skeptical about doing a cruise for half the time but I think it will probably pay off, seeing some of the places we want to without spending ££££££ on hotels and food, seems a pricey corner of the states!
Will definitely have to weave in a visit to Boeing, we are both Avgeeks.
Not to mention getting to them! I was a bit skeptical about doing a cruise for half the time but I think it will probably pay off, seeing some of the places we want to without spending ££££££ on hotels and food, seems a pricey corner of the states!
Will definitely have to weave in a visit to Boeing, we are both Avgeeks.
We are on an Alaska cruise in July 26 from Vancouver although we go into Glacier Bay.
We have booked on a small boat tour of Tracey Arm Fjord which takes you closer to the glacier than a cruise ship can so would recommend doing that from Juneau or Skagway I think.
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