Cascades Seattle to Vancouver questions

[cruisechick82]

We are planning to take Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver for our upcoming cruise this summer and I was just wondering a few things. Is business class much better than coach and worth the extra $? I have heard that it includes a coupon for food and a newspaper? What kind of food is on the menu for breakfast? Is the view good? How early should we get to the station for a 7:45 departure. We want to be able to sit on the side of the train with the better view.

We are excited about taking Amtrak as neither of us(my husband and I) have ever been on a train and it sounds neat.

 

[gswager]

I've rode on Cascades once, on a roundtrip from Seattle to Portland, OR.

Yes, you're right about the business class. The configuration of the seat is 2-1 which means two seats, walkway, and a seat in a row.

The food are in local theme, not national. The food are packaged and can be heat with microwave. The food that I've tried is pretty good.

The view is wonderful such as riding around the Pudget Sound, forests, "backyard" of homes, etc.

If you are going to use suitcases for check-in, I recommend to go about 45 minutes to one hour before departure time. For just carry-on or less, about 15 minutes if you have tickets on hand. If you don't have tickets and the line is long, try the Amtrak ticket machine.

 

[Guest]

I think the view on that trip is great! It's also nice to take the reverse as the sun is setting, but you do miss some of the scenery after dark. It's also a great trip for another reason -- no time spent dealing with the wait at the border.

 

[TransAtlantic]

The extra money for Business Class means that you have extra legroom and elbow room, complimentary newspapers and beverages, and a voucher for food to purchase in the lounge/diner. I think it would be worth it. Just my 2 cents....

 

[dmwnc1959]

We are planning to take Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver for our upcoming cruise this summer and I was just wondering a few things. Is business class much better than coach and worth the extra $? I have heard that it includes a coupon for food and a newspaper? What kind of food is on the menu for breakfast? Is the view good? How early should we get to the station for a 7:45 departure. We want to be able to sit on the side of the train with the better view.
We are excited about taking Amtrak as neither of us(my husband and I) have ever been on a train and it sounds neat.

I have done this trip (Seattle to Vancouver R/T) several times and it is GREAT! I personally feel that the Cascades is the best train in Amtrak's fleet.

If you have luggage arrive at the Seattle station 1 hour before departure. Ask for a seat on the left side. The bistro onboard is the nicest Amtrak offers. Upgrade to Business Class...it is most definitely worth it, PLUS, Business Class disembarks first in Vancouver, while coach class remains onboard until they are all off. Expect to take a few moments to clear Customs in the station. Across the street outside is a station for Skytrain to downtown or take a taxi. The sit down breakfast is very nice.

Click here for menus, info on Business Class, etc...

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/OnboardConveniences.aspx

Cascades website...

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/

 

[dmwnc1959]

Oh, and here is yet another link that is fun to check out...Click on the individual stations to 'see' them, check out the consist and pictures too.

http://snow.prohosting.com/usarail/cascades.htm

And another about crossing the border...

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/BorderCrossing.aspx

And info on Vancouver...

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/VancouverBC.aspx

 

[yarrow]

the cascades is a wonderful train and route. we have found that with the bistro car and the lounge car we don't spend that much time in our seats. the business class would be a fun splurge but it's not essential for such a short trip.

 

[dmwnc1959]

PS...Which cruise ship are you going on? Are you returning to Vancouver? If so I highly recommed NOT taking the Amtrak bus back to Seattle.

 

[dmwnc1959]

...the business class would be a fun splurge but it's not essential for such a short trip.

I would gladly pay the cost of upgrade to get off the train first.

Even though you still have to wait for your checked luggage to be removed into the station at Vancouver, Priority Disembarkation gets you off the train and into the station ahead of a train full of coach class, and not having to stand in that line at Customs.

The upgrade for both of you should be about $26 but you both get the $3-off coupon for the Bistro, net cost to upgrade around $20 (...ONLY $10 each).

Benefits:

-Complimentary newspapers

-Priority boarding and deboarding

-Wider seats with more legroom

-Quieter coach with fewer passengers

-Coupon for $3 off any menu item (excluding alcoholic beverages)

Is it worth it to you for a 4-hour train ride?

The answer should be YES!

 

[dmwnc1959]

Typical Amtrak Cascades...

http://www.photosbystevenjbrown.com/narp/c...es/talgo_4.html

http://www.photosbystevenjbrown.com/narp/c...es/talgo_5.html

 

[BillVas]

I Just returned from Vancouver BC after taking the Cascade to Seattle at

6:00pm departure time. I really enjoyed this train, as I had paid for business class, and found what all the others have said. One row of seats for one person, and the other rows had seats for two people. They have a diner car on thier that I used after customs inspection at the border. I ordered the chicken and felt it was not bad, but why they give two servings of mashed potatoe is beyond me.

Newspapers were at the ready for anyone to read and they run a movie also, but I am not sure if this is done in the coaches also. For crossing the border, to me this is faster than any of the other Amtrak trips I have taken to Canada.

BillVas

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I think we will go ahead with the business class. The hotel we are staying at doesn't include breakfast so we will definatley be eating on the train. So the $3 coupon is good whether we eat in the Lounge or the Bistro? The food in the Lounge does sound great.

We are taking the Royal Carribbean's Serenade of the Seas r/t Vancouver. I think we will take Quick Coach back to Seattle to catch out 5:20pm flight after the cruise.

 

[cruisechick82]

Oops, that was me replying above, I forgot to log in!

 

[dmwnc1959]

We are taking the Royal Carribbean's Serenade of the Seas r/t Vancouver. I think we will take Quick Coach back to Seattle to catch out 5:20pm flight after the cruise.

GREAT ship...you'll love it! She is beautiful!!!

I've cruised AlasKa 5 times. GREAT destination. Take LOTS of film or memory cards, you'll need it.

If you hit Skagway think about doing the White Pass and Yukon RR, a very scenic and gentle ride. Take a departure time around or after noon to allow morning clouds to burn off. You can book through the cruise line.

http://www.wpyr.com/multimedia/allphotos.html

http://www.whitepassrailroad.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Pass_an...and_Yukon_Route

The Cascades 3$ off coupon is off any menu item. The Amtrak bus VAN-SEA is slooowww and at the border Customs takes for eeevvveeeerrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Check with the cruise lines to see what departure time they recommend when departing out of Seattle, but expect an early A.M. disembarkation. Highly recommend using the cruise lines 1-way transfers back to Seattle.