StarwoodGuy: A week in Panama on a points run! Day 1- Getting to Vancouver

     Ready for another adventure, and after having many people tell me I should try somewhere other then my regular vacation spot I Puerto Vallarta, I purchased an insanely cheap ticket to Panama, again at a crazy low price, this time $638.00 US for a First Class return ticket from Vancouver, BC Canada to Dallas, Dallas to Miami, and then on to Panama with the same route on the way back. Hardly direct, but the itinerary allowed me to fit work into the schedule with site visits at each stop, and also to rack up around 12,000 points I would put towards my Alaska Airlines status, even though all flights would be on American Airlines. First though, I had to get from Seattle To Vancouver, BC.

     I decided on Amtrak Business Class on their Cascades service to get up to Vancouver, BC to kick off the trip at a price of $60.00 each way. I boarded the train at 7:20 am. Most of the train was already on-board by the time I had arrived via Uber and stopped at the neighboring Starbucks to get coffee. The train consisted of several Economy cars with the Bistro car separating the Business Class cars at the rear of the train. One of these Business cars was kept completely empty. The Economy cars have a 2 and 2 configuration, the Business cars a 2 and 1 configuration with comfortable leather seats. 7A and 7C do not recline so opt for others. The crew gives out helpful notices as you travel along the beautiful coastline from Seattle to Vancouver with great scenery including the ocean, islands, mountains, and wildlife including sea lions and eagles. Items in the Bistro are surprisingly cheap and the wifi is very helpful, though it drops off once in Canada, your Business Class ticket also includes a $3.00 credit in the Bistro car.

     It is a slow trip taking 4 hours, but driving typically takes 3 hours and customs and immigration are not done at the physical border on the train, but rather upon arrival at the Vancouver Pacific Central Terminal. Business Class passengers are processed first so I was through immigration and customs in two minutes. I decided to walk from the train station to the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, a 40 minute trip mostly along the water, but unfortunately I got caught in the rain the was not forecast and seemed to come out of nowhere. I was drenched when I arrived at the hotel so I asked for the first available room. They had a suite that would be ready in an hour for me, but I took the standard room right away.

     The newly updated standard room in the South Tower, which is still undergoing some work, still had a nice views and a separate desk and bar area from the bedroom, with two televisions in the room. The renovations are nice with the bathroom being a great improvement from the previous dated tubs. I have posted lots of pictures on this property before so I just added a few here.

     I worked for two hours before heading out for a meeting. After, I went for a long walk along the waterfront and through part of Stanley Park before heading down to the Club Lounge for a quick bite before heading to bed early.