Traveling to Vancouver. BC on september 13th-16th

[Bradleyv1714]

Hi everyone,

I am not sure if this is the correct place to put this or if this even is a right place to put this in but I am going to be in vancouver on sept 13th-16th as I will be leaving on an alaskan cruise from there. I was wondering what would be the easiest/cheapest way to get to my hotel which is on 1400 Robson Street Vancouver, BC V6G 1B9, Canada from YVR and is it safe? and what would be the easiest/cheapest way to get from the canada place pier to YVR airport?

Thank you for any information and if I posted this in the wrong place I do apologize and hope that it is in the righ place.

Bradley

[TagsMissy]

how many people and how much luggage... the most economic would be to take the Canada Line from the airport to downtown then you could walk or cab from the station downtown.

and yes Robon is safe to walk around. It's generally always busy with foot traffic, it's a shopping mecca

[sechelt]

If you don't have much luggage, you may want to use rapid transit, 'skytrain'. It would be the most economical. You'd need to walk or transfer to a bus to get to your hotel, depending on where it is on Robson. Also, there's a skytrain station right by Canada Place for the trip home. Otherwise, a taxi is probably your best bet. Not the cheapest but no worries about where you are or how to get around.

Here's a link to the transit system site for you to explore. You can plan a trip by using the hotel address, find fare info, etc.

http://www.translink.ca/en/Schedules-and-Maps.aspx

Hope we have nice weather for you.

[Bradleyv1714]

It will be 2 of us (myself and my girlfriend) we will have 4 luggages total (2 carry-ons, 1 garment bag and a large bag.) I will be staying at the empire landmark hotel.

I did find that skytrain and was planning to use it as i did the route plan but didn't really understand its way of explaning what to take to get there.

I was also wondering if you recommended having canadian dollars? I want to get some canadian money but it's so hard and expensive to acquire some here in miami. I think i would need Canadian dollars for the skytrain and for the taxi plus all of the shops too.

I have been training for the wine and dine half marathon at wdw and was planning on keeping with my training schedule which i will have to run in Vancouver. Is it cold during this time? As i said before I am from miami and do not have cold weather running clothes so it might be a problem if it is insanely cold there during the time i will be there.

[Aladora]

Originally Posted by Bradleyv1714

It will be 2 of us (myself and my girlfriend) we will have 4 luggages total (2 carry-ons, 1 garment bag and a large bag.) I will be staying at the empire landmark hotel.

I did find that skytrain and was planning to use it as i did the route plan but didn't really understand its way of explaning what to take to get there.

Just ask. If there is one thing we are known for, it's being polite and helpful! When you get to the airport, there will be someone there you can ask for directions and advice.

I was also wondering if you recommended having canadian dollars? I want to get some canadian money but it's so hard and expensive to acquire some here in miami. I think i would need Canadian dollars for the skytrain and for the taxi plus all of the shops too.

Well, yes. You can use US$ here but you cannot get change in the same funds. It is illegal for a shop to give change in a foreign currency. I'm not sure what it is like in the States but here in Canada you can walk into any bank and get US funds. Again, I'm not sure how it works for American banks but I can use my Canadian bank card in US bank machines and withdraw in US funds. You might get ripped on transaction fees though. Same with using my Canadian Mastercard in the US, I have done that with no problems at all. When you fly into Vancouver there will be currency exchange places in the airport.

I have been training for the wine and dine half marathon at wdw and was planning on keeping with my training schedule which i will have to run in Vancouver. Is it cold during this time? As i said before I am from miami and do not have cold weather running clothes so it might be a problem if it is insanely cold there during the time i will be there.

Now, that really depends on your definition of "insanely cold"! Weather Network is predicting temps of 19C the whole time you will be in Vancouver, which I find really nice for mid-September but you might find cold!

19C = 66F aprox.

Hope that helps a bit, hope you enjoy your time in our little corner of paradise!

[Bradleyv1714]

Oh wow! I just came back home from chase bank which is my bank and they did a straight currency exchange i paid 161.99 for 150 canadian dollars. Hope i did not make a mistake exchanging the money at my bank. I would have preferred just going to a store and getting canadian money back as it would've been easier but whatever to late now. They said i should be getting the cad by wednesday of next week.

[TagsMissy]

Originally Posted by Bradleyv1714

Oh wow! I just came back home from chase bank which is my bank and they did a straight currency exchange i paid 161.99 for 150 canadian dollars. Hope i did not make a mistake exchanging the money at my bank. I would have preferred just going to a store and getting canadian money back as it would've been easier but whatever to late now. They said i should be getting the cad by wednesday of next week.

your bank will give you a better rate than the stores...

I'd go to a bank over a store or any currency exchange business... however I'd pick currency exchange over a store.

OP with Canada Line you can pay with a CC but not buses, that needs exact change. Same as cabs, you can pay with a CC.

[sechelt]

Originally Posted by Bradleyv1714

It will be 2 of us (myself and my girlfriend) we will have 4 luggages total (2 carry-ons, 1 garment bag and a large bag.) I will be staying at the empire landmark hotel.

I did find that skytrain and was planning to use it as i did the route plan but didn't really understand its way of explaning what to take to get there.

I was also wondering if you recommended having canadian dollars? I want to get some canadian money but it's so hard and expensive to acquire some here in miami. I think i would need Canadian dollars for the skytrain and for the taxi plus all of the shops too.

I have been training for the wine and dine half marathon at wdw and was planning on keeping with my training schedule which i will have to run in Vancouver. Is it cold during this time? As i said before I am from miami and do not have cold weather running clothes so it might be a problem if it is insanely cold there during the time i will be there.

Hopefully this will help. Canada Line is the skytrain to take from the airport to Waterfront Station. Walk up Granville to Pender St. and wait for the #5 Robson westbound bus. You'll want to be waiting on the north side of Pender, with your back to the water and mountains. The #5 will take you to Robson Street and your hotel. You'll want to get off at Broughton but if you let the driver know where you're headed, I'm sure he'll help you.

http://tripplanning.translink.ca/hiwire

All the skytrain stations have machines to purchase fares. They accept credit cards, bank cards, and cash, although you'd need to use Canadian cash. Not sure how american credit/bank cards work either so you'd need to research that. Busses require exact change only. Remember to keep your skytrain pass because it's good for the bus also. In fact, you can get on and off the skytrain or bus during a 90 minute period, using the same pass.

Training for Wine and Dine! Good for you! Let's just say it's warmer here than Orlando was in January last year. Be prepared for a Florida winter and you should be fine. Probably shorts and sleeveless shirts will do. Stanley Park isn't far from the hotel and a great place to run, especially the seawall. There's a Running Room store on Denman at Georgia that can help with routes and any last minute gear you might need/want. And depending on when the cruise leaves on Sunday, you may want to join the Running Room group run at 8:30, leaving from the store. All levels of runners, from beginners to marathoners, will be there. May even be someone for the W & D.

One last thing, make sure you visit Cloud 9, the revolving restaurant. It's a great way to see Vancouver.

[sechelt]

Sorry about the stupid link. I had a map showing but it bumped back to the beginning. If you go through the search again, it should have an option for you to see a map and the routes to take.

Congrats on the cash. One less thing to worry about.