Disney Wonder Alaskan - We have 2-3 nights in Canada after the cruise...should we stay in Vancouver or Victoria?

[wideeyedwonder]

We will be taking our first Disney Alaskan cruise next May. We will probably fly into Vancouver a day before, and we are planning on staying in Canada 2-3 nights after. Would you recomend getting a hotel in Vancouver again for those 2-3 nights, or stay in Victoria for a few nights?

Thanks!

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Victoria. Walk around downtown. Check out the capitol building. Go out to Butchart Gardens.

 

[o&smom]

That is a tough one! I love both cities. I have spent more time in Victoria, but we spent time in Vancouver around our cruise and really enjoyed it.

 

[bcwife76]

Victoria is lovely. I guess the only thing to consider is transportation. How are you getting to and from Victoria? Assuming you are going to be flying into and out of Vancouver International?

 

[Intr3pid]

Vancouver, by far. It's a world class city with so much to fill your 3 days with.

 

[holula]

Vancouver. I loved Victoria too but with a short amount of time I would say Vancouver is a better option, since Victoria is a ferry ride away.

 

[Kidguile]

We just went on the Alaskan cruise on the Wonder and we stayed with relatives in Vancouver. We spent a day in Victoria but it was a super long day. First of all, to get to Victoria with a car, we needed to catch a ferry. We had reserved the 6 am ferry since the 8 & 10 were gone already. The night before, there was a police incident that caused a long delay to get in and out of the ferry terminal even cancelling ferries for the whole day. We left at 4 am to get to the terminal but didn’t get on to the ferry til 8 am. We arrived at Victoria about 10 am. The return ferry was 7 pm. We left for the terminal knowing how badly delayed it was that morning / day and were on the way back around 5 pm and still got delayed. We didn’t get onto the return ferry til 9 or 10 pm. By the time we got back to Vancouver it was midnight.

Long story short - if you plan on visiting Victoria, I would stay there for the few days rather than a day trip. Less stressful!

If you don’t plan on visiting Victoria, then I vote Vancouver.

 

[ScooterScott44]

It appears you have limited time to experience Vancouver before the cruise. I'm not saying Victoria would not be something to see, but once disembarked it would require you to make the transfer over to the island with luggage. It seems it would be easier to stay in town and setup in Vancouver for a few days. There is plenty to do and see in Vancouver so unless you really wanted to do Victoria for a specific reason it would be fine to stay.

Besides, if your cruise does not go to Victoria, that would give you reason to book another that does go there. Have to be able to justify NEEDING to go on another cruise.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Victoria is one of my favorite cities in the world. With 3 days you could use the city as a base, take one day to drive a bit around the island, another day for the magnificent gardens. But as others have said, it’s not the easiest place to get to. So you’d have to consider your transportation options.

 

[Melcatfish]

We just came back from an Alaskan cruise on RCL and stayed 3 nights before the cruise in Vancouver, it is a gorgeous city, easy transport and lots to do. We loved Stanley Park (could have spent a few days there, Granville Island was cute to wander around and we also headed out to Kitsilano (although the beach here was fine but no better than the lovely little beaches you could find along the sea wall at Stanley Park)

Full disclosure, we didn't go to Victoria and I have heard great things but for ease of access I would go for Vancouver and take a day trip to Victoria if you are keen to see it, especially if you are flying in and out of Vancouver international.

Mel

 

[auntlynne]

This is definitely a personal choice thing, as you see by reading opinions. Check out what you would do in each and decide if the extra travel is worth it for you.

I have done Vancouver a little, mainly pre- or between cruises. I find it a lovely city. But I often wonder if it is better for living in than visiting. You can bike around Stanley Park and travel to North Vancouver to visit the suspension bridge, shop at Granville Market, visit China Town and the Gaslamp District. There is a neat torch from the Olympics. Float planes take off and land in the bay. A replica of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid statue is off Stanley park’s shore. International food. Tim Horton’s coffee and doughnuts. Poutine. Japa dogs. (The Sea to Sky route from Vancouver to Whistler looks lovely, too.)

Here was one quick post-cruise itinerary we did (After a South-bound cruise that started with a flight to- and overnight stay in- Anchorage.):

Disembarkation Day. Off the boat. Taxi to bus terminal. Bus ride to ferry; the bus just drove on (I was not expecting that.). Bus to downtown Victoria. Hotel check-in (The Empress; 150th anniversary of Victoria with commensurate room rate. Hotels are not cheap here.). Bus to Butchart Gardens. End of Rose season with the scent filling the air. Dinner downtown.

Disembarkation Day +1. hydrofoil to Seattle. Hotel check-in. Space Needle and Dale Chihuly museum. Pike Place Market.

Disembarkation Day +2. Lightrail to SeaTac for flight home. Airfares so much better than Vancouver.

It was a lot of forms of travel. Not necessarily a lot of time; but definitely more than just staying in Vancouver.

We came up with this itinerary to save on airfare and do a bunch of things we would enjoy. I was traveling with a 19 yo who enjoys taking beautiful photos. And enjoys cruising, especially to AK (she repeated her Disney AK for her honeymoon - not the above-mentioned one; that was Princess.)

I say have fun with it. Vancouver, Victoria, and Seattle are all easy to visit destinations.

 

[wideeyedwonder]

Thanks everyone, still considering what to do. We might consider a “floatplane” flight from Vancouver to Victoria to maximize time, take public transportation in Victoria, and a Coach Bus/ferry to get back…?

The floatplane trip is expensive ($186 US per person) but we might be able to swing it. If we only spend one day in Victoria, I’d like to maximize time there.