thndrmatt
Real Life Mickey Wannabe!
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2005
- Messages
- 799
Consider this a brain dump, because I know a lot of people want a lot of this information quickly. Won't be the prettiest!
-Arrived YVR late at night (11pm) via SEA connection, literally zero line at baggage or customs, lots of bored employees. Hand carried luggage (2x large checked bag spinners, 2x carry on spinners, 1x BOB stroller bag, 1x convertible car seat backpack, oh and 1x 15mo old and 1x pregnant wife) to CanadaLine which was very easy, $7.xx downtown per person (under 4yo free), every 10 minutes or something, get off at the last stop impossible to miss, walk two blocks to Pan Pacific. I know there are a lot of threads on taxis and transfers and whatever else, but their train system is easy, smooth, cheap, and the distance you're carrying your luggage isn't much more than the distance from your plane to customs to the airport exit if you think about it. Spend the money on a massage...
-PanPacific was everything everyone says (and much cheaper if you booked well in advance from what I've been reading), corner room overlooking the city/Stanley Park and the ship. We had a total family group of 10 (4 rooms) and no issues from anyone. Walk across the street to Tim Horton's for breakfast they're open super early even before Mcdonalds, and infinitely cheaper than the hotel buffet obviously. Parking there didn't have in/out privileges if you did the pre-reserved spot at the cruise rate, but my dad did talk his way in and out once or twice.
-Day before the cruise we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and cliffwalk, pretty neat, but obviously pretty expensive. Also got super crowded a few hours after opening, so consider going there first at opening if planning to fit it in, it's significantly more fun on both the bridge and cliffwalk if not cramped between hundreds of people. Prior to that I did "The Grind" up at Grouse Mountain. This is a no joke of a hike, more of an extended staircase that goes up thousands of feet. About 44 minutes for me, for a whopping 1.8 miles. Shorts and t-shirt and still sweat like crazy. Loooooots of people gasping for breath at the halfway sign who clearly bit off more than they could chew. It did get easier towards the top... If you do the hike it's only $10 to ride down, where's it's more like $50 for the round trip. There also a couple grizzly bears you can come within a couple feet of up there. No need to buy in advance, because if the whole place is fogged in (especially the windmill observation thing up top) then it becomes pretty pointless. Unless you want the exercise of course... or the challenge.
-Did all four I-Exit escape rooms several blocks away the night before the cruise, lots of fun, if you've never heard of an escape room google it, and be prepared to get addicted... They cut us a deal for doing all four rooms with six people, was more than 50% off retail, but there are also groupons.
-Also cruise morning rented hybrid bikes ($12/each) from the Spokes place at the base of Stanley Park, rode the whole seawall all the way around in under an hour, which was a REALLY nice way to spend some time. Great views under the bridge, all across the bay, into the parks, bobbing and weaving along the trafficless path. They were very efficient and we were in and out of there quickly both upon arrival and drop off. Taxi was ~$12 on the way there, bus was $2.75 (coins only) each way on the way back to a stop a couple blocks from hotel.
-Embarkation did have some pretty lengthy lines for check in by 10:45. My parents had gotten through easily at 10:00, but that's when FlyOver Canada opened and we did that first. We got there about 10:02 and had missed the first one, so by the time we got in to the second one, did the pre show and the ride, it was more like 10:45 when we got out. Was still nifty if you like Soarin. But it did take us ~30 min to check in, including them forcing us to stand in the child activities line even though we knew they didn't care about nursery types, which of course we verified was true once at the front of the line, and went back to correct the workers who had misdirected us... (first cruise of the season obviously so probably to be expected)
-Customs at embarkation has a Global Entry/Nexus line that we benefited from. Otherwise was ~30 minutes (some family members didn't have it). Don't forget the little ones have to have it also.
-Rooms were available as advertised by 1:30, maybe even earlier we didn't check. Sailaway was lateish, maybe 5:30?
-Skagway we did chilkoot tours, train up coach back. Because it was early season the train only went to Fraser and we had to bus the rest of the way to Carcross, and then bus all the way back. The train half was as expected amazing, great views, great history, great narration, a really neat experience. Lots of road construction slowed progress once on the bus through several sections, and unfortunately our coach driver was just not our favorite tour guide, lots of random stories that had nothing to do with the local area (once when I was at the funeral of my best friend who recently died...). He had us stop at one of the lakes down by the shore to "collect driftwood" but it was mosquito infested which caused most to stay on the bus, and the few who did get out ended up obviously letting a bunch of mosquitos into the bus in the meantime. At the lunch stop beyond Carcross, it was very short, around an hour total to do the dog sled ride, the museum, the taxidermy display, the petting zoo, oh and of course eat the lunch... The "15 minute" dog sled ride was I would guess a maximum of about 4 minutes out, a one minute stop by some water for the dogs, and 4 minutes back. Very bumpy, we were getting tossed about pretty good. Having to use two hands to hold the baby didn't help obviously. Also obviously tons of very loud barking dogs at the start/finish, so ensure kids aren't afraid of any of that. Another stop in downtown Carcross, again less than an hour, and then the long haul back into town. I know this sounds like a major downer of a review, but we previously visited this area via Sockeye cycles four years ago where they shuttled us up to the top, we rode ourselves to Carcross, they drove us back to the pass, and we rode down, and that was truly an epic experience, so the second half of this one was poor by comparison. Note that I wouldn't have wanted to ride a bike on all the grated over roads through the miles of construction this time around... Didn't seem to affect the excursions riding down from the pass other than small portions. We did rent bikes with a trailer just to tour around town for an hour from 4:30-5:30 before dinner since the ship was departing late. He had fun in the trailer but the wind eventually started howling so we punted.
-Juneau part of the group chose to hike the West Glacier Trail. Basically nearly everyone goes to the east side, wanders over to the falls, takes a selfie in front of the glacier, and visits the vistors center. If you're feeling a little more sporty, the west side leads to a ridiculously amazing 360° view of the glacier and lake where you're up above it looking out over it more like an ocean of ice. You can see the visitor's center wayyyy across the lake, and realize how much the glacier has retreated in the past few decades. This hike has some pretty technical sections they've installed handropes for, and eventually becomes unsupported with piles of rock cairns to mark the way, so make sure you google it and know what you're getting into, but it was totally worth it. About 3 hours round trip (3.5 miles each way) including all the picture stops for us from the trailhead to the top of the dirt hill directly in front of the glacier. Lots of other groups were visible down below who appeared to be heading out onto the glacier itself with ice gear obviously, or poking around in the various caves. We also had rented a car for the day to haul people around since we were splitting up and Mendenhall is a ways away, ended up $80 for a minivan from Avis for the day. Used a discount code obviously, again, Google... Free shuttle from the ship which was at the furthest pier (roundabout 1 mile walk otherwise) to the tramway base. Another half mile or so to Avis at the hotel further in. I turned in the car and was on the shuttle to go back at 4:35 when allaboard was 4:45, and the shuttle promptly refused to leave until 4:43, even with one behind it. The lady kept saying "last year Disney always left at 4:30, not sure why they changed it, I was supposed to be off work 15 minutes ago, it's not like the coach is full, there's another one behind me..." yet not moving. I guess actual gangplank raising was at 5, we arrived around 4:47 to the applause of various onlookers on decks 4 and 9 and various verandas.
-Ketchikan we did Seawind seaplane tour, just what you read on tripadvisor, amazing ride over into the misty fjords, stop on a lake, pleasant music on headset while flying, really a great experience, and also only takes ~2.5 hours and leaves time for other stuff. Did I mention RIDICULOUSLY good weather throughout the cruise? Juneau local said it was in his top 5 best weather days EVER. Everyone out in shorts and t-shirts riding bikes, hiking, all kinds of stuff. Felt like California. You could tell who all the tourists were, because they were the only idiots wearing long sleeves or sweatshirts. Rest of Ketchikan was wandering through the creek row of shops that had some neat history, up to the $5 Totem heritage museum which taught us a bunch about those for ~30 min or so, back down into the shops for some handmade chocolates, and back to the ship in plenty of time for dinner. I'd call it a "mini-port" because you don't get there til 10 yet unless you're doing something far away will probably find yourself with plenty of time to spare.
-Other random note our usually in day care child did fine in the nursery onboard again, we mostly did a 7pm drop him off while waiting for our entree to 9 or 10pm pick him up after the show strategy and he'd already be asleep so we'd cover him with a blanket and transfer him directly into his peapod on the pullout bed with the railing where he'd continue to zonk for the rest of the night. I won't go into detail about most of the ship based stuff because all that info is readily available all over the boards.
-Express checkout was let off at 7:45, just turned in the customs sheet, looked at all the empty character luggage piles, walked our stuff to the CanadaLine (same two blocks), were on the train by 8:15, airport by ~8:40, checked all our luggage, global entry'd through security (that line only had 1 or 2 normal lines open and looked slow), global entry'd through customs (much shorter normal line than security, probably because of the security backlog moving people slower than the customs one was), and were eating by the gate at 9:15. So needless to say our 11:15 flight wasn't a problem, and we could have moved up to the 9:41 one if there was an earlier connection.
That was quite the word vomit, questions?
-Arrived YVR late at night (11pm) via SEA connection, literally zero line at baggage or customs, lots of bored employees. Hand carried luggage (2x large checked bag spinners, 2x carry on spinners, 1x BOB stroller bag, 1x convertible car seat backpack, oh and 1x 15mo old and 1x pregnant wife) to CanadaLine which was very easy, $7.xx downtown per person (under 4yo free), every 10 minutes or something, get off at the last stop impossible to miss, walk two blocks to Pan Pacific. I know there are a lot of threads on taxis and transfers and whatever else, but their train system is easy, smooth, cheap, and the distance you're carrying your luggage isn't much more than the distance from your plane to customs to the airport exit if you think about it. Spend the money on a massage...
-PanPacific was everything everyone says (and much cheaper if you booked well in advance from what I've been reading), corner room overlooking the city/Stanley Park and the ship. We had a total family group of 10 (4 rooms) and no issues from anyone. Walk across the street to Tim Horton's for breakfast they're open super early even before Mcdonalds, and infinitely cheaper than the hotel buffet obviously. Parking there didn't have in/out privileges if you did the pre-reserved spot at the cruise rate, but my dad did talk his way in and out once or twice.
-Day before the cruise we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and cliffwalk, pretty neat, but obviously pretty expensive. Also got super crowded a few hours after opening, so consider going there first at opening if planning to fit it in, it's significantly more fun on both the bridge and cliffwalk if not cramped between hundreds of people. Prior to that I did "The Grind" up at Grouse Mountain. This is a no joke of a hike, more of an extended staircase that goes up thousands of feet. About 44 minutes for me, for a whopping 1.8 miles. Shorts and t-shirt and still sweat like crazy. Loooooots of people gasping for breath at the halfway sign who clearly bit off more than they could chew. It did get easier towards the top... If you do the hike it's only $10 to ride down, where's it's more like $50 for the round trip. There also a couple grizzly bears you can come within a couple feet of up there. No need to buy in advance, because if the whole place is fogged in (especially the windmill observation thing up top) then it becomes pretty pointless. Unless you want the exercise of course... or the challenge.
-Did all four I-Exit escape rooms several blocks away the night before the cruise, lots of fun, if you've never heard of an escape room google it, and be prepared to get addicted... They cut us a deal for doing all four rooms with six people, was more than 50% off retail, but there are also groupons.
-Also cruise morning rented hybrid bikes ($12/each) from the Spokes place at the base of Stanley Park, rode the whole seawall all the way around in under an hour, which was a REALLY nice way to spend some time. Great views under the bridge, all across the bay, into the parks, bobbing and weaving along the trafficless path. They were very efficient and we were in and out of there quickly both upon arrival and drop off. Taxi was ~$12 on the way there, bus was $2.75 (coins only) each way on the way back to a stop a couple blocks from hotel.
-Embarkation did have some pretty lengthy lines for check in by 10:45. My parents had gotten through easily at 10:00, but that's when FlyOver Canada opened and we did that first. We got there about 10:02 and had missed the first one, so by the time we got in to the second one, did the pre show and the ride, it was more like 10:45 when we got out. Was still nifty if you like Soarin. But it did take us ~30 min to check in, including them forcing us to stand in the child activities line even though we knew they didn't care about nursery types, which of course we verified was true once at the front of the line, and went back to correct the workers who had misdirected us... (first cruise of the season obviously so probably to be expected)
-Customs at embarkation has a Global Entry/Nexus line that we benefited from. Otherwise was ~30 minutes (some family members didn't have it). Don't forget the little ones have to have it also.
-Rooms were available as advertised by 1:30, maybe even earlier we didn't check. Sailaway was lateish, maybe 5:30?
-Skagway we did chilkoot tours, train up coach back. Because it was early season the train only went to Fraser and we had to bus the rest of the way to Carcross, and then bus all the way back. The train half was as expected amazing, great views, great history, great narration, a really neat experience. Lots of road construction slowed progress once on the bus through several sections, and unfortunately our coach driver was just not our favorite tour guide, lots of random stories that had nothing to do with the local area (once when I was at the funeral of my best friend who recently died...). He had us stop at one of the lakes down by the shore to "collect driftwood" but it was mosquito infested which caused most to stay on the bus, and the few who did get out ended up obviously letting a bunch of mosquitos into the bus in the meantime. At the lunch stop beyond Carcross, it was very short, around an hour total to do the dog sled ride, the museum, the taxidermy display, the petting zoo, oh and of course eat the lunch... The "15 minute" dog sled ride was I would guess a maximum of about 4 minutes out, a one minute stop by some water for the dogs, and 4 minutes back. Very bumpy, we were getting tossed about pretty good. Having to use two hands to hold the baby didn't help obviously. Also obviously tons of very loud barking dogs at the start/finish, so ensure kids aren't afraid of any of that. Another stop in downtown Carcross, again less than an hour, and then the long haul back into town. I know this sounds like a major downer of a review, but we previously visited this area via Sockeye cycles four years ago where they shuttled us up to the top, we rode ourselves to Carcross, they drove us back to the pass, and we rode down, and that was truly an epic experience, so the second half of this one was poor by comparison. Note that I wouldn't have wanted to ride a bike on all the grated over roads through the miles of construction this time around... Didn't seem to affect the excursions riding down from the pass other than small portions. We did rent bikes with a trailer just to tour around town for an hour from 4:30-5:30 before dinner since the ship was departing late. He had fun in the trailer but the wind eventually started howling so we punted.
-Juneau part of the group chose to hike the West Glacier Trail. Basically nearly everyone goes to the east side, wanders over to the falls, takes a selfie in front of the glacier, and visits the vistors center. If you're feeling a little more sporty, the west side leads to a ridiculously amazing 360° view of the glacier and lake where you're up above it looking out over it more like an ocean of ice. You can see the visitor's center wayyyy across the lake, and realize how much the glacier has retreated in the past few decades. This hike has some pretty technical sections they've installed handropes for, and eventually becomes unsupported with piles of rock cairns to mark the way, so make sure you google it and know what you're getting into, but it was totally worth it. About 3 hours round trip (3.5 miles each way) including all the picture stops for us from the trailhead to the top of the dirt hill directly in front of the glacier. Lots of other groups were visible down below who appeared to be heading out onto the glacier itself with ice gear obviously, or poking around in the various caves. We also had rented a car for the day to haul people around since we were splitting up and Mendenhall is a ways away, ended up $80 for a minivan from Avis for the day. Used a discount code obviously, again, Google... Free shuttle from the ship which was at the furthest pier (roundabout 1 mile walk otherwise) to the tramway base. Another half mile or so to Avis at the hotel further in. I turned in the car and was on the shuttle to go back at 4:35 when allaboard was 4:45, and the shuttle promptly refused to leave until 4:43, even with one behind it. The lady kept saying "last year Disney always left at 4:30, not sure why they changed it, I was supposed to be off work 15 minutes ago, it's not like the coach is full, there's another one behind me..." yet not moving. I guess actual gangplank raising was at 5, we arrived around 4:47 to the applause of various onlookers on decks 4 and 9 and various verandas.
-Ketchikan we did Seawind seaplane tour, just what you read on tripadvisor, amazing ride over into the misty fjords, stop on a lake, pleasant music on headset while flying, really a great experience, and also only takes ~2.5 hours and leaves time for other stuff. Did I mention RIDICULOUSLY good weather throughout the cruise? Juneau local said it was in his top 5 best weather days EVER. Everyone out in shorts and t-shirts riding bikes, hiking, all kinds of stuff. Felt like California. You could tell who all the tourists were, because they were the only idiots wearing long sleeves or sweatshirts. Rest of Ketchikan was wandering through the creek row of shops that had some neat history, up to the $5 Totem heritage museum which taught us a bunch about those for ~30 min or so, back down into the shops for some handmade chocolates, and back to the ship in plenty of time for dinner. I'd call it a "mini-port" because you don't get there til 10 yet unless you're doing something far away will probably find yourself with plenty of time to spare.
-Other random note our usually in day care child did fine in the nursery onboard again, we mostly did a 7pm drop him off while waiting for our entree to 9 or 10pm pick him up after the show strategy and he'd already be asleep so we'd cover him with a blanket and transfer him directly into his peapod on the pullout bed with the railing where he'd continue to zonk for the rest of the night. I won't go into detail about most of the ship based stuff because all that info is readily available all over the boards.
-Express checkout was let off at 7:45, just turned in the customs sheet, looked at all the empty character luggage piles, walked our stuff to the CanadaLine (same two blocks), were on the train by 8:15, airport by ~8:40, checked all our luggage, global entry'd through security (that line only had 1 or 2 normal lines open and looked slow), global entry'd through customs (much shorter normal line than security, probably because of the security backlog moving people slower than the customs one was), and were eating by the gate at 9:15. So needless to say our 11:15 flight wasn't a problem, and we could have moved up to the 9:41 one if there was an earlier connection.
That was quite the word vomit, questions?
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