**** Vancouver FAQ Thread **** A few updates in main post!

[bumbershoot]

Would you recommend exchanging US dollars for Canadian dollars? We will be staying in Vancouver 2 days before and 2 days after the cruise.

While we have never had anyone turn down our American dollars if for some reason it's all we had, and they figure out the exchange rate in their heads and give you Canadian money in change, we usually just get cash out.

For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the ATM we use, but it's on the street Sutton Place is on, just before Robson. It's a green signed ATM, and it has very low fees (on our credit union end, too). It's WELL worth it to stop by there and get some cash, for us at least.

After changing money at the airport once (seatac) and being ripped off beyond belief (especially when coming home and changing it back), getting the cash out of the ATM has been WAY better for us.

 

[dizzyr]

That ATM is TD/Canada Trust.

It used to be my bank and when I went to the states I always did the reverse - used a US ATM to get out US cash so I know it's on the same system as the US and you can find the green machines everywhere as they are one of the top 5 banks in Canada. Now I'm with a credit union and my card doesn't work everywhere in the US so I bring US cash with me.

Pretty much everyone will take US cash but they will often just pull a figure out of their head for the exchange and you can take it or leave it. Not all of them will be accurate!

 

[mouselike-harrier]

Thank you! I never thought of just pulling money out of an ATM. That's what I will definitely do!

 

[richmo]

Would you recommend exchanging US dollars for Canadian dollars? We will be staying in Vancouver 2 days before and 2 days after the cruise.

Might not be a bad idea to do that. Also keep in mind that most US issued credit cards will hit you with a foreign transaction fee for each time you charge something. If there's still time, there are cards available that do not have that transaction fee. I think Discover has one and I think Chase has one. In any event, before you leave, check the fine print on any credit card you may be using in Canada to see what are the terms of foreign transactions.

 

[mouselike-harrier]

Might not be a bad idea to do that. Also keep in mind that most US issued credit cards will hit you with a foreign transaction fee for each time you charge something. If there's still time, there are cards available that do not have that transaction fee. I think Discover has one and I think Chase has one. In any event, before you leave, check the fine print on any credit card you may be using in Canada to see what are the terms of foreign transactions.

 

[emilyann415]

We are staying at the Pan Pacific, but I remember reading somewhere a while back that the Fairmont has a rescue bulldog that they adopted and it wears a bellman uniform. My DD-6 would love this and we would be willing to go to brunch across the road just to see him. Is he still there? Did I dream the whole thing? Anyone know?

 

[msbiscuit]

We are staying at the Pan Pacific, but I remember reading somewhere a while back that the Fairmont has a rescue bulldog that they adopted and it wears a bellman uniform. My DD-6 would love this and we would be willing to go to brunch across the road just to see him. Is he still there? Did I dream the whole thing? Anyone know?

I stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront in September and asked at the concierge desk about the dog. I was told he'd 'retired', but the dog at the Fairmont Downtown was still 'working'.

 

[meajuly5]

I stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront in September and asked at the concierge desk about the dog. I was told he'd 'retired', but the dog at the Fairmont Downtown was still 'working'.

Did you have. The bellman bring your bags to the cruise ship? I am to,d they will do this from the waterfront ? How did you lie the hotel?

 

[msbiscuit]

Did you have. The bellman bring your bags to the cruise ship? I am to,d they will do this from the waterfront ? How did you lie the hotel?

Yes, bell services took my 2 suitcases over to Canada Place.
I loved the hotel. I stayed on their Gold Floor and was blown away by the terrace, the quality and quantity of the food offerings (it was a full breakfast!) and the genuine friendliness of the staff. My room overlooked Canada Place and I could watch the seaplanes taking off, as well as the cruise ships departing. Can't wait to go back next year!

 

[meajuly5]

Yes, bell services took my 2 suitcases over to Canada Place.
I loved the hotel. I stayed on their Gold Floor and was blown away by the terrace, the quality and quantity of the food offerings (it was a full breakfast!) and the genuine friendliness of the staff. My room overlooked Canada Place and I could watch the seaplanes taking off, as well as the cruise ships departing. Can't wait to go back next year!

Thanks so much!!! Sounds great.

 

[KelseyLaPerle]

We are staying at the delta Vancouver airport. They have a shuttle service for $15 per person to get us from the hotel to the cruise terminal. Is this a fair price? Would we save money by using a taxi instead? Are there other options that I may be overlooking?
Thanks!

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[Cmbar]

We are staying at the delta Vancouver airport. They have a shuttle service for $15 per person to get us from the hotel to the cruise terminal. Is this a fair price? Would we save money by using a taxi instead? Are there other options that I may be overlooking?
Thanks!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Bumping because I would love to know the answer to this! Thanks

 

[jilljill]

We are staying at the delta Vancouver airport. They have a shuttle service for $15 per person to get us from the hotel to the cruise terminal. Is this a fair price? Would we save money by using a taxi instead? Are there other options that I may be overlooking?
Thanks!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Bumping because I would love to know the answer to this! Thanks

We took a taxi from Canada Place to the Sheraton Vancouver Airport on Westminster Hwy and the cost was a little over $37 - we just got off the Wonder on 6/3/13. If you have 3 or 4 in your party it would be cheaper to take a taxi, but 2 will be cheaper to use the hotel shuttle.

 

[scottrob]

We took a taxi from Canada Place to the Sheraton Vancouver Airport on Westminster Hwy and the cost was a little over $37 - we just got off the Wonder on 6/3/13. If you have 3 or 4 in your party it would be cheaper to take a taxi, but 2 will be cheaper to use the hotel shuttle.

We took a taxi from the Vancouver Airport to Canada Place on the same cruise (awesome cruise by the way) and the cost was about the same plus tip.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

[april1401]

Hello
We are going on the Alaska cruise at the end of next month. Once the cruise is over, we have paid for ground transportation to take us to the airport from the cruise terminal. But our plane does not leave until late, late, late that evening. Does anyone know if we can check our luggage in early at the airport and then tour Vancouver before the plane leaves to go home? I would like to do that as our flights do not depart until around 10pm.
Thanks!

 

[NWmom]

We are staying at the Pan Pacific, but I remember reading somewhere a while back that the Fairmont has a rescue bulldog that they adopted and it wears a bellman uniform. My DD-6 would love this and we would be willing to go to brunch across the road just to see him. Is he still there? Did I dream the whole thing? Anyone know?

We went looking for this dog in 2011 and was also told he was retired. We did go to the other hotel mentioned and did see that dog "working"

He had a hard job being loved on by people that missed their dog like us.

 

[modisneychick]

Hello
We are going on the Alaska cruise at the end of next month. Once the cruise is over, we have paid for ground transportation to take us to the airport from the cruise terminal. But our plane does not leave until late, late, late that evening. Does anyone know if we can check our luggage in early at the airport and then tour Vancouver before the plane leaves to go home? I would like to do that as our flights do not depart until around 10pm.
Thanks!

You can check in three hours prior to your flight. There were a lot of us waiting around in the airport to check in last week. It takes about an hour to get through all the security/immigration if you are flying back to the US.

 

[bumbershoot]

Does anyone know if we can check our luggage in early at the airport and then tour Vancouver before the plane leaves to go home?

Unless there's a way to have your bags checked without going to the airport (I have NO idea if DCL does that remote checkin like they do in Florida), I would do something else with your bags. Most people touring Vancouver aren't touring the area near the airport, so you would be wasting quite a bit of your time getting to and from the airport, without much time after checking bags to do any touring.

 

[KittyKat1978]

I haven't read through the 152 pages so I don't know if this question has been ask/answered.

I am wondering if any Canadians have used their Nexus cards at the Vancouver port? Is there a special line? Was it faster?

Thanks

 

[smiley_face2]

Hello
We are going on the Alaska cruise at the end of next month. Once the cruise is over, we have paid for ground transportation to take us to the airport from the cruise terminal. But our plane does not leave until late, late, late that evening. Does anyone know if we can check our luggage in early at the airport and then tour Vancouver before the plane leaves to go home? I would like to do that as our flights do not depart until around 10pm.
Thanks!

What Bumbershoot said is correct. It is approximately a 30 min. Drive to the airport from the cruise ship terminal, it is not something I would choose to do knowing the city well as I do. Hopefully you can arrange to have your luggage sent on without you, or have them held somewhere at the cruise ship terminal until you are ready to fly out.