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

[Skylarr29]

Everything I've read says don't try it due to customs delays possible. We faced the same challenged and are doing a red eye out that night.

Thank you, we ended up booking a red eye out of Seattle. It was half price to fly into Seattle so we will take the train on the way to Vancouver and the quick shuttle on the way back.

 

[xlxo]

Hello, anyone know if we can make an 11:00 a.m. flight on debarkation day? Last time we sailed the Wonder to Alaska, she was out of Seattle. Having a difficult time booking flights.

Looking at the timeline ...

• 11am wheels up
• 8:45am latest to arrive at YVR for check-in
• 8:10am for cab
• 7:30am exit Wonder... missing the breakfast you paid for

You are cutting it VERY close. In 2015, I noticed the Wonder shares the terminal with other arriving ships to make it more busy. Where are you flying to? Perhaps budget an affordable room to check out Canada for the day.

 

[Skylarr29]

Looking at the timeline ...

• 11am wheels up
• 8:45am latest to arrive at YVR for check-in
• 8:10am for cab
• 7:30am exit Wonder... missing the breakfast you paid for

You are cutting it VERY close. In 2015, I noticed the Wonder shares the terminal with other arriving ships to make it more busy. Where are you flying to? Perhaps budget an affordable room to check out Canada for the day.

Thank you. We thought it was too close so are going to fly out of Seattle at 10:30 p.m. We will rent a car and drive back, hopefully with some stops along the way, and some sightseeing, before returning the car to the airport and checking in.

 

[richmo]

Thank you. We thought it was too close so are going to fly out of Seattle at 10:30 p.m. We will rent a car and drive back, hopefully with some stops along the way, and some sightseeing, before returning the car to the airport and checking in.

That makes more sense. 11 AM out of YVR would be stressful.

However, as you're planning things out, be sure to add in some time to cross the border. Depending upon when you hit it, it can easily take an hour +.

 

[xlxo]

Seattle so we will take the train on the way to Vancouver and the quick shuttle on the way back.

That makes more sense. 11 AM out of YVR would be stressful.

However, as you're planning things out, be sure to add in some time to cross the border. Depending upon when you hit it, it can easily take an hour +.

The Wonder arrives on a Monday (not the busy weekend). Border congestion is not a problem, especially with a Quick Shuttle which has a priority lane at the border to keep to it's schedule.

 

[dizzyr]

Thought I would bump this up to the top since it's almost Vancouver cruising time - I did a huge dining post last year on page 112

 

[linetbo]

After the cruise we are going to Seattle, I am curious about Leavenworth ,WA

 

[Vegam060]

Ok question time!!! We are taking the train into Vancouver the night before we sail into hawaii!!! We won't get into Vancouver till about 11 pm. So that being said I'm torn between booking the closest hotel which are $$$ only for a few hours or take a taxi to a cheaper hotel to just take a taxi back to Canada place the next morning. Anyone with Vancouver experience especially with safety and taxis around 11 pm I would appreciate your comments.

Thank you

 

[xlxo]

Perhaps it would help if you name your hotel choices.

My vote goes to taxi to a cheaper hotel like the Empire Landmark/Blue Horizon/Hampton Inn. Then taxi to cruise terminal.

• A $10 or $15 cost for a second taxi is preferred than the premium at staying at a cruise terminal hotel.
• you are going to be so tired.... you don't want to get up at 6:30am to watch the Wonder dock below the Panny

Hmm... taxi on a Sunday night should be OK... don't wait until 1am when the bars are emptying.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ok question time!!! We are taking the train into Vancouver the night before we sail into hawaii!!! We won't get into Vancouver till about 11 pm. So that being said I'm torn between booking the closest hotel which are $$$ only for a few hours or take a taxi to a cheaper hotel to just take a taxi back to Canada place the next morning. Anyone with Vancouver experience especially with safety and taxis around 11 pm I would appreciate your comments.

Thank you

I personally would compromise. I'm not sure I would want to stay right near the train station, but there's no need for the Pan Pacific, either (though IMO there's never a need for the Pan LOL, a view shared pretty much only by me and my family, since we have found so many very good hotels in Vancouver). Find a decent place, stay there. When the train gets in there will be taxis all in a line right in front of the station.

 

[mellers]

Ok question time!!! We are taking the train into Vancouver the night before we sail into hawaii!!! We won't get into Vancouver till about 11 pm. So that being said I'm torn between booking the closest hotel which are $$$ only for a few hours or take a taxi to a cheaper hotel to just take a taxi back to Canada place the next morning. Anyone with Vancouver experience especially with safety and taxis around 11 pm I would appreciate your comments.

Thank you

There are several ways you could do this.

First, as for me, I wouldn't necessarily go for the train that late. I would probably take the Quick Shuttle (http://www.quickcoach.com/ ). They will take you directly to several Vancouver hotels, unlike the train, saving you the extra taxi ride and the headache. They are also, generally, cheaper than the train. The Quick Shuttle leaves out of Sea-Tac and the Best Western Executive Inn in Seattle proper. Another possibility is to take the QuickShuttle, get off at the airport, and go to the La Quinta Vancouver Airport or the Four Points by Sheraton Vancouver Airport--they both have airport shuttles. We've stayed at both, and they're both fine--and quite cheap. In the morning, there are places to get last-minute items before the cruise, and, while it's more expensive to take a taxi, they're pretty easy to get, and it's A LOT less expensive to stay in Richmond than in Vancouver, making the whole package much cheaper than staying by the cruise terminal. Richmond is kind of an upscale Chinatown.

If you do decide to take a taxi from the train, or the QuickShuttle (it's one of their direct stops) I like the Westin Bayshore a lot. Both my husband and I would rather stay there than the hotels at the cruise terminal, because their beds are much more comfortable, and I have spinal damage. It is only a short taxi ride to the cruise terminal, and it's a lot cheaper than the cruise terminal hotels (although not cheap).

In the event you have a wheelchair traveler in your party (I am a wheelchair traveler), I would upgrade my opinion from "you might want to take the Quick Shuttle" to "Take the Quick Shuttle!" While Amtrak has improved its wheelchair service, I think the QuickShuttle does a better job, in general, in that regard.

That said, one of the drawbacks of the QuickShuttle is that they have no meal or drink service, so you will want to bring snacks and drinks, particularly if you're traveling with kids.

 

[MelSpees]

After the cruise we are going to Seattle, I am curious about Leavenworth ,WA

Leavenworth is a great "Bavarian" village. We have a cabin near there and are involved with Leavenworth Summer Theatre there. It is a 2-our drive from Leavenworth over Steven's Pass (Hwy 2) to Seattle. If you really want to enjoy the area you need to spend a day or two. Have a great rip, whatever you do.

 

[linetbo]

Leavenworth is a great "Bavarian" village. We have a cabin near there and are involved with Leavenworth Summer Theatre there. It is a 2-our drive from Leavenworth over Steven's Pass (Hwy 2) to Seattle. If you really want to enjoy the area you need to spend a day or two. Have a great rip, whatever you do.

We only have a day will drive from Seattle and back the same day. Thank you!

 

[Vegam060]

So I just booked the pinnacle hotel Vancouver harbourfront. How far from the Amtrak station and is it super close to Canada place that we can walk it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[xlxo]

So I just booked the pinnacle hotel Vancouver harbourfront. How far from the Amtrak station and is it super close to Canada place that we can walk it. Any help would be appreciated.

It's a 9 minute walk with no luggage for the 1/2 mile. How much luggage are you dragging?
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=...V3ap-A&dirflg=w&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=17&t=m&z=17

Amtrak? 8 minute cab ride for 2 miles... Longer if you are arriving during the Pride Parade.
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=...spHav03ow&oq=pacific+central&mra=ltm&t=m&z=15

 

[Vegam060]

There will be four of us each with 1 rolling suitcase and a carry on. so I will talk with the rest of my party to see what they want to do. And tha train gets in at 11pm so I doubt there will be a pride parade. Thank you for the info xlxo

 

[sharksfinatic17]

So I just booked the pinnacle hotel Vancouver harbourfront. How far from the Amtrak station and is it super close to Canada place that we can walk it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Can't answer your questions, but we are staying at the same hotel pre-cruise and taking the train. I hope it works out for both of us!

 

[poison ivy]

Thought I would bump this up to the top since it's almost Vancouver cruising time - I did a huge dining post last year on page 112

thanks for posting! I've linked both your dining and Stanley Park posts to our cruise meet. It will really help us all out.

 

[linetbo]

Vancouver Restaurants

Ok I’m warning you this post will be long! I’ve also tried to include websites where possible, I’m typing this in a word document and then copy and pasting so not sure how the links will be affected – if I need to I can edit them once posted.

There are no shortages of restaurants in the downtown core. You can’t walk a block without coming across at least a few on each block and something new for Vancouver this summer will be the food trucks. We have always had a few here and there but this year they rolled out a new program and issued more licenses and changed the guidelines around them so I think they will be a much bigger presence than they have been in the past.

Two main areas that have pretty much wall to wall restaurants are Robson (between Burrard and Broughton mostly and then again as you get closer to Stanley Park) and Denman Street (which is by Stanley Park, Lost Lagoon and 2nd Beach).

There are way too many restaurants to list here and although I have been to quite a few as a percentage of how many there actually are it’s very small! I’ll list the ones I particularly like or have heard good things about. For the record I will say I’m not what you would call a fine dining kind of gal, if anything I’m worried the food on our cruise will be too fancy for me. Also our kids are not picky eaters so some of the places I would take my kids may not be appropriate for all kids – there are many restaurants I take mine that my friends wouldn’t. That being said here’s my recommendations

Before going into the Robson restaurants there are a couple on at little street just off Burrard (steps away from the Hyatt and Burrard Skytrain) that has a strip of restaurants and they are worth a visit.

1. Kobe’s Japanese Steakhouse – 1042 Alberni Street - is lots of fun. It’s one of those places where the chef cooks the food in front of you and does the fancy knife work. Some of them are better showmen than others but even if you get one that doesn’t do the fancy stuff the shrimp makes up for it! You sit at tables for 12 I think it was (it’s a square with the chef and grill in the center) so you will be seated with other people on a first come first served basis (on weekends leave time for a wait). Definitely order the shrimp – it’s awesome. (you also get an appetizer of the shrimp included but three isn’t enough for me!) If you are used to maritime lobster then don’t order the lobster. It was tasty but nothing compared to steamed Altantic lobster, a little too chewy for me. They also have sushi which I’ve never had but I imagine it must be pretty good. I read a bunch of reviews that talk about long wait times. We’ve been twice and didn’t have to wait more than 20 minutes or so either time so I don’t know if we just lucked out or if the long waits were an anomaly. It’s not cheap but I’m still craving the shrimp! Because you are spread out in a square with a grill and chef in the middle this is not a place to have a quite intimate dinner. It’s also not a good place if you want to be able to have a full on conversation but if you are looking for something different, fun and tasty it’s a good choice. It is pricy – for us it’s a big splurge and we always use an Entertainment Guide coupon (you may still be able to pick up some 2013 ones before they are gone for good – so sad they went under) www.koberestaurant.com

2. Coast Seafood – 1054 Alberni Street – I have never been here, a little too pricey for me but I have heard it’s really really good. If you like Seafood and price is not an issue this may be the place for you. http://www.glowbalgroup.com/coast/

3. Samba’s Brazilian Steakhouse – 1122 Alberni Street - I just saw that the location is now being developed into a highrise so they are looking for a new location. I am leaving it up here because it’s worth a visit if they find a new location in the downtown core. It’s a meat fest!! If you are a vegetarian – stay away! LOL It’s all you can eat bar-b-que and you get a little disc to put beside you that says more on one side and I’m full on the other and men with skewers of meat walk around the tables and cut off a slab of meat for you as often as you want. There are all sorts of different things to try and they usually have at least one “out of the ordinary” one to try as well. There is a big salad bar to go with it. On the weekends they have entertainment, dancing showgirls. This one is also pricy and a treat for us. It’s $32 a plate (I believe kids were half price) so make sure to go hungry. We went with a few other couples who left their kids at home because they thought they wouldn’t like it but we brought ours and they ask to go back at least a couple times a month. http://www.thaihouse.com/samba/

4. Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Café – 1059 Alberni Street – I’ve never been here but someone was asking about bakeries and this place sounds yummy! http://www.thierrychocolates.com/

Ok moving on to Robson Street (all of the choices I’m listing here are around the Red Robin price range and all are family/kid friendly unless otherwise noted)

5. Thai House - 1116 Robson Street (upstairs, easy to miss look for the pink sign) – this is one of my favourite restaurants. The spring rolls are nice and crispy and full of flavour. The Pad Thai is well done and the cashew chicken is just the perfect amount of spicy. I tend to order the same thing every time so whenever we have a group we make a point of ordering one or two different dishes to try and I’ve never been disappointed. Everyone I’ve brought here has liked it as well. http://thaihouse.com/

6. Cactus Club – 1136 Robson Street – I love the Cactus Club. The Bellini’s alone are worth the trip! The yam fries are nice and crispy and the teriyaki chicken and rice bowl or the fish tacos are my two personal favorites. It is a chain restaurant but I don’t know how many locations they have outside of Canada (if any) so it may not be as well known as I think. I have taken my kids but I probably wouldn’t again – a little too pricey for kids and no kids menu at all. They will make the pasta in smaller portions for them but that’s about it. (there are multiple locations in the downtown core as well) http://www.cactusclubcafe.com/

7. Chong Qing – 1260 Robson Street – I have never been to this location (only recently found out they have one there!) but they have another location across the street from my office and I go there a couple of times a month. Really good Szechuan food. We have all our staff celebration lunches there because everyone loves it (and we have a staff of approx 40 so that’s a lot of opinions). Good prices and portion sizes. Lots of choices for dim sum as well. http://www.cqrestaurant.com/

8. Kalypso Restaurant & Tapas Bar – 1323 Robson Street – Good greek food and Tapas. Not usually a wait and service is pretty quick. I’ve mostly done lunch here so dinner may be different. It’s also right above a Starbucks in case you want an after dinner coffee fix on your way back to the hotel.

Onwards to Denman Street (close to Stanley Park and the seawall) – These places would mostly fall into the quick dining category I think and again all are kid friendly unless otherwise noted. Denman street is just off the beach so the restaurants tend to be beachwear appropriate rather than fancier sit down restaurants.

9. Ponchos Mexican – 827 Denman Street – They have been around for about 25 years. Yummy Mexican food, I haven’t been in a long time but we used to go quite regularly, decent prices and good ambiance with live music Fridays through Sunday. http://ponchosvancouver.com/

10. Akira Sushi – 1069 Denman Street – I have never been here (not a sushi fan) but I know some of you were asking for Sushi places (which you will not have a problem finding – they are EVERYWHERE!) but this one got quite a few good reviews and seem to have a wide variety of specialty items that you may not find at the corner sushi place.

11. Nat’s New York Pizza – 1080 Denman Street – I have personally never been there but MANY people I know have told me it’s the best pizza in town http://www.natspizza.com/

12. Fatburger – 1101 Denman Street – This is my dh and kids favorite burger place. I like it but I’m not a huge burger fan so I find the rest of the menu to be a bit limiting. The onion rings are good and the yam fries are crispy. The Caesar salad is usually really good but once or twice we have gotten a not so good one. The burgers are very tasty and cooked to order. The milkshakes are delicious. http://www.fatburger.com/

13. Espana – 1118 Denman Street - This place is fairly new and I’ve never been there but my friend who lives near Denman loves it and highly recommends it. She said they have really good tapas. http://www.espanarestaurant.ca/

14. Cupcakes –1168 Denman Street - If you have ever seen Cupcake Girls on TV this is the place the show is about. I LOVE the coconut cupcakes. http://cupcakesonline.com/

15. Vera’s Burger Shack – 1181 Denman Street - Funky burger place. Lots of different burger, hot dog and side options. I prefer this place to Fat Burger because of that. It’s a perfect place after a day at the beach. You can also get it to go and eat it on the beach (be prepared to wait though - they cook the burgers to order so it will be about 15 minutes or so). http://www.verasburgershack.com/

16. Milestones - 1210 Denman Street – I remember coming here on my first night in Vancouver almost 20 years ago! They make awesome Bellini’s. The food is good and the price is about average for a similar restaurant (trendy after work crowd but you could also bring kids – more of a sit down restaurant than the others in this area). They also have a weekend brunch. http://www.milestonesrestaurants.com/

17. The Boathouse: 1795 Beach Ave – Seafood place, a little pricey but the food is good and the view from the deck is awesome. I have taken my kids to one of their other locations and it was not a problem but this location is quite busy so not sure I would bring them. It’s also not great if you’re looking for a quiet intimate meal (traditionally the Boathouse is what I would consider an upscale restaurant but I think this location is a little more casual than the other locations) http://boathouserestaurants.ca/

There are lots more than I mentioned as well – you will easily find something to your liking just by walking up and down the street.

A couple of other quick mentions – Granville Street between Robson and Davie has a ton of quick serve, fast food type of places if you are looking for a quick snack or lunch on the go.

If you are staying at the Wall Centre or Sutton Place there are two little out of the way places that are inexpensive and yummy for a quick service meal:
18. Tokyo Joe’s (Sushi and Japanese) - 955 Helmcken St
19. One Saigon (Vietnamese) – 979 Hornby Street


20. Roque Kitchen and Wetbar - Inside Waterfront Station at the terminal - really yummy – not so much kid friendly although I think you could take them http://www.roguewetbar.com/

21. Joeys - Saving the best for last my favourite place is Joeys – there are a couple of different ones but I always go to the one on Burrard just up from Robson 820 Burrard Street – The lettuce wraps are sooooo good. The butter chicken is awesome. I also love the lobster grilled cheese, yam fries, souvlaki and most of the appetizers! (don’t order the gyoza though bleh). Two of my coworkers order the Ahi Tuna club and Baja fish tacos every time and swear by it. http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/burrard

Phew that should keep you guys eating for awhile!

Thanks!! I am allergic to seafood and I didn't know where to eat.

 

[havoc315]

Thought I would bump this up to the top since it's almost Vancouver cruising time - I did a huge dining post last year on page 112

Thank you for both your dining and Stanley park posts. I've saved all the info.