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

["Got Disney"]

I have read that a lot of folks on here are planning on taking the train from Seattle (SEATAC) into Vancouver.....when I called I found out that the train only has 2 times....Airport is about 15 minutes away...fair is $118 i...or $70 if book early...this is round trip price.


LEAVING:
Leaving Seattle at 7:40am arriving Vancouver at 11:40am
Leaving Seattle at 6:50 pm arriving Vancouver 10:50pm

RETURNING:

Vancouver to Seattle at 6:40am arriving 11:05
Vancouver to Seattle at 5:45pm arriving 10:10pm

The reason for only 2 times is because they have the buses running in between...

Bus from Amtrax: 37.50 each way

leaving Seattle at 10:45am arrive at 2:15
1:00 pm arrive 5:00pm
4:45pm arrive 8:00pm

Leaving Vancouver 5:30am-9am
8:00-12:00pm
11:30am-3:30(cant remember if this time was am or pm)


The bus/train is approx. 4 hr ride.

1-800-872-7245....can get both train and Bus info at this number.

The train time makes it hard to catch the day of the cruise and the bus well....catching the bus the day of could be very risky....and with the train coming back well we disembark at around 8-9am...so the 6:40 am is out so you will have to wait for the 5:45pm and your flight will have to be at around midnight cause you wont get to the station till 10:10pm and than you need to still get to the airport from there.....

My flights from San Diego are around $500 each into Vancouver and back...into Seattle it is around $350...but what was even more interesting is that if we fly from San Diego to Seattle than to Bellingham, the round trip price is $175 for all the flights.....and still getting there faster than it would take on most of the flights...go figure

To take the train from Bellingham it is 2 hrs into Vancouver and leaves at 9:49 arriving at 11:40...and from Vancouver to Bellingham is 8:58pm arriving 10:50pm...the train is 8 miles from the airport.

Its a lot of work but check to see the price from where you live into Bellingham....I went when i saw that it was only $170 just to fly one more plane for a 40 minute flight.

 

[mmmears]

The Pan Pacific is on the water side of the street - the cruise ships pull right up alongside. The Fairmont is across the street. I prefer the atrium area of the Pan Pacific to the lobby area or the Fairmont. I have never stayed in either - but have been to both many, many times for trade shows, conferences, dinners etc.

Thanks for the input. I'm leaning towards the PP because of the convenient location (and the pretty views help, too).

 

[GrtWtNorth]

I have read that a lot of folks on here are planning on taking the train from Seattle (SEATAC) into Vancouver.....when I called I found out that the train only has 2 times....Airport is about 15 minutes away...fair is $118 i...or $70 if book early...this is round trip price.

Its a lot of work but check to see the price from where you live into Bellingham....I went when i saw that it was only $170 just to fly one more plane for a 40 minute flight.

Don't sprain your brain. You're going on vacation to relax!


Amtrak
Pro: cheap ($70 round trip)
Con: requires connecting transportation both at SEATAC and Port of Vancouver. Limited service (2 trains daily?)

QuickShuttle
Pro: minimum of 5 buses each day, door-to-door service for SEATAC, Downtown Seattle, Tulalip (Seattle Premium Outlets), Bellingham Airport, Vancouver Airport, Downtown Vancouver and the Port of Vancouver.
Con: $99 round trip.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

...then we would tour Vancouver with the HOHO bus or trolley. Any recommendations on which is better? From what I could tell the trolley goes through Stanley Park more and bus the has 2 stops in park. Otherwise the routes look about the same. Thanks for all of your great advice.

Sorry, I haven't used either. I see lots of tourists on both. Myself, I usually drive and pay $10 to park all day in Stanley Park. (Like WDW, the parking is transferable to any of the parking lots anywhere in the park, which is handy if you're visiting the aquarium or lighthouse on the east side and later visit the beaches or pool on the west side.)

 

[perdidobay]

Looking for hotel ideas

What are the perks w/staying at one hotel over another?
I am looking for family friendly


Could someone please explain which hotel you are choosing & WHY?

transportation you are using to get the boat
transportation you are using to tour Vancouver

We were planning on renting a car

Thank for any feedback. I need to get hotel rooms booked soon.

THANK YOU !

DH and I are staying at the Marriott Vancouver Pinnacle which is downtown, mainly as we have lots of marriott points to use. It is very close to the cruise dock, and we plan on walking to the cruise terminal from the hotel. As for transportation during our stay in Vancouver, we plan on using public transportation.

 

[gduvall]

DH and I are staying at the Marriott Vancouver Pinnacle which is downtown, mainly as we have lots of marriott points to use. It is very close to the cruise dock, and we plan on walking to the cruise terminal from the hotel. As for transportation during our stay in Vancouver, we plan on using public transportation.

Do you have your reservation yet, We are sailing May 31, 2011 and they seem to booked up for the entire month of May. I even called them to confirm. She told me they are very booked with graduations, hard to believe. We are wanting to use Marriott points also and had to pick the Airport Marriott. Now if we wanted to pay cash, my wife is a platium member and we could get a room with cash if we wanted, but it's $315/night. We'll take the free room at the airport Marriott.

 

["Got Disney"]

Don't sprain your brain. You're going on vacation to relax!


Amtrak
Pro: cheap ($70 round trip)
Con: requires connecting transportation both at SEATAC and Port of Vancouver. Limited service (2 trains daily?)

QuickShuttle
Pro: minimum of 5 buses each day, door-to-door service for SEATAC, Downtown Seattle, Tulalip (Seattle Premium Outlets), Bellingham Airport, Vancouver Airport, Downtown Vancouver and the Port of Vancouver.
Con: $99 round trip.

The problem is not the relaxing when on vacation...can do that with great ease....it's all the prep work prior the vacation that puts my head in a tail spin

ahhhhhhhhhhh to sit back and relax and just let DH do all the planning and organizing and searching on the Internet to make our vacation ROCK....ummmmm Not!..we would end up in who knows where

Besides....I do enjoy it and love how my family says that each time we go I pick the most fun things to do...and a lot of that info comes also from fine people helping here on the DIS

 

[DisneyCruiser2008]

Hi all -- This thread has been SO helpful... Thanks so much! I have another question I hope you can help me with... One of the families we are traveling with includes a young woman in a wheelchair... They are trying to decide if they should rent a car in Vancouver, or if they can make due with public transportation? We plan to be in Vancouver 3-4 days... Mainly just staying in town, seeing the local sights, visiting Stanley Park, etc... What would you all recommend as far as getting around town in a wheelchair? TIA!

 

[GrtWtNorth]

One of the families we are traveling with includes a young woman in a wheelchair... They are trying to decide if they should rent a car in Vancouver, or if they can make due with public transportation? We plan to be in Vancouver 3-4 days... Mainly just staying in town, seeing the local sights, visiting Stanley Park, etc... What would you all recommend as far as getting around town in a wheelchair? TIA!

Vancouver has one of the best wheelchair accessible transit systems in the world. Virtually every vehicle is wheelchair accessible, including SkyTrain, buses, SeaBus, and Westcoast Express (commuter rail). All SkyTrain stations are wheelchair accessible, although there may be brief disruptions due to elevator maintenance. (Elevator outages are published on posters in stations and on the electronic "next train" signs.) Translink (the public transit operator in Vancouver) reports that while all their buses are wheelchair accessible, there are some bus stops that are not.

Here is the link to an overview about wheelchair accessibility.

Here is the link to the trip-planning tool that includes wheelchair accessibility options.

Public transit information is also incorporated in Google Maps (both the normal and mobile versions), a mobile web site, an iPhone Application, as well as an automated text / SMS service (text your bus stop number to 33333 to get next 6 bus departure times). There is also a Facebook application, but it doesn't work well.

Touring Stanley Park
The public transit system has one drop-off in the middle of the park (near the aquarium), plus a couple on the park / city interface. However, only trolley buses or tour buses (not necessarily wheelchair accessible) stop at the various sites around the perimeter of the park. However, if your group is fit, everyone can enjoy walking / rolling along the sea wall. It's virtually flat, with great views of the city, marina, Coal Harbour, Lions Gate Bridge, English Bay, north shore mountains, Vancouver Island Mountains, and several beaches. The sea wall runs 8.8 km around the edge of the park, but you will have to walk another 1 km inland (still flat) to do a complete loop. (The 10 km loop is about 6 miles.) There is also a wheelchair accessible trail around Beaver Lake. IMO, it's not very interesting, but it's shady and more quiet than the sea wall. Bird-watchers often hang out here looking for eagles and kestrels. Here's a link to a PDF map of the park.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Looking for hotel ideas
Could someone please explain which hotel you are choosing & WHY?

My friends and family tend to stay at the Sandman Inn (not the Sandman Signature) Vancouver Airport.
Why?

• inexpensive (around $100 per night)
• location: adjacent to airport, adjacent to Highway 99 (best route to Seattle and ferry to Victoria), only 20 minute drive to downtown, 10 minute walk to SkyTrain.
• free shuttle to the airport
• driving / free parking convenience
• good family restaurant (Moxies)
• convenient sports bar for kid-free gatherings (also Moxies)
• pool and hot tub -- nothing noteworthy, but any pool is good to wear off kids energy before cooping them up in a plane for several hours

Just last week, I visited some friends at the Sandman before they jetted home. Passing through the lobby that night, we saw one or two wedding groups, a stag party (flying to Vegas next day?), a boys lacrosse team (in Vancouver for a tournament), a Chinese tour group on its way home, plus numerous tourists (like my friends), just spending the night before flying home. This hotel is popular for all the right reasons -- price, quality and convenience. (Ask for a room on an upper floor if you want to avoid lobby and pool noise. Keep in mind that while the rooms are well insulated, airport and highway noise is unavoidable.)

transportation you are using to get the boat

My parents insisted on taking public transit to the pier -- it works fine, if you pack light. My SIL and her family allowed me to drive them to the pier drop-off. Others usually used rental cars and/or taxis.

transportation you are using to tour Vancouver

Downtown is best explored on foot. Some of my guests toured Stanley Park on foot or bicycle, while others were more rushed and I drove them around the perimeter of the park. Many of our friends use the Aquabus to tour False Creek and Grandville Island. Those venturing to further locations usually rented a car or purchased public transit day-passes ($9). The trolley and tour buses are popular, but none of my friends or family have used them recently.

 

[DisneyCruiser2008]

Vancouver has one of the best wheelchair accessible transit systems in the world. Virtually every vehicle is wheelchair accessible, including SkyTrain, buses, SeaBus, and Westcoast Express (commuter rail). All SkyTrain stations are wheelchair accessible, although there may be brief disruptions due to elevator maintenance. (Elevator outages are published on posters in stations and on the electronic "next train" signs.) Translink (the public transit operator in Vancouver) reports that while all their buses are wheelchair accessible, there are some bus stops that are not.

Here is the link to an overview about wheelchair accessibility.

Here is the link to the trip-planning tool that includes wheelchair accessibility options.

Public transit information is also incorporated in Google Maps (both the normal and mobile versions), a mobile web site, an iPhone Application, as well as an automated text / SMS service (text your bus stop number to 33333 to get next 6 bus departure times). There is also a Facebook application, but it doesn't work well.

Touring Stanley Park
The public transit system has one drop-off in the middle of the park (near the aquarium), plus a couple on the park / city interface. However, only trolley buses or tour buses (not necessarily wheelchair accessible) stop at the various sites around the perimeter of the park. However, if your group is fit, everyone can enjoy walking / rolling along the sea wall. It's virtually flat, with great views of the city, marina, Coal Harbour, Lions Gate Bridge, English Bay, north shore mountains, Vancouver Island Mountains, and several beaches. The sea wall runs 8.8 km around the edge of the park, but you will have to walk another 1 km inland (still flat) to do a complete loop. (The 10 km loop is about 6 miles.) There is also a wheelchair accessible trail around Beaver Lake. IMO, it's not very interesting, but it's shady and more quiet than the sea wall. Bird-watchers often hang out here looking for eagles and kestrels. Here's a link to a PDF map of the park.

Thanks for the wonderful info! I shared it with my friends... very helpful!

 

[perdidobay]

Do you have your reservation yet, We are sailing May 31, 2011 and they seem to booked up for the entire month of May. I even called them to confirm. She told me they are very booked with graduations, hard to believe. We are wanting to use Marriott points also and had to pick the Airport Marriott. Now if we wanted to pay cash, my wife is a platium member and we could get a room with cash if we wanted, but it's $315/night. We'll take the free room at the airport Marriott.

Yes, we have already booked the room, we are going on the July 5 2011 cruise so our dates are the 2-5th of July. I was worried about it being booked up for Canada Day weekend July 1, but I booked just as soon as the dates opened up to reservations.
I don't blame you for not wanting to pay that rate when you can stay on points at the airport location. That seems really high! Plus, with all those graduation parties going on it might get a tad loud!

 

[sunshine state kim]

We're all going to Alaska for my parents 50th anniversary and my brother and his kids don't have passports. The suggestion was made that they fly into Seattle and go to Vancouver by land as they could get passport cards rather than passport books (and save some money). Does anyone know if just the the card be sufficient for entering back into Canada by sea?

 

[CarolAnnC]

I have a couple of questions. Not sure if this has been discussed already, but I did not find the information with a search.

What are the hotels that Disney has chosen for their precruise bookings? I would be interested in checking these out.

Also, has anyone posted about town car or limo service from Seattle to Vancouver? I see the info on bus and train and I am just wondering how a car service would compare?

Thanks all, so much planning to work on for this trip!

 

[nzdisneymom]

Carol - we're staying at the PacificRim via DCL - I can't remember the exact name of it but if you google it, it will come up. I did put a post on the Meet thread for DCL Alaska June 14th that has a link right there if you're interested.

 

[DaveH]

I sent an email to DU asking these questions a couple of weeks ago and nothing from them yet. Even saying we have nothing yet. Very disappointing.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

We're all going to Alaska for my parents 50th anniversary and my brother and his kids don't have passports. The suggestion was made that they fly into Seattle and go to Vancouver by land as they could get passport cards rather than passport books (and save some money). Does anyone know if just the the card be sufficient for entering back into Canada by sea?

Passport cards are sufficient to cross borders both into Canada and into the US as long as you are entering by land or sea. It is only for air travel that a full passport is required.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Also, has anyone posted about town car or limo service from Seattle to Vancouver? I see the info on bus and train and I am just wondering how a car service would compare?

All taxis and limo services from SEATAC airport are currently operated by STITA. Here's their contact information:
24 Hour Computerized Dispatch: 206.246.9999
Office · Lost & Found · Comments: 206.246.9980
Fax: 206.246.8845
As an aside, there's an ongoing legal battle regarding the SEATAC taxi contract -- Yellow Taxi won the next airport contract in December 2009, but STILA is challenging the legality of the contract, with limited success. I have no idea how this would affect limo services.

FYI, I found another company that advertises service from in and around Vancouver and Seattle. They specifically mention taking cruise ship passengers from the port to the Seattle Airport, and passengers from Seattle to Vancouver. However, they may not have the right to pick up passengers at SEATAC -- contact the company directly to confirm this.
Classic Limousine Service
# 402-1193 Main Street, Vancouver, BC. Canada V6A 4B6
Phone + 1 (604) 874 4880 or Toll Free +1 (866) 874 1311

 

[CarolAnnC]

Carol - we're staying at the PacificRim via DCL - I can't remember the exact name of it but if you google it, it will come up. I did put a post on the Meet thread for DCL Alaska June 14th that has a link right there if you're interested.

Thank you Cindy! I will check that one out. I trust you always make a good choice in hotels!

All taxis and limo services from SEATAC airport are currently operated by STITA. Here's their contact information:
24 Hour Computerized Dispatch: 206.246.9999
Office · Lost & Found · Comments: 206.246.9980
Fax: 206.246.8845
As an aside, there's an ongoing legal battle regarding the SEATAC taxi contract -- Yellow Taxi won the next airport contract in December 2009, but STILA is challenging the legality of the contract, with limited success. I have no idea how this would affect limo services.

FYI, I found another company that advertises service from in and around Vancouver and Seattle. They specifically mention taking cruise ship passengers from the port to the Seattle Airport, and passengers from Seattle to Vancouver. However, they may not have the right to pick up passengers at SEATAC -- contact the company directly to confirm this.
Classic Limousine Service
# 402-1193 Main Street, Vancouver, BC. Canada V6A 4B6
Phone + 1 (604) 874 4880 or Toll Free +1 (866) 874 1311

Thanks so much for this info! We are probably flying into Seattle, possibly spending a night or there prior to cruise and then seeking transportation up to the Port in Vancouver. Tenative for now at least..

 

[CarolAnnC]

FYI, I found another company that advertises service from in and around Vancouver and Seattle. They specifically mention taking cruise ship passengers from the port to the Seattle Airport, and passengers from Seattle to Vancouver. However, they may not have the right to pick up passengers at SEATAC -- contact the company directly to confirm this.
Classic Limousine Service
# 402-1193 Main Street, Vancouver, BC. Canada V6A 4B6
Phone + 1 (604) 874 4880 or Toll Free +1 (866) 874 1311

I just received back an email from Classic Limousine after I requested a quote for a town car for 3 adults - Seattle to Port in Vancouver and then return from there to Seattle after the cruise. The quote for 3 adults is $1300!!! YIKES!!!