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

[RedSox68]

This is a remarkable thread and has provided so many tips and information. Thanks to all who keep it updated!

 

[Pooh667]

Hi,

I have some questions.....Does anyone know what a taxi from Vancouver airport to Coast Coal Harbour Hotel costs? Is the Coal Coast a good hotel in a good area? Then how much from Coast Coal Harbour Hotel to Cananda Place? Also what would it cost from Canada Pier to Vancouver airport? We are 18 people with a wheelchair and stroller. Should we do individual taxis or mini vans? Thanks so much for any information you can give me!

 

[mellers]

I can't speak from personal experience, because it will be our first time to use them, but I will probably be using these guys for our group:

http://www.ridebooker.com

With that many people, they might have a wheelchair accessible van. I am also in a wheelchair, but I can board the van independently and mine breaks apart into several pieces, so it's not critical that it be accessible, so I can't say for sure.

Has anyone here used Ridebooker?

 

[Pooh667]

I can't speak from personal experience, because it will be our first time to use them, but I will probably be using these guys for our group:

http://www.ridebooker.com

With that many people, they might have a wheelchair accessible van. I am also in a wheelchair, but I can board the van independently and mine breaks apart into several pieces, so it's not critical that it be accessible, so I can't say for sure.

Has anyone here used Ridebooker?

Thanks for the information! I am curious too to see if anyone has used Ridebooker?

 

[smeecanada]

Hi,

I have some questions.....Does anyone know what a taxi from Vancouver airport to Coast Coal Harbour Hotel costs? Is the Coal Coast a good hotel in a good area? Then how much from Coast Coal Harbour Hotel to Cananda Place? Also what would it cost from Canada Pier to Vancouver airport? We are 18 people with a wheelchair and stroller. Should we do individual taxis or mini vans? Thanks so much for any information you can give me!

Don't know price, but it's approximately an hours drive from the airport to downtown/port.

 

[mellers]

Check and see if your Vancouver hotel is on the Quick Shuttle's pickup list (http://www.quickcoach.com/ ). If it is, it might be much more convenient than making all of those trips--it will take you directly from your hotel to Sea-Tac. I would not recommend cutting it that close with Amtrak--I've had too many problems with delayed trains.

There is a third option (that I probably should have thought to post before)--it's generally more pricy than the quick shuttle, and a bit more than the train, depending upon how many are traveling, but you might want to check out http://seattlegreenlimo.com/ . They do make trips from Vancouver to Seattle. It's still usually cheaper than plane tickets for a good sized group.

 

[mellers]

One thing that I probably should mention, for those heading north to Alaska, particularly in June and July, is that the sun comes up VERY EARLY and goes down VERY LATE (to put it into perspective, near the Summer Solstice, in Seattle, which gets much less summer sunshine than Alaska, the sun is usually up before 5 in the morning and down after 9 at night.)

You might want to make sure any portholes or windows are covered before you go to bed, and warn children that they do have to go to bed in the daytime.

 

[Pooh667]

Thank you Wendy! Knowing that it is about an hour away is good to know so we can tell the kids and grownup kids in our traveling party.

 

[rsjj]

anyone here know the hotels around the area? i'm looking into trying to reserve a room for our family...but not quite sure of the area. which area should i be looking into? haven't done much research...any help/tip would be much appreciated!!

so sorry...but didn't read the entire thread! thought i'd just start here & ask away. so very sorry if this has been dealt w/previously.

thanx!!

 

[mellers]

anyone here know the hotels around the area? i'm looking into trying to reserve a room for our family...but not quite sure of the area. which area should i be looking into? haven't done much research...any help/tip would be much appreciated!!

so sorry...but didn't read the entire thread! thought i'd just start here & ask away. so very sorry if this has been dealt w/previously.

thanx!!

I like the Richmond, BC area near the Lansdowne Mall near the airport. It takes a bit longer to get to the cruise terminal in the morning (about an hour), but the savings on the lodging makes it worth it for us, if we plan to spend a few days.

For families, I like the La Quinta Vancouver Airport. They have a nice free breakfast, a small (but DEEP! If you have little ones, they'll need lifejackets) indoor pool, and are very close to the Lansdowne Shopping Centre SkyTrain. Rooms go for about $70/night, and the place is very clean and has laundry facilities. (http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/pro...&searchType=GEO&lat=49.163469&lon=-123.137766 )

They also have a free shuttle from YVR, although it isn't wheelchair accessible.

The Lansdowne Shopping Centre (http://lansdowne-centre.com/shoppingblog/ ) has a nice food court with an A&W (think more like a McDonald's--for those of us over 40, it's like A&W before Hot Dogs and More bought it out.), a Subway, and lots of other things. The mall also has a Toys R Us and a Zellers (think Target) where you can get cheap Disney souvenirs or last-minute toiletries, clothing, or other items. There's also a McDonald's about two blocks away.

Wheelchair accessibility isn't too bad, either to or from the hotel or to or from Lansdowne (if that's an issue--it is for me), and there is great public transit into Vancouver proper by taking the SkyTrain right next to the mall. Also, if you're on your way back home, they do have shipping facilities in the mall (no idea what the price would be, though--probably pretty steep, since it's international).

Richmond itself is kind of a neat place--you'll find that it's a very upscale Chinatown. A lot of people who left HK ahead of the Chinese (including a fair number of my husband's cousins) set up housekeeping in Richmond. The Chinese food there is extraordinary, but if you're more used to Panda Express than real Chinese food, might be a little adventurous.

You will need to get transportation from the hotel to the cruise terminal. I'm going to try Ridebooker to do it this time; however, I'm not sure how good they are, since this will be my first time trying them out, too:

http://www.ridebooker.com/

You also shouldn't have much trouble catching a cab from the La Quinta, given how close it is to both the shopping centre and the airport.

It also might be worth it, if you are coming in the night before from Seattle, and aren't planning to do anything in Vancouver, to take the Quick Shuttle from Sea-Tac (http://www.quickcoach.com ) to one of the downtown hotels near the cruise terminal--this will cut down on your transportation costs the next day, and take care of your passage from Sea-Tac across the border and into Vancouver.

The Quick Shuttle also leaves from Bellingham, and also stops at YVR and Cruise Terminal, if you're trying to get back from Vancouver (I don't recommend going straight to the cruise terminal to/from Seattle on the same day--there's just too much that can go wrong on a border crossing. I would go the day before.)

At any rate, I hope that is helpful. Have a great cruise, wherever you stay!

 

[nemofans]

There is a third option (that I probably should have thought to post before)--it's generally more pricy than the quick shuttle, and a bit more than the train, depending upon how many are traveling, but you might want to check out http://seattlegreenlimo.com/ . They do make trips from Vancouver to Seattle. It's still usually cheaper than plane tickets for a good sized group.

That's actually not a bad idea. I have been pricing out the cheapest way, but it's also hard w/the limited times bus & train travel.

 

[tanyaewa]

Ridebooker is owned by a friend of mine here in Whistler. I'll see if I can get him on this board to answer questions....

Fwiw it's a very reputable company and very well-known for it's efficiency here in town.

 

[mellers]

Good to know! This will be our first time using them.

 

[mellers]

Groceries tend to be quite a bit more expensive in Canada than the US--Zellers and Wal-Mart tend to be relatively cheaper (Zellers is like Target)

 

[mellers]

We'll be traveling with a 5 year old which is leading us to fly into Seattle for several reasons.

We plan to spend a night in Seattle to break up all the travel and let her experience a few sights.

The Amtrak ride will be a treat as she loves trains and will break-up the traveling over a couple days.

You might also want to consider staying at the Best Western by the Space Needle, and then taking the Quick Shuttle (http://www.quickcoach.com/ ) into Vancouver rather than the train. I don't know if it's possible, but if they allow a "stopover", that could save you a huge amount of money.

The Space Needle area has the best things for children in Seattle--the Seattle Children's Museum, the Pacific Science Center, and the Experience Music Project/Sci Fi Museum, as well the iconic Space Needle. The Quick Shuttle leaves the airport, stops at the Best Western, and then continues up to the Vancouver Airport, the Downtown Vancouver Hotels, and in some cases, the Cruise Terminal (although I would still recommend you go up the day before the cruise, just in case), so if they would allow you a stopover, the fare would include your transportation to your hotel in Seattle, as well as your transportation up to Vancouver. If you're staying at one of the downtown hotels they service, it will also drop you at the door of your hotel, so that saves you the cost of transferring.

Our relatives in Richmond (near the Vancouver Airport) use the Quick Shuttle to come see us, and we use it to go see them. (We live right outside Seattle) The one thing I would caution you to do, however, is get some take-out food for the bus, because they don't make a meal stop.

 

[mellers]

I've never been on any cruise before this, and I was wondering what check-in is like at Canada Place--if anyone's been on a cruise out of the Canada Place dock, can they describe it? I bought the Birnbaum Disney Cruise Line book, and it only talks about the Port Canaveral terminal

 

[smb6]

I've never been on any cruise before this, and I was wondering what check-in is like at Canada Place--if anyone's been on a cruise out of the Canada Place dock, can they describe it? I bought the Birnbaum Disney Cruise Line book, and it only talks about the Port Canaveral terminal

I would like to know this as well....

 

[disneylovern]

Hi! I had a couple of questions, and was hoping you guys could help me out.
We are planning on flying in early to Vancouver to have a day to spend there. Just wondering what the best options of doing this was? We don't really want to rent a car and have two children (ages 7 and 4). Also, are there any hotels that provide shuttle service to the ports that would be a good option? Thanks.

 

[stsomewhere]

Has it been confirmed that DCl will be using Canada Place?

 

[cwdefouw]

While it hasn't been confirmed, likelyhood is about 99% as, except for 4 weeks, the Wonder is the only ship in port in Vancouver on Tuesdays. Since Canada Place can easily handle 3-4 ships, there would be no reason to use the other terminal, as it is pretty much only used for overflow.

The May 24th departure, Crystal Symphony will also be in Vancouver
The June 7th departure, the Regatta (Line?) will also be in Vancouver
The August 16th departure, Crystal Symphony will also be in Vancouver
The September 6th departure, the Regatta (Line?)will also be in Vancouver

You can view the Vancouver Port Schedule as well as schedules for Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan on the following site...

http://www.claalaska.com/schedules.html