To be honest, while you will pay more for a hotel near the pier (competing with fellow cruisers as well as convention crowds), that area is the heart of Vancouver and an excellent springboard for exploring the city.
- The SeaBus to North Vancouver and the SkyTrain to the airport are right at the port. From there you can access Grouse Mountain or the Capilano Suspension Bridge via tourist buses or Seabus and city bus. Both are great for kids, but both freak out people afraid of heights. Do not take your kids up the Grouse Grind. It's a very steep 2-mile /3-km hike with +2800 stairs - not kid friendly unless your kids are mountain goats.
- The edge of Stanley park is a 20-30 minute walk along the waterfront. The infamous Vancouver Aquarium is in the middle of the park. Another fun, but less educational spot for kids is Second Beach (+10 minutes). Second Beach has a sandy beach, snack stand, outdoor heated swimming pool and two large playgrounds.
- Granville Island is situated directly beneath the Granville Street Bridge. You can access it from the port by walking 20-30 minutes down Howe Street and taking the Aquabus ($2 per person) or by walking down Granville and across the bridge and circling back to Granville Island underneath (45-60 minutes). There's lots of kid-friendly stuff here, including a huge splash park and playground.
- Robson Street near Granville Street (5-10 minute walk from the port) is a high-end shopping district. (Vacations aren't always about the kids, eh?)
- the port is the hub of Vancouver's public transit system, so you can reach virtually any destination efficiently from here.
If you are seriously considering staying in another part of the city, I suggest selecting places along the various SkyTrain lines, or at the other end of the SeaBus (Lonsdale Quay). This includes virtually all the airport hotels. Another consideration could be the River Rock Casino Hotel (Bridgeport Skytrain Station), which offers a decadent
family package.
If you want to stay somewhere that will feel more local and less touristy, I suggest looking in the Metrotown neighbourhood of Burnaby (Metrotown Skytrain Station). There is a
Holiday Inn Express visible very close to the station. This part of the city is the commercial hub of Burnaby (one of Vancouver's many suburbs). The Metropolis at Metrotown shopping mall is the largest in BC, and it's surrounded by a mix of middle-class restaurants, smaller shopping malls, residential condos and housing, plus lots of parks. The big mall hosts a
movie theater, and two major grocery stores as well as hundreds of shopping and dining options. For a good, inexpensive meal, go to the
T&T Supermarket and get fresh Chinese (or other Asian) meals-to-go, dim sum (Chinese dumplings), bento boxes (Japanese-style combo meals) or sushi take-out. Let the kids try new foods without paying restaurant prices!
There is a similar but much smaller and quieter neighbourhood in North Vancouver, surrounding Lonsdale Quay (across the Burrard Inlet from Canada Place cruise ship terminal). Years ago, I stayed at the
Lonsdale Quay Hotel, which was great way to be close to downtown Vancouver without paying downtown convention hotel prices.
Areas to avoid: Vancouver's street-drug problems are centered on East Hastings, Gastown and extend out to include Chinatown and parts of Main Street (near bus / train station). Granville Street, Commercial Drive, and parts of Broadway Avenue are fine during the day, but may have trouble with bar patrons at closing time. Yaletown is trendy/pricey but doesn't offer much for kids.
