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

[justmestace]

I've finally gotten most of my non-DCL Alaska trip report posted in the Trip Report Forum. I've just now gotten to the "interesting" parts....the ports.

Check it out, and if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them there.

Stacey

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37157194#post37157194

 

["Got Disney"]

I've finally gotten most of my non-DCL Alaska trip report posted in the Trip Report Forum. I've just now gotten to the "interesting" parts....the ports.

Check it out, and if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them there.

Stacey

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37157194#post37157194

Thanks enjoying the read! cant wait for more

 

[nemofans]

We are hoping to do a whale watching excursion. Seeing whales is something we've wanted to do for a long time.

 

[piglet33]

I've finally gotten most of my non-DCL Alaska trip report posted in the Trip Report Forum. I've just now gotten to the "interesting" parts....the ports.

Check it out, and if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them there.

Stacey

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37157194#post37157194

Wow! Great trip report and wonderful pics! Thanks for sharing.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

We are hoping to do a whale watching excursion. Seeing whales is something we've wanted to do for a long time.

You may want to check your itinerary closely, and if you are travelling around the region, consider working in whale watching a bit further from the big city. A resident pod of orcas hangs out between the Juan de Fuca Straight and Puget Sound, much closer to Victoria, BC and Anacortes, Wa. Whale watching operators in the vicinity of the local orca pod can virtually guarantee sightings -- they share information and know precisely where the whales are. (See related news story here.) Vancouver whale watching packages may include airfare or bus to these locations, rather than sailing out in local waters. If your cruise itinerary takes you to Victoria for a day or more, you will probably get a better (and much less expensive) whale watching package than if you travel out of Vancouver.

Whale watching operations in other areas rely on a little more luck / guide skill. Orca's are hunters and will likely be attracted to large populations of prey including sea lions, seals, and large salmon runs (many different river mouths, especially in August), so they may be easier for local guides to find. Humpback Whales feed on krill, herring and other smaller fish. Gray Whales feed on crustaceans found on the ocean floor. However, both Humpback and Gray Whales will likely only be spotted around Vancouver in the the spring or fall as they migrate through local waters on their way to and from their summer feeding grounds off Alaska.

 

[ededmd]

Just wanted to pop in with some post Alaska cruise hotel info.
If I get around to a full report, I'll post. Probably will peruse justmestace's report first so as not to duplicate...

We stayed at the Fairmont Pacific Rim for 3 nights at the end of our AK cruise.
It was great! Front desk, Bell service, concierge assistance, room, housekeeping. Would highly recommend.

We had a lot of luggage coming off the cruise for our party of 6. My husband walked the 1.5 blocks (easy walk) to the hotel, checked us in, and spoke with the bellman who came around with him in one of the hotel vehicles and picked up all the luggage and part of the party. The rest of us enjoyed the beautiful walk and port / pier scenery though he certainly would have come back for us if we preferred not to walk.

In comparison to the Fairmont Waterfront which is across the street directly from the pier / Pan Pacific hotel, you should note the Pacific Rim is new this year (Spring 10) and in the 2 bedded rooms has 2 Queens whereas the Waterfront has 2 Doubles.

For our party we had 2 people in a 2 Q room. We also had a family of 4 in a 1 K Executive Suite (with pull out sofabed and will accommodate a rollaway too). There was a terrace with an outdoor dining table and 4 chairs) and an indoor dining table with 4 chairs. Also had 2 full bathrooms. It was the best!

Again, just cannot recommend this hotel enough.

 

[mmouse37]

Just wanted to pop in with some post Alaska cruise hotel info.
If I get around to a full report, I'll post. Probably will peruse justmestace's report first so as not to duplicate...

We stayed at the Fairmont Pacific Rim for 3 nights at the end of our AK cruise.
It was great! Front desk, Bell service, concierge assistance, room, housekeeping. Would highly recommend.

We had a lot of luggage coming off the cruise for our party of 6. My husband walked the 1.5 blocks (easy walk) to the hotel, checked us in, and spoke with the bellman who came around with him in one of the hotel vehicles and picked up all the luggage and part of the party. The rest of us enjoyed the beautiful walk and port / pier scenery though he certainly would have come back for us if we preferred not to walk.

In comparison to the Fairmont Waterfront which is across the street directly from the pier / Pan Pacific hotel, you should note the Pacific Rim is new this year (Spring 10) and in the 2 bedded rooms has 2 Queens whereas the Waterfront has 2 Doubles.

For our party we had 2 people in a 2 Q room. We also had a family of 4 in a 1 K Executive Suite (with pull out sofabed and will accommodate a rollaway too). There was a terrace with an outdoor dining table and 4 chairs) and an indoor dining table with 4 chairs. Also had 2 full bathrooms. It was the best!

Again, just cannot recommend this hotel enough.

The hotel looks awesome but I just checked rates for our pre cruise stay next year and website says rooms start at $9,664.00 US a night.....that is some hotel or the website is having issues....certainly too rich for my blood!! LOL!!

MJ

 

[nemofans]

You may want to check your itinerary closely, and if you are travelling around the region, consider working in whale watching a bit further from the big city. A resident pod of orcas hangs out between the Juan de Fuca Straight and Puget Sound, much closer to Victoria, BC and Anacortes, Wa. Whale watching operators in the vicinity of the local orca pod can virtually guarantee sightings -- they share information and know precisely where the whales are. (See related news story here.) Vancouver whale watching packages may include airfare or bus to these locations, rather than sailing out in local waters. If your cruise itinerary takes you to Victoria for a day or more, you will probably get a better (and much less expensive) whale watching package than if you travel out of Vancouver.

Whale watching operations in other areas rely on a little more luck / guide skill. Orca's are hunters and will likely be attracted to large populations of prey including sea lions, seals, and large salmon runs (many different river mouths, especially in August), so they may be easier for local guides to find. Humpback Whales feed on krill, herring and other smaller fish. Gray Whales feed on crustaceans found on the ocean floor. However, both Humpback and Gray Whales will likely only be spotted around Vancouver in the the spring or fall as they migrate through local waters on their way to and from their summer feeding grounds off Alaska.

Thanks for the info! So what do you recommend? When we take an alaskan cruise, we will fly into Seattle, then take the train to Vancouver. Should we take a whale watching trip from Seattle or Vancouver to see the killer whales?
It sounds like we won't see whales while on our alaskan cruise if they are during the summer. That our best bet is b4 the cruise from Seattle or Vancouver.

 

[smeecanada]

Thanks for the info! So what do you recommend? When we take an alaskan cruise, we will fly into Seattle, then take the train to Vancouver. Should we take a whale watching trip from Seattle or Vancouver to see the killer whales?
It sounds like we won't see whales while on our alaskan cruise if they are during the summer. That our best bet is b4 the cruise from Seattle or Vancouver.

Neither. You're best bet for whales (Orcas) during the summer in the South of BC is from Victoria. We went on an Alaska cruise last year at the beginning of August and saw whales from the cruise ship. A whale watching trip out of Juneau is apparently almost guaranteed a whale sighting. Might be worth looking into.

 

[Ginamarie]

Add us to the list of considering this as well. We're on the 8/30 cruise!

One concern we have is transportation between the airport and train station. We're assuming we'll stay in Seattle a night or two before the cruise but probably go straight to the airport (if possible) after the cruise. We may just take to train to Vancouver but take the bus back.

We are on the 6-21 cruise and thinking of this as well- flying NY to SEA over the weekend, taking Amtrak up to Vancouver on Monday and spending one night in Vancouver before the cruise. We will probably bus back to SEA after the cruise because of the back schedule for the trains southbound.

 

[pillow]

FYI - I had flagged this site for Juneau tours -

http://www.allenmarinetours.com/sightseeing/juneau/

Jodie

 

[nemofans]

oh, I am so excited now! The glacier & whale watching excursion would be wonderful! I can't wait to see what DCL's excursions will be. Thanks for listing the alaskan tours!

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Thanks for the info! So what do you recommend? When we take an alaskan cruise, we will fly into Seattle, then take the train to Vancouver. Should we take a whale watching trip from Seattle or Vancouver to see the killer whales?
It sounds like we won't see whales while on our alaskan cruise if they are during the summer. That our best bet is b4 the cruise from Seattle or Vancouver.

Hopefully you will be able to see whales when your cruise ship arrives in Alaska. Anywhere glaciers and rivers meet the ocean is likely to be a very biologically active area, with lots of whale food. Your cruise director may suggest good viewing opportunities.

As for spotting Orca's, the whales between Victoria and Anacortes are the most documented (e.i. photographically reliable) in the world. As a previous poster already mentioned, the best viewing will be from Victoria. Whale watching excursions from downtown Victoria cost approximately $100 per person. Your most economic option would be to detour to Victoria en route between Seattle and Vancouver. There are ferry / bus packages between Victoria and both Seattle and Vancouver.

You can take float planes between Victoria and either Seattle or Vancouver -- they're expensive, but very fast. 30-35 minutes downtown to downtown. It takes ~4 hours to travel downtown-to-downtown by bus and ferry. I suggest staying one night in Victoria either before or after your cruise.

Whale Watching excursions booked from Vancouver will likely include either airfare or charter bus / ferry ride to Victoria. These packages are expensive and you'll feel like you spent most of your day traveling. Prices for Vancouver based tours are likely $250-300 per person.

Prince of Whales is one of several reputable tour operators. They offer packages from either Vancouver or Victoria. Below is a map showing the possible routes of the Victoria-based tours.

 

[nemofans]

So you can take a ferry to Victoria, spend the night there, then take a ferry to Vancouver?

 

[ibouncetoo]

And those of us on the repo could book it the day we have Victoria as a port of call.

hmmmmmmmm Orcas in Victoria or Humpbacks in Juneau????

.

.

 

[mirby72]

Add us to the list of considering this as well. We're on the 8/30 cruise!

One concern we have is transportation between the airport and train station. We're assuming we'll stay in Seattle a night or two before the cruise but probably go straight to the airport (if possible) after the cruise. We may just take to train to Vancouver but take the bus back.

Seattle just installed a light rail system from Sea-Tac Airport that will take you within a few blocks of King Street (Train) station (the nearest stop is in the International Dist.). It takes about 40 minutes to get there from the airport and costs about $3/person. Much cheaper than a taxi!

http://www.soundtransit.org/Riding-...it-Facilities/Intl-Dist-Chinatown-Station.xml

 

[smeecanada]

So you can take a ferry to Victoria, spend the night there, then take a ferry to Vancouver?

Yes, there is ferry service between Vancouver and Victoria. If you are coming via Seattle best bet is to take the Victoria Clipper from Downtown Seattle
to downtown Victoria. It's about a 2.5 hour ride. The terminal is on one side of the Inner Harbour and the whale watching tours go from the other side - about a 10 minute walk. Several hotels in the area as well. There is very good bus service from downtown Victoria to downtown Vancouver via BC Ferry. The depot is also very close to the Victoria Clipper and whale watching tours. If you want more detailed info just PM me.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

For guests who want to go Whale Watching from Victoria between Vancouver and Seattle, here's a map. Everything is within a 0.5 mile radius.
A = Bus terminal, where the Pacific Coach Line bus (via ferry) to downtown Vancouver arrives / departs.
B = Whale watching tour sales and departures (multiple tour operators) / float plane terminal / tourist information
C = Ferry terminal for Victoria Clipper service to downtown Seattle.

For Victoria accommodation, the classiest place is the Empress Hotel (Fairmont), right on the waterfront. (It also hosts a couple decadent restaurants that match or beat WDW's signature dining experiences.) However, there are many more modern hotels just a block or two away from the water. With the Legislature Building next door (equivalent to state capital building), these hotels cater to business and government travelers as well as tourists. It's generally a good idea to leave your hotel for meals, especially breakfast, as many hotel restaurants cater to business travelers with apparently unlimited expense accounts.

 

[smeecanada]

For guests who want to go Whale Watching from Victoria between Vancouver and Seattle, here's a map. Everything is within a 0.5 mile radius.
A = Bus terminal, where the Pacific Coach Line bus (via ferry) to downtown Vancouver arrives / departs.
B = Whale watching tour sales and departures (multiple tour operators) / float plane terminal / tourist information
C = Ferry terminal for Victoria Clipper service to downtown Seattle.

For Victoria accommodation, the classiest place is the Empress Hotel (Fairmont), right on the waterfront. (It also hosts a couple decadent restaurants that match or beat WDW's signature dining experiences.) However, there are many more modern hotels just a block or two away from the water. With the Legislature Building next door (equivalent to state capital building), these hotels cater to business and government travelers as well as tourists. It's generally a good idea to leave your hotel for meals, especially breakfast, as many hotel restaurants cater to business travelers with apparently unlimited expense accounts.

The Victoria Clipper actually comes in by the grey square to the left of C. C is the Coho Terminal (ferry from Port Angeles) - totally separate. Most of the tourist hotels are on Quebec Street - one block over from Belleville - they cater mainly to the tourist trade in the summer months when Parliament is not in session. Very easy walk and totally safe area for tourists.

 

[BLTOH]

anyone that flies to canada from the us..do you know if a pill box filled with prescription meds would pass security? it's one of those day type styles. or would we be better off empting it and just reloading after the security. i would think if the meds are with it then they wouldnt have a problem. but i haven't flown since pre 9/11 so not sure how picky they are.

also what is the money exchange rate between the us and canada now anyone know?