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

[mellers]

One note about the Quick Shuttle--it's a very comfortable ride, and my family and I have taken it several times, but one thing you should do if you are taking it out of Sea Tac is send one person ahead to pick up your bags, and have one person buy lunch/dinner for everyone at the food court before you leave the secure area (otherwise, you're stuck with sandwiches).

There's fish and chips (Anthony's is better than Ivar's), hamburgers (Wendy's), burritos (Qdoba), an Italian place, and an Asian place (forget the names) in the food court, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding something to please everyone.

The Quick Shuttle has an onboard restroom, so that is not a problem, but there is no food stop and the kids can get really hungry. If you need something to amuse the kids, there's also a Borders bookstore in the secure area, as well as some general kid shops, so it's easy to grab something on the way through.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[piglet33]

Thanks for this suggestion! We are on the August 23rd cruise.

I'm on the same cruise!

 

[cindy18]

I'm on the same cruise!

 

[smeecanada]

Just a question for the locals on this event...

Celebration of Light

3 nights of incredible fireworks set to music in English Bay in Vancouver.
July 30 / Aug 3 / Aug 6. Free. Usually starts around 9:30/10. This is a competition that has been held annually for years.


Where would be a good place to view the fireworks? We will be arriving in Vancouver on 7/30 and would like to see this if possible.

Thanks,
Chris

Any place around English Bay. The area is huge. The couple of times we've gone, we've gotten a spot on the beach in front of the food kiosks. You need to head down around 7-7:30 to get a good spot. It's a fun atmosphere and the time passes quickly.

 

[disdel]

Before you take the Coal Coast Hotel's word for it, I would call 1 (604) 681 1111 and check with Yellow Cab Vancouver. From what I know about Vancouver, $30 seems like WAY too little to get from the Airport to the Coal Coast

Well, finally got time to call - they told me about $30-$33, YVR to Coast Coal Harbour, so it seems the hotels website gave decent advice. They also told me that their taxis hold 4 passengers plus luggage.

 

[mellers]

Well, finally got time to call - they told me about $30-$33, YVR to Coast Coal Harbour, so it seems the hotels website gave decent advice. They also told me that their taxis hold 4 passengers plus luggage.

Sounds like a good deal! Thanks for checking.

 

[my three girls]

Pardon me if this has been covered. Approximately how long does it take (by train or bus) to travel from the port after the cruise to Seattle for a flight. We were looking at a 2:50 pm flight. Is it realistic to make this flight?
Thanks.

 

[mellers]

Pardon me if this has been covered. Approximately how long does it take (by train or bus) to travel from the port after the cruise to Seattle for a flight. We were looking at a 2:50 pm flight. Is it realistic to make this flight?
Thanks.

That seems to be cutting it a bit close to me. You never know if there is a delay at customs or some problem, and even an hour's delay could cause trouble for you. That being said, here is the Quick Shuttle's schedule for a summer Saturday, at least at this time:

The bus departs the Cruise Terminal at 9 a.m. and is due into Sea-Tac at 1:20 p.m.

If you got a car service, you might (MIGHT) shave off an hour, but I would be very nervous to cut it that close.

 

[smeecanada]

Pardon me if this has been covered. Approximately how long does it take (by train or bus) to travel from the port after the cruise to Seattle for a flight. We were looking at a 2:50 pm flight. Is it realistic to make this flight?
Thanks.

Not enough time.

It's approximately a 3+ hour drive + border time from the Port to Seattle. If you take the train you will need to get from downtown Seattle to the airport as well. For driving, you are going through major bottle neck areas in both cities, although the buses have dedicated expressways in some areas. If there are any delays - it could be a major back up.

 

[my three girls]

Not enough time.

It's approximately a 3+ hour drive + border time from the Port to Seattle. If you take the train you will need to get from downtown Seattle to the airport as well. For driving, you are going through major bottle neck areas in both cities, although the buses have dedicated expressways in some areas. If there are any delays - it could be a major back up.

Thanks, that's what I thought. We'll just have to burn another vacation day and fly back Wednesday. Still much cheaper to fly Southwest out of Seattle.

 

[DenverVal]

Well, finally got time to call - they told me about $30-$33, YVR to Coast Coal Harbour, so it seems the hotels website gave decent advice. They also told me that their taxis hold 4 passengers plus luggage.

Glad to know this. Thanks for sharing the info!

 

[mellers]

Thanks, that's what I thought. We'll just have to burn another vacation day and fly back Wednesday. Still much cheaper to fly Southwest out of Seattle.

I don't know if this would work out with your times, or if the Quick Shuttle would even do this, but what might work out to be an inexpensive option for you is to get the Quick Shuttle and spend the night at the Best Western Executive Inn--the Space Needle area (it's called Seattle Center) has some of the best stuff for kids--the Children's Museum, the Pacific Science Center, the Experience Music Project/Sci Fi Museum, and, of course, the Space Needle itself. That's all walking distance from the Executive Inn.

(Our relatives live in Richmond, BC, and when they come to visit us, we usually meet up at Seattle Center so they can get off at the Executive Inn)

If you took the Quick Shuttle from the Vancouver Cruise Terminal, it would drop you right off at the Executive Inn, so you wouldn't need to purchase a separate taxi to get you to your hotel, and you wouldn't need a car to see Seattle Center (you could also take the monorail over to Pike Place Market, the waterfront, and the aquarium pretty easily, if the mood struck you.)

If the Quick Shuttle would allow you to do a stopover (I don't know if they would--you would have to call and ask), then you could pick it up in the morning, and let it take you to the airport, and you wouldn't need to worry about your airport transportation the next day.

You also might want to see if it would be cheaper just to take a taxi to the airport the next day (depends on the size of your family)--it is much cheaper to take the Quick Shuttle from the Cruise Terminal to the Executive Inn than from the Cruise Terminal to the airport.

 

[tanyaewa]

If you use priceline or hotwire for 3.4 - 5 star hotel in the Downtown District or West End - you will get a great hotel at about a $20 cab ride frm the Port for anywhere from $70-$150.
Last weekend I got 4star Westin Bayshores on priceline for $85. Our room had a view of the Canada Place sails.

Vancouver has amazing hotels in the 3.5 star to 5 star range. Check betterbidding for what hotels are currently going for.

 

[DenverVal]

That's the direction I'm leaning towards. As long as I can choose the area and the quality, it's all good. No more obsessing.

 

[pixie08]

Hi everyone. DH and I are very seriously considering an Alaskan cruise for Aug. The flights are priced quite high, and since we would only be staying one night I think I would like to try priceline or hotwire for the first time. I read in the beginning of the post Downtown West is what I should be looking for.

Which site do you prefer and why for Vancouver? For a four star how much should I even start at? Thank you if you can help me at all

 

[mellers]

Hi everyone. DH and I are very seriously considering an Alaskan cruise for Aug. The flights are priced quite high, and since we would only be staying one night I think I would like to try priceline or hotwire for the first time. I read in the beginning of the post Downtown West is what I should be looking for.

Which site do you prefer and why for Vancouver? For a four star how much should I even start at? Thank you if you can help me at all

I have never stayed at a 4-star hotel in Vancouver, so I can't help you there, but you may want to consider flying into Seattle and taking either a car service or the Quick Shuttle (http://www.quickcoach.com ) to Vancouver from the airport (although, if you do, be sure to get a take-out meal to take on the shuttle).

The Quickcoach will take you directly from the Seattle Airport to most of the downtown hotels in Vancouver, and while you will have to go through customs processing at the border, it's usually less of a pain in the backside to cross the border on the ground than in the air, and customs is usually far less time-consuming (and, from my experiences, far less surly)

It is definitely not 4-star, but where we tend to stay in Vancouver is the La Quinta Vancouver Airport in Richmond, or the Four Points Sheraton Vancouver Airport in Richmond. Both are decent places; the La Quinta has a very nice breakfast, a small (DEEP!) indoor pool, a fitness center, and a coin laundry. The Four Points has the best beds (VERY comfortable), and we generally have enough points to stay their for free, so they're the winner for our cruise this time.

Both hotels have a free shuttle from the Vancouver airport, and are near a good-sized shopping mall with a Zellers (think Target), Toys R Us, and a good sized food court. Richmond itself is kind of an upscale Chinatown, and they have some incredible Chinese food, but if you're not very adventurous it may be a bit too much. The mall is next to the SkyTrain, one of the major mass transit lines, which will take you into Vancouver proper, although you will need a taxi or car service to take you to the port, and you should budget an hour to get to port.

As far as 4-stars go, I've heard good things about the Pan Pacific and the Westin Bayshore, although I cannot speak from personal experience. I believe both of those hotels are fairly close to the harbor.

At any rate, I hope you have a great cruise.

 

[pixie08]

If you use priceline or hotwire for 3.4 - 5 star hotel in the Downtown District or West End - you will get a great hotel at about a $20 cab ride frm the Port for anywhere from $70-$150.
Last weekend I got 4star Westin Bayshores on priceline for $85. Our room had a view of the Canada Place sails.

Vancouver has amazing hotels in the 3.5 star to 5 star range. Check betterbidding for what hotels are currently going for.

I just saw this! Thank you everyone.

 

[Ginamarie]

I posted a thread on the main board, but haven't had much of a response.. just wondering how early we can schedule flights after debarkation. I called DCL yesterday and they said nothing before noon. Unfortunately, that severely limits my options for getting back to the east coast. There's a 10:30 am flight, but if that's too early I can't get into JFK until the redeye!

 

[DisneyCruisin]

We're wondering about return flights too and what to do with luggage.

Most flights are first thing in the morning, and we want to avoid staying an extra night(since we're coming in a few days early). We found a good price for a 6:30 PM flight, but what do we do with our luggage if we want to spend time in Vancouver between disembarkation and getting to the aiport?

 

[Pooh667]

I posted a thread on the main board, but haven't had much of a response.. just wondering how early we can schedule flights after debarkation. I called DCL yesterday and they said nothing before noon. Unfortunately, that severely limits my options for getting back to the east coast. There's a 10:30 am flight, but if that's too early I can't get into JFK until the redeye!

Hi,

I understand your dilemma. We too are from NY. To avoid having to fly home on the red eye, we are actually taking Air Cananda out of Newark. JFK is 15 mins. from us and LGA is about 30 minutes away from us but Newark had the best flight time. We are travelling with young children and several elderly people so the red eye could not be an option for us. Good luck with your flights!