Vancouver 1pm flight - best transfer to airport. Possible tour?

We will disembark Celebrity cruise June 23 (arrives 7am). We have a 1:05pm flight back to the US. We are a family of 4 (2 tween children). We will have a lot of luggage (expect to have approximately 3 large suitcases and each of us will have 1-2 personal or carry on bags). What would be our best option for transfer to the airport. Also would we have time for a quick city tour or a stop somewhere along the way? It would be great if we could find a tour with a drop off at the airport.

You do not have time for a tour. As you will be clearing US Immigration in Vancouver airport you need to be there at least two hours prior your flight. With the number of people and luggage, suggest you arrange to take cruise lines transfer to the airport. Getting off the ship and awaiting this transfer will eat up all your time.

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Another vote to skip the tour or plan for a hotel night at your bonus port.

• takes 30 to 40 minutes to travel to the airport
  
• you need to be at the airport by 10am for your check-in luggage, US customs, and complitary security searches
  
• which date is your flight, you may need to plan ahead for terminal and event congestion.
  

Flight is same day Friday, June 23. We are on Celebrity with the time for Vancouver listed as 7:00am. Our flight is at 1:05 pm. We've never flown outside of the US. I expected we should be at the airport early, but wasn't sure how early or how long disembarkation and transfer may take (this is only our 2nd cruise ever and our 1st with Celebrity). We are flying into Alaska and boarding our cruise there, so this will be our first experience in an airport outside of the US.

Once the ship docks in Vancouver the following happens:

1. All passengers and crew must go through Canadian Immigration

2. Find all your luggage

3. Await transfer to airport (either via cruise line or taxi)

4. Once at airport, check in

5. Go through US Immigration

6. Go through security

7. Get to gate and board plane

So you see its not as simple as just walking off the ship and getting on the plane.

Go directly to the airport. :)

It's a single ship day on June 23rd. Minimal taxi delays...

What I recommend....

• have a good breakfast on the ship...
  
• 8:30 debark ship for luggage and Canadian customs
  
• 9:25 board taxi for the 35 minute ride to the airport
  
• 10am arrive at US departures for your 3 hours of check-in, US customs, and complimentary searches (luggage, carry-on's, liquids, electronics, WMD's, ULU's, NFL's, hand, body, and the random VIP secondary experience).
  
• 1pm depart with dreams on returning because you didn't budget enough time for your bonus port.
  

I'd agree that your best option (well, except for rescheduling your flight to get extra days to spend in Vancouver of course!) is to take a cab to the airport. With four plus luggage a minivan cab is going to be needed, so you may have a few minutes extra to wait, but with a 1pm flight there's no need to rush - you have time for breakfast on-board.

If you don't mind spending more, a limo is still more affordable than taking cruise transfers - cab will be approx $35, limos start at about $70 (both CAD) for towncars which should be big enough when two of you are kids (bigger limos are pricier).

If you don't mind spending more, a limo is still more affordable than taking cruise transfers - cab will be approx $35, limos start at about $70 (both CAD) for towncars which should be big enough when two of you are kids (bigger limos are pricier).

Limos have limited luggage space. We tried to take a limo once with 4 people and had too much luggage :mad:

Limos have limited luggage space. We tried to take a limo once with 4 people and had too much luggage :mad:

If it was 4 adults I'd agree (and if you tried booking a towncar online they'd also say it's for 3 adults) but OP stated they should have three large suitcases. Those will fit no problem in the trunk of a standard towncar along with at least a few of the smaller bags). The warning is worthwhile though in case they do decide to bring more bags!

Personally, I prefer taxi's when the show up on demand. Don't need to go looking for a vehicle that I booked and then pay a premium.

If you can't fit in one cab... just break the party into two vehicles. Might even be cheaper than the limo.

Personally, I prefer taxi's when the show up on demand. Don't need to go looking for a vehicle that I booked and then pay a premium.

 

If you can't fit in one cab... just break the party into two vehicles. Might even be cheaper than the limo.

You can pay the taxi with a cc or does it have to be cash?

Yes the cabs will take a credit card or also US dollars but will give you either no exchange or very poor exchange rate... I would use the credit card..

However you said the kids were older teens - can you handle your own luggage... if so you can take our Light Rapid Transit called SkyTrain to the airport - the fare is approx $2.75 pp CAD (this is the one place you have to have Canadian currency) the distance from the cruise terminal to the Skytrain is 2.5 blocks all slightly downhill and the transit time is approx 25 mins...

The cars are built to take luggage as this is the airport line. Takes you direct to the airport.

Before entering a cab.... inform the driver that you plan to pay by credit card. Saves the embarrassment when they "claim" their machine is broken when you get to the airport.

Before entering a cab.... inform the driver that you plan to pay by credit card. Saves the embarrassment when they "claim" their machine is broken when you get to the airport.

(Not OP)

Thank you for the "heads up" about advising them first!

Does the sky train stop at the airport or do we have to walk? It's DH and me.

Lots of helpful info here. I appreciate it! So with all the luggage the SkyTrain is a possibility provided we can handle all our luggage? I wasn't sure if it would be frowned upon to take that much luggage on the SkyTrain. Our kids are 12 & 13, so yes, they could each handle their personal bags and possibly a larger suitcase (on wheels) if necessary. We are planning on 3 large suitcases as we will be spending 1 week on land and 1 week on cruise in Alaska (need room for additional shoes & any souvenirs). It sounds like a minivan cab or private limo may be our next best option for 4 people with luggage. Thanks also for the tips on cc for the cab as well as the SkyTrain only taking Canadian currency (I'll need to find out where to exchange as this is new to us).

When I asked about a possible tour I may should have worded it differently. I knew we wouldn't have time for an actual "tour", but was thinking of the possibility of a private car taking an alternate route to the airport that would allow us to see some of the city landmarks or interesting points. We'll just plan to visit Vancouver another date. Someone mentioned the fact that we didn't allow time in our bonus port. I agree...but that was intentional. I could have flown out on Saturday morning, but specifically chose this same day flight because we fly to our home town. Saturday our only option would be to fly into a city that is 1hr 45 min drive from our home town. Could have been done, but we wouldn't have arrived until 10:30pm eastern time and still would have had the drive home. That would only allow Sunday to regroup from a long busy 2 week vacation and to adjust to eastern time before my husband would return to work at 6am Monday morning for a 12 hr work day and 24 hr on-call day. He said he would be fine, but the protective wife who is grateful for his hard work to provide for us wanted to be sure he has the time to rest before returning to work. A colleague of my husbands told him we may regret it as Vancouver is a very "cool" city. We'll plan to return some day :)

I think the only outstanding bits of info are:

• you can pay for SkyTrain with credit card too (ticket vending machines issue the tickets - so a modern card with a Chip is I think a necessity, but PIN may not be required for low-cost transactions).
  
• cost is variable - on weekends and holidays, and weekday evenings from 6:30pm, the whole system uses one Zone and all tickets cost $2.75 for adults or your $1.75 for your kids (if the older one turns 14 they would need a local Student ID to avoid paying the adult fare). If it's a weekday <6:30pm, the airport is a Two Zone fare - $4 adults, $2.75 for kids.
  
• there's a SkyTrain station right at the airport - just make sure you get on the correct train as the line splits into a Y near YVR, with one branch going into the 'burbs. Every second train will say YVR on the front (and platform signage also), while the others will say Richmond-Brighouse.
  

Additional thoughts....

• when you exit the cruise terminal..... look at how long the taxi line is. If it's less than 15 minutes..... I would stay in the taxi line. The Skytrain sounds faster until you budget the extra 15 minutes it takes to walk 4 blocks to the station, try to figure out the ticket machines, and navigate your way to the platform while dragging your luggage.
  
• If you choose to abandon the cruise terminal taxi line for it's size to the train. When exiting the cruise terminal.... check the taxi line for the Pan Pacific and Fairmont Waterfront hotel. The taxi line may be shorter there.
  
• the YVR airport train mixes with the general public. I notice some try to get seating at the ends of the train to minimize people trying to walk around your luggage.
  
• the subway is underground for 2/3rds of the journey. You are missing out on the Vancouver scenery and architecture.
  
• you can tell the driver to "long haul" you for an extra cash. Budget $35 for the regular fare.... then tell him how much extra you want to pay for him to take the scenic route to the airport. Examples.....
  -Burrard Bridge?
  -Stanley Park and Prospect Point?
  -English Bay?
  -Queen Elizabeth?
  of course the cab driver is not likely certified to be a tour guide and explain landmarks to you. There's nothing to stop you to being creative with your extra time before getting to the airport by 10am. I've done things like some last minute shopping and tell the driver to keep the meter running while he's waiting in the parking lot with my luggage.
  

Additional thoughts....

• when you exit the cruise terminal..... look at how long the taxi line is. If it's less than 15 minutes..... I would stay in the taxi line. The Skytrain sounds faster until you budget the extra 15 minutes it takes to walk 4 blocks to the station, try to figure out the ticket machines, and navigate your way to the platform while dragging your luggage.
  
• If you choose to abandon the cruise terminal taxi line for it's size to the train. When exiting the cruise terminal.... check the taxi line for the Pan Pacific and Fairmont Waterfront hotel. The taxi line may be shorter there.
  
• the YVR airport train mixes with the general public. I notice some try to get seating at the ends of the train to minimize people trying to walk around your luggage.
  
• the subway is underground for 2/3rds of the journey. You are missing out on the Vancouver scenery and architecture.
  
• you can tell the driver to "long haul" you for an extra cash. Budget $35 for the regular fare.... then tell him how much extra you want to pay for him to take the scenic route to the airport. Examples.....
  -Burrard Bridge?
  -Stanley Park and Prospect Point?
  -English Bay?
  -Queen Elizabeth?
  of course the cab driver is not likely certified to be a tour guide and explain landmarks to you. There's nothing to stop you to being creative with your extra time before getting to the airport by 10am. I've done things like some last minute shopping and tell the driver to keep the meter running while he's waiting in the parking lot with my luggage.
  

(Not op)

I was just wondering... since you said it would take 15 minutes to walk 4 blocks, how long will it take us (DH and me) to walk to the cruise terminal from the "La Grande Residence at the Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver"?

We are trying to decide if we should call a taxi or are we close enough to walk. We only have 1 carry on each and a personal bag.

Thank you, in advance, for all your wonderful feedback regarding all the questions we all ask! [emoji4]

martincath thank you! Very helpful info!

xlxo Thank you as well for very helpful info! Was thinking the SkyTrain was the way to go, but I didn't realize 2/3 was underground.

So if we opt for a taxi minivan do those tend to be available at the cruise terminals, or should I call ahead for one? A private car/limo would be an option, but I've seen some not so favorable reviews on the ones I've researched. I'll need to do more research if I go that route. Not having to pre-arrange for a car would allow us to get breakfast on the ship and disembark at our leisure without worrying about a car waiting at a specific time since there's no rush to get to the airport before 10am. One more question..if we use a cc for our transport, should we still make sure we have Canadian currency for tips or is US currency accepted (without being frowned upon)?

Thank you all for your help!!

Unless you're looking out the back window, you won't see the best views from a cab on the surface - typical airport route from Canada Place down Granville St is basically a boring suburban street after you get over the bridge. Unless you do plan to ask the cabbie to take you for a drive around as xlxo suggested of course.

While Stanley Park is fantastic, the bits you see from the very limited roads are far from the best bits - you really need to get out of the car to appreciate it; since you have an hour or more to spare though, this could be a very viable thing to do if you don't mind paying an extra ~$50 (one hour of waiting is just over $30 on the meter for any cab, plus some extra driving). Even if the driver knows zero history etc. they can stop at the Totem Poles, Prospect Point, Second Beach, English Bay for a few minutes each and you can enjoy the great views and take some photos without needing to be informed about anything.

Another stop at Queen Elizabeth Park will give you views from the highest point in the city over downtown and the North Shore beyond - parking right outside Seaons resto puts you just steps from the official view point which has each major mountain identified on brass plaques and a fun set of statues of fellow tourists posing for a photo with space for someone to stand among the group of bronzes. Since Cambie runs right past QEP and is also convenient for getting to YVR, this wouldn't add more than a few hundred metres to the drive distance either.

You can add a tip to the metered fare and pay it all with CC. Tipping in cash will certainly not be refused, be it in CAD or USD, but most drivers would likely rather get a CAD tip on the credit card than be handed USD at the actual exchange rate - if you're tipping on par they'll be VERY happy with USD though!

Calling ahead for a cab will simply not work at the pier - it's hard enough just moving the cabs through efficiently with only one entrance and exit, there's no way they'll be allowed to wait for you inside. If anything, a slightly higher % than normal of minivans head to the pier on cruise days - they cost more to run but are not allowed to charge extra, so getting nice long rides to the airport is a 'bread & butter' decision for the cabbies who are stuck with the minivans on any given day. You may see 1 in 4 or 5 cabs rather than the average fleet size of 1 in 6 roll in. If you really want to call ahead and book a minivan, ask it to pick you up at the Pan Pacific upstairs - take the elevators to the lobby. As I think was already mentioned above, heading up here is often quicker than waiting in the cab line downstairs anyway.

If it's a limo directly to the airport, there's only one rational decision - Aerocar. They are the only company allowed to charge below the legal minimum, because they have the exclusive airport franchise. If you're going to drive around a bit, then everyone (including Aerocar) will be charging you the same minimum fare (depends on size of the car, but at least $90/hr with a one-hour minimum charge).

(Not op)

 

I was just wondering... since you said it would take 15 minutes to walk 4 blocks, how long will it take us (DH and me) to walk to the cruise terminal from the "La Grande Residence at the Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver"?

 

We are trying to decide if we should call a taxi or are we close enough to walk. We only have 1 carry on each and a personal bag.

 

Thank you, in advance, for all your wonderful feedback regarding all the questions we all ask! [emoji4]

The 15mins is including an overly-generous amount of time to figure out ticket machines IMO. The walk is barely 300 yards, so for most able-bodied people less than 5mins. Blocks are short in Vancouver, but also vary in size as they're mostly rectangular rather than square and we have a lot of weird angles due to the shoreline - literally it's 2 full and 2 partial blocks for a total of three from pier to station, but giving actual distances is much more useful IMO since block sizes vary. They're more useful for directions than distances.

From Sutton to the pier is about three times the distance - pretty much bang on 1km/~0.6miles. Google's walking speed for Vancouver is fairly accurate, they factor in crosswalk delays as well as tweaking average walk speed on up/down slopes. Sticking to the more direct street options should have you there in well under 15mins.

Just back. Took sky train to the airport. It was so quick and easy, I can't believe everyone didn't use it. On Friday morning, the cost was $4 a person, and the ticket vending took credit cards. The train to the airport comes every 6-8 minutes. We had 5 bags between the two of us, and it was no problem at all.

Sutton to pier is basically downhill.... I would walk the 0.6 miles if luggage is manageable.

When do you plan to arrive at the pier?

• If you plan to arrive between 11:30 and 1pm.... I would walk it to avoid the long cab queue into the baggage area.
  
• Otherwise on a wet rainy day..... I would cab it if it's before 11:30am.
  

martincath - once again, thank you for such helpful info! Either SkyTrain or taxi minivan it is! So good to have options the day of without requiring pre-arrangements. We can make the decision that morning depending on actual time we disembark and how we feel. Sitting at home before vacation it sounds exciting to add in a point of interest or two along the way to the airport. However, it's likely in reality that after nearly two weeks of vacation we will be exhausted and just happy to get to the airport and on our way home...leaving Vancouver for another visit when we can truly appreciate the city. :)

shadesofgrey - Good to know! Thank you!