kenish

Double post!

Thank you to all the Vancouverites who answered my North Shore biking and transit question. I'm surprised that North Shore bike shops don't have rentals. Our area is another cycling haven and most shops have demo/rental bikes. The caution about steep terrain was good. I just turned 50 and ride a lot of local trails. Many of them gain 3000-5000 feet in 10-12 miles and others have short but steep sections. But, I thought about my teenage son who is athletic but doesn't mountain bike....he may be the one who has difficulties ! :)

I was unaware of the ziplining at Grouse; we decided to forego it on our cruise because other tours were more unique. This may be the opportunity to still zipline. Does anyone have comments on the one at Grouse (it's very new, so maybe not)? The ones on Tripadvisor were not too helpful.

Enjoy Canada Day, we arrive a few days too late to experience it. The explanation of the Canadian/British past and present was interesting!

Thank you to all the Vancouverites who answered my North Shore biking and transit question. I'm surprised that North Shore bike shops don't have rentals. Our area is another cycling haven and most shops have demo/rental bikes. The caution about steep terrain was good. I just turned 50 and ride a lot of local trails. Many of them gain 3000-5000 feet in 10-12 miles and others have short but steep sections. But, I thought about my teenage son who is athletic but doesn't mountain bike....he may be the one who has difficulties ! :)

I was unaware of the ziplining at Grouse; we decided to forego it on our cruise because other tours were more unique. Does anyone have comments on the one at Grouse (it's very new, so maybe not)?

Enjoy Canada Day, we will be there a few days too late to experience it. The explanation of the Canadian/British past and present was interesting.

To all the Vancouver contributors, thank you for all your time, effort, and advice. I've been lurking this thread and taking notes. We will arrive in VYR on Friday afternoon and sail Sunday on Zaanam. The Hyatt looks very convenient to all the places recommended in this thread. Our plan is to take public transit to Capilano and (visibility permitting) Grouse Mtn. Then we will return downtown and visit Stanley Park, Gastown, and Granville either on our own or via tour shuttle.

One question- I can't seem to find any mountain bike rentals on the North Shore. There are some by Stanley Park....is it possible for two of us to take bikes on Seabus and city buses to get to the Lynn Canyon or Cypress area ? Or is there a North Shore bike rental place that Google didn't find?

Thanks in advance, have a relaxing and fun Canada Day. We will arrive in Vancouver on US Independence Day. July must have been a bad month for the British where the Colonies were concerned! :D

Out of Juneau, IF you are still taking a whale watch, then you don't want a ship tour here either. You would be wasting an hour in backtracking shuttle time. Best is to cobook independently, and one tour operator dropping off for the other.

I booked a morning Coastal glacier tour with Coastal followed by whale watching w/ Harv & Marv. They seemed to know the drill, both knew exactly how and when to do the "handoff". I've realized another advantage of independent booking is the locals know each other and are willing to be flexible and help each other out to benefit us tourists.:)

Thanks for your replies. The angst at home continues and probably will for several more years :)

Wow, it's good to know "I am not alone!" Were you a fly on the wall in our house ? :) My son doesn't like to "own" any decision. I give him the choice of participating in planning and decisions, or "giving it away" to me. That way I'm not "pestering" him trying to involve him in a decision he doesn't want to make. Sometimes he is surprisingly proactive....when he leaves it to me, he usually has fun anyway. At least there's a good outcome. :D

My husband is NOT interested in flying in a helicopter but two out of the three kids and I would get such a thrill. Plus the youngest wants to see snow. (We live in a warm climate) One of the teens says he is not interested at all but I know he would love it if he would allow himself to relax and have a good time on an excursion with us. you know how those teens can be!

Yes, I know. ;) My 15 year old had never been in a helo; several months ago we passed a place near Boulder Dam. When I asked my son if he wanted to do it, he was pretty indifferent so I made up his mind for him. Once we were in the air, his ear-to-ear grin affirmed the decision.

We're using Coastal in Juneau; also flightseeing and a glacier landing in Denali on a plane.

My teenage DS and I are taking Zaandam NB:

7/3- Let department go home early for the holiday weekend...blatant motive, I can leave early too! ;) Finish last minute packing, put house in vacation mode, unpack stuff we probably don't need, leave keys and itenerary with neighbors, pack other stuff we may need after all......

Plenty of time to do this, I will be up til 2AM like a kid on Christmas Eve.

7/4- Fly SNA-SEA-YVR. Rent bikes and ride around Stanley Park in the evening.

7/5- Grouse Mtn. and either Capilano or Lynn Park. Researching mountain bike riding (the North Shore area is world-famous for that). Take a hop on/ hop off shuttle tour of the city.

7/6- Finish shuttle tour if necessary. Board Zaandam around 2pm!

7/7- Inside Passage

7/8- Ketchikan; SE Sea Kayak Pennock Island tour, visit Saxman, Totem Heritage Ctr, raptor center, and hatchery.

7/9- Juneau; Walk around downtown, see State Museum and Mining Museum. PM- Coastal Helicopter glacier tour, Harv & Marv whalewatching, drop off at Mendenhall Visitor Ctr. and hike trail to waterfall. Return downtown, Mt. Roberts tram (weather permitting).

7/10- Skagway; White Pass RR to summit. Pick up by Dyea Dave, back down by van or bike. Guided tour of town or area, still a bit TBD.

7/11- Glacier Bay

7/12- College Fjord

7/13- Seward; Sea Life Center or Exit Glacier. Pickup by Alaskan Leopard shuttle for narrated tour to ANC. Pick up Avis car and check into B&B.

7/14- Drive to Denali; side trip to Talkeetna. Morning Talkeetna Aero Taxi glacier flight. Check into Denali River Cabins, evening whitewater raft trip w/ Denali Outdoor Center.

7/15- Denali shuttle bus to Eislesen Visitor Center. See main visitor center after returning to main entrance. Quick drive up to Healy.

7/16- Drive back to ANC, stop in Talkeetna if 7/14 flightseeing was rescheduled. Visit Heritage Center and aviation museum in ANC. Check back into B&B.

7/17- ANC-SEA-SNA.

7/18- Back to work, delete the 325 emails (if any of them were important they will re-send or see me in person). :D

If anyone has suggestions or critiques on this itenerary, please let me know!!

If the OP can't use Enterprise for some reason, the next best option is dropping off the car at Long Beach Airport (LGB) or John Wayne (SNA). All the major car companies are there, although their office may not be open late night or early morning. Then take an airport shuttle to the ship. Some rental car companies may have off-airport locations in downtown Long Beach or Torrance; both are near the cruise ports and cab fare shouldn't be too expensive.

One caution about traffic- I-5 and I-405 get very congested in spots. If you start from Carlsbad between 830am and 130pm or after 6pm you should be OK. The Hwy 73 toll road is expensive but a big timesaver if you're running late.

I believe the lifeboats are more like life "capsules". Since they are windowless and the hatches are watertight they can totally submerge in a wave or "turn turtle" and stay afloat. Probably not too pleasant as a passenger though!