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The 2 hotels with free shuttles that I know about are the Doubletree Cabrillo Beach & the San Pedro Crown Plaza. Both are good options but are different & I preferred the Doubletree. It's slightly south of downtown SP where the CP is located & adjacent to a quiet small boat marina. It's only 2-3 stories high unlike the CP (guessing 10 stories) in the small downtown area. The CP is closer to restaurants & stores but heard that DT will shuttle you to nearby places.

 

When I stayed at the San Pedro Crown Plaza last summer they had a free hotel shuttle to the ship. The shuttle bus just looped between the hotel and terminal all morning

 

A few blocks from the hotel is a nice old fashion European crapes cafe. Good stuff for breakfast.

I was on the website for the Gardens and saw that they close at 5pm. That's the same time we dock. HAL shows only a daytime tour offered.

 

As for restaurants...I'm really open to suggestions. Nothing too extravagent or expensive. One of the girls on the trip is a pretty picky eater so I don't think she would enjoy anything that is too out of the norm. Good atmosphere. Are there restaurants that a younger (20s/30s) crowd gravitates towards?

 

If you are into the pub crawl, there is a harbor ferry service that has a pub crawl type package ..... http://www.victoriaharbourferry.com/tours-services/pickle-pub-crawls

As others have stated soft-drinks are not included. There is flavored water (think of crystal light kind of drinks) and coffee, tea and ice tea included. They also include fruit juice in the morning.

 

It is a nice ship. Not certain which ports you are on, however parts of the med can become quite hot in the summer that is a good time to go. It is warm but not hot.

This is EXACTLY what our credit card companies and bank told us on the phone today. If the merchant doesn't want to take our non-chipped card, we'll just go elsewhere. Too late to get a chipped card for this trip.

 

And we always carry cash, using the ATM to get it.

 

thanks for the helpful links and suggestions!

 

Canada transitioned to the Chip + PIN system over the last couple of years. During the transition I still had an an older card without the chip. The main problem I had during the transition back then when traveling in Europe were train ticket vending machines. I had to go and purchase the ticket from a ticket agent and they would need to do something special to make the credit card work.

 

As a Canadian traveling in the US I always have the problem of gas stations requiring a zip code to authenticate the card. We don't have numeric zip codes in Canada. In some cities it takes some work to convince the gas station attendant to hold on to your card while you fill your tank and then manually process your card.

 

It would be good if Visa and Master Card standardized theirs systems a bit more across different countries.

Just my two cents but if I had to chose, I would go to Victoria instead of Whistler. IMHO I would never visit Vancouver without at least trying to make time for Victoria. I do love the driving itineraries suggested here. I agree the Okanagan should be high on the priority list, even if it means more driving.

 

An antidotal story about Victoria and specifically Burchart Gardens. We were visiting Burchart in May of 2010. There were two bus loads of Australians who were enjoying the spring gardens immensely. They were at the end of a road trip through the rockies that had started in Calgary. Their next stop was a cruise to Alaska. One of the ladies with two friends was about to sign the guest book before leaving and made the following comment. " We have seen many wonderful things on this trip, but now I feel like I have died and gone to heaven". She clearly enjoyed the spring flowers in the magnificent garden.

 

Even if the cruise makes Victoria a port of call, it is not the same as having the time to drive around and explore pre-cruise.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Have a great trip and lots of fun planning. I have shared this thread with Australian friends from up the coast a bit from Sydney. We are hoping they will make a similar trip and discover our beautiful country.

 

 

 

If you do chose to do Victoria (Vancouver Island) in place of Whistler, you could drop off the car in Victoria and take the ferry from downtown Victoria to downtown Seattle.

 

Another option would be to take the ferry over to Nanaimo and then drive down to Victoria.

Yea I know. Pizza is not gonna make or break it. I was in the habit of getting a late nite pizza on my last cruise. Looks like a lot of great things on this ship.

 

Just go up to the buffet. They do have pizza for most of the day.

Thank you very much for the link - I will surely check out the options.

 

Just so there are no surprises when you are deciding how to get up their, parking in extremely expensive. If you don't need a car the bus service is a good option.

I also like the EPIC. That said the only ships I can compare her to are the Jewell class ships. The EPIC is the ship to be on for entertainment and choice and because of that I think she is better suited to some of the itineraries that have more sea days rather that the Mediterranean port hopping.

 

I don't understand why the sink in the bedroom instead of the washroom is a concern. That may be important to some, it is something I am indifferent to. It may be different or even odd, however it is not something I would have developed an position on.

 

If you ask me what I think the EPIC is missing.... On the Jade, the cruise director would give an hour lecture on the history and customs of each port the day before arriving in the port. I found these very good and informative. On the other ships you have the talk from the excursion team that is more of a marketing activity for the ship excursions than providing good content.

 

The outdoor barbeque that occurs on the other ships would be nice, however I am not certain where you would have it other the quite deck above the buffet.

 

Replace the blue man group. There was something interesting about the blue man group, i always wanted to see it. Now that I have, I never want to see it again.

I agree to some extent, that these rooms should be for solo travelers, especially since the studio lounge is centered around solo meet and greet and that kind of thing. But then again I see the point that solo travelers can also book larger rooms (and pay more). I don't like the idea of large groups booking the solo's, but then again booked cabins make NCL rich.

 

When I was in the studios, it was mostly solo travelers, and those in studios got together more than those who came to the gatherings but from other rooms. Just because we saw each other more often hanging out in the lounge.

 

I have been on the EPIC twice as a solo traveler. Once in a studio and one in an inside cabin (when the inside cabin was cheaper even with the supplement). I agree with the concept that if a couple wants to book two connected studios, go for it. If they are paying customers and all the safety restrictions are followed then why impose unnecessary restrictions.

 

Even if you wanted to police this it is impossible. When I have been in the studio there have been other single travelers who had other family members on the ship. Friends who have no romantic relationship with each other going on a vacation together and booking separate cabins. There is no reasonable way to enforce the requirement that only solo travelers book the studios.

 

The solution to the problem the OP identified is build more studio into the new ships. They are obviously popular.

 

The common area for the studio, it is a nice concept. I think it is under utilized. I was on the Epic in a port intensive Mediterranean cruise. What was nice is the continental breakfast setup they had. A bit more selection would be nice, but I found most mornings I would just go down make a latte grab a danish or two and some orange juice without any crowds.

 

I could see passengers with larger cabins also liking the concept.

Is the flavoured water new? I was on the Epic in January and couldn't find this type of drink in the buffet. Where are the machines located?

 

Is this available all day?

 

Thanks in advance!

T.

 

It was on the Jade and Jewel early in Feb and May. Same machine in the Buffet that have the ice tea. I don't remember it on the Epic but it has been some time since I have been on the Epic.

For a domestic flight (Toronto), 90 minutes should be good. From downtown to the airport, the Skytrain (subway) is the fastest and cheapest way to go; $2.75/ea vs $35+tip for a taxi is a significant savings. It's about a 2½ block way from your hotel to the Granville City Centre station, on the Canada Line, which goes to the airport.

 

The airport in Vancouver is divided into 3 areas: Domestic, International and Transbaorder (US flights).

 

The flight to Toronto is a domestic flight and that time of night the domestic area will be very quiet, that time of day lineups will usually be very short.

 

The official Air Canada cut-off times for a domestic flight is 90 minutes for check-in; 45 minutes for baggage drop off. (http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/airport/checkin.html). There are check-in machines in the lobby of many of the Canada line stations, so you may be able to check in before you get on the train.

I'd arranged to disembark in Victoria the night before. Getting back on board merely to then transfer back to Victoria (and none of the options are particularly inexpensive), is a lot of time for not a lot of reward in my mind.

 

I would agree.

Although not breakfast, I knew about soda not being free. And of course alcohol and the alcohol packages. But having to pay extra for real juice, (like orange juice, for example), at breakfast. I think NCL goes too far in limiting this. Makes me wonder if we get real toilet paper in our cabins or do we have to pay extra for that? :rolleyes:

 

Milk was mentioned, is that included or do you have to pay extra for that?

 

Unless it changed, juice (from concentrate) is free at breakfast.

 

You pay extra for free squeezed juice that is made from fresh fruit at the juice bar.

Remember, Bruce claimed the non-US citizens prefer to sail out of Vancouver, not Seattle, which seems to draw the "local" U.S. market. While transportation to/from Seattle is usually less expensive than Vancouver for those of us here in the States, it may not be any more expensive for those coming from Europe and/or Australia. And as he said, avoiding transit into/out of the U.S. keeps them free of our TSA/Immigration woes.

 

So to me it makes perfect sense why Seattle would draw a more U.S.-based market and Vancouver a more global one.

 

I am doing my first west costal cruise. The other option I considered was Europe again. The selling point of a costal was to spend some time in California, the rack bottom cruise fares helped but if the itinerary was not good I would probably being doing the Mediterranean again.

I use to live in Vancouver but still live in Canada. The airfare flying from Canada to the US has a lot of fees/taxes for TSA, US Immigration, US Agriculture Inspection, and their Canada Counterparts added on. That is one of the factors that makes it cheaper to fly out of Seattle to the rest of the US. When it comes to air from Vancouver to the rest of the world the fares are competitive and you have non-stop flights to places like Australia and New Zeeland as well as Europe. To London alone there is Air Canada, Air Transat, British Airway and Virgin Atlantic. Like many non-Americans I find the border clearance unpredictable, sometimes you sail through and there times the questions asked are just odd. The different mix in passengers between Seattle and Vancouver makes perfect sense.

I don’t know if NCL will make or lose money or the cruise. However it is obvious, that they want to make the most money they can on their asset and that involves it spending most of the time sailing to and from Alaska.

Arriving early: We will be arriving at the (Canada Place) Cruise Terminal early (10am-ish) and wondered if you can get INside the terminal (knowing they won't be processing passengers that early) to sit and wait. ie is the terminal open and you allowed to go inside?

 

If it is a nice day out .... there is an outside public observation deck all the way around the terminal (at street level) with benchs. You get a very good view of the ship and the harbour activities. Across the street and down the stair is a Tim Hortons and food court if you want to sit down and grab a drink etc.

I live in michigan always thought of cruise the great lakes would be cool idea

 

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There appears to be a cruise line the specializes in Great Lake Cruises. Does anyone have any experience with them....

 

http://www.greatlakescruising.com/

While taking the ferry might seem boring to some, to a lot of visitors to this area, it's a highlight with a very picturesque ride through active pass. Add to that a double decker bus ride on the Victoria side (the normal buses on the #70), and that's a tourist attraction!

 

Also, considering it's $22.50 bus/ferry/bus from downtown to downtown, versus $115 for the very cheapest web specials on harbour-air.com for the floatplane... There's a reason both exist, they deal with different markets

 

The sea plane and helicopter service are very convenient to downtown. They also do not have the same security that the regular airports do.

 

If you want to fly, with a normal baggage limit, then you can also do Air Canada from the Victoria Airport to the Vancouver Airport. Most flights booked one month a head (just now) shows up at around $99 each way (including tax). The airline web page usually offers Tango fares that don't show up on other systems. Key drawbacks is you need to get to/from the airport and deal with security ect. Domestic free check baggage allowance is one bag at 50 lb; plus two smaller-carry on. Flight books out as a flying time of 25min.

 

The Air Canada option is not as convenient or as fast as the float plane and more expensive than the ferry. The ferry can also be quite pleasant.

 

It all depends on the trade-off money vrs. travel time.

It's around 30 K's .. Taxi's out there may be scarce if not pre arranged. Public transit is about 2 hrs if you hit all connections and you must transfer to Canada Line and walk a bit several times. 550 metres at the end of Canada line

 

Recommend Pacific Coast Bus Lines... but you would still need to get to the Hotel via TAXI 12$ or so or do sky train and walk the same as above.

 

see:http://www.pacificcoach.com/Bus-Coach-Travel/Crosswater/Victoria-to-Vancouver

 

Pacific Coast sounds like your best bet....

 

However, just for completeness.... Another option that is a bit more expensive but you get a very nice view is Harbor Air or (http://www.harbour-air.com/) or Helijet. In one case it is a sea plane service from the Victoria Harbour and it the second case it is a Helicopter service. Like airlines these guys make their money on last minute business booking, but you can get discounted rates is you book early. A few years ago it could be as low as $99 now I think it is closer to $200 per person. Baggage allowances are quite limited. Helijet arrives at the Heliport next to Sea Bus and Waterfront station. Harbor Air docks at the convention centre complex on the opposite side of Canada Place. Many years ago there were fast cat downtown to downtown ferries, however those are long gone.

 

Air Canada also has airport to airport service however you still need to get downtown at both ends.

Putterdude:

 

We will be taking the coastal cruise from Vancouver on 9/29/12. We will be coming into town on the 27th and need information about possible hotels. We would like to be closer to town, but so far the amount is too much for us. I am looking for suggestions. Right now, we have booked an airport hotel (Best Western airport on Bridgeport Rd.) and plan to use the sky train for transportation downtown since we only have 1 day to spend in the downtown area. Does this sound feasible? Do you know what the cost for sky train is? Do you have any suggestions? We planned to ride the HOHO all day Fri. the 30th. It seems to go pretty many places. We have never spent time in Vancouver and have just begun to research. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Sandy

 

The River Rock Casino/Hotel is another one in Richmond right next to a Canada Line Station. Sometimes they have pretty good rates.

There's a range of opinion on the cleanliness of the lavs towards the end of a flight. Some of it depends on the nationality of the airline. For example, crews on US carriers ignore the condition of the lavs and if they get really disgusting they simply mark it "out of order". On most Asian airlines, the FA's inspect and tidy up the lavs almost hourly and they're almost always spotless.

 

I usually fly Air Canada and they are somewhere in-between. They don't clean and restock the lavs every hour; however on long-haul flights they usually take a pass at cleaning up a bit and restocking the supplies in the Lavs.

 

On the European Carriers and Air Canada, usually there is an open bar. The US carriers are not as liberal with their bar service. I try to go light on the alcohol and coffee as it tends to dehydrate.

 

Different people respond differently. I usually try to get up early the day I leave, that way you are tired when you get on and have a chance of sleeping (or cat-napping as the case may be). I tried not to take a nape as soon as I arrive but try to get into adjust to the local time zone.

 

Some airports have arrival lounges with showers. If you are making a transferring in Europe with a long wait you may want to check the airport web site. There is usually fee with these.

 

You should think about what type of schedule you want to keep while in Europe. If you are on a cruise ship with lots of late night entertainment that you want to take in, you may want to try and adjust to a schedule where you sleep in and stay up late. I would try to immediately jump into the sleep pattern you want to be have.

Wow, I am not sure you went back to find that post but, yes, they have been offering two trains in each directions for a couple of years now. However, late this winter they did remove some of the cars for maintenance and substituted cars that did not have business class available. Perhaps someone like Ut or Zephyr 17 can fill in the blank as to when these cars are expected back.

 

I did not go back. But have done the train between Vancouver and Seattle a couple of times over the years. Nice trip.

Yes, this has been dicussed in a number of threads if you do a search. Remember though if you do the Amtrac Bus it is a bus and not the train. Evidently there is only one train in either direction each day. So you may want to do some checking on priceing from other bus lines or shuttles. Here is a website that I have copied from the Port of Vancouver's web site: http://www.quickcoach.com/ and they will take you right to the cruise ship terminal thus saving cab fares when you get to Vancouver.

 

I belive they switched to two reaql trains a day. However the others are on a bus.

[quote name='scottbee']Check your luggage into the luggage storage facility at Canada Place; buy an all day transit pass ($9/ea), and just use the local buses to get around and see the sights like Grouse Mt, Capilano suspension bridge, QE Park, Granville Island, Stanley Park etc etc. Then, grab your luggage, grab the Canada Line Skytrain (subway) back toward the airport, and check into your airport hotel (assuming that's the area you're staying at). All on a $9 all day pass.[/QUOTE]

If you do the transit pass, there is also Lansdale Q (Public Market and speciality shops). Short ride across the harbor on the seabus ferry that departs from Waterfront station just next to Canada Place.