em-sk

2 minutes ago, SCOOBY3015 said:

@6rugrats thank you for responding - it’s an economy ticket from Toronto to BCN

 

@klfrodo thank you for the info - good point, I think I will cancel and book my own airfare

I was thinking that there was an opportunity to upgrade at the counter. Like when they make announcements for passengers waiting to board a flight, if they would like to upgrade if there are seats available …. but I guess they don’t do that anymore

I am assuming your on Air Canada.  

The good news is Barcelona is not a major business destination out of Canada.  So there are not going to be a lot of paid business class passengers.  That means there are more seats available for upgrade.  

Air Canada uses a biding process where online you identify how much your willing to pay to get an upgrade.  They usually clear all of these upgrades and the ones from their loyalty program around 48 hours before departure.   Bid as early as you can, they will sometimes clear them early, especially if they need to free up seats in economy.

This is where you can go to bid:

https://upgrade.plusgrade.com/offer/AirCanada?lang=en

Nearly all the widebodies AC aircraft are three class aircraft.  Economy, Premium Economy and International Business Class (branded as Signature Class). 

Premium Economy is similar to what your would call domestic First Class in the US.  Not a true international business class seat but a definite upgrade.

There may be one of two widebodies floating around with just two classes, economy and premium economy that is much closer to business class.  I think they usually get allowed to the flights to Algeria and Morocco.   

I have done the Jewel, Jade and EPIC.  

The Solo meetup on NCL is fine.  You have to keep in mind NCL programs are by design very unstructured.  You can attend the meet up if you want to or not.  The host will organise dinner reservations if people want to go to a specific restaurant as a group.   Some people will want to do dinner others will chat about port calls and maybe organise something on their own.  There is no fixed agenda/program that is in anyway pushed the ship.

The Studio on the larger ships have that shared lounge that is only available to those in studios.  Not all singles are in studio and depending on pricing sometimes it may be cheaper to get a different type of cabin as a single. 

The studio has a cappuccino machine and I always liked the continental breakfast.  You can start your day sitting down in a quite place with a coffee and pastry without the rush of the buffet.  

On 1/17/2023 at 8:42 AM, TeanneTX said:

I will be traveling to Vancouver for a cruise and will be alone when I arrive.  I will need transportation to the Westin Bayshore.  Uber and a taxi are about the same price.  How is the availability of taxis and Ubers at the airport.  Also how safe and clean are the taxi's?  Just trying to find the safest and best option for me.  A private town car is too pricey now.

There is a taxi stand at both domestic and international arrivals.  I would not be worried about lack of taxis.  Your likely to get a Toyota hybrid and not a town car as a taxi.  A certain percentage will be van taxi's that are able to take a wheelchair.   The airport has some standards for things like vehicle age, driver training and how clean the taxi is.  They are safe, drives are trained and your heading to a fairly high end hotel in a nice part of the city.  As martincath said it is fixed price.  

Uber at airports always involves multiple people waiting looking for their car.  

I would not have security concerns about either option.

4 hours ago, shellyc said:

Thanks for the help.  We are probably going to go with AC from Newark to Vancouver.  

If I choose UA with one stop the fares are way higher.  Not worth the trouble. We will 

pay the checked luggage fees on CA if we have to.  No status with UA.

We are cruising to Hawaii so coming back it will be Honolulu to LAX, sleep over, and United

LAX to EWR.  DH is disable and cannot tolerate a long flight.  5 hours will be tough.

This is a bucket list trip for us retired 75+ seniors.  

The baggage fee from US to Canada is $30US for the first bag $50 for second.

Going back it is also $30 and $50 but in CDN.  Cheaper.  

So if each of you are bringing bags it is only $30 for each of you.

19 hours ago, shellyc said:

We are flying to Vancouver from Newark NJ in the fall for our one way Hawaii cruise.

We use United airlines and have a United Credit Card that allows 2 checked bags.

The only non stop from Newark to Vancouver is a codeshare with Air Canada.\

I can book the flight on United but cannot select seats.

My question is will AC allow the checked bag allowance and

When checking in online do I check in with United or AirCanada.   

In Newark AC uses Terminal A but UA uses Terminal C.  

which terminal do we go to for an international flight to Vancouver..

 

If your on the Air Canada non-stop you check in with Air Canada.  

You will need the locator or ticket number.  When you pull up the booking in Air Canada you can attach your Aeroplan or United miles number to the booking.  If there is any special benefits that cross over they will when doing that.  It is unusual to see credit card benefits cross over like that.

You should be able to select seats ahead of time on the Air Canada site.  Free if you have a Flex or higher economy ticket.  There is a fee if it is a lower class fee.  If you fly enough with united to get status in United's loyalty program that will also get you free bags on Air Canada.

What you may encounter is airlines on their websites may sometimes chose to supress some interline options that are available.  For example a Delta flight making a connection to an America flight.   These exist and a travel agency or a third party website will have access to all of these.  The airlines call center people may also have access to these.  As long as they are ticketed under the same ticket number there is nothing wrong with them in principle.  

Usually these more obscure interline flights are expensive.  However if its a cruise line that is working with unpublished rates these may sometimes have a combination of fares that makes it attractive.  

14 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

 

The BC connector does get you to downtown Victoria from the cruise ship terminal in Vancouver as I can see to book it.  Maybe it was shut down due to covid but able to book for 2023.  It’s very reasonable even with checked bags.  I was excited to find this option.  It takes almost 6 hours but the seaplane has pretty strict bag restrictions.  $1 per pound over 10 pounds pp could add almost another $200.  
 

I hadn’t thought about renting a car. It would give us the freedom to see more but would need to weigh that against hotel parking fees.  Or we could stay out of downtown too.  How’s daytime street parking in Victoria?  
 

Thanks for all the comments.  I’ve had to dig for information to do this and appreciate the help.  We’re experienced cruisers and know that getting off the ship is sometimes delayed.  Coming off a smaller ship ( Radiance) with status might get us off after suites but I think we’d still self assist.  We’ve just never debarked from Vancouver.  I’m guessing they don’t have facial recognition scanners like the the states.  It’s so fast now!  We were off an Oasis class ship last month, just kept walking, no waits at all.  

BC Connector will get you all the way to downtown.  They did suspend service for a short period during COVID but have added the service back.

I though there was mention in the threat earlier about car rental.  Victoria is a very walkable city and you can get buy without a car if your staying downtown.

Parking in downtown Victoria can be a bit challenging in summer.  The city owns several parkades that use the same pay parking systems as the street parking.  You can pay at the machines or using the app.  Parking is $3 for 1 hour $5 for 2 hours; $6 for 3 hours etc.

3 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Hoping that you’ll see this and respond.  We are thinking of doing this after our Cruisetour to Alaska.  We see the only option for the BC connector is 8:55 am to catch the bus to the ferry to Victoria.  I assume you think this is doable.  We’d have to self debark with all our checked bags and clear customs.  Waiting for checked bags would take too long I’m sure.  I’m wondering how late the ships get cleared in Vancouver. I guess last resort if we miss the bus we grab a cab and try to make the 11:00 ferry. 

 

In checking air, we found no additional cost flying from Victoria back to Dallas rather then Vancouver and hotels are less in Victoria then Vancouver so it’s sounds like a win win if we can make the bus. We’ll have 48 hours to explore Victoria so hope to do Butchart Gardens and explore downtown.  

If your looking at having a rental car in Victoria my suggestion would be do the BC Ferries Connector from Downtown Vancouver to Swartz Bay Terminal.   With that setup you would take the Connector onto the ferry but you would be walking off the ship on the Victoria side.

There are always a stand of taxis at the Swartz Bay terminal and it is a very short taxi ride from their to the Victoria Airport where you can pickup a rental car.  That way your pickup and returning your rental at the same place.

2 hours ago, martincath said:

Definitely shop around for the rental car - all airport locations are forced to add a hefty extra airport fee, over 20%, but due to volume/competition they might still be the cheapest especially for a drop at a different location... if you don't mind taking transit downtown once to collect the car, returning it to the same place will probably result in keener pricing. Costco membership can also easily pay for itself with a couple of days car rental - especially if you want to have a second driver as that is included with Costco and usually costs extra otherwise.

I would second the comment on Costco.  Over the last year or so I have found the best deal on car rental in Canada through Costco. 

On 10/31/2022 at 4:51 AM, njsmom said:

I booked both the Pan Pacific and the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver for our July 2023 cruise and need to figure out which to keep and which to cancel. The Pan Pacific includes a free breakfast at their hotel restaurant and luggage transfer to the ship for $508 a night. The Fairmont is $448 a night. No breakfast. So pretty comparable once you add in breakfast. Those prices include all taxes, etc. Will the Fairmont take our bags to the port? Which hotel is easiest and prettiest and offers the best service? The Fairmont Pacific Rim was about $150 more, so I ruled it out. 

Unless you have a lot of bags the cruise ship transfer is not a big deal.  The cruise terminal is located on a lower level below the Pan Pacific.  Across the street from the Fairmount Waterfront.

Both are very nice hotels.

On 1/12/2023 at 6:30 PM, Rick2594 said:

Myself, my wife, father-in-law and his significant other will be in Vancouver from Sep 6 - 8 prior to our Alaska cruise. Would greatly appreciate any advice of things to do and the best way to get around. Our tentative plan is to stay at a hotel by the airport and rent a car. The day of the cruise I'm hoping to drop the others at the cruise terminal and return the car to a rental agency near the port. I'd then figure a way to get back to the port. My father-in-law and his friend are both in their 80's and have some mobility issues which is why I thought a car rental may work best. 

 

Any feedback is welcome as to our tentative plans and things to do in or near Vancouver. Thanks!

I would normally suggest public transit, Skytrain (metro/subway system in Vancouver) is excellent.  However with the mobility issues having a car may make sense.  

The port is actually a terminal in downtown Vancouver. If you google for it is called "Canada Place".   The Canada Place complex has the convention center on the ground level; Pan Pacific hotel above;  Cruise Terminal is on a lower level under the convention center.   It is surrounded by high-rise condo towers and office buildings. 

You will find most major car rental outlets will have outlets within a few blocks of the cruise terminal however they are located in parkades of office towers.  So it is a bit tricky to find.

There are lots of attraction downtown including museums, galleries, etc.

The airport is located in an area called Richmond.  If your staying out in Richmond I would avoid the downtown venues and go for the ones with good parking. 

Stevenson Harbour is a historic fishing/canning area in Richmond.  Lots of historic buildings, some good restraints etc.

Richmond has a large Asian community.  There is a number of shopping complex that are full of Asia shops.   Aberdeen Centre would be the main one.

You probably don't want to come all this way to do shopping but their is outdoor outlet mall near the airport.

Going over the bridge into Vancouver,... 

If you are in to gardens Queen Elizabeth Park has a fantastic view of the city, a conservatory and rose garden and a restraint with a great view of the city.  Vandusen botanical garden is traditional garden.  There is also a Japanese Garden at the University of British Columbia.  I would normally suggest the Museum of Anthropology however they are closed for seismic upgrades.

Granville Island in Vancouver has a public market in a historic building, lots of artisan workshops and specialty shops surrounding it. 

The Vancouver Museum is also outside the downtown core and tends to have revolving exhibits.  

In North Vancouver.....

If you don't mind driving, Grouse Mountain is in North Vancouver and there is a gondola that takes you up to the top of the mountain.  

12 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We are doing a cruise tour in July starting in Fairbanks and we end in Vancouver.  I need some advice from experienced Canadians.  
The DH has been to Vancouver several times on business so has experience with hotels and restaurants but didn’t do much sightseeing.  I’ve been to Victoria once 25 years ago for a few hours ( from Seattle on the clipper) and have always wanted to go back for a longer visit.  
 

We only have Friday from the time we get off the ship until a flight sometime Sunday as the DH has to get back to work.

Do we go to Victoria or stay in Vancouver downtown.  Is going to Victoria too ambitious for about 24 hours?  
 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

My advise is find a hotel in downtown Vancouver, explore Vancouver and then catch Amtrak on Saturday from Vancouver to Seattle.  Spend some time in Seattle and gab your flight on Sunday.

If you don't want to spend time in Seattle there are shuttle buses from Vancouver direct to the airport in Seattle.   However the train is a much more comfortable experience.

Save Victoria for a future trip.  

4 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Thanks for the information!  We have been to the Aberdeen Centre mall and it is nice.  Very Asian area which was a surprise given Canada.

Figure we will walk to the Casino for a bit of gambling and dine there,

 

The stretch between the Casino is a bit of transition area from industrial/warehousing to retail.  That said it is perfectly safe.  No 3 Road would the main road, but there is also a short cut along a path between some industrial building.   It is a safe area.  

1 hour ago, SCOOBY3015 said:

That makes perfect sense, thank you ☺️
I will review the link, not sure if it’s Air Canada

All the airlines have medical desks.  If you let them know in advance they will arrangement if required ahead of time. 

45 minutes ago, SCOOBY3015 said:

Not sure if this is the right place to post this question, so please excuse the imposition….

I have mediations that need to be refrigerated, how is this handle on a long haul flight?
Traveling to Barcelona from Detroit in May. Connection is in Canada. Flight is 12 hours.

Any info would be appreciated 😊

I think the normal expectation is for the passenger to bring their medication in a cooler and the airline can provide ice in flight if needed.  

I am assuming your on Air Canada.  If so they have a medical desk that makes those types of special arrangements.   There some contact info under the questions tab.  You could give them a call.  

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/plan/accessibility.html#/home:

3 hours ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

 

Do you have a source for the bolded part of your response?

 

Per the OP, Portugal seems to have indicated that the extension is valid only for Portugal when the extension is granted by Portugal.  This specific-country validity for extensions rule seems to be the same for the Netherlands:

https://ind.nl/en/short-stay/extension-of-a-schengen-visa-or-visa-exempt-period#requirements-for-extension-of-schengen-visa-or-visa-exempt-period- 

 

OP,  you should really talk to the Spanish consulate.  Could you apply to Spain for the extension as well?

The reference you have is causing me to second guess what I said.  The EU wording is weird....

European Union common questions:  

"15 I have a valid long stay visa/residence permit for a country that is part of the Schengen area. Do I need another visa to travel to other Schengen states?

No. A long stay visa or a residence permit issued by a Schengen State allows you to travel or stay in other Schengen States, while respecting the maximum duration of a “short stay” (a stay of "90 days in any 180 day period")."

https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/frequently_asked_questions_en.pdf

I have had some family/friends stay longer in Portugal and usually already have to leave enter via another country given how flights work out.  

I looked it up on the Portuguese website and it is different there as well: 

     https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/prorrogar-permanencia/

10 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

What hotels are in the airport area of Vancouver.  Thinking of Hilton or Marriott properties or something similar.  Must have airport shuttle.

 

Perhaps a bit more upscale.  The Fairmount Vancouver Airport is actually in the terminal building and a very nice hotel.  

Pacific Gateway Hotel has a shuttle bus.  It is an independent brand but comparable.  There is a nice restaurant on a pier that stretches into the river.  This is on the airport property and mostly surrounded by airport buildings.  The same shuttle will take you to the outlet mall.

As others have suggested the River Rock Casino is on the Canada  (subway) Line that is closest to the hotel.  This is mostly an industrial area.   Not a lot outside the casino and a few other hotels.

The Vancouver Airport Marriot Hotel in Richmond has a free shuttle.  It is located in Richmond town center.  That area around the hotel is very walkable.  Good number of restraints and coffee shops etc.  Just across the street is Richmond center that is a major shopping center.  Hudson's Bay Company is the major anchor department store but it has a wide selection of all the major brands from the Apple store to footlocker.  More suburb feel than downtown Vancouver.  Lots of Asian restraints and shops.  

On 1/9/2023 at 1:58 AM, gatguy11 said:

Hi, We are Canadians with a Spanish Visa question. We will have been in Portugal for over 90 days but were extended another 90 days by Portugal, However this cruise stops at 4 Spanish ports. We contacted Norwegian's affiliate VisaCentral who told me they cannot help.  Will we have problems boarding in Lisbon with an extended Schengen Visa extension that is supposedly only good for Portugal because we go to Spain as well? Please help, Robert.

Your asking what NCL is going to do.  That is a good question.   They may not even notice or may be confused.

Generally a Schengen visa extension or long stay visa is just that.  It may be issued by one of the countries in the region but valid across the entire region.    

There is effectively no passport check between Portugal and Spain.  Not clear anyone in Spain would even be looking at any visas or passports. 

Are you on one of these cruises that stops in Morocco?  If so you are leaving Schengen and re-entering.  So the period starts all over again.   

If your in Canada trying to talk to Portugal's consulate good luck.  I find they are very hard to get a hold of.

On 1/4/2023 at 6:43 PM, Fouremco said:

There is no Canadian proof of vaccination as proof is issued by the provinces, not by the federal government. For Alberta, the proof can be found at https://covidrecords.alberta.ca/home

It is a weird one. It is a federal government of Canada document that is generated by the provincial government.   You will notice it has a provincial logo in the left and the government of Canada logo in the right.

The feds have standing and agreement with other countries who will accept and may verify the document.  While provinces have the raw data that is needed to populate it.   Same thing with the old fashion vaccine passports that have been used for years.  The federal government would supply blank passport books to the provincial health regions who would complete and issue them updating the federal database in the process when issues or updated.

10 hours ago, strobellayjam said:

We were required to provide proof of vaccination on our recent flight on West Jet into the United States. 

I used WestJet to the US last week.  Was asked to confirm that I was vaccinated as part of online checkin but was not asked to update proof.   Was not asked at US customs in Calgary on the connection.  

However I agree with others, you should bring along proof of vaccination should someone ask for it.  Vaccination is a legal requirement for Canadians to enter the US.

18 hours ago, CeeCee59 said:

I will be traveling to New Zealand on a combination of flights - Air Canada to Vancouver, then Air New Zealand to Auckland.  The flights were purchased through EZ Air and final payment has been made.  When I try to manage my Air New Zealand booking (wanting to see how much it would cost to choose seats now) it tells me I have to check in at the airport.  Does anyone have experience with this?  I am concerned that since I will arrive at the Domestic Terminal at YVR, usually we would just be able to go to the international terminal without having to go outside the secure area and check-in through the main part of the airport.  Perhaps it is just to early for me to do this? 

Air New Zealand and Air Canada are codeshare partners.  Air Canada will very likely issue you a Air New Zealand boarding pass. in Terrace or online when you check in for the first fight.  If seats assignments are not available for some reason it will likely say something "to be assigned".. 

if for some reason Air Canada can't print the boarding pass, just bring along a copy of your booking to show them. to go from domestic to international.   

9 hours ago, KristiK said:

Thanks everyone. I'm on a Carnival cruise. I'll take a look at the price in the cruise shop before we stop in Cozumel and see if there is any real difference. If I remember they often have a sale in the cruise ship store on the last night that might make it cheaper.

If you want a bench mark.  Pre ordering the 1L bottles on Air Canada duty free is $35 CDN (or $28 if buying two bottles).  Delivered to your seat on your return flight.  To take advantage of the option, you will need a friend to walk the second bottle through Canadian customs.  

https://acdutyfree.com/crown-royal-canadian-whisky-1l

Should note, it is only offered on flights leaving Canada. So you probably don't want to do this but it provides a bench mark.

On 12/29/2022 at 8:00 PM, Hlitner said:

Did I see 1hr 3 min to change at ATL from international to domestic?  That would be nearly impossible, especially with any checked luggage.  ....

 

When we go through ATL from International to Domestic we like to have a minimum of 2 hours.

 

Hank

The OP is heading to Canada so it sounds like it be International to International.  They indicated it would be a Delta-WestJet connection.

International-International are rare at US airports to the point I don't think any of them are setup to do that type of connection without claiming bags or bypassing US customs for the hour or two your in the US.   Most US airports don't even have separate international concourses.  

Much better to make that type of connection in Europe or Canada.

On 12/27/2022 at 4:20 AM, runner2013 said:

Thanks everyone for the tip about the credit card. Never even thought of that. 

We're thinking the Abercorn hotel in Richmond, hopefully that will keep us under the $50.00 range. 

Should we also tell the front desk when they call to let the taxi company know we will be using a credit card to pay? 

Patty

The two wine/lquor stores that are within walking distance to your hotel are around a 10 minute walk.  They are going to be fairly small retail locations with some selection but not a lost of speciality items. 

JAK'S Beer Wine Spirits  at 8555 Sea Island Way #135, Richmond, BC V6X 0A8

    and

Bridgeport Liquor Store at 3031 Beckman Pl, Richmond, BC V6X 3R2

If you want to get a felling for what is offered, they have an online shopping option at https://www.jaks.com/

If you want a larger selection your going to want to go over to a BC Liquor store or get a hotel near one.

Yes, I would do credit cards.  You can also do Uber if that is an option your comfortable with. 

On 12/24/2022 at 3:33 AM, gold1953 said:

I often see direct flights costing a lot more than flights with a stop over. Boggles my mind!

When the flight is setup they allocate a certain number of seats to each fare class code  (that letter code) as the cheap seats sell out only the more expensive ones are available.  Usually that means if its a popular city pair the cheap seats on the direct flight sell out first before the connecting ones.