One day in Vancouver

DH and I will be arriving in Vancouver on 5/24/18 to begin our cruise 5/26. The flight arrives at 1 in the morning so we won't get an early start on the day. Walking for one of us is with a Rollater walker. Will we be able to do much for that one shortened day? Think our hotel is near airport, about 1/2 mile from Skyrail so would need to find transportation there but then could get into city. We are in mid-60's and lots of walking will not work out!

I'd advise changing hotels. While the airport offers a discount compared to downtown in general, there are deals to be had (e.g. YWCA Hotel downtown is cheaper than anything else in the region that's worth staying in, gets great reviews, and makes a good base for short walks to HOHO pickup, restaurants, etc.)

If you were just arriving, sleeping, and heading to the ship next morning then an airport hotel can make sense, but even the best-located ones add at least 70 minutes travel time a day to downtown and back (and if you have to take hotel shuttles to YVR or SkyTrain, it can easily be 90-120mins a day wasted). Not sure from your post whether you actually mean you arrive at 1am on 25 May or 24 May - i.e. whether you have two days pre-cruise or just one before your ship departs 26 May - but either way, it's a short enough time that you will have to prioritize so any wasted time traveling is best avoided.

HOHO would be a good start - you can just stay on for the loop tour for about half the price of a 'regular' coach tour that goes to fewer places. If you do take advantage of the hopping on and off to sightsee, then the fact that you are able to go at your own pace is another win for HOHO - no hustling to get back or having to miss out on things more than a few mins walk away because you have to be back in 10mins to head off to next stop! While wheelchairs are not well-accommodated on the Troleey HOHO (few vehicles have a chairlift), as long as you can handle a few small steps on and off the trolley you should be OK with your rollator. The other HOHO company has larger buses of various types, but the trolley goes more places so that's the one I personally recommend.

Other things to see/do - suggest you start with tripadvisor, figure out which sites interest you. Downtown is very compact - even with mobility issues, getting around may be feasible on foot between many attractions and cab fares are very cheap: from one end of downtown to the other is only about $7 unless traffic is heavy. Transit passes for all day are less than $10, but bus routes are not optimised for sightseeing. Free shuttles to Capilano Bridge & Grouse Mountain, probably the most popular attractions outside Vancouver proper, run from downtown - but while these are both very popular, they're not very friendly to the mobility-challenged so you would not be able to explore all of them. Rough ground, slopes, dirt etc. to deal with.

If one of you has good legs & balance, renting a tandem bike might be an option - or adult tricycles are also available. The Seawall is best seen by bike - it's pedestrian and bike only. Some parts you can just walk on and off from HOHO, bus stops, regular roads easily - but the best bits, like the loop around Stanley Park, you really have to be able to cover at least a mile or two under your own steam. If that's not possible, then getting off at the HOHO stops inside Stanley park does cover a decent range of the same views in chunks.

Thank you for all of that info! Had to laugh about renting a tandem bike as my balance is practically nonexistent and I wouldn't be able to get off and on easily - but thanks for the suggestion. You really know Vancouver! Since we are not tied into a hotel, I will give serious thought to what you said!

I too recommend you take a downtown hotel - your savings will be eaten up in transit costs and the biggest factor is waste of precious time!

My favorite attractions are Grouse Mountain, Capilaon Suspension Bridge, Stanley park, GasTown, Fly Over Canada & Queen Elizabeth Park

If you have mobility issues I would suggest you spend the money for a tour with a company such as Sea to Sky

that will make best use of your short time here

Normally, I would encourage a visit to Capilano. However, Capilano is a poor value as you will not be able to cross any of the attraction bridges with a rollator.

I think Grouse would be a better choice.... then again are the minor hills outside the chalet an issue?