HOHO w/Airport Transfer (Princess excursion)

Our ship arrives in Vancouver at 7:30A. Our flight doesn't leave until midnight.

Considering the Princess excursion of HOHO w/airport transfer as it is from 9A-6P. The description states luggage will be taken to airport, and a train ticket to airport is included in excursion price of $84.95. As expensive as this seems to me, it looks to be the best option for filling the most hours before flight while having luggage safely stored.

My question is are we required to go to the airport at 6P to retrieve our luggage (which still leaves 6 hours until flight) or can we go later at 8 or 9P after having dinner in town and still be able to retrieve our luggage and go through security/immigration?

Advice needed from anyone having experience with this situation, please!

Anxious to get this question settled in my mind. Will repost on the Princess board. Still looking for advice and/or alternative ideas...

No, you don't have to collect your bags at 6pm; the time limit is to ensure that your bags will definitely be at YVR, 6pm is the earliest flight time that the bag transfer allows.

While I do recommend doing this combo, I do not recommend booking through Princess (or any other cruiseline, they all jack up the pricing way too much). They are literally reselling you the services of CDS Baggage who operate storage at the pier and airport. The a la carte service is CAD$40 for the first 4 bags then $10 per additional. A HOHO ticket runs approx CAD$45 with either service - the trolley has more stops but smaller vehicles than WestCoast - depending on your age. A SkyTrain ticket is only CAD$2.85 if you travel after 6:30pm, and only $4.10 even if you were traveling before then (again, less for kids/seniors). Exact total per person depends how many of you are dividing the bag transfer fee, but worst case even a solo adult traveler is being charged an extra few bucks by Princess etc. and 4+ people splitting it are looking at only ~CAD$60 apiece (~US$47).

That's a very hefty uptick in price for the convenience of making one payment instead of three...

Thanks, martincath! I appreciate the info, names and prices. I will research the opening/closing times and policies of CDS Baggage. It will be just my husband and I, both youngish and fit seniors, and the Sky Train sounds like a good choice for us. That enables us also to choose the HOHO company that was recommended - do you happen to know the name?

You helped me with hotel and getting to cruise port earlier. You are truly an asset to info on Vancouver! Thanks again!

I found the thread with the name of the Vancouver Trolley as the best one. Off I go to do research! Thank you, martincath!!

^Thank you for the kind words, and yes personally I'd pick the trolley for the greater number of stops. CDS offices at the airport (one per terminal) stay open until at least 11:30pm, so there's no worry about them being closed before you need to get your bags (they open at the pier only when there are ships in port, and close much earlier, 4pm IIRC, so the bag transfer service is definitely a better idea).

If you only have a bag apiece and feel you could wheel them to SkyTrain OK (less than a quarter mile from the pier to nearest station) then just storing your bags with the bell staff at the Pan Pacific hotel is even cheaper (reports from the last several years indicate $5 per bag). Downside is that you have to go back for them, so depending where you want to eat dinner this could be no problem or pretty inconvenient. SkyTrain to the airport (the Canada Line) has tons of room for luggage with extra legroom and space under every seat, and if you're traveling at 9 or 10pm there will be few fellow passengers.

Thank you! You have answered all my questions for Vancouver. We spent a few days in Vancouver several years ago, and stayed downtown at the Sheraton. We walked all over! It is a fabulous city!

So, are you saying that the Pan Pacific will store bags even though we have no reservations there? That is something to keep in mind. Again, THANKS!

So, are you saying that the Pan Pacific will store bags even though we have no reservations there? That is something to keep in mind. Again, THANKS!

Yes - while I haven't done it personally (easier to just walk home with the suitcases!) there have been many, many reports of cruisers using the PP for luggage storage without a reso.