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Whistler or Vancouver Pre Cruise


Tedferg
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Four of us are doing Alaska Northbound from Vancouver to Anchorage and planning two nights pre-cruise. We are thinking of renting a car at 3:00pm at airport, driving to Whistler for two nights and returning to cruise port on Sail Day with 4:30 departure.

 

We have been to Vancouver and Whistler briefly a long time ago, so memories are dim.

 

Wonder if it might be less hassle simply to stay two nights in Vancouver. Whistler and the drive are appealing, however we'd need a big vehicle with luggage for four, plus car pick up and drop off etc. Might be biting off too much.

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We haven't been to Whistler but have spent a number of nights before various cruises and train rides (Rocky Mountaineer) in Vancouver. We think it is a lovely city and there is certainly plenty to keep you occupied for 2 days. If you want to get out of the city, try the Capilano Suspension Bridge or Grouse Mountain. Excursions start downtown and transportation is via trolley to either/both locations.

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I think you actually answered your own questions OP! Yes, of course it's less hassle to stay in Vancouver; but the drive to Whistler is gorgeous (if you avoid rush hour commuter traffic). Unless you are outdoorspeople, you'll be bored in a day though - even if you do literally every possible 'cultural' activity in Whistler (there's now a big art gallery as well as the SLCC so maybe 5-6 hours total of indoorsy interesting things to do)...

 

Since you've visited both before, why not stay downtown but rent a car for your whole day? Drive up, take in the scenery, have a nice lunch, drive back again. Spend arrival afternoon/evening, second evening, and embarkation morning in vancouver doing the new stuff that opened since you were last here.

 

This way no concerns about car problems, rockfalls, or commuter crashes on the bridges making you late on embarkation day too... or having to drive right through Vancouver during rush hour on the way in! By the time you get through immigration/customs and pick up the car, if your flight is on time you'd likely be hitting the road by 4pm at best, downtown core 4:30pm, which puts you right into the heart of the utter sh*tstorm that is northbound commuter traffic over either bridge to the North Shore!

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Whistler is beautiful but it really is geared toward outdoor activities. There is Whistler Village with shops and such, but as martincath said, if you are not into mountain biking, hiking, and other outdoor activities, ONE day is all you need.

 

Alternatively, you might look into Squamish. We went there last month for our anniversary and took the gondola up. It was phenomenal. Squamish in itself does not have much to offer (in my opinion), but the drive is shorter than driving to Whistler and is equally as stunning. You can spend several hours at the top of the gondola lookout, walking various trails to other lookout points. Gorgeous.

 

My advice is to stay in Vancouver and plan a (half) day trip to Squamish for the gondola. Here is the link, if you decide:

 

https://www.seatoskygondola.com/

.

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Karen's right that Squamish has become a bit more of an attraction with the gondola - personally I feel that most of the good views are also on the first half of the trip, as that's where you get both sea and mountains! There's a handy tourist guide to the various spots along the way, here. The Brittania Mining Museum is excellent, and you really need a car rental to do that - the gondola offers transportation from Vancouver, and any day trip to Whistler usually has a stop at Squamish or Shannon Falls (or both, one on the way up and the other on the way down) to split the ride a bit but otherwise the bus tours are inflexible. Car is cheaper, even for a solo driver, than that tour as well!

 

Compared to a car, where you can pull in at any of the many viewpoints, bus ride is really only of benefit to the driver (even after the many improvements to safety of the road for the Olympics, it can be a b*gger of a drive for folks used to urban driving or multi-lane highways - but if you're someone who actually enjoys driving it's nice if you can manage to avoid tourists who freak out and stamp on the brakes every time they see a curve!) But if you keep your eyes on the road ahead except when you stop at the viewpoints you still get the nice views, and most importantly keep you and your passengers alive;-)

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I agree that a day trip to Whistler, or just the first night there but not the second night, is a safer bet than driving back from Whistler the day of the cruise. That road gets closed for accidents all the time, sometimes for hours. I wouldn't risk it. But the drive is beautiful, and much better if you can pull off and look at the viewpoints rather than riding a bus.

 

Public transit from YVR downtown is via the Skytrain, and it's very easy to find and straightforward to get there. But with luggage for 4 I might opt for a cab instead. Just depends how well you travel with luggage for 4.

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I would stick with Vancouver. As pointed out Whistler is much more outdoors oriented and mostly skiing. We were there in August on a Harley ride and loved the village. But not much to do unless you want to hike or mountain bike.

 

If you have time in Vancouver visit the police museum. It was right across from police HQ in a little hidden building. It's very cool and unique way to spend a few hours.

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Thanks again Karen and Martin. One last piece of the puzzle, getting from YVR to Downtown, I think Martin mentioned in another thread that public transit was best option, any thoughts with luggage for four ?

There's never just one 'best' option;-) Like 'Mighty Mo' I'd suggest a cab is actually the best bet for 4 people - at $31 fixed rate to almost all downtown hotels it's actually CHEAPER than SkyTrain for 4 adults!

 

Downside of a cab for four - unless you are all traveling fairly light, most cabs won't be able to handle you and your luggage. Prius models make up about 80% of the fleets locally, and unless it's the biggest hatchback variant you will not get four suitcases in the trunk. You may have to pass up a few other cabs before a Minivan appears (they make up ~17% of the fleet, and are designed for wheelchair users so the polite thing to do is check nobody in line behind you NEEDS an accessible cab before you take it...) which will definitely handle 4 people and plenty of bags. Same price regardless of cab size.

 

If you can afford one of the handful of hotels close to the pier, you can afford the extra $4 for the fixed-rate cab ride to that part of town;-)

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There is plenty to do in Whistler in the Spring/Summer/Fall without being a world class athlete. Just off the top of my head, you can ride the peak to peak gondola, check out the new suspension bridge, walk the village, swim, kayak, zipline, take a forest canopy tour, golf, bike, hike, eat at a world class restaurant, shop, see the Olympic venues, and take in some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Plus most weekends in the summer there is some kind of event going on (wine, concerts, fairs, etc.).

 

Squamish is nice for a stop on the way up or down but definitely dont stay there unless you like eating at The White Spot (Canadian Denny's).

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My feeling is don't forget where you're going. While the Sea to Sky Highway is lovely, you're going to be seeing a lot of fabulous roadside scenery at the end of your cruise. Just the drive (or train) from Seward into Anchorage will knock your socks off and I'd argue it's the scenic equal of the Whistler road if not its superior.

 

On the other hand, in Vancouver you've got one of the world's most beautiful and cosmopolitan cities with so many things to see and do that it's silly - and VERY few of them will be repeated in Alaska. Just a "top of the head" listing - google these for a start:

 

- Fabulous dim sum in Richmond (south of Vancouver) or the Night Market in the summer.

- Wonderful parks and gardens, including Stanley Park and Queen Elizabeth II Park with its gardens and Bloedel Constervatory.

- Lynn Canyon with its free alternative to the touristy Capilano suspension bridge

- The Punjabi market for all your Indian apparel needs ;)

- Bard on the Beach, a terrific Shakespeare festival with plays in tents overlooking the downtown skyline.

- Steveston, Vancouver's fishing port, used in various TV shows including Once Upon a Time.

- Granville Island with its farmers market, restaurants and galleries.

- Beaches like the Spanish Banks with views of the city skyline and mountains behind Vancouver.

... and more.

 

Spanish Banks -

 

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Bard on the Beach -

 

p-photoblimp-6579_54_990x660_201404231305.jpg

 

Lynn Canyon bridge -

 

dsc_8241.jpg?itok=n2BZXdhC

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