back to back in Vancouver

[Camelia-]

Hi there,

 

We're considering doing back to back cruises in Sept. (Seattle to Vancouver on the Royal Princess and Vancouver to Hawaii on the Carnival Spirit) I have a few questions before I actually decide.

 

We'll be coming in on the morning of the 14 Sept and then boarding the Spirit later in the day. I think that both ships are docked at Canada Place. So..what to do with the luggage those few hours between getting off the Royal and reboarding the Spirit? Are there hotels nearby where one can store luggage for a few hours for a fee?

 

Another question I have is: what is the best way of getting from Vancouver to Seattle? Instead of flying straight to Seattle we wanted to spend a couple of days in Vancouver first and then make our way to Seattle. Is Amtrak the best way? What about shuttle or bus? I have no idea of the distance or time involved.

 

Any advice would definitely be appreciated!

 

Camelia

[Putterdude]

Hi there,

 

We're considering doing back to back cruises in Sept. (Seattle to Vancouver on the Royal Princess and Vancouver to Hawaii on the Carnival Spirit) I have a few questions before I actually decide.

 

We'll be coming in on the morning of the 14 Sept and then boarding the Spirit later in the day. I think that both ships are docked at Canada Place. So..what to do with the luggage those few hours between getting off the Royal and reboarding the Spirit? Are there hotels nearby where one can store luggage for a few hours for a fee?

 

Another question I have is: what is the best way of getting from Vancouver to Seattle? Instead of flying straight to Seattle we wanted to spend a couple of days in Vancouver first and then make our way to Seattle. Is Amtrak the best way? What about shuttle or bus? I have no idea of the distance or time involved.

 

Well first I can confirm that both ships will be using Canada Place. There is a baggage check service right at the terminal called Priority Baggage Service link or is possible to check it at the bell desk of the Pan Pacific Hotel which is part of Canada Place or take it across the street and do the same at Farimont's Waterfront Hotel.

 

In terms of getting to Seattle from Vancouver, Amtrak is an excellent option which is enjoyed by many cruisers they have a late afternoon departure from Vancouver and then there is Quick Coach which also very popular. link Quick Coach operates a regular schedule but I would allow about 5 hrs to get to Vancouver to Seattle.

[BCHappyGal]

Hi here is some ideas on fun things to do in Vancouver during your visit....

 

Info on Vancouver from a local!

 

My favorite must do attractions are

 

1) Grouse Mountain – http://www.grousemountain.com – this is a wonderful scenic mountain only about 15 mins from downtown Vancouver. Ride the airtram to the top for lots of fun activities that include a loggers show, birds of prey show, 2 movies (1 about the Vancouver area and 1 about the 2 Grizzly Bears who make their home on Grouse Mtn) ride a chair lift and visit with 2 live Grizzly Bears. Enjoy a meal in any of the restaurants. Caveat only spend the money to go up on a clear day.

2) Capilano Suspension Bridge – http://www.capbridge.com – this is Vancouver’s oldest tourist attraction and I still enjoy visiting it! Located on Capilano Road just before you reach the Grouse Mountain parking lot. Walk across a suspension Bridge over the Capilano Gorge, wonder the trails thru the rain forest, walk thru the treetops on the new Tree Top Adventure, visit the trading post for a huge selection of souvenirs, watch native weavers and/or carvers at work.

3) Capilano Fish Hatchery is also located on Capilano Road and is a great place to view salmon jumping up the fish ladders to get around the Cleveland Dam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capilano_River_Regional_Park

4) Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge is also located in North Vancouver and is much less touristy than Capilano but it also is not as spectacular. The bridge is slightly higher above the water but much shorter in span. Located in a Provincial Park this bridge comes with some nice hiking trails and you will find an ecology centre in the park as well as picnic tables and a food concession outlet. Should you choose to enjoy the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge always cross the suspension bridge first and then hike down the trail to the lower (Twin Falls wooden) bridge to cross back over the Lynn Valley River and return to your car – that way you are hiking downhill rather than uphill. http://www.lynncanyonparkguide.bc.ca It is also free to visit this suspension bridge!

5) Stanley Park – http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/stanley/ - is the crown jewel of Vancouver's parks. As one of North America's largest urban parks, covering over a 1000 acres and offering an abundance of activities. Enjoy the totem pole collection near the Brockton Point Light House, hiking trails, beaches, water parks for the kids (young & old), rose gardens, miniature train, petting zoo, aquarium –http://www.vanaqua.org – many view points, and several restaurants. During the summer months there is a free shuttle bus that you can ride around the park on.

6) Gas Town – the location where Vancouver originated. The name is derived from a very colorful character named Gassy Jack who was one of the first settlers in the area and a salon keeper – while in Gas Town don’t miss your photo op with the statue of Gassy Jack and by the Steam Clock.

7) At the start of Gas Town is the Harbor Centre Tower http://www.vancouverlookout.com a great spot to start your tour of Vancouver with a birds eye view of the city. Either take the elevator up to the lookout level or go to the top and enjoy a meal in the revolving restaurant.

8) China Town is only about 6 blocks over from Gas Town and is the largest China Town north of San Francisco. While in China Town enjoy a visit to the Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Gardens http://www.classicalchinesegarden.com and also make sure you visit the world’s thinnest building it is only 6’ wide!

9) Granville Island – http://www.granvilleisland.com – is a huge public market area which not only sells fruit & veggies but you can also buy frozen fish to be shipped to your home. May artists make this their home and you can watch them at work in their studios – making this a great place to buy unique souvenirs. The Granville Island Brewery is also located here and you can stop in for a free tour & tastes. There are theatres for live performances and many fine restaurants. A fun way to get to Granville Island is via the Aquabus – http://www.theaquabus.com

10) Burnaby Village Museum – http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca – is an open air museum with over 30 restored homes, shops, school, church and a 1912 carousel situated on 10 acres

11) Gulf of Georgia Cannery – http://www.gulfofgeorgiacannery.com – is a restored fishing cannery located in the historic fishing village of Steveston (part of Richmond). Here you see exhibits that showcase the history of the fishing industry in British Columbia. Once finished in the museum it is great fun to walk along the fishing docks and see the fishing boats which are selling their catch. There are also some excellent restaurants located here.

12) The Vancouver Maritime Museum located on the shore of English Bay is fun for the whole family with lots of hands on exhibits for the kid in all of us. Here to you will find the ship St Roch which the RCMP sailed from Vancouver to Halifax via the Northwest Passage and then completed the return journey in 1944. You actually get to tour this ship. http://www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com

13) Queen Elizabeth Park – http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/QEPark01.htm -The 130 acre (52 hectare) park is one of the most beautifully maintained public parks in the world. Second only to Stanley Park in annual visitations, it receives nearly 6 million people a year who marvel at its superior standard of garden plantings.

The park was originally quarried for its rock which served to build Vancouver's first roadways. In 1929 the Board proceeded to acquire the property which had become an abandoned eyesore but still served as the site for two holding reservoirs for the City's drinking water. Dedicated as a park by King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (the present Queen's mother) on their much lauded visit to Vancouver in 1939.

14) Fort Langley is the restored wooden fort built by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post. It is the origin of British Columbia and was the first capital. This Fort is operated by the Federal Parks Board. http://www.pc,qc.ca/fortlangley

15) If you are a wine lover you might want to rent a car and spend a day visiting a few of the many excellent wineries located in the Fraser Valley only about a 1 hour drive from your hotel. Almost all of the wineries offer free tastes & tours.

16) If you are a real animal lover than don’t miss “Mountain View Conservation & Breeding Centre” It is located in Fort Langley about an hour drive from downtown Vancouver. Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre is a leading non-profit Canadian facility that breeds endangered species in family groups for re-introduction back into their natural habitat in Canada and around the world. This facility is not a zoo their goal is to breed rare and endangered wildlife and re-introduce these animals back into their natural habitats. Presently Mountainview hosts over 50 species of the world’s most threatened animals and birds. See animals such as the spotted dog from Africa, Giraffes, and much much more. Here you do not wonder around as in a zoo rather you are given a guided tour with commentary on each animal group. Check it out at http://www.mtnviewconservation.org

17) VanDusen Botanical Garden is a scenic 55- acre garden of international renown – a living museum of plants collected from around the world and artistically displayed amidst rolling lawns, woodlands and five tranquil lakes, all in the heart of Vancouver and just 15 minutes from downtown.

Due to Vancouver’s mild climate, plants bloom at the Garden year-round. This same climate creates a unique environment where plants from varying climate regions thrive and grow – at VanDusen you will see plants from the southern hemisphere, tropical areas and the high Arctic tundra along side native species. The Elizabethan Maze (one of only six in North America) provides year-round fun.

18) UBC Botanical Garden located at the University of British Columbia covers 110 acres and includes an Alpine, Asian, Native, Food, and Japanese Gardens. http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org

19) Dazzle your senses when you visit Minter Gardens nestled against 7000 foot Mt. Cheam in beautiful 'Super Natural' British Columbia. One of the most spectacular show gardens in the world! Eleven themed gardens are designed to dazzle the senses with massive displays of artistic floral designs.

Minter Gardens is located 90 minutes east of downtown Vancouver just off the Trans-Canada Hwy. #1 at exit #135. http://www.gardeningbc.com

[porsena]

Amtrak offers both train and bus service between Vancouver and Seattle, the mode depending on time of day. The trip takes three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half hours, with the bus being faster than the train(!).

 

You could fly but, given the roughly one-hour flight time, the requirement to check in super-early for a flight into the USA, the carry-on baggage limitation, the location of the Seattle airport, and the cost, it's probably the worst way to get there.

 

If you were to drive, the trip would take about three hours plus whatever time you'd spend waiting to complete the border formalities. It might take the same time overall as flying (or less) but it would be cheaper, even considering the substantial drop-off charge. My choice is Amtrak.

 

A more interesting way to get to Seattle, if you have the time, would be to visit Vancouver and then take a day looking around Victoria. From Victoria you could take a catamaran service to Seattle Harbour. The coach service between Vancouver and Victoria includes a scenic ferry crossing.

[mgonagl]

Thanks to all for the knowledgable information. We will be sailing the Carnival Spirit on September 14th and have been serching for many things. Thanks for the information on the Canada Place Port. I wasn't sure if Carnival would use it or not. We sailed out of Victoria on Princess a few years ago. It's important to me because we are coming in a day early and want to stay near the port. Now that I have that settled, I have one more issue to take care of.

 

My husband is a whale freak and he would like to take a whale watching excursion. We will be arriving at the Vancouver airport at noon, and by the time we check in and get settled, it shoud be around 2pm. Does anyone know of a reputable company near Canada Place that does whale watching excursions? Most that I have found from the Vancouver CVB requires so much travel that we wouldn't get back to the hotel before 11pm. I want him to take the tour, but I want to be able to enjoy the city a bit as well. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

[Putterdude]

In all candour I wouldn't bother with a whale watching excursion in Vancouver for the reasons you have already discovered. Unlike Victoria, Vancouver is just not a good whale watching destination....even if you did take one it would more than likely just turn into a sightseeing expedition...sorry.

[mgonagl]

Thanks for the response Putterdude, I appreciate it. He'll be very disapointed but 6 hours of travel for a 3 hour excursion is just too much. I guess we will have to come back and make it a longer stay!

[trophy_23]

The success rate for whale watching is generally pretty good for the local guys (out of richmond anyways), not sure about Vancouver.

[LeftcoastBC]

I was also going to mention Steveston (Richmond). They usually know where the J,K & L pods are. It takes a fairly long time to actually get out of the Vancouver Harbour to get to those same whales unless a pod happens to be north a bit.

 

http://www.stevestonivillage.com/stevestonwhalewatching.html

[Camelia-]

and suggestions! It's exciting to know that there is so much available and sad to know that we don't have the time to do everything that we want to do..but..that just means leaving something for the next visit!!

 

Camelia

[mgonagl]

Thanks Camelia, I will check it out.

[Putterdude]

Please do hurry back to British Columbia and try Victoria for a whale watching excursion, it is kind of the capital for whale watching. Right now there is not quite 90 killer whales (I have forgotten the exact number) in the 3 resident pods noted in a previous post but as they do follow the salmon for food there are no guarantees.:)

[LeftcoastBC]

Two of those Pods are usually up and down the Strait of Georgia on a daily basis and are Usually seen and found by the Steveston tours. Your best bet.

 

Of course with all wild life including ones own there are no guarantees. :)

Victoria based tours also "Use" those pods at times.