Help! 10:30am flight out of Vancouver

[tink24]

I am sailing on the Sapphire 5/8 and booked my return flight from Vancouver for 10:30am. Will I be able to make it to the airport on time? How far is Vancouver airport from the port? We plan to take a taxi and carry our bags off the ship. The ship is scheduled to aririve in port at 7:00am. Thanks for your help.

[Colo Cruiser]

I am sailing on the Sapphire 5/8 and booked my return flight from Vancouver for 10:30am. Will I be able to make it to the airport on time? How far is Vancouver airport from the port? We plan to take a taxi and carry our bags off the ship. The ship is scheduled to aririve in port at 7:00am. Thanks for your help.

 

Don't plan on disembarking till 8 or so, you are cutting it close.

About a 25 minute ride.

[donna5]

Good Luck!

[BobT172]

Best check and see if the two hour check-in rule for international flights still apply...

[paradiselivin1]

My TA told me that they weren't allowing people to book flights before noon time when we arrive. Don't know how they didn't catch that when you gave them your flight info. That sounds pretty tight!

[Colo Cruiser]

My TA told me that they weren't allowing people to book flights before noon time when we arrive. Don't know how they didn't catch that when you gave them your flight info. That sounds pretty tight!

 

You can book whatever time you want if you book your own flights.

If you enter a non compatible flight in the personalizer it will just say its not a good flight, thats it.

[Pam in CA]

Good luck. You might make it to the airport in time but it's unlikely you'll make it to the gate. Vancouver is a very busy international airport and check-in and security can take a long time. The last time I was there, it took an hour and a half to check in plus another 45 minutes to go through Security. PLUS, if you're flying to the U.S., you will also go through U.S. Immigration at the Vancouver airport before being allowed to go to your gate. When we were there, it took almost an hour to get through U.S. Immigration on top of all the other waits. I would never book any flight that didn't allow at least 2 1/2 hours just to check in, go through security and U.S. immigration. I think you're going to need "Plan B" 'cause if the ship arrives at 7pm, even if you're the first off the ship, it won't be until at least 8:00am or later.

[paul929207]

It sounds awful tight to me. You can look forward to a stressful morning to end your cruise. If you make it, everything is fine. But if you miss, you will spend a long day at the airport hoping that someone else does not show. You will probably have to pay to change you ticket to another flight and may very well have to pay for a hotel room and take an early flight the next day.

[cruiseryyc]

Change your flight to one that leaves after noon.

[Cruise Junky]

Definitely change your flight. You have to clear Canadian Immigration when getting off the ship, get your luggage, get a cab to the airport (30 Mins) then check in, go through US immigration, security. 10:30 is wayyyyy to close for comfort.

[Putterdude]

I agree, there is virtually no way you can make a 10:30 flight. Even the first people who self-disembark are seldom off much before 8, then you have to clear Canadian customs and wait in a cab line for sometimes 30 mins of more. The cab ride to YVR is 35 mins. You can shave a few mins off that by walking over to the Waterfront Station and catching the new Canada Line out to YVR...cost. $3.75 CDN and it will have you there in 26 mins. However even with self-disembarking and the Canada Line you won't be out at YVR much before 9. An 11 am would be the earliest I would want to book with the 2hr pre-check in time for US flights and noon would be safer. If you can't self-disembark then noon would be the earliest I would consider.

[dbeckett]

I too would see if you can change to a later flight but seen as how you said you are carrying off your own luggage try the Canada line instead of taking a taxi (it's what I plan to do in September).

 

http://tripplanning.translink.ca/hiwire?.a=iScheduleLookupSearch&LineName=999&LineAbbr=999

 

It gives information on travel time (26 minutes from Waterfront station to YVR).

[caribill]

try the Canada line instead of taking a taxi (it's what I plan to do in September).

 

(26 minutes from Waterfront station to YVR).

 

Is it easy to get luggage on/off this?

[Cruise Junky]

Is it easy to get luggage on/off this?

 

Yeah, it's meant for the airport, so there's tons of standing room for you and your luggage. There's elevators down too. You just really need to make sure you get the right train... there's two, one goes to Richmond and one to the airport. Need to get the YVR Train.

[Putterdude]

Is it easy to get luggage on/off this?

 

As previous poster has said, yes it is easy to move luggage off and on plus store it..,for instance under seats. However you need to be able to handle all of your own luggage and have a resonable degree of mobility, it is about a 2 block walk from Canada Place to Waterfront Station and some walking is required at YVR.

[englishbird]

I would definately change your flight. I stood in line at Canadian Immigration for over an hour after disembarking the Diamond last year. And Vancouver airport on a Saturday is busy, busy busy!!.

 

Good Luck

 

:)

[TM]

We flew out of Vancouver last July following our cruise on the Coral. This was by far the longest line we have ever been in, took us over 1 hour just to get to customs. This is with hauling our luggage most of the time. Then we still snaked our way to the security check, going through the security check was also very slow with the TSA opening bags and purses. I believe out flight out to CA was booked for 1:00. This is a awesome cruise, enjoy it!

[southpawsdakota]

Change your flights. Vancouver is the worse airport I have ever been in. Their system is terrible. It is hurry up and wait. Better to be sitting there with a later flight and not worry about catching a 10:30 a.m. flight. I just booked a one day cruise on the Sapphire coming in on the Golden the previous day just so I would not have to deal with that airport. I would rather have paid (I used priority points) but would have paid for a night in a hotel just to not deal with Vancouver.

[donna5]

Why would they want to take the Canada Line if they are in a hurry. Cabs are closer to where you disembark and can get you a lot closer to where you have to check in. I would think taking a cab would cut 15-30 minutes at least. (Now with a later flight and Canada Line being cheaper, then I would take it.)

[captainron]

Don't plan on disembarking till 8 or so, you are cutting it close.

About a 25 minute ride.

 

Princess docking at Canada Place is sched for 0700hrs. More than likely ship will be alongside and secured by 0730. First grouip of pax (carry your own) should be off by 0800-0815.

 

PROBLEM - If Princess is the only ship in you might be thru immigration and Canada Customs by 0845. Another 15 minutes to get up top by Pan Pacific for a cab makes it 0900. Cab trip to YVR is about 35kms/22mls through the city and may take anywhere from 30-45 minutes. All this leaving you a mere 1:45 to checkin, clear security and clear US Customs and Immigration.

 

For transborder flights you must checkin 90 minutes prior to your pull back time (dep time).

 

Now, that's a mere 15 minute leeway you as a pax have to play with should you book a 1030 departure. Even taking the Skytrain to YVR, you have to lug the luggage on/off the train and from the station in and through the terminal.

 

PROBLEM -

a. If there is more than one ship at Canada Place the am of the arrival, regardless if you are a walk off or not, your time appreciation goes right down the tubes.

b. If the ship is late arriving...your time appreciation goes right down the tubes.

c. If it takes longer than normal to clear the vessel once alongside...your time appreciation goes...you guessed it, down the tubes.

 

RECOMMEND FOR YVR DEP -

...that pax reconsider sched dep time for rtn flts to leave no earlier than 1200hrs.

 

HOW DOES CAPTAINRON KNOW? -

Have gone through Canada Place twice off a Princess vessel once the only ship in port (Coral) and secondly, the second of three ships (Golden). Have also lived in Metro Vancouver area for 14 years and seen ships arriving behind schedule (west coast weather or fog can play havoc even in summer).

 

Ciao for now!!!

[Cruise Junky]

Why would they want to take the Canada Line if they are in a hurry. Cabs are closer to where you disembark and can get you a lot closer to where you have to check in. I would think taking a cab would cut 15-30 minutes at least. (Now with a later flight and Canada Line being cheaper, then I would take it.)

 

Because the Skytrain is a direct line to the airport, no traffic and there could be a really lengthy cab line at the pier.

[Putterdude]

I agree, cab lines can be 30 minutes or longer, a cab takes 35 minutes as a minimum, the Canada Line is 26 minutes...now in fairness you have to connect with a train, which only runs every 6 minutes, you have a 7 minutes walk at each end. From a cost point of view a cab is $35+ Canada Line is $3.75 ($2.50 if over 65)....now just to confuse the issue if you are travelling from YVR to Waterfront Station you must add $5 to those fares but it only applies in that direction.

[donna5]

PROBLEM - If Princess is the only ship in you might be thru immigration and Canada Customs by 0845. Another 15 minutes to get up top by Pan Pacific for a cab makes it 0900. Cab trip to YVR is about 35kms/22mls through the city and may take anywhere from 30-45 minutes. All this leaving you a mere 1:45 to checkin, clear security and clear US Customs and Immigration.

 

 

You don't have to go up to the top near the Pan Pacific for a taxi, they will be in the parking garage where you exit the terminal. However if you see there is a wait for a taxi there, then haul it up to the street in front of the Pan and get one there.

 

After one cruise we were with another couple and shared a taxi, we were at the airport in no time, but our friends were scarred out of their wits. We had a female cabbie that put the pedal to the medal. She wanted to get somemore trips in that morning.

 

We have taken in the past, Princess transfers, taxi, the muni-bus(but I guess that is replaced by the train now.) Depends on how long to our flight , by which mode we have taken.

[sloney]

Change your flights. Vancouver is the worse airport I have ever been in. Their system is terrible. It is hurry up and wait. Better to be sitting there with a later flight and not worry about catching a 10:30 a.m. flight. I just booked a one day cruise on the Sapphire coming in on the Golden the previous day just so I would not have to deal with that airport. I would rather have paid (I used priority points) but would have paid for a night in a hotel just to not deal with Vancouver.

 

If Vancouver Airport is the worst airport you've ever been to you haven't travelled much! I go in and out of YVR all the time and have never had a problem or a long wait. Most of the times the waits are due to security measures neccessary to enter the US.

 

OP change your flight, I live in Vancouver and would be hard pressed to drive from the Port to the airport in 25 minutes. I would budget at least 45 minutes for the trip. You would never make it for the two hours need to enter the US.

[Colo Cruiser]

You don't have to go up to the top near the Pan Pacific for a taxi, they will be in the parking garage where you exit the terminal. However if you see there is a wait for a taxi there, then haul it up to the street in front of the Pan and get one there.

 

But if there is a big line you can go to the top of the ramp from the gargae area and hail a cab from the line outside the hotel.

Its much faster. :)