Dock 7:30 Vancouver - Earliest Flight Would Be..?

[SpeakerOfMind]

I've been known to cut flights close before... but this is one I WANT to cut close. Mainly because I'll be flying Alaska Air and I'll be able to take their next flight with no penalty if I miss the first one. What I want is to be able to get the "early off" luggage tag from the front desk. Does anyone know how early your flight has to be to get that tag. If it docks at 7:30,would a 10 AM flight get me one? And before people flame...they let disabled people off BEFORE those with early flights.

[captainron]

Speaker,

1. If you dock at 0730, I doubt you will be off and clear customs and immigration by 0930. (Depends when the ship is cleared)

 

2. That being the case, from either Ballantyne Pier or the Cruisehip Terminal downtown, you're looking at a 40 minute cabride to the airport.

 

3. Once at the airport,, you will be required to:

a. Check in at Alaskan;

b. Take your bags through security: and

c. Wait in line to go through US Immigration and US Customs.

 

4. Don't know what day you arr Vancouver but para 3 will take you at least an hour and a half.

 

5. In total if you get off by 0930 the earliest you're looking at a flt is noon.

 

6. Having lived in Vancouver for over 15 years, you're pushing your luck for an early flight. Good lck and...

 

Ciao for now!!!

[SpeakerOfMind]

Speaker,

1. If you dock at 0730, I doubt you will be off and clear customs and immigration by 0930. (Depends when the ship is cleared)

 

2. That being the case, from either Ballantyne Pier or the Cruisehip Terminal downtown, you're looking at a 40 minute cabride to the airport.

 

3. Once at the airport,, you will be required to:

a. Check in at Alaskan;

b. Take your bags through security: and

c. Wait in line to go through US Immigration and US Customs.

 

4. Don't know what day you arr Vancouver but para 3 will take you at least an hour and a half.

 

5. In total if you get off by 0930 the earliest you're looking at a flt is noon.

 

6. Having lived in Vancouver for over 15 years, you're pushing your luck for an early flight. Good lck and...

 

Ciao for now!!!

 

Maybe I need to make this clear. I'm looking to BOOK a flight that will prompt the pursers desk to give me an "early flight" luggage tag. I will miss the flight... but I will be off the ship early. I will take the next available flight.

 

Any info?

[cherylandtk]

Speaker,

I understand your query, and wish I had a good answer for you. But it has been 3 years since I flew out of Vancouver, so I will let others reply regarding their flight times and tag colors. (FWIW I do know from personal experience that having the earliest possible tag may be irrelevant to the actual time off the ship. Meaning that one week they start deboarding an hour after arrival, and another week could start 3 hours after arrival. That makes choosing the earliest reasonable flight time harder, but not impossible.)

 

However, I do have one MORE thing to ask you to consider. Flights out of Vancouver are limited, which is why Princess tends to shuttle the majority of their Air/Sea passengers into Seattle for their flights home. If you do not make your intended early flight, it may not be easy to get onto the next flight or the flight after that. If you know somebody at Alaska, I would check with the scheduling folks and see how full those "cruise day" flights are before counting on being able to take a later flight.

 

Last but not least, what about "express debarkation" if your ship offers it? (Sapphire Alaska did last year according to several posts on other threads) This makes your flight time irrelevant, and you do have to haul your own bags, but you get off first, which is your goal.

 

Best of luck on your search for the flight/debark combo, and do let us all know how it turns out for you.

[Budget Queen]

NOPE you won't make a 10 am flight. And frankly, a GREAT deal of people want early off. Your problem with a stand by flight is there won't be any seats. Vancouver flights on cruise days are full. Since this is international you need a two hour window with 1pm flights or later recommended. Can perhaps get one at noon, but certainly be well organized and take a cab. If there is a significant cab line- which there can be, head up stairs to the Pan Pacific- tip the doorman for a quick cab.

[Coral]

And before people flame...they let disabled people off BEFORE those with early flights.

 

I am not sure which cruise line you are familiar with but I have often traveled with my mom who is disabled and we have gone to the room for disabled embarkation. We receive the same color tags that correlate with our flight times. When our color tag is called - they assist us off the ship. We do not receive the earliest color tags because she is disabled. We go at the same time as everyone else with our flight times.

 

Also, remember that most flights leaving Vancouver are not only full but overbooked. Even though their may be another Alaskan Air flight leaving an hour early, there may not be a seat for them to put you on until late that day or the following day.

[ahracer]

Maybe I need to make this clear. I'm looking to BOOK a flight that will prompt the pursers desk to give me an "early flight" luggage tag. I will miss the flight... but I will be off the ship early. I will take the next available flight.

 

Any info?

 

Does it matter if you are planning on missing it anyhow?

 

Scott

[CruiseAholic]

Princess told us (We are doing Dawn Princess southbound in May) international flights 11:30.

[spongerob]

Complete flight listings from any airport can be found at http://www.eskyguide.com.

[ajdegumbia]

Having departed through Vancouver International on a Wednesday last June after sailing on HAL, all I can say is Good Luck. It's a beautiful airport, the people are wonderful, but you can imagine when 5,000 people converge on the airport all at the same time. (and this was a SLOW day) I arrived on the Saturday before my sailing at 4:00 pm and didn't get my luggage until 6:30 pm. If you are sailing on a Saturday or Sunday I strongly suggest nothing before noon. I arrived at the airport on Wednesday about 9:30. By the time I got through security it was 10:45 because as you know you need to clear customs. (I flew United so I'm not sure if the other concourses were as congested as this one)

 

Regardless, you will love Alaska. This was my 2nd time and the weather was terrific and the scenery...well it speaks for itself.

 

Have a great cruise. Please try to spend time in Vancouver before/after. It is a wonderful city with alot to see.

[West Coast]

3. Once at the airport,, you will be required to:

a. Check in at Alaskan;

b. Take your bags through security: and

c. Wait in line to go through US Immigration and US Customs.

 

 

Just a small note, but the order has changed slightly...

 

a. Check-in

b. Duty Free Shopping

c. US Customs and Immigration

d. Drop off Bags

e. Security

 

followed by a 5-10 minute walk to your gate

 

The amount of time required will still be about the same!