Pre or Post Alaskan tour, anyone done?

[kqcallahan]

Wondering if anyone has done a cruisetour with an Alaska cruise but in Canada (BC and Alberta) not Alaska. I'm looking at some after with Rocky Mountaineer. I noticed there are some that include Holland with it. Wondering if anyone has done this? Or done their own?

[Giantfan13]

I know this isn't exactly what you are looking for, but we did about a week, pre cruise thing from Seattle before our Alaskan cruise. We rented a car and drove around thru much of the state of Washington and parts of Oregon. We drove thru the Cascades, up Mt St Helens, down to Mount Hood among many other things. We spent about 8 days and loved every minute of it. Just magnificent country and easy driving.

 

Anyway, I thought I would mention it as just a suggestion.

 

Cheers

 

Len

Edited March 30, 2014 by Giantfan13

[Putterdude]

Wondering if anyone has done a cruisetour with an Alaska cruise but in Canada (BC and Alberta) not Alaska. I'm looking at some after with Rocky Mountaineer. I noticed there are some that include Holland with it. Wondering if anyone has done this? Or done their own?

 

 

I am pretty certain that you would be better off to book the Rocky Mountaineer directly with them rather than going through the cruise line and their markup. You would have the option of flying to Calgary or Edmonton and joining the train there or doing it post cruise from Vancouver. It wouldn't really matter if you did it east/west or west/east but it probably would be more fun doing it west/east when you are in a relaxed state after your cruise.

[BCHappyGal]

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 higher up the mountain to visit the wind turbine that generates approximately 30% of the power required for Grouse Mountain Resort and visit with 2 live Grizzly Bears. Thrill to a 2 hour Zip Line Tour. 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, traverse a Cliff Top walk, 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 – http://www.lynncanyon.ca - 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. It is also free to visit this suspension bridge!

5) Stanley Park – http://www.vancouver.ca/parks/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.

6) Vancouver Aquarium – http://www.vanaqua.org – is Canada’s largest aquarium and is committed to the conservation of marine life and education. Located in Stanley Park this is a fun place for the family to visit.

7) 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.

8) 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.

9) 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.vancouverchinesegarden.com and also make sure you visit the world’s thinnest building it is only 6’ wide!

10) 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. Many 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

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

12) 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.

13) 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

14) Queen Elizabeth Park http://www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/queenelizabeth 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.

15) 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.fortlangley.org

16) 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. Two of the wineries have excellent restaurants on the premises. This makes for a very fun and relaxing day. Check out the Fraser Valley Wine Association web site for a map of winery locations and a brief description of each winery http://www.fvwa.ca

17) 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

18) 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.

19) 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

20) Enjoy a FREE walking tour of Vancouver. The Gastown tour starts in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the statue of Gassy Jack in Gastown. The Downtown tour starts at the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the Olympic Cauldron. The China Town tour starts at the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the Chinese memorial statue. All of these tours start at 11am. The Granville Island Tour starts at 3pm at the bus stop just at the entrance to Granville Island. Check these tours out at http://www.tourguys.ca The Tour Guys have added an afternoon walking tour of Granville Island and 2 evening tours….

21) A new addition I have just found for the FOODIES in the gang! Check out http://www.offtheeatentrack.com this company offers culinary tasting tours of various areas of Vancouver. I did the Railtown Urban Eats tour and it was Fabulous! This tour would blend well with the free walking tour offered by http://www.tourguys.ca … you could easily do the free walking tour and then meet up with this tour company for this tour for your lunch - the food is plentiful & wonderful you will not leave this tour hungry!

 

 

 

 

Vancouver has a bunch of hop-on hop-off buses

 

http://www.vancouverpinkbustours.com/

 

http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tours/hop-on-hop-off

 

http://bigbus.ca/home/

[Alberta Quilter]

FYI - If you do a tour that includes Jasper or Banff National Park, there is a new attraction opening tomorrow, May 1/14: http://glacierskywalk.ca/.

Edited April 30, 2014 by Alberta Quilter

[Dawn1004]

Excellent post and quite timely for me too.

 

 

We're doing a fair amount if travelling pre cruise and post cruise - just the way it worked out with certain things only opening up on certain day of the season. Enjoy your tours and cruise.

 

Just wondering, I have pretty much decided on my itinerary for Alaska and Canada, but I miscalculated our Jasper to Kamloops to Vancouver 2 day train ride, I had originally thought that we could catch the RM from Jasper on Mon 4th May and arrive in Vancouver on Tues 5th May. We'd then have Tues night and Wed in Vancouver and catch our cruise on Thurs 7th.

 

Have been advised by RM that the 2015 schedules are now released and theh are taking bookings for 2015, but I miscalculated by a day, as the RM is not leaving Jasper until Tues 5th, arriving in Vancouver on the 6th.

 

I generally like a bit of wiggle room before the cruise, but I really want to do the RM this time around.

 

I'm not sure what time we get into Vancouver on the 6th, I think early evening?

 

I would ideally like to get some laundry done prior to boarding the ship for the 10 nights, but you know what I can knock out some washing early before boarding ship if need be (or in the evening on the day of arrival into Vancouver).

 

If I stick to current itinerary we would have already done our sightseeing etc of Vancouver earlier in our holiday.I think my main concern is - is the RM a dependable way of transport, i.e is it likely/usual for lengthy delays? If there was a delay are RM obligated to find you another way of getting to Vancouver on time (or thereabouts). Would I be taking a big risk to catch RM and arriving into Vancouver the afternoon or evening before the cruise do you think? We would be booking direct with RM not through cruiseline, but I imagine there would be other passengers onboard that would be booked through cruiseline, so am thinking they must be pretty reliable.

 

Would I be better rescheduling this leg of my holiday, and perhaps do a reverse RM trip from Vancouver to Jasper earlier and just change the order of what I had planned (was Calgary to Banff to Lake Louise to Jasper to Vancouver).

 

Sorry to hijack original post, but my thought wax this kinda fits in with pre and post tours.

[kqcallahan]

Enjoying reading everyones thoughts. We are just waiting for RM to finish making up their schedule which I have been told will be in June. They have their 2 day trips done but not their 7 day trips. :)

[Dawn1004]

Am envious - a 7 day RM trip would be fantastic, but we just can't factor it in. Am really looking forward to our 2 day RM trip.