Post cruise Vancouver ??s for BC Day

[cruisin'mama]

Hi,

 

We will be disembarking our cruise on Sunday Aug. 2, 2015 which happens to be during the BC Day holiday weekend. I had booked the Blue Horizon hotel for Sunday evening, that way we could spend some time exploring on Sunday then fly home on Monday. However, after speaking with a the person at the Blue Horizon, I found out that there is also a fireworks convention and show in town that weekend as well as the Gay Pride parade that will involve road closures. Since I will be travelling with my son who has Down Syndrome, this has all started to become a little too much after 3 weeks away from home. It sounds like its going to be so crowded and a hassle to just get around. I'm not sure we could enjoy much of the city.

 

So, I am trying to decide on which flight I should take. ( My husband has a HUGE fear of flying and will be on XANAX )

 

1. Sun. 1:40pm flying coach for $267 ea.

 

or

 

2. Sun. 5:45pm flying first class with upgrades I have for $202 ea.

 

Normally if I could use the upgrades on the earlier flight, it would be a no brainer, just go straight to the airport and fly home.

 

But since I can't use the upgrades on the earlier flight( which would be easier on me travelling with a medicated husband and a son who has Down Syndrome ) I am considering the later flight, but that would mean we would have to kill time during the day in a very busy, crowded city, or sit at the airport for hours. Does time of day make a difference for the airport as to the crowds there?

 

I checked out the option of flying out of Seattle but all things considered, that didn't seem like a good move either.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on what I should do? I appreciate any thoughts or ideas!!

[cruiseryyc]

First off, I think you're smart to be getting out of the city that weekend with the challenges your family has. Friends were there this past August on the long weekend and said it was unbelievable the number of people downtown.

 

As for flights, the Vancouver airport is actually one of the nicest ones I've ever been too. Lots of room, plenty of shops to spend time in and it should not be too crowded.

 

I'm presuming you are flying back to the US which means you will be going through US Immigration in Vancouver and it is always best to allow two hours for check-in, security and US Immigration (which takes up some time).

 

I would wait for the later option if First Class is available.

[cruisin'mama]

Thanks for your advice!

 

I am leaning toward the later flight but that means getting to the airport around 10:30-11:00am for a 5:45pm flight. That's a long time, even with going thru customs.

 

I am very sad to be losing the opportunity to explore Vancouver. The first time I was there, I was with a friend and we disembarked a cruise but I had to get home for a wedding so we left right away. Last year, my husband, son and I happened to disembark during BC Day weekend too, but took a "Tours By Locals" tour before getting on Amtrak and going to Seattle. We were not impressed with our "tour guide" so not likely to repeat that. I thought about maybe doing a ship tour that has an airport drop off, but I usually hate ship tours and the city will still be crowded!

[Langley Cruisers]

You meant fly home on Monday, right? You typed Sunday.

 

Yikes, OK. As locals, we don't even go downtown on that particular weekend. You were lucky to get the Blue Horizon at all in that case (great choice, by the way - fabulous location and you can walk all over from there). So, having said that, I think you should book the earlier flight and just get thee to the airport on Monday morning. :) There is no reason to be at the airport at 10:30 am for a 5:45 pm flight. Yes, you will go through US pre-clearance here, but you really don't need to give yourselves 7 hours, IMO. :)

[cruisin'mama]

No, now that I have pretty much decided to leave the day we disembark and not stay overnight at the Blue Horizon, it would be Sunday that we'd fly out. The timing I mentioned would be from the time we'd disembark ( between 9-10am ) until we'd get to the airport and board our flight, if we took the later 5:45pm flight.

[Langley Cruisers]

Yes, oh my goodness... sorry. I see now. :o Yes, the later flight would give you some wiggle room, for sure.

 

Perhaps you'll make it back here someday and can really spend some quality time. I hope so. :)

 

.

[martincath]

I'd hesitate to cancel your plans, as you have been less-than-correctly informed of event schedules by the hotel... the 'fireworks convention' being mentioned must be the Celebration of Light which is scheduled over three nights: last Saturday in July, first Saturday in August and the Wednesday between. Since you're arriving Sunday, you won't need to worry about any crowds for that.

 

The main Pride Parade is scheduled for the first Sunday of August so that will have an impact on touring parts of the West End, but firstly it's an awesome show you might actually want to see - who doesn't love a parade!? - and secondly the road closures are well-known-in-advance, on a sliding timescale (so as soon as the end of the parade passes an intersection the barriers come down quickly), and the huge numbers of people along the parade route make for *excellent* touring elsewhere as the rest of town is super-quiet.

 

Here's a link to the parade route - now compare it with a Google Map of downtown Vancouver. See all yellow streets on the Google map? Those are the main routes through town for vehicles - and as you can see the route is carefully chosen to avoid going anywhere near them. While in theory there will be more cars on Alberni, Georgia, Hastings etc. because they can't use Robson or Davie this is a very well-publicized event and many locals have a similar attitude to Langley Cruisers - super-busy downtown so avoid it!

 

When a quarter of the entire population of the Vancouver Metro area are all downtown for one event, the crowds along the parade route are obviously enormous - but if you want to see the parade you *have* to be on that route, so between that and the many folks who stay the heck out of town to avoid the crowds that doesn't leave many people to be taking up space on sidewalks or inside attractions anywhere even a block away from the parade route while it's on...

 

Traffic is actually *lighter* than normal if anything during the parade - races downtown like the Vancouver Marathon can have a bigger impact on road closures, and because those race routes often involve doubling back in a loop a lot of the roads stay closed for four-six hours rather than two-three.

 

Also remember that the parade starts at noon and finishes by 3pm. You can go do things near the parade route as soon as you get off the ship, then head to other parts of town for the afternoon. I would avoid taking a bus tour, whether HOHO or not, as their routes are impacted from mid-morning through the afternoon - but Pride afternoon is an excellent time to check out Chinatown, Gastown, Granville Island, False Creek, Commercial Drive, Kitsilano or the North Shore attractions like Capilano & Grouse Mountain.

 

Inbound Transit, especially Skytrain, will be busier from 10:30am or so until noon and Outbound after the parade finishes right through the evening. I'd plan to walk as much as possible, make use of the False Creek ferry system, and start in the west early before moving eastward so you are going against the crowds on foot or transit. I'd also strongly recommend making reservations for dinner in advance, and eating somewhere away from Davie St/English Bay if you dislike crowds. Plenty of options along Robson within a couple of blocks of Blue Horizon though.

 

So while overall it will be a busier day than most and certain streets will be ridiculously busy, the overall vibe downtown is very happy & positive - and with strategic choices of what to do you will actually find it less busy than a normal Sunday in most parts of town.

[scottbee]

If you're arriving in Vancouver on Sunday, and leaving Sunday; you don't have huge amounts of time to deal with anyway. As MartinCath wisely mentioned; the fireworks are the night before, so nothing to worry about there. As for the pride parade, it is huge, but mostly west of where you'll be, so I can't imagine it will interrupt too much of your routing.

 

The other option is spend the day exploring south of downtown to avoid the downtown core, such as granville island (likely fairly busy), QE Park, Steveston etc etc, and just plan to get out of downtown right away.

[cruisin'mama]

So do you think it would be ok to disembark, store our luggage at the pier? Then get to Stanley Park and spend a few hours there bike riding etc before retrieving our luggage and going to the airport? Or will Stanley Park be a place we should avoid all together?

 

If this would be ok, how long do we give ourselves to get back for luggage and to get to the airport for. 5:45pm flight?

 

Thanks for all your help!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[martincath]

So do you think it would be ok to disembark' date=' store our luggage at the pier? Then get to Stanley Park and spend a few hours there bike riding etc before retrieving our luggage and going to the airport? Or will Stanley Park be a place we should avoid all together?

 

If this would be ok, how long do we give ourselves to get back for luggage and to get to the airport for. 5:45pm flight?

 

Thanks for all your help![/quote']

Getting to & from Stanley Park there will be virtually no impact from Pride (other than as already noted there may be less people than normal in the park, if they've gone to watch the parade). The only bus route is the 19 which runs along Georgia (3 blocks from parade route) or other streets even further away; cabs will also drive this route. If you walk or cycle you can go along the seawall and be as far as possible from the parade crowds.

 

Since you really should be at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight, preferably nearer three, to allow for US customs/immigration as well as normal airport security lines, you want to leave downtown at about 2pm - this will still be during parade time, so traffic & transit should actually be pretty light as the bulk of the crowd are still lining the parade route.

 

My key issue in posting though was to point out that you don't need to abandon your original plans for an overnight in Vancouver - Pride does not need to impact your stay much at all.

[cruisin'mama]

Thank you for ALL your wonderful, helpful information. After discussing it with my husband, he has decided that being away from his business for 3 weeks, he will be ready to get back and wants to forgo the Sunday overnight. :(

 

So, it looks like we will leave our luggage at the pier. Should we leave it with Priority Baggage or try to tip a bellman at the Pan Pacific to hold it for us? Do we leave our carry-ons there as well, just pull out our important stuff?

 

Then rent bikes ( my son can ride on the back of a tandem ) and ride around Stanley Park, stop for photos and lunch, then head back to retrieve our luggage. Should we grab a taxi or take the Sky Train from Canada Place? If we leave Canada Place by 2:00pm, is that earlier enough for a 5:45pm flight on Alaska Airlines to Calif?

 

Again, I really appreciate all the help!

[Langley Cruisers]

If we leave Canada Place by 2:00pm' date=' is that earlier enough for a 5:45pm flight on Alaska Airlines to Calif?...[/quote']

 

Personally, I would leave before then, but that's just me. I would rather be waiting at the airport, comfortably through security and US pre-clearance, than stuck in a cab in traffic because I thought it was enough time. ;):)

[Snow cat]

I agree with Langleycruisers. Give yourself more than enough time. I would take a taxi, not the Skytrain.

[scottbee]

Thank you for ALL your wonderful' date=' helpful information. After discussing it with my husband, he has decided that being away from his business for 3 weeks, he will be ready to get back and wants to forgo the Sunday overnight. :(

 

So, it looks like we will leave our luggage at the pier. Should we leave it with Priority Baggage or try to tip a bellman at the Pan Pacific to hold it for us? Do we leave our carry-ons there as well, just pull out our important stuff?

 

Then rent bikes ( my son can ride on the back of a tandem ) and ride around Stanley Park, stop for photos and lunch, then head back to retrieve our luggage. Should we grab a taxi or take the Sky Train from Canada Place? If we leave Canada Place by 2:00pm, is that earlier enough for a 5:45pm flight on Alaska Airlines to Calif?

 

Again, I really appreciate all the help![/quote']

 

I'd probably leave before 2pm, maybe 1:30-1:45; and I would definitely avoid a taxi and take the Skytrain. If there are any issues with traffic leaving the downtown core due to people arriving/leaving for the Pride Parade, Skytrain will be completely unaffected.

 

(note - you want the Skytrain Canada Line, not the Skytrain Expo/Millenium Line entrance right by Canada Place).

[cruisin'mama]

Again, I really do appreciate all the helpful info you all have provided!!!! I do not want to be stressing about getting to the airport in time, so I will definitely head there by 1:30pm.

 

You have given me conflicting opinions about taxi or Sky Train. With our luggage, which will be more than normal for 3 weeks in Alaska and preparing for all kinds of possible weather there, I wasn't sure if we should try to manage on the Sky Train , but the taxi's may have traffic problems heading to the airport from Canada Place at 1:30pm?

[scottbee]

Again' date=' I really do appreciate all the helpful info you all have provided!!!! I do not want to be stressing about getting to the airport in time, so I will definitely head there by 1:30pm.

 

You have given me conflicting opinions about taxi or Sky Train. With our luggage, which will be more than normal for 3 weeks in Alaska and preparing for all kinds of possible weather there, I wasn't sure if we should try to manage on the Sky Train , but the taxi's may have traffic problems heading to the airport from Canada Place at 1:30pm?[/quote']

 

If you're OK rolling your luggage through an airport, you'll be fine on Skytrain. There are elevators at the station, and the trains are roll on roll off.

[Snow cat]

Google Skytrain delays.

[cruising cockroach]

Google Skytrain delays.

 

That's on the old tech made-in-Canada line. The new line is made in South Korea and has been much more reliable so far.

[Putterdude]

I have never attended the parade but have been in the downtown core on the day of the parade on a couple of occasions and can say that with a downtown area that is little more than a mile square, no area is immune from the traffic and congestion it creates.

 

Stanley Park on bikes is an excellent idea to wile away several hours before heading out to YVR. However, the park is busy every summer weekend and particularly holiday weekends with tourists and locals....the parade not withstanding. At 1,000 acres you will not even begin to see the park but if you stay to the eastern portion you will see a lot of the more popular sites. You will need to allow at least 30 minutes to reach the park from Canada Place and a similar amount of time to return.....plus time for renting bikes and returning them....I point this out because you may not have the time you think you do. The Vancouver Trolley people operate an excellent HOHO tour of the park during the summer months. http://vancouvertrolley.com/tour/stanley-park-shuttle

 

Luggage, it really doesn't matter is you use Priority or go to the bell desk at the Pan Pacific or the Fairmont Waterfront across the street. The bell desks will likely be a few dollars less. I would not attempt to bring along carry-on your bike trip. You might consider a small back pack and take things like passports, jewellery, cameras, and electronics along with you in it.

 

Only you can judge how your son will react to being in what could be a crowded subway car and in a subway tube for some 20 minutes if you use the Canada Line. There is also the hassle of walking 3 blocks schlepping your luggage from Canada Place (or one of the nearby hotels) to Waterfront Station. The Canada Line is certainly an option however, it is definitely not a "one size fits all" solution. There will be lots of cabs at Canada Place at 1:30 and in front of the hotels. Personally I find taxis much more comfortable and convenient and the way I would go out to YVR. Traffic north south out of the core and out to YVR will not be an issue however, there is often a traffic choke point on West Georgia near Stanley Park on holiday weekends.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Putterdude

[cruisin'mama]

Well, I thought I had it all worked out...but the 5:45pm flight I booked was just cancelled. Now the only non-stop flight on Alaska Air from YVR-LAX is at 6am.

 

So.....now we are staying overnight at the Blue Horizon and taking the 6:00am flight the next morning. My question now is, if we leave our hotel at 3:30 am :eek:, is that enough time? I figure at that hour of the morning, traffic should be light and lines at the airport will be shorter, right?

[Gardyloo]

Well, maybe too late and too much butting-in, but can I offer a slightly different, possibly cheaper, and hopefully much-easier-on-the-system alternative?

 

Rent a car when you disembark, and spend Sunday driving to Seattle via Chuckanut Drive and Whidbey Island. One-way cars are plentiful, including a couple of agencies right in Canada Place (but several within a couple of blocks) and a one-day rental will cost $150 or less. Plan on a late-morning flight from SEA the next day, or even noon. Alaska has tons more flights to LAX from SEA than from YVR, throughout the day.

 

You could be at the border probably by 10 or so, count on maybe an hour in the lineup, then head south on I-5 to Bellingham. Stop in the historic Fairview neighborhood (on the south end of town) from which WA Hwy 11, AKA Chuckanut Drive, runs south along the edge of Puget Sound.

 

Follow Chuckanut south until you hit Bow Hill Rd, then jog right-left onto Farm to Market Road, which will take you to the junction with WA Hwy 20. Follow SR 20 west and soon you'll be at Deception Pass, an absolutely stunning gap between Fidalgo Island (which you'll already be on) and Whidbey Island. Both from the bridges above and the beaches below, the views, trails through old-growth forest, and amazing current through the pass (if you're there for a tide change - wow) are worth the trip all by themselves.

 

Then continue south on Whidbey Island to Fort Casey State Park, with its lighthouse, coastal gun batteries (kids have a ball) and more views. You should be plenty hungry by now, so stop at Whidbey Pies in Freeland for - guess what.

 

Continue down the island to the darling little village of Langley - waterfront shops, cafes, galleries - then end up at the landing for the short ferry ride to Mukilteo.

 

At Mukilteo you can either continue on to Seattle and stay near the airport (drop the car if you want and use the airport shuttles back to the hotel) or, for a special treat, just stay in Mukilteo at the Silver Cloud hotel, right over the water steps from the ferry terminal. There's a branch of Ivar's (a local seafood chain) next door, a couple of really excellent pizza/brewpubs within a block, a very cute lighthouse and a great driftwood-covered beach where you can watch the ferries come and go, and watch the sun set behind the Olympic Mountains - very cool.

 

The next morning (or the previous afternoon, whatever) you can drive from Mukilteo to the Seattle airport in around 50 minutes. If you use WA 526 (the "Boeing Freeway") from Mukilteo to I-5, you'll pass the Boeing Everett factory, home of the 747s, 777s and 787s, and the biggest building in the world. If you REALLY want a fun day, you can take the tour of the plant on the way to the airport.

 

Just my opinion, but this will avoid the congestion of the city and replace it with fresh air and some very memorable sights, fun things for you and your son, and your hubby won't have to be taking Xanax with his (o-dark-thirty) coffee. Ending a vacation with a crack-of-dawn scramble to the airport frankly sounds like a bummer.

[cruisin'mama]

Hi Again.

 

I had us booked at the Blue Horizon, but today I was able to book the Pan Pacific ( a deluxe harbor view room) for $195 for the 3 of us ( $235.63 with taxes and fees. ) I'm pretty happy, especially since their website showed no availability, but now I have a couple of questions about the Pan Pacific.

 

Do you know if they charge a resort fee, and if so, how much is it?

 

Do they have a business center or something that guests can use to check into their flight and print boarding passes?

 

Do you know how much the charge is for Wi-Fi?

 

Are there bike rentals close by?

 

Thanks!

[Northern Aurora]

Hi Again.

 

I had us booked at the Blue Horizon' date=' but today I was able to book the Pan Pacific ( a deluxe harbor view room) for $195 for the 3 of us ( $235.63 with taxes and fees. ) I'm pretty happy, especially since their website showed no availability, but now I have a couple of questions about the Pan Pacific.

 

Do you know if they charge a resort fee, and if so, how much is it?

 

Do they have a business center or something that guests can use to check into their flight and print boarding passes?

 

Do you know how much the charge is for Wi-Fi?

 

Are there bike rentals close by?

 

Thanks![/quote']

 

We've stayed at the Pan Pacific and love it. For cruises departing from Canada Place this is definitely the place to stay.

 

I don't recall any resort fee charges. Somehow I think they have a business center but we didn't use it if indeed they do have one. There is free Wi-Fi in the food court which is technically not in the Pan Pacific but accessed by walking down a flight of stairs near the front entrance.

 

Hopefully someone with additional information regarding bike rentals and business center availability will chime in.

[Langley Cruisers]

...Pan Pacific... Do you know if they charge a resort fee' date=' and if so, how much is it?... Do they have a business center or something that guests can use to check into their flight and print boarding passes?...Do you know how much the charge is for Wi-Fi?[/quote']

 

Have you been to their website? I would think you could e-mail them with these questions. :)

[martincath]

Hi Again.

 

I had us booked at the Blue Horizon' date=' but today I was able to book the Pan Pacific ( a deluxe harbor view room) for $195 for the 3 of us ( $235.63 with taxes and fees. ) I'm pretty happy, especially since their website showed no availability, but now I have a couple of questions about the Pan Pacific.

 

Do you know if they charge a resort fee, and if so, how much is it?

 

Do they have a business center or something that guests can use to check into their flight and print boarding passes?

 

Do you know how much the charge is for Wi-Fi?

 

Are there bike rentals close by?

 

Thanks![/quote']

No resort fees.

The business centre includes complimentary online check-in & boarding pass printing.

Bike rentals are available almost next door at Ezeeriders or Trevor Linden's Club 16 gym, both in the other half of the convention centre just a block away.

WiFi access is $4.95/24 hour period (NB: this info is from 3xp3d14's PP page, which I have found to be generally bang up-to-date on all fees for WiFi, parking etc. in the past but it does sound a little low - it's possible there's a two-tier speed system with the faster version costing more, I have come across this at other 4+ & 5* properties over the last year or two).