Walking to Float Planes Vancouver

[5waldos]

We will be arriving at Canada Place at 7:30 am, disembarking from the Pacific Princess. We would like to take the 10 am floatplane to Victoria. From what I read, the dock is just a 10 minute walk. Is this reasonable?

[xlxo]

Hmm.... it's doable....

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Canada+Place,+Vancouver,+BC,+Canada&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&ll=49.287368,-123.11613&spn=0.00592,0.012188&sll=49.288582,-123.118061&sspn=0.00296,0.006094&geocode=FXkW8AIdL3mp-CEJYciF4H8Ftykh4OIknXGGVDEJYciF4H8Ftw%3BFWca8AIdbFip-A&oq=Harbou+air&dirflg=w&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=18&t=m&z=17

 

Once you walk West of Canada Place. You get to the Cauldron. I think there there's an elevator to pop you down to the terminal....

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Canada+Place,+Vancouver,+BC,+Canada&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&ll=49.288834,-123.118147&spn=0.000007,0.006094&sll=49.288582,-123.118061&sspn=0.00296,0.006094&geocode=FXkW8AIdL3mp-CEJYciF4H8Ftykh4OIknXGGVDEJYciF4H8Ftw%3BFWca8AIdbFip-A&oq=Harbou+air&dirflg=w&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=18&t=m&z=18&layer=c&cbll=49.288803,-123.117972&panoid=HRZJ-K37LznT74YaNJxlWA&cbp=12,346.33,,2,-2.54

 

Wayfinding is your challenge to get there on foot from the promenade to the terminal. Otherwise it's a 2 minute cab ride.

 

I would leave the ship no later than 8:45am to give you time to find your luggage, customs, the walk. I think you need to be in the air terminal before 9:30am.

Edited February 8, 2015 by xlxo

[martincath]

10am? You'd really have to try very hard not to make it in time. We were just up there yesterday with some friends from out of town - even walking slowly, stopping frequently to describe every outdoor art exhibit along the seawall to them we got to the float plane terminal side of the convention centre in well under 15 minutes.

 

Check-in theoretically cuts off 25 minutes before the flight, but we've seen people accepted literally 3-5 mins before takeoff - as long as there's enough time for the very short walk out to the plane you'll get on-board unless there were standby passengers on your flight (15 mins before takeoff is when they let the standbys on).

 

A cab will probably take longer than walking by the time you wait for it in Canada Place, and if you can find your way on foot up to the Pan Pacific Lobby to get a cab there you aren't going to get lost en route to the floatplanes - signage is frequent and good.

 

Just remembered that Harbour Air have some useful videos on their website showing exactly how to get to them - go have a look.

Edited February 8, 2015 by martincath
Added link

[martincath]

Poop - to slow to Edit the above post...

 

Are you taking all your cruise luggage to Victoria? If so you may want to reconsider the floatplanes - luggage allowances are tight and variable depending on which plane type you're on. Westcoast uses the same planes with the same issues as Harbour Air. Most folks are locals flying for business so there's often spare room for excess baggage, but not always - and while they don't charge extra to send it along later it goes Standby so might be several flights after you arrive at which point you need to go back to the Victoria terminal to collect it...

 

Helijet is much more flexible with luggage - always 50lbs per person, 2 pieces, rather than sometimes a single piece & always max 25lbs on floatplanes (and sometimes the volume of the item is the biggest issue on the single-engine planes). You can get a 50lb allowance on a Harbour Air flight out of YVR South - they run bigger planes to Victoria from there than from the harbour.

[scottbee]

We will be arriving at Canada Place at 7:30 am, disembarking from the Pacific Princess. We would like to take the 10 am floatplane to Victoria. From what I read, the dock is just a 10 minute walk. Is this reasonable?

 

Very simple.