disembark in Vancouver-2 couples, different flights

[travelbug615]

I have a question about disembarkation from the Star Princess in Vancouver, BC. We are traveling with another couple who has a red eye flight out of of Vancouver the day we disembark. We however will spend a night in Vancouver and fly home the following morning. My question is how best to arrange our plans to allow both couples to spend the day together, without having one couple wasting time waiting on the other couple. We both will need a place to store our luggage for the day.

 

If the red eye couple uses Princess to take their bags to the airport, but doesn't use Princess for transportation to the airport what time are they going to get off the ship? Will Princess let them wait to claim their bags later that evening?

 

We are debating using Princess to book us a room and provide transport to the airport the following morning (which would mean we would be driven on a bus to the hotel(four seasons). Then we would have to arrange a meeting place for the other couple to meet us, and I have no idea what time we would be taken to the hotel. This is the cheaper option for us.... but time is money I don't want to waste the only day we have in Vancouver.

 

Our other choice is to book a hotel ourselves and disembark and either see if we can store our luggage at the hotel early or pay to store our luggage at Canada Place, which would require us to then pick it up later in the day and check into the hotel later. Again I have no clue to disembarkation time- would we be the last ones off the boat since we have not arranged for Princess to provide transport? What time would that be?

 

Has anyone else been in this situation? If so what worked for you. Both couples are from the US- so lots of roaming cell phone calls to meet up are going to be expensive.

 

Thanks for any assistance :)

[martincath]

Unless Princess are offering a steal of a rate for the hotel, the savings of which is worth all the additional hassles, the simplest solution by far is to book your own hotel.

 

All hotels will take your bags early - if you want to play it safe, have your friends wait outside and take their bags in at the same time as yours (if you're looking at the Four Seasons already, any comparable hotel will have bell staff to handle all the luggage for you from the curb).

 

If your room isn't ready (quite possible in cruise season) they'll store them without charge and give you a claim ticket - so as long as you return to your hotel at some point before your friends need to get to the airport you can get all the bags out of storage and let your friends head off on their merry way.

 

If your friends feel bad about the 'free' storage, just tip the bellstaff something similar to the luggage storage fees at the pier ($7 for large suitcases, less for smaller bags) rather than a buck or two a bag most folks give.

 

Given how close all downtown hotels are to the pier, if you can handle rolling your bags you'll find it faster to walk to your hotel (this is definitely the case for Pan Pacific and Fairmonts Waterfront or Pacific Rim - Four Seasons, Georgia, Delta Suites, Marriott, Pinnacle are all ~10mins walk or less, so if the cab queue is longer than 5 mins also quicker on foot).

 

Precisely when Princess will let you off depends - none of you will qualify for early groups due to flight connections, but if you have status you might be able to inveigle your way into one of the first groups off. You can also choose to self-disembark, in which case you could be off right at the very beginning (ballpark 7am) or any time later you choose to join the queues.

 

Every time we've arrived in Vancouver we've self-disembarked - I've been home with the suitcases by c.8am. The missus has even managed to be on time for a 7:45am breakfast meeting at the Shangri La.

[cubfan63]

When I used the Princess airport transfer in Vancouver in September 2013, my luggage went on the same bus as I did, after I claimed it in the departure hall in Canada Place.

 

For Vancouver, I am unaware of Princess having an option where they transport the luggage separate from you and then you claim it at a later time in the day. There also was NOT a express luggage option, so you could not arrange for it to go all the way to your destination airport, like there is in Fort Lauderdale and Seattle.

[Kamloops50]

Unless Princess are offering a steal of a rate for the hotel, the savings of which is worth all the additional hassles, the simplest solution by far is to book your own hotel.

 

All hotels will take your bags early - if you want to play it safe, have your friends wait outside and take their bags in at the same time as yours (if you're looking at the Four Seasons already, any comparable hotel will have bell staff to handle all the luggage for you from the curb).

 

If your room isn't ready (quite possible in cruise season) they'll store them without charge and give you a claim ticket - so as long as you return to your hotel at some point before your friends need to get to the airport you can get all the bags out of storage and let your friends head off on their merry way.

 

If your friends feel bad about the 'free' storage, just tip the bellstaff something similar to the luggage storage fees at the pier ($7 for large suitcases, less for smaller bags) rather than a buck or two a bag most folks give.

 

Given how close all downtown hotels are to the pier, if you can handle rolling your bags you'll find it faster to walk to your hotel (this is definitely the case for Pan Pacific and Fairmonts Waterfront or Pacific Rim - Four Seasons, Georgia, Delta Suites, Marriott, Pinnacle are all ~10mins walk or less, so if the cab queue is longer than 5 mins also quicker on foot).

 

Precisely when Princess will let you off depends - none of you will qualify for early groups due to flight connections, but if you have status you might be able to inveigle your way into one of the first groups off. You can also choose to self-disembark, in which case you could be off right at the very beginning (ballpark 7am) or any time later you choose to join the queues.

 

Every time we've arrived in Vancouver we've self-disembarked - I've been home with the suitcases by c.8am. The missus has even managed to be on time for a 7:45am breakfast meeting at the Shangri La.

 

This your best option. The airlines won't accept luggage until four before scheduled departure.

[Colo Cruiser]

Pan Pacific is excellent if you can book there.

You could all leave your luggage there. :)