Vancouver Embarkation Time

[kraft111]

Hi all,

As I continue my quest to pack as much as possible into my trip next June, I had a question about embarkation times. If my ship leaves at 5pm, what's the latest I could reasonably head over to start the check in? We're staying at the Pan Pacific, so I'll use the bellman service to transfer our checked luggage. I was thinking we might have time to head out to Capilano, or, alternatively, maybe walk over to Stanley Park and spend a few hours. I don't care at all about missing a meal on the ship or getting settled in before the ship leaves. I'd rather spend more time in Vancouver. But I guess my real question is - let's say I get there at 2:30 and the process is slow. Will the ship leave people who are queued up? I assume it would - it can't wait forever. But I'm trying to figure out how close is too close to cut it. Thanks!

[Keith1010]

You must be on board 90 minutes before the ship leaves.

 

How long it will take to get through customs, etc depends on how many ports are in that day.

 

Why not head over to Stanley Park in the morning and then board the ship around 1:00 PM.

 

It's always good to have time to unpack before your lifeboat drill and to be all set for what each day brings.

 

But if you want to arrive 2:30 PM you should be fine.

 

Keith

[kraft111]

Thanks Keith. My husband won't feel comfortable with 2:30, I'm sure, and we'll likely be lined up earlier than that. I'm hoping to find the sweet spot of coming after the majority of the crowds but still having enough time to board the ship. But of course if that sweet spot could be so easily predicted, it wouldn't be so sweet anymore! I'm sure it's happened to people, but I can't imagine being the person who's still in line at the cut off time and just standing there watching your ship. I've missed planes like that, and ferries, but never something like a cruise that you can't just reschedule if you have to. Better safe than sorry ... but not any safer than I have to be! :)

[Langley Cruisers]

Additionally, since I'm assuming you are going to be on an Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver (your previous posts indicate this), you should know that you will go through U.S. Customs and Immigration pre-clearance at the pier in Vancouver. This takes time as well, because there is only one line (per sé) and it gets very crowded if there is more than one ship embarking that day. So just a little heads up to you and your husband that you might want to arrive even earlier than the latest you would give yourselves.

 

Enjoy Vancouver. :)

.

[kraft111]

Hey, you don't know. I'm not suddenly posting a million questions about my cruise that you can go look at or anything. That would be crazy because it's not even happening for 8 months! :p

 

I do know we'll be going through customs on the way in. I just did some sleuthing and it looks like the Coral Princess is also leaving from Vancouver, at 4:30pm that day. If that's correct, better two ships than four, but not as good as just one.

 

This is a ridiculous question, and I'm sure I know the answer already, but if I can't ask you guys who can I ask? There's no boarding the ship and then leaving it and returning, correct? I mean, I know we CAN, but it puts us back in the same line, right? There's no hand stamp to get you back in through an express lane? ;)

[Keith1010]

Yes, you can board the ship and leave the ship.

 

But you have to go through Customs/Immigration each time you board again. And you still have to stay on the ship 90 minutes prior to sailing.

 

I would just enjoy the morning. Go to Stanley Park and not try to do too much else.

 

Keith

[kraft111]

I will, and I definitely won't push it to the last minute. I just want to have a general idea of what time is safe to return, while still allowing us time to explore. If it's 1pm, then 1pm it is. Thanks!

[Langley Cruisers]

If you are wanting to go to Stanley Park, you can absolutely do that early in the morning, anytime really. Grab a coffee to go and enjoy the walk. :) You could come back to the room to freshen up, grab your carry-ons, and still check out at 11 am.

[zqvol]

Hi all,

As I continue my quest to pack as much as possible into my trip next June, I had a question about embarkation times. If my ship leaves at 5pm, what's the latest I could reasonably head over to start the check in? We're staying at the Pan Pacific, so I'll use the bellman service to transfer our checked luggage. I was thinking we might have time to head out to Capilano, or, alternatively, maybe walk over to Stanley Park and spend a few hours. I don't care at all about missing a meal on the ship or getting settled in before the ship leaves. I'd rather spend more time in Vancouver. But I guess my real question is - let's say I get there at 2:30 and the process is slow. Will the ship leave people who are queued up? I assume it would - it can't wait forever. But I'm trying to figure out how close is too close to cut it. Thanks!

 

 

2:30 is fine. They are not going to leave you if you are in line, but honestly at that time there will be little if any line.

[zqvol]

Yes, you can board the ship and leave the ship.

 

But you have to go through Customs/Immigration each time you board again. And you still have to stay on the ship 90 minutes prior to sailing.

 

I would just enjoy the morning. Go to Stanley Park and not try to do too much else.

 

Keith

 

 

Not true, once you board once and leave you only have to be back 30 minutes prior to sail away, or by the time the muster drill starts.

[lynncarol]

Although we have been cruising for years, Vancouver was the first time we sailed out of a foreign port and ended up in a USA one. I was astonished at how long it took (well over an hour) to clear customs/immigration in Vancouver. (And we were the only ship in port that day). When I mentioned this to one of the agents she replied, "Just be glad you are not a foreign national going to Anchorage or the wait would be even longer".

[Putterdude]

The very first thing that I would want to know is what time is my ship really scheduled to sail. It is normally between 4 and 5 pm....what is on ones itinerary today may not be the actual time of departure. If the captain can meet the time in Seymour Narrows he may want to depart closer to 4 than 5. That aside, I would want to be at Canada Place by 2 pm which will give me some wiggle room. If I got going early in the morning there is no reason with their shuttle I couldn't be at the Capilano Suspension Bridge by 9 am, spend 3 hrs there and return to the city by 12:45. The hour or so I had to spare would not be worth going into Stanley Park but it would allow a walk into historic Gastown and perhaps a ride up the Vancouver Lookout.

[kraft111]

Thank you all for the input. Putterdude, you sound like a man after my own heart! I had no idea the ship could leave earlier than the itinerary - thank you for that information.

 

We will be in Vancouver the day/night before the cruise (time depends on flight prices) and will have a full day after embarkation and part of the next day (again depending on flight times) so the day of the cruise is not our only opportunity to explore. But I'm a firm believer in seeing everything I can, so we'll probably do either Stanley Park or Cap the morning of the cruise. It sounds like the consensus is sometime between 1 and 2 will work and not find me left sobbing at the pier as my ship sails away without me! :)