Airport/Hotel/Transp. to cruiseship port?

[mlbcruiser]

We'll be flying into Vancouver, arriving mid-afternoon on a Friday, and boarding a ship the next day. My husband can walk, but his mobility is somewhat impaired. He walks somewhat slowly and if he can be shaky if he has to step up on a high curb or use a lot of stairs. He also cannot use his dominant hand/arm at present. Therefore, I will need assistance from a porter for claiming our bags and getting them out to our transportation. (Don't think Skytrain will work for us under the circumstances.) It would also be helpful to know if any hotels offer inexpensive shuttle transportation From the airport to the hotel or from the hotel to the port.

 

Though we did a bit of sightseeing years ago in Vancouver for a few hours, I am not very familiar with the layout. For instance, not sure if we should stay nearer to the airport and get transport to the cruise ship or stay downtown, closer to the port, and get a cab to the pier. (Our budget is not large.)

 

Any helpful recommendations will be greatly appreciated!

[xlxo]

Thoughts...

• if you want better restaurant choices.... downtown is preferred. Check out the Blue Horizon and Hampton Inn for budget accommodations and availability.
  
• If you enjoy Chinese and Oriental food.... airport hotels will be a better choice. I like the Raddison Vancouver Airport.
  
• you have a half day on Friday... do you plan to do any sightseeing? Perhaps Fly Over Canada at the cruise terminal the night before. Then again it may not be suitable with your husband.
  
• Vancouver is a compact city... $31 ($26 USD) to most downtown hotels and another $10 ($8 USD) for a cab to the cruise terminal.
  
• my mom had a similar situation.... a transport wheelchair made it so much easier. The wheelchair will expedite boarding for planes and cruise terminal boarding.
  

Edited February 23, 2016 by xlxo

[martincath]

You'll almost certainly find the cheapest hotels near the airport, and I'll add that there is a shuttle that picks up (twice) the morning of cruise departures from most of the hotels around the airport, delivering you to the pier for $15pp ($12pp for seniors - not sure what their age cutoff is).

 

If you actually want to do some sightseeing the day you arrive, then a downtown hotel is probably going to be cheaper if you can't use transit - a cab each way from an airport hotel, downtown and back, will cost approx. $70 and you can usually find an equivalently-rated hotel downtown for less than $70 more than an airport hotel. Use the fixed-price cabs to get there if you can find a downtown hotel within your budget (and NB: exchange rate, we're comparatively cheap for Americans right now!)

 

Some downtown hotels do have their own shuttles to drop you off around town, including at the pier, but generally they are quite a bit more expensive than hotels without a shuttle, and cab fare to the pier is very unlikely to exceed $15 even in outrageous traffic...

[mlbcruiser]

Thanks for the info! I noticed there seems to be a number of well priced hotels with decent reviews in a neighborhood near a major hospital. Not sure what that area is called, but it appears to be south of the main downtown area. Anyone have any comments about that location? Still have to do some research for hotels near the airport, too.

 

I just looked up Flyover Canada and it sounds like a cool experience! I wonder if the "movie" portion looks anything like the "Oh, Canada" one in Epcot at Disneyworld, FL. We'd probably enjoy that, however, not sure if we'd be able to make it or not. Our plane lands a little after 4 p.m., so perhaps - ?

[xlxo]

Thanks for the info! I noticed there seems to be a number of well priced hotels with decent reviews in a neighborhood near a major hospital. Not sure what that area is called, but it appears to be south of the main downtown area. Anyone have any comments about that location? Still have to do some research for hotels near the airport, too.

If this is St. Paul's.... The Sheraton Wall Centre is a good hotel.

 

If you share your arrival date and your hotel budget. We can provide better advice.

[martincath]

Thanks for the info! I noticed there seems to be a number of well priced hotels with decent reviews in a neighborhood near a major hospital. Not sure what that area is called, but it appears to be south of the main downtown area. Anyone have any comments about that location? Still have to do some research for hotels near the airport, too.

 

I just looked up Flyover Canada and it sounds like a cool experience! I wonder if the "movie" portion looks anything like the "Oh, Canada" one in Epcot at Disneyworld, FL. We'd probably enjoy that, however, not sure if we'd be able to make it or not. Our plane lands a little after 4 p.m., so perhaps - ?

If it is St Pauls (or VGH, if there's water between downtown and the hotels you're seeing), be aware that ambulances might be whooshing around with sirens on all hours, so earplugs might be an idea to get a good nights sleep.

 

As to the Flyover movie - it's pretty much 100% the opposite of the Epcot version (old or new). I found the movie painfully tacky, more of a hurdle that had to be overcome than part of the experience... the Flyover ride itself was good though; not quite as smooth as Soarin' at Disney but almost twice as long.

[mlbcruiser]

So how much of the Flyover Canada thing is a movie (time-wise, that is), and how much of it is the ride? I was under the impression we would be on the ride while we are seeing a movie - or something like a flight simulator experience.

[Earl Rosebery]

When we were there, the movie was too long and uncomfortable. 20 minutes standing in a square room with rather meaningless stuff projected on 4 walls. The flyover was well done but brief. Less than 10 minutes.

[xlxo]

So how much of the Flyover Canada thing is a movie (time-wise, that is), and how much of it is the ride? I was under the impression we would be on the ride while we are seeing a movie - or something like a flight simulator experience.

 

Here's the ticket prices....

https://www.flyovercanada.com/tickets/

 

Remember to give yourself a 25% currency discount when you look at the numbers.

 

I like they close at 9pm... a great place to go after dinner.

 

[YOUTUBE]fpVgUwVE4HQ[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]gbmjyXQJGII[/YOUTUBE]

Edited April 10, 2016 by xlxo

[mlbcruiser]

Some great info. posted here!

 

xlxo, loved the videos! The ride and movie do remind me of something I was on at Epcot, as well as the 360 degree movie "American the Beautiful", also at Epcot - and you stand for that one, too. (Are there bannister-like things to lean against or hold on to, like at some of these types of things at Epcot?)

These videos are VERY helpful! I think we'll really enjoy it and hope we do manage to do this attraction. Thanks for taking the time to search out this video and post it.