If we dock in Vancouver at 7, can we make the airport in time for noon flight?

[seadancer]

We were told that Infinity will dock at 7am. We don't want to do a "red eye" so we were wondering if we have enough time to disembark, drive to the airport (cab), and fly to Orlando (international flight)-carry on baggage only.

 

Thank you for your help!

[ArgoZ]

Yes, 5hr is plenty of time to make your international flight if you disembark at 7am. Depending on what method you choose (taxi or subway) it's usually only a 30-45 min trip to the airport either way.

[MellyMel612]

As I understand it docking doesn't necessarily mean the time you can get off the ship. I believe it can be up to 2 hours from the time you dock until the ship is cleared and passengers can begin to disembark.You might want to check with your cruiseline for specifics.

 

We are also traveling to/from Orlando. Are you taking a one way cruise or R/T? We found much better fares and flight times into and out of Seattle. We will rent a car in Vancouver and head back to Seattle after disembarking. Some of those flight lengths from Vancouver to Orlando were INSANE (12-14 even 18-20 hours minimum for our dates with layovers) so we opted for direct flights at SEATAC.

[Kamloops50]

We were told that Infinity will dock at 7am. We don't want to do a "red eye" so we were wondering if we have enough time to disembark, drive to the airport (cab), and fly to Orlando (international flight)-carry on baggage only.

 

Thank you for your help!

Yes you have plenty of time. The airport is 30 minutes on weekends and up to 60 minutes midweek. Mid week is dependent on what construction is going in the downtown core.

[martincath]

Agree - noon flight is a lazy enough schedule that you can probably even get cruiseline transfers. As carry-on travelers you can easily make use of self-disembarkation, which should start around 7:15am for an Alaskan cruise arriving in Vancouver. My wife walks to the office after we disembark in our home port, and she's always there before 8am.

 

No reason you cannot be at YVR as early as 8:30am if you really push it by hustling to be among the very first off - although the best advice available is to stay an extra day or twelve and then book as early a flight as you want;-)

[Jimbo]

We were told that Infinity will dock at 7am. We don't want to do a "red eye" so we were wondering if we have enough time to disembark, drive to the airport (cab), and fly to Orlando (international flight)-carry on baggage only.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Alaska cruise with only a carry on?

 

How is that possible?

[Coral]

Alaska cruise with only a carry on?

 

How is that possible?

 

For me, it is not possible! I am lucky if I can do 1 suitcase.

 

Yes - noon is what I am for flight wise.

[seadancer]

Alaska cruise with only a carry on?

 

How is that possible?

 

 

 

No jeans, layering clothes, 3 in 1 jacket, pants, quick drying clothes and rolling clothes to pack. Since it's 50 ish degrees it should be fine.

 

I can't take my gowns but I was told that Alaska cruises are more laid back.

 

You can look it up on you tube "how to pack for a 7 day cruise" or "Rick Steeve's how to pack for Europe". Eagle Creek has one too.

 

DH has been wanting to do this for a while so we figured we'd give it a try.

 

It's an adventure! [emoji38][emoji322]

[seadancer]

I also wanted to thank all of your wonderful feedback! Please continue especially if you've done a round trip from Vancouver! This is our first time.

[xlxo]

Doable....

• 7am dock
  
• 7:30am first walk offs where you carry your luggage yourself
  
• 8:15am catch cab
  
• 9am arrive at airport for your 3 hours of check-in, customs, and searches. Luggage, carry-on's, WMD's, ULU's, liquids, food, electronics, body, hand, and the random complimentary private VIP secondary experience.
  
• 12pm.... wheels up with dreams of returning to Vancouver as you ran out of time.
  

@seadancer: Which ship and date are you on? Need to plan for contingencies for multi-ship days.

[seadancer]

Doable....

• 7am dock
  
• 7:30am first walk offs where you carry your luggage yourself
  
• 8:15am catch cab
  
• 9am arrive at airport for your 3 hours of check-in, customs, and searches. Luggage, carry-on's, WMD's, ULU's, liquids, food, electronics, body, hand, and the random complimentary private VIP secondary experience.
  
• 12pm.... wheels up with dreams of returning to Vancouver as you ran out of time.
  

@seadancer: Which ship and date are you on? Need to plan for contingencies for multi-ship days.

 

 

 

Thank you! Celebrity Infinity. What did you mean about "need to plan for contingencies for multi-ship days"?

[Urban trekker]

While there are often two ships in port and things run fairly smoothly getting out of the terminal and taxis etc there are a few times a year usually in May and September when there are three ships in port and that usually results in lineups chaos etc as you have upwards of 7000 + people trying to get off ships and 7000+ all wanting to be the first on the ships.

 

Perhaps it is these three ships days that the previous poster is referring to.

 

Here's a link to the cruise ship schedule for 2017:

 

http://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Cruise-Schedule-February-15.pdf

 

Edited: In looking at the port schedule I see the following dates when there are two other ships in port with the Infinity - June 18, July 9, July 30, Sept 10 .

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

 

:):):)

[martincath]

Yup, it's those 3-ship-days that queues get lengthy - for CBSA getting off the ship and entering Canada, then cabs, then check-in/security/CBP at YVR. The important thing is to beat most of the OTHER cruisers who are also flying home same day! Being in that first self-disembarkation group is a huge benefit.

 

Best contingency plans are to know where SkyTrain is - and if you don't have it already, apply ASAP for Global Entry or NEXUS. The latter Trusted Traveler programs will save you time at YVR (inbound to Canada as well as outbound to US if you get NEXUS) in both Security and CBP queues. Using SkyTrain is faster than a cab if you have to wait more than say 5 minutes to get in one at the pier - and since it's independent of traffic it's very consistent in timing (26mins end to end). Cabs outbound, against commuter direction, can be at YVR in a half-hour too so are quicker if you can hop in one quickly - but three-ship-days can become a huge mess with hour-plus cab waits.

[seadancer]

Thank you Urban trekker and martincath! Great information and ideas! We were planning to get Global Entry. Do you think NEXUS is better? Thank you again and everyone continue to give your information and feedback!

[Kamloops50]

Nexus is the Canadian version of Global Entry. We Nexus cards and use the Global entry line in US airports.

 

 

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[xlxo]

@seadancer: The Infinity travels mainly docks on two ship Sundays in Vancouver. Getting a cab should be easy.

 

However, there's a few Sundays with morning events that will introduce road closures in the downtown. Knowing which sailing day will allow us to better advise your time sensitive exfil to the airport.

Edited March 15, 2017 by xlxo

[seadancer]

Sailing on the 4th of June and flying home on the 11th. We are flying in on the 3rd to try to see part of the area and eat before falling asleep. The time difference between the east coast and Vancouver is a concern. We don't know if we'll be able to sleep on the plane.

 

Does anyone know how much a taxi would cost from the airport? Do we pay in US dollars or should we get Canadian currency before we leave (our bank?)?

 

Again thank you for all your feedback!

[xlxo]

The credit card is the best way with the cab. Let the driver know you plan to pay by credit card before loading luggage.

 

June 11 debarkation is a two ship day.... no traffic concerns.

 

June 3 arrival into the city may get interesting. Atlanta FC has a game kick off at 2:30pm. Depending on which hotel you choose, there may be congestion an hour before the game and for an hour after 5pm.

Edited March 15, 2017 by xlxo

[martincath]

Thank you Urban trekker and martincath! Great information and ideas! We were planning to get Global Entry. Do you think NEXUS is better? Thank you again and everyone continue to give your information and feedback!

NEXUS is Global Entry for half the price plus inbound privileges in Canada - if you are close enough to a NEXUS office to make attending for your interview feasible, it is superior to Global Entry. The downside is far more limited offices, as both CBSA and CBP staff have to be on-site. Outside of Canada, some of the US border states have offices and a handful of major airports.

Sailing on the 4th of June and flying home on the 11th. We are flying in on the 3rd to try to see part of the area and eat before falling asleep. The time difference between the east coast and Vancouver is a concern. We don't know if we'll be able to sleep on the plane.

 

Does anyone know how much a taxi would cost from the airport? Do we pay in US dollars or should we get Canadian currency before we leave (our bank?)?

 

Again thank you for all your feedback!

CAD$35 fixed rate in cabs to the pier and hotels immediately adjacent; $31 to virtually all other downtown hotels. Since you're here for a day there's certainly no harm in acquiring some local currency, it will make life easier - but as long as you only buy things from $5 and up you should be able to use a US credit card basically everywhere (well, a Visa or MC - Discover is accepted only in a handful of fancy stores, restos, hotels while Amex is commonly accepted but not as universal as the big two).

 

The only potential issue with using credit is automated terminals - if your issuer has not upgraded you to a Chip & PIN card yet you may not be able to use the card for e.g. transit tickets or parking, and an occasional sales clerk might not know how to override their POS terminal for signatures (PIN verification has been the norm for many years in Canada).

Edited March 15, 2017 by martincath
gorram double-spacing!

[AryMay]

I've been reading these posts with interest.

 

Our cruise ends on Monday, May 29 which is Memorial Day in the U.S., but doubt that this would have any impact on traffic in Vancouver. (Although I did noticed that the previous Monday is Victoria Day?)

 

I'm looking for advice from the pros. If our flight is scheduled to leave at 1 pm, would it be necessary to do self-disembarkation? I hate the thought of dealing with our luggage and would rather just try and get assigned an early group for regular disembarkation, but don't want to cut it too close.

 

The only potential issue with using credit is automated terminals - if your issuer has not upgraded you to a Chip & PIN card yet you may not be able to use the card for e.g. transit tickets or parking, and an occasional sales clerk might not know how to override their POS terminal for signatures (PIN verification has been the norm for many years in Canada).

 

Also thanks for this info. Still debating the transit vs. taxi decision and wouldn't have given this a thought. We have the chip cards, but not sure if they have a PIN? I know I always sign for purchases. Sounds like we might have trouble purchasing a fare to take the train to the airport?

[martincath]

I've been reading these posts with interest.

 

Our cruise ends on Monday, May 29 which is Memorial Day in the U.S., but doubt that this would have any impact on traffic in Vancouver. (Although I did noticed that the previous Monday is Victoria Day?)

 

I'm looking for advice from the pros. If our flight is scheduled to leave at 1 pm, would it be necessary to do self-disembarkation? I hate the thought of dealing with our luggage and would rather just try and get assigned an early group for regular disembarkation, but don't want to cut it too close.

 

Also thanks for this info. Still debating the transit vs. taxi decision and wouldn't have given this a thought. We have the chip cards, but not sure if they have a PIN? I know I always sign for purchases. Sounds like we might have trouble purchasing a fare to take the train to the airport?

Memorial Day might mean there are a few more of your fellow Americans up here visiting, thanks to the day off work, but there's no impact from a Canadian perspective.

 

A 1pm flight is so easy to make that all cruiselines offer it for their overpriced and overslow transfers to YVR - I believe 12:30pm is the latest cutoff time for any of the lines to allow transfers. 2 ships in port that day, so you could be last off the ship at 9:30ish, spend half an hour looking for your bags, and still be at YVR in plenty of time to make a 1pm flight - even though the official line is 'be 3 hours early' 2 hours is usually more than adequate even for US-bound flights.

 

 

I would recommend an earlyish disembarkation group to play safe, but you have plenty of padding; really the only way you're missing the flight is if you decide to walk to the airport (and even then you'd have a good chance of making it - under 9 miles on foot, say 3 hours from pier to YVR);)

 

Chip & Sign cards might be problematic - but SkyTrain does seem to have a sensible limit, below which they don't ask for PIN verification anyway (I've never had to put mine it when reloading my Compass, which I do $20 at a time). Since I've never had a Chip card that wasn't also a PIN card I can't say 100% though - so be aware that you might face a delay while you ask the Canadians around you to swap cash. Worst case if you offer even the surliest Vancouverite (i.e. an ex-Torontonian) a US $10 they'll happily give you CAD$10 in exchange to buy a couple of $4pp tickets.

[AryMay]

A 1pm flight is so easy to make that all cruiselines offer it for their overpriced and overslow transfers to YVR - I believe 12:30pm is the latest cutoff time for any of the lines to allow transfers. 2 ships in port that day, so you could be last off the ship at 9:30ish, spend half an hour looking for your bags, and still be at YVR in plenty of time to make a 1pm flight - even though the official line is 'be 3 hours early' 2 hours is usually more than adequate even for US-bound flights.

Thanks for the reassurance. I thought a 1 pm flight would be OK, but I keep reading about how long it takes to get through YVR and I was getting worried.

 

AND...then just today I noticed that our NCL docs were available to download. They recommend not booking a flight less than 6 HOURS after the scheduled arrival time in Vancouver...which they show as 8 am! :eek: The ship will be in Nanaimo the previous day until 6 pm so it isn't like we have a long distance to sail to reach Vancouver.

[xlxo]

Another vote May 29th will be a quiet uneventful exfil to the airport.... my recommended times....

• 7:30am enjoy your final breakfast....
  
• 8:45 am walk off
  
• 9:25am board a cab for the 35 minute journey to the airport
  
• 10am arrive at YVR for your 3 hours of check-in, US customs and searches (especially the random complimentary VIP private secondary experience).
  
• 1pm wheels up with dreams on a return trip to Vancouver
  

[seadancer]

Thank you all for all your information! I really appreciate it! Does anyone know how long it would take to disembark if you take your carry on (only luggage) with you? For example, going through customs off of the ship?

[Kamloops50]

If disembark with the first or second group . You can be at the airport by 9AM. Customs is usually very easy. There will be two officers that check your declaration and might ask you about something declared. If they want check further , they'll send you secondary which can take a significant amount of time.

 

 

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