Vancouver questions......

[xlxo]

To clarify...

• get the Blue Horizon if you have time and want to explore the downtown on foot in the late afternoon and evenings.
  
• think the Raddison if you are arriving late at night, don't have time to explore the city and/or there is significant price savings.
  
  • good balance in price compared to nearby hotels and has the subway access across the street. You will be downtown or the cruise terminal for $4 in 20 minutes.
    
  • some travelers have rental vehicles for multiday stays..... Raddison offers free parking for those who don't want to use the subway.
    

[bUU]

Yipes... I'm getting rates of about US$220 a night there. Surprising, since Google thinks I could get it for US$104 a night.

[midwestchick]

Yipes... I'm getting rates of about US$220 a night there. Surprising, since Google thinks I could get it for US$104 a night.

 

 

I looked....that's CAD. That would be about $165 US dollars.

[bUU]

If that's CAD then that's a really crappy website.

 

[midwestchick]

If that's CAD then that's a really crappy website.

 

 

 

Thought you were talking about Blue Horizon. I didn't look at Marriott.

[xlxo]

Yipes... I'm getting rates of about US$220 a night there. Surprising, since Google thinks I could get it for US$104 a night.

To clarify.... what date do you have for your hotel searches?

 

Sent from my Passport using Forums mobile app

[bUU]

June 29, 2018.

 

Thanks!

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[xlxo]

I recommend you wait until the Fall to look at hotel rates. Maybe even January. At this time, hotels have not set their prices for 2018. If you do choose to book a hotel..... book it with a cancellable/refundable rate as you are likely going to find something cheaper later in 2017.

 

Looking at a similar date for June 30, 2017 with 3.5 months to go as an example on booking.com in USD for two people.

• $158 Days Inn
  
• $203 Century Plaza
  
• $209 Blue Horizon
  
• $216 Rosedale
  
• $224 Empire Landmark
  
• $257 Holiday inn
  
• $266 Sutton Place
  
• $295 Auberge
  
• $343 Wall Centre
  
• $343 Hampton Inn
  
• $381 Westin Bayshore
  
• $381 Pan Pacific
  
• $388 Fairmont Waterfront
  
• $394 Shangri La
  
• $399 Marriott Pinnacle
  

• $224 Raddison Vancouver Airport
  

YWCA shows a room with a bathroom for around $115 USD.

 

Keep in mind.... June 29, 2018 is Friday before a long weekend. There is also a fireworks show during the weekend. Thus you are choosing to be in the city at peak rate.

Edited March 21, 2017 by xlxo

[bUU]

Looking at a similar date for June 30, 2017 with 3.5 months to go as an example on booking.com in USD for two people.

• $158 Days Inn
  

And my brother works at corporate, so perhaps we can get a decent deal...

 

YWCA shows a room with a bathroom for around $115 USD.

25th Anniversary vacation, starting at the 'Y'... that probably translates into the beginning of the divorce. :)

 

Keep in mind.... June 29, 2018 is Friday before a long weekend. There is also a fireworks show during the weekend. Thus you are choosing to be in the city at peak rate.

Might we see fireworks as we're leaving port? No, it'll probably be later that evening...

[martincath]

Might we see fireworks as we're leaving port? No, it'll probably be later that evening...

Fireworks are on the evening of 1st July for Canada Day celebrations. I assume since your only hotel date listed was 29th, you depart 30th June for the cruise so you'll miss them by a day-and-a-half. xlxo's point is that it's a popular weekend for visitors to Vancouver, so among the highest price weekends for hotels.

 

And yes, many Vancouver hotels only confirm pricing a year in advance so it's pretty pointless trying to get a good rate at this time. Even if you find a hotel that will sell a room 15 months ahead, without knowing what their competitions pricing is there will be a lot of price fluctuation. Lock in an acceptable refundable rate if you can find one this summer (some place that won't result in divorce - although the YWCA Hotel is a significantly better property than the Days Inn to be frank!) and check back much closer to your departure for a better deal.

[new_cruiser]

I was just in Vancouver. My US chip and signature card worked fine in the SkyRail transit machines. (2.75 CAD on the weekend to get from the airport to downtown. On weekends it is one zone and on weekdays it is 2 zones.)

 

Didn't realize that one of my credit cards is chip and pin and I didn't have a pin for it. (Using it in the US, I've not needed the pin.) I couldn't use it in the restaurants without a pin. I was able to set up the pin by calling the number on the card and going through the automated prompts. Chip an signature card worked at the restaurant.

 

You can get Canadian Cash at an ATM machine in the airport.

[bUU]

Thanks for the info. I would hate to have just done the "normal" thing and wait until 3-4 months prior and try to book an overnight then... we could have been in real trouble then.

[Pebbs48]

Thanks for the info. I would hate to have just done the "normal" thing and wait until 3-4 months prior and try to book an overnight then... we could have been in real trouble then.

 

I booked my hotel for June 2017 almost at a year out and now the same hotel is ~$100 less for one night what I am paying for two nights. I always book cancellable rates just in case the price goes down.

[bUU]

I'll have to book non-refundable if it is an employee discount, but if it is an employee discount it'll be about 25% of retail so I'll be happy. :)

[xlxo]

25th Anniversary vacation, starting at the 'Y'... that probably translates into the beginning of the divorce. :)

Thoughts....

• it's called "pre-cruise". Save the fun for embarkation.
  
• with the money saved..... spend it on a good dinner or excursion. Perhaps even additional days in Vancouver.
  

[bUU]

We're job-limited still, so additional days aren't in the cards. If they were, we'd have taken the NB itinerary and gone up into the AK interior.

 

With regard to "pre-cruise", the spouse dictates when the "fun" is to begin, and the spouse's edict is that it begins the moment the door opens to leave our home, and it doesn't end until we are back inside our home. That means that the vacations I craft have to factor in not just the venue for the vacation, but everything pre- and post-.

[seadancer]

I recommend you wait until the Fall to look at hotel rates. Maybe even January. At this time, hotels have not set their prices for 2018. If you do choose to book a hotel..... book it with a cancellable/refundable rate as you are likely going to find something cheaper later in 2017.

 

Looking at a similar date for June 30, 2017 with 3.5 months to go as an example on booking.com in USD for two people.

• $158 Days Inn
  
• $203 Century Plaza
  
• $209 Blue Horizon
  
• $216 Rosedale
  
• $224 Empire Landmark
  
• $257 Holiday inn
  
• $266 Sutton Place
  
• $295 Auberge
  
• $343 Wall Centre
  
• $343 Hampton Inn
  
• $381 Westin Bayshore
  
• $381 Pan Pacific
  
• $388 Fairmont Waterfront
  
• $394 Shangri La
  
• $399 Marriott Pinnacle
  

• $224 Raddison Vancouver Airport
  

YWCA shows a room with a bathroom for around $115 USD.

 

Keep in mind.... June 29, 2018 is Friday before a long weekend. There is also a fireworks show during the weekend. Thus you are choosing to be in the city at peak rate.

 

 

 

I used Orbitz and was able to book a great price for our hotel. I normally don't wait until so close to the date, 3rd of June, but I had to wait for my tax refund. I'm glad I did! [emoji16]

 

Thanks for the suggestions for breakfast restaurants too!