Coming into Vancouver day early for our Alaska Cruise, need hotel help.

[GwenA]

First time cruiser, so I have lots of questions.

We are cruising May 13th with Holland America, Alaska. After reading out here, we decided to fly in the day before versus day of departure.

Now I need some hotel help.

We have made all of our travel arrangements thus far via HAL, and they want to book us into the Pan Pacific (Vancouver BC) it seems pricey for only 24 hours literally, and for the bellman to walk us to our ship.

Thoughts, do we take it, or does anyone else have other suggestions??

Thanks for the help!

[CCJack]

very good decision to fly in the day before. Makes your first cruise day much more relaxing. We stayed at the pinnacle harbor front ( close to the similarly named marriot pinnacle ). The Pinnacle was a little cheaper than the other hotels that are close to the ship. We were very pleased. It was a very easy walk to the ship - large sidewalks clean area. Only 10 minutes to the get to the pier. We walked with our luggage and had no problems, others in our hotel took a taxi however. I guess it depends on how much luggage you have. As you approach the pier (the Pan Pacific) you need to go down one level, either via sidewalk near the road or go into the Pan Pacific and take the elevator down to drop off your luggage. .

 

There is quite a bit of things to do and nice places to eat, etc. down by the water. You can make a nice evening out of it if you get in early enough the day before. I would stay at one of the 4 or 5 hotels within about 5 blocks (including the Pinnacle). You can't go wrong with any, they all looked nice.

[Crew News]

The HAL discount at the Pan Pacific is a substantial savings from the regular price and includes transportation from the airport ($32). Note that the Pan Pacific is above the cruise terminal (an elevator ride down to the terminal entrance).

 

I use either the Pan Pacific or the Fairmont across the street.

 

There is a mall under the Fairmont Hotel with lots of shops for last minute items (toiletries, beverages, etc) that make your airport luggage heavy:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/canada/vancouver-bc/waterfront-mall/

 

Consider using the ship's laundry services at $7/day and pack only enough clothing for three days to save even more luggage space.

[VennDiagram]

First time cruiser, so I have lots of questions.

We are cruising May 13th with Holland America, Alaska. After reading out here, we decided to fly in the day before versus day of departure.

Now I need some hotel help.

We have made all of our travel arrangements thus far via HAL, and they want to book us into the Pan Pacific (Vancouver BC) it seems pricey for only 24 hours literally, and for the bellman to walk us to our ship.

Thoughts, do we take it, or does anyone else have other suggestions??:confused:

Thanks for the help!

 

I am shocked at the prices the PP is asking this year. There are lots of hotels within an easy walk, or inexpensive cab ride, near the cruise terminal. I would check the large hotel booking sites for price comparisons to start. Then, ask here and on the West Coast Departures board for others' opinions. WARNING: I am seeing a lot of pricing in Vancouver right now that are "full payment in advance, no refunds". If you have AAA membership, look for that rate.

 

BTW the bellman doesn't walk you to the ship if you book the PP through HAL, but they will take your luggage.

 

If you decide to book a hotel on your own, the cab rate from the airport is "zoned", flat rate. Expect somewhere between $30 and $40 per cab. We paid $35 for the cab to the PP last year.

[martincath]

Very minor corrections to above info - cabs to PP are exactly CAD$35 but only $31 to almost all downtown hotels except Fairmont Waterfront/Pacific Rim (also $35), Westin Bayshire and Sylvia ($37). Tips are discretionary - do as you would in the US.

 

As already mentioned, there are many cheaper alternatives that are quite walkable - and ANY downtown hotel to the pier should be ~$10 or less on the meter of a cab (although caveat, the bottleneck entering the pier area means that your meter keeps ticking away so on busy cruise mornings budget $15 in case). Living downtown I don't need to stay in hotels so can't give a good personal recco in terms of service/quality of bedding etc., but TripAdvisor has hundreds or thousands of reviews on all our hotels - and Google Maps will show you exactly where they are in relation to the pier (it's impossible to be much over a mile away from any downtown hotel though).

 

I see that you're visiting us on a 4 ship day OP - this will be best described as horrible. Early season so new staff learning the ropes, one of the very first ever 4 shippers too so even though one of them is VERY small I would still expect exceptionally long waits across the board. Ordinarily I'm a fan of arriving late, after queues die down - but this early in the season, that many ships I'd suggest that turning up VERY early will be the shortest total queue time. Officially you can drop your bags with porters from 10am - so I would be down at the pier no later than 10am. You will definitely wait an hour or so before boarding begins (have to zero out the ships before anyone is allowed on), but if you came at my usual 2pm or later slot there is a serious risk on this day that the queues will have been so bad you will end up spending even longer than an hour...

 

Please also be aware in advance that the single biggest factor in speed of processing you is the US government - CBP preclear you at the pier to enter the US, even if they have every possible officer working it's a bottleneck and often they do not fully-man the desks. Us locals cannot make them supply more staff, so if you see empty desks please complain to your own government representatives rather than complaining about Canadian ports!

[Mlb4chris]

Really good info...we're sailing HAL on 4/29/18, how does one find out how many ships are in port on any particular day? Now I'm curious

[Mlb4chris]

Whoops!..... just found the terminal website. Only two boats that day👍🏻

[Northern Aurora]

We have stayed at the Pan Pacific prior to a cruise departing from Canada Place, and having a bellman pick up your luggage from your room is quite handy. If there are more than one ship departing from Canada Place that day the Pan Pacific bellmen assemble a luggage train for delivery to the cruise terminal porters.

 

But there are a number of lovely hotels in downtown Vancouver. We also like the Sutton Place.

[Dancing Shoes]

I booked Auberge Vancouver Hotel. Very close to the terminal, 290 meters. Also, it is close to the Waterfront station if you wish to take the sky train from airport instead of a cab. $356 CAD plus tax.

 

I also looked at St. Regis Hotel. My notes said .43 miles to the terminal. Rate was $409 CAD plus tax. They also include breakfast.

[JT1962]

We arrived 2 days early and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Richmond. It wasn’t fancy, but was clean and served our purpose. The hotel offered a shuttle from the airport.

 

The first day we took the SkyTrain to downtown and did a Hop On Hop Off Tour. The day of the cruise we booked an independent tour of the North Shore, Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. They picked us up at the hotel, took care of the luggage all day and dropped us right at the pier.

 

 

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[GwenA]

Very minor corrections to above info - cabs to PP are exactly CAD$35 but only $31 to almost all downtown hotels except Fairmont Waterfront/Pacific Rim (also $35), Westin Bayshire and Sylvia ($37). Tips are discretionary - do as you would in the US.

 

As already mentioned, there are many cheaper alternatives that are quite walkable - and ANY downtown hotel to the pier should be ~$10 or less on the meter of a cab (although caveat, the bottleneck entering the pier area means that your meter keeps ticking away so on busy cruise mornings budget $15 in case). Living downtown I don't need to stay in hotels so can't give a good personal recco in terms of service/quality of bedding etc., but TripAdvisor has hundreds or thousands of reviews on all our hotels - and Google Maps will show you exactly where they are in relation to the pier (it's impossible to be much over a mile away from any downtown hotel though).

 

I see that you're visiting us on a 4 ship day OP - this will be best described as horrible. Early season so new staff learning the ropes, one of the very first ever 4 shippers too so even though one of them is VERY small I would still expect exceptionally long waits across the board. Ordinarily I'm a fan of arriving late, after queues die down - but this early in the season, that many ships I'd suggest that turning up VERY early will be the shortest total queue time. Officially you can drop your bags with porters from 10am - so I would be down at the pier no later than 10am. You will definitely wait an hour or so before boarding begins (have to zero out the ships before anyone is allowed on), but if you came at my usual 2pm or later slot there is a serious risk on this day that the queues will have been so bad you will end up spending even longer than an hour...

 

Please also be aware in advance that the single biggest factor in speed of processing you is the US government - CBP preclear you at the pier to enter the US, even if they have every possible officer working it's a bottleneck and often they do not fully-man the desks. Us locals cannot make them supply more staff, so if you see empty desks please complain to your own government representatives rather than complaining about Canadian ports!

Thanks for the heads up on arriving early. We'll do that. I was able to use PriceLine & get into the Pinnacle Harbourview for a reasonable price, which doesn't look too far away. We also have our Global Entry cards, so hopefully that will help with check in

[xlxo]

OK... so you want a place on the night of May 12th. Here's some alternatives.... on booking.com in USD with availability

• $105 Barclay » check online reviews for potential issues like elevator
  
• $233 Days Inn » check online reviews for potential issues. The bar next door can play music
  
• $259 Blue Horizon » a forum fav for value travelers
  
• $292 Holiday Inn
  
• $321 Georgian Court
  
• $354 Auberge » 3 blocks from cruise terminal
  
• $372 Sheraton Wall Centre
  
• $379 Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
  
• $380 Hampton Inn & Suites » a fav for Hilton point collectors
  
• $380 Hyatt Regency
  
• $397 Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront » 5 block cruise terminal
  
• $405 Westin Grand
  
• $408 Marriot Pinnacle » 5 blocks from cruise terminal
  
• $407 Sutton Place
  
• $420 Westin Bayshore
  
• $426 Four Seasons
  
• $427 Fairmont Waterfront » you sleep across the cruise terminal. Some may request the Mr. Gray upgrade.
  
• $434 L'Hermitage
  
• $444 Pan Pacific
  

Hopefully the above list will give you some options....

• I really like the Blue Horizon if you are a value traveler. Hotel is located centrally in downtown. The cruise terminal is a convenient $10 cab ride away. Otherwise it's a 16 minute walk between hotel and cruise terminal.
  
• Check the YWCA hotel.... I see May 12th availability right now with semi private shower for around $100.
  
• $251 Radisson Vancouver Airport if you are arriving at the airport late at night with no sightseeing time. $4 on a 20 minute subway ride to the cruise terminal is located across the street.
  

Edited January 30, 2018 by xlxo

[Mlb4chris]

We're staying at the blue horizon the night before our departure. We've been to Vancouver several times and it's a lovely city. Hotel gets great reviews, less than $200 out the door AND, its near a BC liquors so I can pick up a couple bottles of wine for the trip👍🏻😁. Great prices on French wines!

[wanderingoz]

OK... so you want a place on the night of May 12th. Here's some alternatives.... on booking.com in USD with availability

• $372 Sheraton Wall Centre
  

Thanks for all the great info.

 

We have been booked in to the Sheraton Wall as part of a package and intended to walk from the cruise terminal.

 

Google says about 2km which is not normally a problem for us. Is the walk fairly flat through this area?

[Urban trekker]

It is actually slightly downhill from the hotel to the port - the Sheraton Wall Center hotel complex is located near the highest point in Downtown Vancouver.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

Dennis

:):):):)

[wanderingoz]

It is actually slightly downhill from the hotel to the port - the Sheraton Wall Center hotel complex is located near the highest point in Downtown Vancouver.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

Dennis

:):):):)

Thanks for that.

We are going from Terminal to Hotel so I guess it will be slightly uphill :)

[ATLSwissyMom]

We arrived 2 days early and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Richmond. It wasn’t fancy, but was clean and served our purpose. The hotel offered a shuttle from the airport.

 

The first day we took the SkyTrain to downtown and did a Hop On Hop Off Tour. The day of the cruise we booked an independent tour of the North Shore, Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. They picked us up at the hotel, took care of the luggage all day and dropped us right at the pier.

 

 

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Can you share the operator of the independent tour you took on the day of the cruise?

 

 

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[JT1962]

Can you share the operator of the independent tour you took on the day of the cruise?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

We used LandSea tours. They also are at Vancouvertours.com. We did the Northshore Peak & Canyon Tour.

 

Some will point out that you can do much of this tour (and others) using public transportation for much less. We liked the convenience of being picked up at our hotel and dropped off at the pier in the same vehicle with the luggage being stored in the back. At this point in life, I don’t mind paying a little more for simplicity.

 

 

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[gerelmx]

Hotel near Canada Place are very expensive, you can check the Best Western Plus Sandals Overlooking English Bay around $190 CAD

[dd likes to cruise]

We used the Sheraton that was right near the WMCA. We took a taxi from airport as it was late at night. But they had a shuttle to the port. We felt it was in a easy place to get around. Right across the street from the free shuttle to the Suspension Bridge. We enjoyed that, but go in the first bus to be there before the crowds.

[wanderingoz]

We used the Sheraton that was right near the WMCA. We took a taxi from airport as it was late at night. But they had a shuttle to the port. We felt it was in a easy place to get around. Right across the street from the free shuttle to the Suspension Bridge. We enjoyed that, but go in the first bus to be there before the crowds.

DD is this the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre on Burrard Street? If so do you know if they do a shuttle FROM the port?

[dd likes to cruise]

DD is this the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre on Burrard Street? If so do you know if they do a shuttle FROM the port?

 

That is the one, but I really do not know about shuttle from port. We didn't even know about the shuttle to the port until I asked the best way to get to the port and they told us about it.

[martincath]

^A few hotels have 'shuttles' that go TO places - but none of them to the best of my knowledge will come pick you up anywhere, especially at the pier (which is always a huge traffic bottleneck on cruise days). I don't think any hotel has more than one minibus - and since they don't have set routes they could be literally anywhere downtown. Imagine the complaints if they picked people up but it took an hour to get to them (you can WALK anywhere downtown to anywhere else in an hour!)

[JAN1]

Anyone ever stay at the Moda Hotel in downtown Vancouver? We booked our final night after our cruise there. Also looking at the Barclay but not sure about that. We will not have a car but only staying there for one night after our cruise. Want to be able to walk to a few places.

Janice

[Urban trekker]

The Moda is the old Dufferin hotel in downtown Vancouver and drank lots of beer there in my younger years - it has been upgraded and is close to most attractions - I live in the apartment complex next door to the Moda - there will be some street noise from passing ambulances etc but if you are there just for one night it shouldn't be a problem - you are close to transit and can walk to Chinatown, Gastown, Canada Place - it's a little further to walk to Stanley Park - doable but a longer walk.

You are three blocks to our major downtown mall - Pacific Center - shops on Robson are close by.

The only advantage I see with the Barclay is that you are a lot closer to Stanley Park - it is an even older building than the Moda.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers!

Dennis