New to HAL, some questions...

[sandy999]

We are sailing on the Noordam in May and are awaiting our cabin assignment. I have a couple of questions..

 

1. What time can you drop your bag at the port in Vancouver? We have to checkout from the hotel at 10am.

2. Is there a place to leave your luggage on return to Vancouver? We have an afternoon flight 4pm, so plan to spend a few hours in the city before heading to the airport. Couple of questions on the airport run - Is there a train to the airport ? How much is the taxi fare from the port?

3. What is the best viewing area on deck to see Glacier bay etc..

4. We visit icy strait, ketchican, Haines and Juneau - do any of these stops require a tender? If so, is there a queuing system to get on one?

[ShipWalker]

2) Yes there is a train (skytrain) to the airport. Canada Line- Waterfront Station to Airport Station.

About a 25 minute trip.

 

https://www.translink.ca/Schedules-and-Maps/SkyTrain.aspx

[Krazy Kruizers]

1. You can drop luggage off usually around 10:30.

2. -- do not know

3. The front -- bow -- which will be open on that day.

4. We had to tender there -- but someone mentioned that last year they didn't. Don't know if they have built a dock since we were there.

[VennDiagram]

We are sailing on the Noordam in May and are awaiting our cabin assignment. I have a couple of questions..

 

1. What time can you drop your bag at the port in Vancouver? We have to checkout from the hotel at 10am.

2. Is there a place to leave your luggage on return to Vancouver? We have an afternoon flight 4pm, so plan to spend a few hours in the city before heading to the airport. Couple of questions on the airport run - Is there a train to the airport ? How much is the taxi fare from the port? Cab fare port to airport is around $35 ish Cdn depending on traffic and road conditions. There is a train as mentioned by another poster.

 

re; leaving luggage -- I need to check, there has been a place in the past. In the terminal.

3. What is the best viewing area on deck to see Glacier bay etc.. Move around the ship. Be outside as much as you can stand to be outside. The bow will be open, and there are other places -- promenade deck, observation deck, sports deck.

4. We visit icy strait, ketchican, Haines and Juneau - do any of these stops require a tender? If so, is there a queuing system to get on one? Icy Strait used to be a tender port, there is a dock there now. If there are two ships there, I think one will need to tender. I will check and see if I can find the info.

 

See responses in red above. I will be back with more info :)

[VennDiagram]

From here: http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/

 

"We have one seasonal location right in Canada Place on the cruise terminal level. Operating May until the end of September with both storage and YVR baggage transfers available

 

We are located between the information counter and the car rentals right in the cruise terminal

 

Hours: 07:30 AM - 4:30 PM closed Tuesday/Thursday

Phone: 604-683-3696

 

All storage prices are based per 24 hours and you need to bring your photo ID and travel itinerary to drop off you baggage as per Transport Canada"

[VennDiagram]

From here:

http://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Icy-Strait-Point-%E2%80%93-ISP-2018.pdf

 

Noordam appears to be the only ship in ISP that day, so gets to use the dock (y) :)

 

I think I remember that Noordam will tender in Juneau.

Edited April 9, 2018 by VennDiagram

[sandy999]

Many thanks for the info.

 

I checked the claalaska for the other days as well. Not seen this site before. We got lucky in ISP and Haines. Less so in Juneau, going to be a busy port that day.

 

Good to see CDS baggage is open on a Sunday as well.

 

Might try the skytrain to the airport, we will probably have time to do this.

 

Cheers

[sandy999]

Oh, I have thought of another question!

 

Can you buy See's candies in Vancouver and also Laura Secord?

[VennDiagram]

Oh, I have thought of another question!

 

Can you buy See's candies in Vancouver and also Laura Secord?

 

If you find See's please let me know as I want to try them but have never found them :) but OH YES to Laura Secord :D (y) I don't think they have stand-alone stores many places but they are stocked in pre-packed boxes in a lot of drug stores (that's where I get my "fix")

 

And Ketchi-candies in Ketchikan used to make delicious chocolate and sea salt enrobed caramels....

[Kempa]

3. What is the best viewing area on deck to see Glacier bay etc..

 

Promenade deck is great. There is no glass in front of you as in the pool deck.

[martincath]

Many thanks for the info.

 

I checked the claalaska for the other days as well. Not seen this site before. We got lucky in ISP and Haines. Less so in Juneau, going to be a busy port that day.

 

Good to see CDS baggage is open on a Sunday as well.

 

Might try the skytrain to the airport, we will probably have time to do this.

 

Cheers

 

Solid info above already with links to Transit & storage, plus accurate cab pricing, so I'll only add that for folks with afternoon flights like you the best bet is probably to stash your bags with the bell staff of the Pan Pacific - most folks who are not Cruise Critic users and need storage will see the signs as they exit the ship and queue up, so you'll probably get it stashed a bit quicker by heading upstairs (unless you're among the first folks off so no queue yet at CDS). Regardless, it's cheaper at $5 a bag instead of $7-8 depending on size. Since your flights are too early for CDS' excellent 'send to YVR' service, and have to return to the pier to collect them anyway, you may as well save the cash and some queuing time!

 

Even with luggage Canada Line train is fine - fully RORO with floors level to platforms and very small gaps, storage room under every seat for a big bag, and enough legroom you can fit a carryon in front/between your knees too. We take it for almost all our flights out of YVR even when we're traveling with carryons and 28" rollers, and I'm both a big ol' fattie and over 6-foot, no issue with fitting me and my stuff at my seat.

 

 

Oh, I have thought of another question!

 

Can you buy See's candies in Vancouver and also Laura Secord?

No See's - rather niche US candy, although you could try one of the many candy stores we have in Vancouver that import (mostly UK/Euro/Japanese, but some US) candies - the Candy Aisle and Candy Room both have convenient downtown branches for tourists on Robson Street, and Candy Kitchen is in Granville Island Public Market (small kiosk, no website I know of).

 

Laura Secord is Ontario based - other eastern provinces have a few stores but nothing west of Saskatchewan - so you'll only be able to buy boxed sets, which are indeed all over the local pharmacy chains (London Drugs, Rexall, and Shoppers Drugmart should all have some).

[jkrislc]

Roger's Chocolates is quite good and there's a store not too far from the dock.

[VennDiagram]

Sandy999 what hotel are you staying at?

 

(Rogers?!?! No, "Team Laura Secord" all the way ;) (y) )

[sandy999]

Hi there,

 

We are staying at the Auberge for 2 nights before the cruise, before that a week whistle stop drive around the Canadian Rockies.. I think the Auberge is close enough for us to walk to the cruise terminal with roller cases.

 

Sandy999 what hotel are you staying at?

 

(Rogers?!?! No, "Team Laura Secord" all the way ;) (y) )

 

Many thanks all for the information. Will check out the Pan Pacific for luggage storage, didn't realise they offered that.

[VennDiagram]

According to Google there's a Shoppers Drug Mart (for boxes of Laura Secord chocolates) at Shoppers Drug Mart, 586 Granville St. It seems to be about a 2 block walk each way. That's the nearest I could find to your hotel.

[sandy999]

Many thanks, we will be visiting for sure. I love Laura Secord chocolate. Also looking forward to Tim Hortons, although they now have some stores over here.

 

Good to hear the train ride was worth it, we figured we would see a little bit of Skagway too before returning back to Haines. I was tempted by the river raft trip to see the Eagles but the train ride won.

 

We haven't booked ISP or Ketchican. We figured we may walk around on our own or if we haven't see any wildlife at that point we may book on a tour. I hope they don't sell out.

 

 

According to Google there's a Shoppers Drug Mart (for boxes of Laura Secord chocolates) at Shoppers Drug Mart, 586 Granville St. It seems to be about a 2 block walk each way. That's the nearest I could find to your hotel.

[Straitlover]

According to Google there's a Shoppers Drug Mart (for boxes of Laura Secord chocolates) at Shoppers Drug Mart, 586 Granville St. It seems to be about a 2 block walk each way. That's the nearest I could find to your hotel.

 

I am also staying at the Auberge, so I will have to be a good guest of Canada and try out some Laura Secord chocolates. ;p

[dmg1956]

We are sailing on the Noordam in May and are awaiting our cabin assignment. I have a couple of questions..

 

1. What time can you drop your bag at the port in Vancouver? We have to checkout from the hotel at 10am.

2. Is there a place to leave your luggage on return to Vancouver? We have an afternoon flight 4pm, so plan to spend a few hours in the city before heading to the airport. Couple of questions on the airport run - Is there a train to the airport ? How much is the taxi fare from the port?

3. What is the best viewing area on deck to see Glacier bay etc..

4. We visit icy strait, ketchican, Haines and Juneau - do any of these stops require a tender? If so, is there a queuing system to get on one?

Regarding #2. You can sign up for a luggage service with HAL (see the web-page for already booked passengers...the one where you enter your ID & Password) which will allow you to have your luggage delivered directly to the airport and the appropriate flight. In other words, once you place it outside your cabin door the night before disembarkation, you won't see it or be bothered with it until you go to the luggage carousel at your home airport. Also, a previous reply to your thread suggested that you will need to tender in Juneau. I don't believe this is correct, unless there are more than 4 ships in port. You can Google 2018 Schedules/Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska to find out what ships are in each port during your cruise. While you are in Glacier Bay be sure to indulge in the Dutch Split Pea soup they serve on deck. Regarding tendering, if in fact it actually happens, you just get in line like everyone else. It moves somewhat quickly but you should consider going to the tender loading area early. Pinnacle and Neptune Suite passengers always have priority tender boarding however. Hope this helps and have a wonderful cruise. We are on Eurodam at the end of July.

Cheers.

[martincath]

Regarding #2. You can sign up for a luggage service with HAL ... which will allow you to have your luggage delivered directly to the airport and the appropriate flight. In other words, once you place it outside your cabin door the night before disembarkation, you won't see it or be bothered with it until you go to the luggage carousel at your home airport.

While I hope you're correct for the sake of the enhanced convenience for passengers, unless HAL have struck some sort of deal with US CBP this is not the case in Vancouver - you have to personally identify your luggage as you pass through preclearance at YVR. Your bags are linked to your boarding pass, so that when it's scanned by CBP a picture of the bags you just dropped on the conveyor belt appears. If you don't get flagged for secondary, they are released to be loaded - if you are flagged, they are pulled and sent for manual checking with you elsewhere.

 

Due to this Preclearance process, unless you were already checked-in AND the cruiseline minions were trusted by CBP to correctly sticker up your bags with your boarding pass number onboard the ship, it's impossible to use the 'send bags home' service here (or elsewhere in Canada)...