Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver

[CroozinFools]

We are planning to take the Rocky Mountaineer train to Vancouver and board our ship there.  However, since the train doesn't arrive in Vancouver until evening, we plan to spend the night at a hotel near the cruise ship terminal at Canada Place.  Our choices are to book a transfer through the train or catch a taxi at the train station in Vancouver.  Can anyone share their experiences and advice?  Thanks!

[wheezedr]

Given that it is less than 3 miles I would think a cab makes sense but I have no idea what the train transfer costs to compare.

[CroozinFools]

Thanks, wheezedr!  I'm hoping there will be cabs waiting there. 

Edited February 17, 2019 by CroozinFools
misspelling

[martincath]

There may not be cabs - anyone who is willing to drop the lind of cash that RM charges shouldn't need to worry about piddling things like an overpriced transfer;-) The station is close to a fairly busy road though, so walk out onto Cottrell and head north to Terminal and there should be plenty cabs passing. Ballpark $15 to the Pan Pacific Hotel (which is right on top of the pier).

 

If you're coming in to their North Vancouver station though a transfer will be a MUCH better deal - cabs have to go far out of their way to cross a bridge into Vancouver's downtown, so you're looking at more like $30+ (as long as it's after about 6:30/7pm rush hour traffic shouldn't be a problem further racking the fare up).

 

Sorry, no idea which services use which station - check your paperwork.

[CroozinFools]

Thanks, martincath!  Availability is more the issue here.  We might not get into the Cottrell station until 7:30 pm, and were hoping to not have to wait for a bus to load up with passengers and luggage to make our way to the Pan Pacific Hotel (which is where we're staying.)  But if we can't count on cabs being at the RM terminal, we're better off going with the RM transfer because at least it's a sure thing.  Much obliged.

[cruising cockroach]

If you can drag your bags ~200m to the skytrain station, it's 4 stops to the hotel and a short walk from the last station.  ~$3 each.

[CroozinFools]

Thanks, cruising cockroach.  This could be the quickest way there.  Now if we could pack light, or at least lighter than we normally do. . . I found the website with maps and schedules for the Expo Line and will do some further research.  Thanks again.

[cruising cockroach]

Transit timetables are a suggestion but trains should be at least every 10 minutes if not more frequent.  The station was partially rebuilt a few years ago and I'm not sure how access to the platform is configured now.  It used to be that you had to cross the main road (aptly named Main St).

 

You can decide when you get there; taxis present or not.

[DaveOKC]

18 hours ago, cruising cockroach said:

If you can drag your bags ~200m to the skytrain station, it's 4 stops to the hotel and a short walk from the last station.  ~$3 each.

Be certain that you can take bags on this line - we were told no last year.  The line that goes to the airport to pier and reverse allows bags, so some confusion comes in.

[CroozinFools]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

Be certain that you can take bags on this line - we were told no last year.  The line that goes to the airport to pier and reverse allows bags, so some confusion comes in.

Yikes, that would be an unpleasant surprise, especially when we don't want to spend time and energy dragging bags around while looking for a ride to Canada Place.  Many thanks, OKC.

[cruising cockroach]

I couldn't find anything about baggage restrictions.    Anyway, you're outside rush hour by that time.

[martincath]

I've posted this info several times - including links direct to Translink's Bylaws after being challenged on it repeatedly - relevant section is 4. (a)(v) covering staff right to refuse transportation due to luggage (among other things) potentially causing inconvenience to others/a safety hazard. In short there is no 'legal' way to bring large luggage on any SkyTrain line except for the Canada Line - aisles, seats, wheelchair and bicycle spots explicitly forbid luggage being placed in them, which leaves your lap and the small space under your feet (as Expo trains don't have space under the seats themselves unlike Canada Line trains which were specced out differently for precisely this reason).

 

Unmanned trains outside rush hour does mean a very, very small risk of enforcement of the rules though - unlike buses, where literally every summer I see tourists with large bags forbidden to board by the driver. To actually get fined you'd have to get caught and then refuse to disembark SkyTrain! So while it's something that I know people do, and the vast majority who do also get away with it, it's still a risk I mention and therefore don't recommend the older commuter-focused SkyTrain lines to cruisers.

 

More relevantly though, you must be thinking of the OLD station that RM used to use 'roach - which closed several years ago. The newer Cottrell station is 1.2km away from Main Street station, not 200 metres. You can access the platform with luggage from either side of Main St now, but still have to cross Terminal onto the north side and of course drag your bags for ~3/4 of a mile. VCC Clark station is much closer as the crow flies - but thanks to the railway lines, you have to walk further to get there safely! Plus since this is on the tail end of the line it involves an annoying backwards bit of travel to Commercial and a change of train there to come back downtown, or else an EXTREMELY long loop riding the entire track around the eastern 'burbs!

 

All-in-all, if you have a phone with you that will work in Canada OP I'd be inclined to KISS and just stick a couple of local cab phone numbers in memory (or the local Vancouver Taxi App if you have data) then call when you get off the train if there are no cabs nearby, or just walk up to Terminal (cross to north side and any cabs passing are already pointing the correct way, West, so the limited opportunities to turn around on Terminal won't rack up your meter).

[CroozinFools]

Sorry, I didn't realize this information had been posted previously.  Thanks for responding, martincath, and for a lot of great information.

[martincath]

1 hour ago, CroozinFools said:

Sorry, I didn't realize this information had been posted previously.  Thanks for responding, martincath, and for a lot of great information.

Whoops - should have Quoted 'roach, as it was their posts re: transit I was actually responding to. New search does seem to work a lot better than on the old site, but unless you thought to use some fairly niche terms like 'transit bylaws' it's still highly unlikely you'd pop any of the prior posts that Dave was referring to above.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, martincath said:

I've posted this info several times - including links direct to Translink's Bylaws after being challenged on it repeatedly - relevant section is 4. (a)(v) covering staff right to refuse transportation due to luggage (among other things) potentially causing inconvenience to others/a safety hazard. In short there is no 'legal' way to bring large luggage on any SkyTrain line except for the Canada Line - aisles, seats, wheelchair and bicycle spots explicitly forbid luggage being placed in them, which leaves your lap and the small space under your feet (as Expo trains don't have space under the seats themselves unlike Canada Line trains which were specced out differently for precisely this reason).

 

Unmanned trains outside rush hour does mean a very, very small risk of enforcement of the rules though - unlike buses, where literally every summer I see tourists with large bags forbidden to board by the driver. To actually get fined you'd have to get caught and then refuse to disembark SkyTrain! So while it's something that I know people do, and the vast majority who do also get away with it, it's still a risk I mention and therefore don't recommend the older commuter-focused SkyTrain lines to cruisers.

 

More relevantly though, you must be thinking of the OLD station that RM used to use 'roach - which closed several years ago. The newer Cottrell station is 1.2km away from Main Street station, not 200 metres. You can access the platform with luggage from either side of Main St now, but still have to cross Terminal onto the north side and of course drag your bags for ~3/4 of a mile. VCC Clark station is much closer as the crow flies - but thanks to the railway lines, you have to walk further to get there safely! Plus since this is on the tail end of the line it involves an annoying backwards bit of travel to Commercial and a change of train there to come back downtown, or else an EXTREMELY long loop riding the entire track around the eastern 'burbs!

 

All-in-all, if you have a phone with you that will work in Canada OP I'd be inclined to KISS and just stick a couple of local cab phone numbers in memory (or the local Vancouver Taxi App if you have data) then call when you get off the train if there are no cabs nearby, or just walk up to Terminal (cross to north side and any cabs passing are already pointing the correct way, West, so the limited opportunities to turn around on Terminal won't rack up your meter).

Wow, learned something new tonight, as I always assumed Rocky Mountaineer used the Main Station. Thanks Martin.

[cruising cockroach]

Thanks.  Looks like a few of us locals have no idea (or particularly care about) what station RM uses.   Must be the site of the old GM offices in Vancouver, or a some building that was briefly the home of some chocolate show a decade of more ago.

[CroozinFools]

Chocolate?  😀  Thanks to everyone!!

[Dan G]

• I've been on the RM many times.  When it arrives in Vancouver there is ahuge line of cabs.  You don't have to walk anywhere.  Your luggage will be waiting inside the station.  If you arranged a transfer most likely your luggage will already be loaded on the coach.  The station is very close to the Via Rail Station at Pacific Station and is only used by the RM

[FoxtrotTango]

I haven't done this yet but asked my (very knowledgeable!), Travel Agent exactly this question this week.  The Rocky Mountaineer site suggests that transfers are better - but my TA warned me that the transfers are only available to a very few, nominated, hotels (my hotel wasn't one of them, sadly...I do remember the Fairmonts and Sheraton - but I can't remember if Pan Pacific was included - sorry). However, my TA said that, so long as we were prepared to potentially wait for a bit, there should be plenty of cabs available.

I'm going with his recommendation and can report back on the results, (after 25th June - is that too late? When are you travelling?)

Hope this helps!

  Fiona

[CroozinFools]

Thanks, Fiona.  We made our reservation directly with Rocky Mountaineer, and Leonore, the agent we worked with, said their transfer will take us to the Pan Pacific.  The RM part of our trip starts on August 4.  I look forward to seeing how catching a cab works for you.  We can't wait to get going!

Jennie  

[cheeseclan]

We took a Princess pre cruise trip that started in Calgary.  Along the way we stayed in Fairmont  hotels which were awesome. We then boarded the RM in Jasper and had a wonderful trip.  Once in Vancouver a bus took us to the Westin.  I am sorry but I cannot remember if cabs were there when we got off the train.

 

This was an amazing trip that we would do again!  Have a great time.