Vancouver hotel night before cruise

[ianmerc03]

Hello everyone

We are cruising out of Vancouver on October 10 on Norwegian.  We will be flying in night before arriving around 1145pm. Does anyone know of a hotel that provides both shuttle service from the airport and then shuttle service to the cruise port in the morning. I only need it on the departure as the cruise is repositioning to Los Angeles. If no hotel does that then would it be better to get taxi to cruise port hotels then shuttle in morning or get shuttle from airport to hotel close by then taxi in the morning to the port. Ideally the hotel would have both shuttles.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 hour ago, ianmerc03 said:

Does anyone know of a hotel that provides both shuttle service from the airport and then shuttle service to the cruise port in the morning.

 

I don't believe any hotels do that. The airport and port are far apart.

 

1 hour ago, ianmerc03 said:

If no hotel does that then would it be better to get taxi to cruise port hotels then shuttle in morning or get shuttle from airport to hotel close by then taxi in the morning to the port.

 

It depends on your hotel budget. When we sail from Vancouver we stay at the Pan Pacific Hotel or Fairmont Waterfront. Those are at Canada Place, the cruise port.

 

When I am in Vancouver on business I tend to stay at the Sutton Place or Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

Edited April 28, 2022 by scottca075

[CruiserBruce]

Arriving at 11:45pm, and having to go through Canadian Immigration and Customs, as well as claiming your bag, a hotel at the airport would be my target, then take the light rail to the port in the morning. There is a Fairmont (very nice hotel) in the airport.

[martincath]

If it's literally 'go and crash' you may consider a cheap airport hotel for the cash side of things - but on the time side of the equation a downtown hotel wins in total travel time (unless you do spring for the ka-ching Fairmont YVR, and take SkyTrain next morning as suggested by Bruce, which avoids traffic issues entirely).

 

Assuming your hotel's shuttle is still running by the time you get through immigration/customs you may have just as long to wait as a cab to a downtown core hotel would take - many 'airport' hotels are 15+min drive away, so by the time whomever is on shuttle duty gets your call, fires up the bus, drives to you and then back to the hotel you could easily be looking at 30 mins or more... so you'll get into bed just as fast if you take a cab downtown as there's always a lineup of those. No traffic, fixed rate fare, local knowledge of speed traps = all cabbies speed significantly, so you might even find it quicker getting into bed downtown...

 

The big advantage to being downtown when you wake up is that you can squeeze in a morning of sightseeing without delay.

 

While Scott's totally correct that no local hotel shuttles to both YVR and pier, it appears that Ace are restarting their independent shuttle service again from May 1st... If so, then you can expect a slow 'milk run' loop around multiple airport hotels, then a straight shot to the pier, for a price that only makes sense if you are a solo traveler ($20.70pp incl tax, whereas a fixed rate cab from YVR is $38 and a metered cab from hotels near YVR would run about $40 or less - with MUCH less wasted time).

[em-sk]

20 hours ago, ianmerc03 said:

Hello everyone

We are cruising out of Vancouver on October 10 on Norwegian.  We will be flying in night before arriving around 1145pm. Does anyone know of a hotel that provides both shuttle service from the airport and then shuttle service to the cruise port in the morning. I only need it on the departure as the cruise is repositioning to Los Angeles. If no hotel does that then would it be better to get taxi to cruise port hotels then shuttle in morning or get shuttle from airport to hotel close by then taxi in the morning to the port. Ideally the hotel would have both shuttles.

 

As others have pointed out the Pan Pacific is an elevator ride away from the cruise ship terminal.  The Fairmount waterfront is across the street from the cruise ship terminal.  There are a few others within a one block distance from the cruise ship terminal.

 

Air ports near the airport are an uber ride away from the cruise ship terminal.  

 

[disneyochem]

Our preferred hotel before a cruise is the Fairmont Waterfront but when we want to save some pennies or arrive late, we have stayed at the Auberge and Days Inn.  Both are within walking distance to Canada Place.  We travel lightly (one medium suitcase with backpack) so walking is not a problem for us.

 

We’ve also stayed at numerous hotels in the city but for an overnight stay we like to do the larger commute on the way to the hotel.  Then we can a bit of a sleep in or a leisurely brunch before embarking.

[quack2]

I can't believe I did it because I'm so cheap, but I booked the Pan Pacific for my one night in Vancouver before my cruise.  Splurge.

[Grillfish]

17 hours ago, quack2 said:

I can't believe I did it because I'm so cheap, but I booked the Pan Pacific for my one night in Vancouver before my cruise.  Splurge.

That's what I did as well for my June cruise.  We arrive at 5pm night before.  Pricey, but should be nice.  Check out at 12pm and I got the 12pm boarding group on the Grand Princess.  Leaves some time in the AM to explore and walk around.

[rkacruiser]

On 5/1/2022 at 1:31 PM, quack2 said:

I can't believe I did it because I'm so cheap, but I booked the Pan Pacific for my one night in Vancouver before my cruise.  Splurge.

 

8 hours ago, Grillfish said:

That's what I did as well for my June cruise.  We arrive at 5pm night before.

 

I believe you will be glad that you did.  If the weather cooperates, a before dinner drink on their Patio that overlooks the harbor is a delight.  The hotel's Breakfast Buffet, if it is available, is an excellent one.  

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Getting in that late, I would crash at the airport hotel and then with more time the next day go to the port.  It's a good distance from the airport to the port area so if you go anywhere close to the port it will be at least 0100 hrs before you get there.  

[quack2]

On 5/2/2022 at 3:58 AM, Grillfish said:

That's what I did as well for my June cruise.  We arrive at 5pm night before.  Pricey, but should be nice.  Check out at 12pm and I got the 12pm boarding group on the Grand Princess.  Leaves some time in the AM to explore and walk around.

I plan to take the two Flyover Canada shows at the end of Canada Place on the morning before the cruise.  If you've been to Soaring at the Disney Adventure Park, it's the same idea.

[ianmerc03]

Thanks very much everyone for wonderful feedback. You all make absolute sense. Now it’s down to personal choice I guess. I like the idea of staying at the Pan Pacific but arriving so late I don’t think we would get enough time to appreciate it really. Have to speak to the lovely wife and get her input. Thanks again evwryone

[Suzanne123]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn downtown Vancouver several times and will be there again in July.  Very nice.  Free breakfast.  They had a shuttle to Canada Place and downtown pre-Covid.

[dog]

Vancouver Fairmont at YVR then taxi  to port at noon.

Edited May 13, 2022 by dog

[kentuckycruiser]

We are staying at the Hyatt Regency hotel. With Chase points it is a steal.

[flamingos]

We are staying at the Sutton Place hotel and are looking for advice on transportation from YVR to the hotel, and from the hotel to the port on embarkation day.

 

We saw that there is an airport train to downtown, anyone have any experience with that?

 

We have check-in time of 1 p.m. 

 

[martincath]

43 minutes ago, flamingos said:

We are staying at the Sutton Place hotel and are looking for advice on transportation from YVR to the hotel, and from the hotel to the port on embarkation day.

 

We saw that there is an airport train to downtown, anyone have any experience with that?

 

We have check-in time of 1 p.m. 

 

Sutton Place is not bad for SkyTraining - City Centre Station would involve a walk well under half a mile, only one turn, wide sidewalks, and no slopes to speak of.

 

With the extra $5 Addfare inbound though, if your group is 3+ the savings start to look weaksauce compared to fixed rate cab fare - that's CAD$34, tip whatever % you would at home, all cabs take Visa/MC, if the machine is 'broken' you don't have to pay and when you remind the cabbie of that it usually starts to magically work again ;-)

 

To the port - if you're mobile enough to have come on SkyTrain, you can walk it! Slightly downhill on average, all the way down Burrard until you run out of street, then a block to the right for <3/4ths of a mile total. There's a passenger ramp to take you to the right place to start your embarkation, just walk toward where the cars are lining up. Really heavy bag that might escape down the ramp? Head inside Canada Place, several banks of elevators available.

 

Too much stuff to schlep all the way? Cab will cost <$10 on the meter, but with traffic entering Canada Place often backed up for ages on busy cruise days you might see $8 become $18 while you crawl along at walking pace... and walking might be just as fast!

[flamingos]

22 minutes ago, martincath said:

Sutton Place is not bad for SkyTraining - City Centre Station would involve a walk well under half a mile, only one turn, wide sidewalks, and no slopes to speak of.

 

With the extra $5 Addfare inbound though, if your group is 3+ the savings start to look weaksauce compared to fixed rate cab fare - that's CAD$34, tip whatever % you would at home, all cabs take Visa/MC, if the machine is 'broken' you don't have to pay and when you remind the cabbie of that it usually starts to magically work again 😉

 

To the port - if you're mobile enough to have come on SkyTrain, you can walk it! Slightly downhill on average, all the way down Burrard until you run out of street, then a block to the right for <3/4ths of a mile total. There's a passenger ramp to take you to the right place to start your embarkation, just walk toward where the cars are lining up. Really heavy bag that might escape down the ramp? Head inside Canada Place, several banks of elevators available.

 

Too much stuff to schlep all the way? Cab will cost <$10 on the meter, but with traffic entering Canada Place often backed up for ages on busy cruise days you might see $8 become $18 while you crawl along at walking pace... and walking might be just as fast!

 

Thanks so much.  It's been a long time since I've been to a new city and new port, and it's good to have some help. 

[ianmerc03]

Looks like lots of choices and a variety of prices. Still haven’t made up my mind. Would like to splurge on the Pan Pacific but we get there at midnight and hotel about 130am. Cruising in morning. Won’t really get much time to truly appreciate the hotel. Might be better just get something to put my head down  just for sleep.

[rkacruiser]

13 hours ago, ianmerc03 said:

Would like to splurge on the Pan Pacific but we get there at midnight and hotel about 130am. Cruising in morning. Won’t really get much time to truly appreciate the hotel. Might be better just get something to put my head down  just for sleep.

 

Sounds to me that would be a plan I would adopt.  If you still would like a bit of luxury, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel might be a good choice.  

[Mike45LC]

I didn't have such a late night arrival, so I was able to enjoy the hotel and Canada Place.  One benefit you can still enjoy is porterage -- the bell staff at either the Pan Pacific or the Fairmont Waterfront can deliver your bags from your hotel room direct to the ship.  Just leave them outside your room (or have the bellman come to your room).

 

Two tips:  Get Canadian dollars before your trip.  My cab driver from the airport to the hotel was gracious enough to accept US dollars at a 1:1 rate!  So he ripped me off but good, about 15%.

 

Soar Over Canada, a tourist attraction at Canada Place, which someone above mentioned, is wonderful.  Do it!  Thank me afterwards!

 

[rkacruiser]

20 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

tips:  Get Canadian dollars before your trip.

 

I agree.  It's not difficult to do and so much more convenient (and being respectful) of the country one is visiting.  

[Dancing Shoes]

We stayed at the Auberge.  Had a room facing the harbor.  We could watch the ship coming into the port in the morning.  It was so smoky from the fires in 2018!!  

[doctoranna]

We are staying at the Auberge also.  How is the walk from the Skytrain station to the Auberge and from the Auberge to Canada Place?  Is it OK to bring large suitcases on the Skytrain?  Would a cab from the airport for 4 people plus luggage still be just $34?

[martincath]

15 hours ago, doctoranna said:

We are staying at the Auberge also.  How is the walk from the Skytrain station to the Auberge and from the Auberge to Canada Place?  Is it OK to bring large suitcases on the Skytrain?  Would a cab from the airport for 4 people plus luggage still be just $34?

Cab for four means waiting for a Minivan, unless you all travel very light (~80% of our local fleets are Prius, 4 seats, but luggage room restricted) - price same though!

 

SkyTrain on the Canada Line suitcases work fine - it was built to handle them, every seat you can slide a case under and the extra legroom means carry-ons can sit in front of you too. Don't block the aisles or use the designated wheelchair spots! As airport is one terminus, there's nobody else onboard so getting seat is easy, and Waterfront is the other terminus so everyone is getting off, i.e. you don't need to fight your way through crowds with bags!

 

Auberge is an easy walk to the pier, and from SkyTrain, especially if you pay attention and get out of the station at Granville & Hastings - here's a map with all three locations noted for you in order. Worst-case, if you wander the wrong way on the platform you'll pop up inside the station building proper on Cordova - clearly flagged on Google - and have to walk a little more and a bit uphill