Cruise to Pearson Airport connections

[3rdGenCunarder]

My Great Lakes cruise ends in Toronto. The ship offers a bus tour/transfer option, but all I want is to go to the airport. Googlemaps tells me it's about an hour by car around the time I would be going, which could be a very expensive taxi/uber ride. The UP express train looks like a faster/better option. I have lots of flight options, so I don't have to rush to make a particular flight. I have a few questions. 

1. The cruise will probably dock at the large commercial port. Does anyone have experience with arrivals here? Are taxis likely to be waiting, or would I have to get an Uber?

2.  I know Union Station is huge. Does anyone know if there's a direct entrance from Station Street to the UP Express area? I know I would have to go up to the skywalk and down to the platform, but is going through the main station the only option? 

3. The UP website says they check on the train that you have paid. So if I tap in with a credit card, how can I prove I paid if train staff ask?

 

TIA!

[martincath]

8 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

My Great Lakes cruise ends in Toronto. The ship offers a bus tour/transfer option, but all I want is to go to the airport. Googlemaps tells me it's about an hour by car around the time I would be going, which could be a very expensive taxi/uber ride. The UP express train looks like a faster/better option. I have lots of flight options, so I don't have to rush to make a particular flight. I have a few questions. 

1. The cruise will probably dock at the large commercial port. Does anyone have experience with arrivals here? Are taxis likely to be waiting, or would I have to get an Uber?

2.  I know Union Station is huge. Does anyone know if there's a direct entrance from Station Street to the UP Express area? I know I would have to go up to the skywalk and down to the platform, but is going through the main station the only option? 

3. The UP website says they check on the train that you have paid. So if I tap in with a credit card, how can I prove I paid if train staff ask?

 

TIA!

1 - can't help here, never cruised into Tdot!

2 - unfortunately for the short-term, great for the long-, there's some MAJOR construction happening at Union Station. Any info about which doors and ramps are best to get straight to X part of the station could be rather variable, so I'll point you to the official construction page - if you check that near your date, hopefully there will be a relevant map of the station as it is at that time.

3 - the same tech that scans your credit card should be available to anyone checking for payments on board, they'll just bloop your CC and check it is in the system.

4 - are you sure you don't want to hang out in the city/see some stuff? There are some top-notch sights!

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, martincath said:

1 - can't help here, never cruised into Tdot!

2 - unfortunately for the short-term, great for the long-, there's some MAJOR construction happening at Union Station. Any info about which doors and ramps are best to get straight to X part of the station could be rather variable, so I'll point you to the official construction page - if you check that near your date, hopefully there will be a relevant map of the station as it is at that time.

3 - the same tech that scans your credit card should be available to anyone checking for payments on board, they'll just bloop your CC and check it is in the system.

4 - are you sure you don't want to hang out in the city/see some stuff? There are some top-notch sights!

 

Thanks! I will keep an eye on the construction situation. It's also possible that the cruise line will offer a direct bus and I'll keep it simple with that. 

 

It's years since I've been to Toronto, and it would be nice to stay a few days (see the Hockey Hall of Fame!). But this is tacked on to a conference I'm going to in the Chicago area. With a few days gap between the conference and the cruise, the trip is about as long as I can stay away. 

 

 

 

[LHT28]

You could fly out of the Island airport (YTZ) which is downtown but I suspect you have your  tickets out of YYZ already

[GTJ]

You should expect the cruise to Toronto to terminate at the Cruise Ship Terminal, which is located at 8 Unwin Avenue, near the intersection with Cherry Street. The Toronto Transit Commission operates bus route 172 Cherry Beach along Cherry Street, direct to Union Station, but only between mid-May and October. A taxi ride would not be terribly expensive, as the distance to Union Station is less than 5 km. I would not anticipate taxis to ordinarily be available at the cruise ship terminal, given its remote location and the relatively small vessels that serve Toronto, though there could be. The Union Pearson Express train, from Union Station, would be the most direct service option to the airport. Union Station is certainly large, but it is not an airport and not so large as to make it difficult to walk around. The Union Pearson Express service operates from the skywalk on the western end of the station. If you’re dropped off on Front Street, at the front of the station, you’ll turn rightward to be facing the western end of the station. When you pay with a credit card, be certain that you continue possessing that credit card for the duration of your journey. That credit card can be scanned by inspectors to verify it having been used to purchase your fare. Refer to this video for additional details.

 

Union Station.pdf

[Nitemare]

On 3/9/2023 at 11:16 PM, LHT28 said:

You could fly out of the Island airport (YTZ) which is downtown but I suspect you have your  tickets out of YYZ already

THIS.

 

Porter Airlines flys to EWR from downtown Toronto. SO convenient and comfortable and easy to do.