Vancouver- taxi vs. Transfer service

[QuattroRomeo]

Is there any problem or delay getting a taxi from the YVR airport to Canada Place, and then back to the airport again after disembarkation? 

It is of course less expensive than the ship transfer service; but are there any advantages to using the transfer in this particular port? Or just stick to a taxi?

[martincath]

1 hour ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Is there any problem or delay getting a taxi from the YVR airport to Canada Place, and then back to the airport again after disembarkation? 

It is of course less expensive than the ship transfer service; but are there any advantages to using the transfer in this particular port? Or just stick to a taxi?

There are only very rare occasions a cruise transfer is ever worth considering in Vancouver IMO, especially for someone from Canada who is therefore familiar with local language, cash, debit/credit cards!

 

If you are leaving the airport it's basically never worthwhile - cabs are fixed cost, and while sometimes there is a wait to get in one you almost always also wait with a cruise transfer... until the bus is filled/the last expected pax have been boarded or confirmed too late to make the ship. Porterage of bags is sort-of 'free' with transfers - but just paying porters at airport and pier is cheaper as soon as you have 2 people to split a cab unless you are bringing literally half-a-dozen bags per person or more that need schlepped around for you!

 

Really, the only circumstances I'd ever consider it is as a Canadian with a domestic flight home would be if the flight was booked with the cruiseline, it was a 4 ship day at Canada Place, I refused to use Uber/Lyft/Kabu for whatever reason, AND I was incapable of self-disembarkation (i.e. could therefore not use SkyTrain if the cab queue was long, leaving almost no alternatives to shuttling). On those busy days the wait for cab if you aren't among the self-disembarking folks could reach an hour - whereas on busy days like this it won't take long to fill the shuttle-buses... but having said that, even in those circumstances I'd still likely just book the independent airport shuttle for a fraction of the cost!

 

The very occasional horror story of years past, with multiple hour delays for cabs, is near impossible to have happen again now that we have multiple rideshare companies operating - even if you don't have a smartphone or simply don't want to use them, plenty of other folks do and every one who does is one less person joining the cab queue, so everybody wins!

 

Basically every cruise line seems to standardise their shuttle costs across ports: but with varying degrees of distance/alternative ways to get there, the value is variable and Vancouver is somewhere with multiple faster AND cheaper alternatives... I'm always hesitant to describe any given thing as The Best - but I can with great confidence say that in almost every possible circumstance, cruiseline shuttles are The Worst possible choice here.  When a small group of 3 can pay less for a LIMO than cruise transfers, the local price-point is fundamentally broken.

[QuattroRomeo]

Very good, thank you. We've only been to YVR once before, and that was during Covid, so not the best time to judge things!

We have only recently become 'westerners' and hope to cruise a lot from Pacific ports now that we are closer. As you know, every port is different when it comes to transportation, and we've done taxis, shuttles and ship transfers, so your outline is very helpful. Our cruise will be a Sat-Sat, independent air, and I only see 2 ships in port for the dates, so I think we could manage waiting in a cab queue leaving the ship.

 

P.s. what/where is the independent shuttle you referred to as an option on really busy port days? I haven't found one yet during my searches.

[david,Mississauga]

I agree with a previous posting that taking a taxi from YVR to the pier is the best way. 

 

I do not agree that taking the cruise line's shuttle from the ship to the airport is the worst way. It depends on one's circumstances.  Although it is expensive and is not a good choice for people with good mobility, from my experience getting a taxi at Canada Place can be a horror.  My wife has mobility issues, although she does not need a wheelchair.  Not that long ago we used the Skytrain, but that is not convenient these days.

 

We have never waited too long at YVR for a taxi (or limo when they had them) and as we always stay one or two nights at either the Pan Pacific or the Fairmont Waterfront the cruise line's shuttle from the airport would not be possible anyway.

 

In 2019 we disembarked the Queen Elizabeth and had only a short delay in getting a taxi. We were the only ship in port that day, which was the reason.  Last year we arrived on the same ship. There were two ships that morning and the queue for a taxi was enormous.  The friend we were travelling with suggested we make our way to street level and the hotel where we had stayed prior to the cruise. The staff remembered us and phoned for a taxi. It took about 20 minutes but my wife was able to sit in the lobby.

 

We are doing the same cruise yet again next month and have booked the Cunard transfer from the ship. There will be three ships arriving at 07:00. The cost is a steep (Can.) $60 pp. but it is a matter of convenience, something we didn't worry about until a few years ago. We have used Cunard transfers at a few other ports and they are worth the cost.  Eight years ago we arrived in Vancouver on a Holland-America ship. Because we had a lot of on-board credit we booked the transfer whilst at sea. In reality, it cost us nothing - and yes, there was a long queue for taxis and we just went to the right and boarded the bus.

 

So if you are young(ish) and fit there are certainly cheaper ways to get from ship to airport, but sometimes we just have to pay more for convenience. 

 

 

[QuattroRomeo]

You know David, I agree with you. Might do half and half! I've read a couple of reviews that spoke to disembarkation congestion. So  "taxi there, transfer back" is looking appealing, just to make it easy!

[martincath]

23 hours ago, QuattroRomeo said:

...P.s. what/where is the independent shuttle you referred to as an option on really busy port days? I haven't found one yet during my searches.

Ace Charters seems to be the operator again this year - they actually reduced the cost by $3 compared to the previous folks, Vancouver Shuttle, which does make for a more attractive option for couples as it's now always less than a cab+tip to YVR (metered in that direction, but still rarely breaks $40).

 

So if you're a solo or couple, looking for less walking than using SkyTrain but more certainty of timing than a cab on a busy day - and without wanting to spend the kind of cash a limo costs to reserve* - the indy shuttle is the logical choice.

 

@david,Mississauga Your point about onboard credit does make sense; if there's nothing else of better value to spend credit on which is simply wasted if not spent on something, then sure spend it on transfers no matter how terrible their comparative value is to all the alternatives - these days, with many still people sitting on credits from cancelled Covid cruises that have to be spent, there's probably a lot of folks for whom 'use it or lose it' applies, so it may as well be free money in those circumstances!

 

*Limos, like cabs here, have their prices mandated by local bylaw but unlike cabs they have a range of hourly rates; in practise though, on busy urban routes like to YVR with lots of competition almost all companies charge the lowest legal rate (or even less!):

• $75 an hour for sedans (max 5 pax);
• $90 for limos/SUVs/small vans (up to 7 pax);
• $110 for a Stretch (up to 11 pax);
• $150 for a Stretch SUV (up to 16 pax);
• $175 for a limobus (17+).

GST at 5% applies, and expected tip - usually fully paid in advance when prebooked - of 20% means you can add 25% to each of those rate bands for a very accurate costing of airport transfers (usually a ~35min drive, but no refund for using the car for less than an hour!) Price will be confirmed in advance, and if paid in advance means even if there was a total sh*tshow like a big crash on a bridge and the trip ran over an hour you wouldn't pay extra. If you find any limo company charging more than these rates just keep shopping - there's a ton of competition around, so although the rates can vary to between ~60% to 100% more (except limobuses, which have just the one mandatory price rate) it's very rare for anyone to charge more than the minimum except in Prom Season and on Xmas/NYE.

 

It actually cost about 15% less than these rates right before the pandemic, when Aerocar had a franchise on YVR transfers at fixed prices so they could legally undercut the hourly minimum rate on trips to and from YVR - in theory since they folded nobody is allowed to charge less than the 1 hour minimum rate, but I've heard of many folks booking at rates comparable to the old Aerocar rates which started at $64... who is going to report someone for charging them LESS than the minimum charge after all?!

[scottbee]

On 5/30/2023 at 11:35 AM, QuattroRomeo said:

Is there any problem or delay getting a taxi from the YVR airport to Canada Place, and then back to the airport again after disembarkation? 

It is of course less expensive than the ship transfer service; but are there any advantages to using the transfer in this particular port? Or just stick to a taxi?

 

I can't imagine anyone actually taking a taxi, bus or transfer from YVR to the cruise port. 

 

The subway (aka Skytrain Canada Line), leaves from the airport, to 2 blocks from the cruise terminal, and will be both faster and cheaper than a taxi.  There are elevators at all stations, and the trains are designed with luggage and airport passengers in mind and are roll on/roll off without steps/gaps.

 

[DaveOKC]

On 6/2/2023 at 1:15 AM, scottbee said:

 

I can't imagine anyone actually taking a taxi, bus or transfer from YVR to the cruise port. 

 

The subway (aka Skytrain Canada Line), leaves from the airport, to 2 blocks from the cruise terminal, and will be both faster and cheaper than a taxi.  There are elevators at all stations, and the trains are designed with luggage and airport passengers in mind and are roll on/roll off without steps/gaps.

 

We agree!  One question - what is the easiest way to pay for the Skytrain?  We have some Canadian cash and would like to use that, but not if it is a hassle at the stations.

[scottbee]

4 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

We agree!  One question - what is the easiest way to pay for the Skytrain?  We have some Canadian cash and would like to use that, but not if it is a hassle at the stations.

 

If you have tap/wireless on your credit card you don't even need to buy a ticket.  Just tap the fare gate with your credit card when you get on and again when you exit. Done.  If you don't have tap on your credit card, there are ticket machines that take credit/debit cards; Canadian cash or coin.

 

Also, if you want to save yourself some walking, and make it downhill at the Waterfront Station end, use the exit onto Granville street (the end of the platform that the train entered the station from).  This is marked "Way Out - Granville" and don't use the exit that takes you into the Station complex (and the signs that direct you to other lines/seabus).  Once you're up to street level (there are elevators), turn left on W.Hastings St, walk one block, turn right, and the cruise ships are two blocks dead ahead (slightly down hill).  Enter the parking level of Canada place (there's a not well market footpath to the left of the vehicle ramp), and the cruise terminal is on the P1 level of the parking garage (seems strange at first, but you'll see it works really well).

 

 

[psalm104]

Thanks for all the helpful info on this thread.

 

Unfortunately, that two blocks between the Skytrain and the port is a major issue for groups (like mine) that have someone with mobility issues. My family thought it would be fun to try it, and we would have stayed at a hotel near the airport the night before the cruise, but with all the details we've gathered, we determined it just wouldn't be possible to do the two blocks with all our luggage, etc.. And it would be weird and a hassle to get a taxi from the station to the port for those two blocks.

 

Long story short, we are now staying downtown (Hampton Inn) the night before the cruise, and we need a ride from there to the port. Our family of 7 wants to travel together from hotel to port, but we've now found, like @martincath explained above, that the costs of transportation to the port are crazy high for a large group (Thank you for for explaining that, by the way! It now makes a little more sense why we are being quoted $200CAD for a few minutes ride from the hotel to the port.). So...we are now thinking that our group will have to split up and take multiple taxis from hotel to the port.

All that to ask...does anyone have suggestions/experience/tips about which taxi company to use/when to book/reliability of them showing up/how to get vehicles larger than a Prius, etc.?

Thanks in advance!😊

[martincath]

8 minutes ago, psalm104 said:

All that to ask...does anyone have suggestions/experience/tips about which taxi company to use/when to book/reliability of them showing up/how to get vehicles larger than a Prius, etc.?

Thanks in advance!😊

You're already in the best position possible by leaving from a hotel - don't book a cab yourself, have the hotel do it for you. Even weaselly cabbies know that they cannot afford to p*ss off hotel staff - if a given company don't show up promptly a few times, then the hotel will stop calling them!

 

Ensure that the hotel staff request one accessible cab, which even if you have a person in a wheelchair who needs strapped down in it you'll find has more generous luggage room in both trunk (right up to roofline level) and very probably some floor space too (without a chair in place, the missing bench seat basically doubles the available luggage volume). So given you will obviously send the mobility challenged person with some of your other folks, I'd be inclined to stuff as many bags as will fit in the van with 4 of you - leaving just 3 folks who even with a big bag and a carry on each worst case should fit into any Prius cab.

 

You could call yourself, or use a cab app, but ever since eCab folded there hasn't been a reliable multiple-company app available, so you have to take a chance of contacting one company - if they're really busy that day, might take a long time! Basically once Uber are embedded, cab firms go back to hating each other with a burning passion - only in trying to keep Uber etc. out of town and complaining to the PTB about how they can't make enough money so please do not add any new cab licenses do they work together! They're just like my folk, the Scots, who only stop fighting among ourselves when the English invade!!! 😉

 

One further note - if your mobility challenged person cannot handle a two block walk from SkyTrain to pier, with the rest of you able-bodied types handling the bags, they WILL need help at both airport and pier. There's a longer walk from most US gates to the taxi rank, and from curb to cabin, than the walk from Waterfront to pier! If your person is actually wheelchair bound, SkyTrain remains absolutely viable - the gaps are so small even wee suitcase wheels don't get caught so even small travel chairs can be rolled on and off.

 

If however your person is more in the 'I should be OK, I can stop and rest a bit, I've got my sticks/frame/folding seat so as long as you young'uns take my suitcase I don't want to bother anyone so do not ask for a wheelchair for me' camp, give them a firm slap upside the head with the Reality Bat about the distances and the fact that once in one of the many queues at Canada Place there are no seats, just lots of walking and standing - and book assistance at airport and pier ASAP!

[psalm104]

Thank you, again, for more helpful insight! And for the humor (humour)!

 

I will take you up on your taxi tips and have the hotel book them. Great tips! You've given me some peace of mind.

 

Thank you, too, for your advice about getting wheelchair assistance along the way. I already have requested assistance via the airline for the airport and NCL for the cruise port. We will not have a wheelchair with us; we are renting a scooter for the cruise, which will be delivered to the cabin. So we definitely need assistance prior to that. Thanks for the tips about the port and no seating.

Question: Is requesting assistance through the NCL accessibility department good enough, or is there a way I can/should book assistance from the pier directly?

Edited June 6, 2023 by psalm104

[martincath]

1 hour ago, psalm104 said:

Thank you, again, for more helpful insight! And for the humor (humour)!

 

I will take you up on your taxi tips and have the hotel book them. Great tips! You've given me some peace of mind.

 

Thank you, too, for your advice about getting wheelchair assistance along the way. I already have requested assistance via the airline for the airport and NCL for the cruise port. We will not have a wheelchair with us; we are renting a scooter for the cruise, which will be delivered to the cabin. So we definitely need assistance prior to that. Thanks for the tips about the port and no seating.

Question: Is requesting assistance through the NCL accessibility department good enough, or is there a way I can/should book assistance from the pier directly?

Glad to be of service; also glad you're already on top of booking help for your person.

 

As to the last question I've never booked such aid so I cannot be 100% sure - I think that the disabled cruising board here on CC is likely to be your best bet for finding someone who can give an experiential answer about exactly who does what for wheelchair transfers here in Vancouver.

 

The accessibility dept SHOULD be on top of this, they know who provides their pier services at every port and should be informing them of your requirements... but if you want to be 'belt & braces' sure you could reach out to Canada Place's cruise services and/or the local NCL service agent, SMS, contact details for both can be found on this handy FAQ page for cruisers!

[DaveOKC]

Good points above about the unusally long walk in the Vancouver airport.

[quack2]

On 6/3/2023 at 11:59 AM, scottbee said:

 

If you have tap/wireless on your credit card you don't even need to buy a ticket.  Just tap the fare gate with your credit card when you get on and again when you exit. Done.  If you don't have tap on your credit card, there are ticket machines that take credit/debit cards; Canadian cash or coin.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the heads up on using the tap feature on credit card or smart phone.

Edited June 9, 2023 by quack2

[CruiszBug]

On 6/6/2023 at 7:36 PM, martincath said:

The accessibility dept SHOULD be on top of this, they know who provides their pier services at every port and should be informing them of your requirements... but if you want to be 'belt & braces' sure you could reach out to Canada Place's cruise services and/or the local NCL service agent, SMS, contact details for both can be found on this handy FAQ page for cruisers!

I used to think the same thing! But we've been stranded by RCCL Special Access in both Seattle and Bayonne! We also had trouble at Canada Place trying to get an accessible cab to the Amtrak station. Finally had to walk for blocks to find the Uber/Lift pickup spot. (It is NOT at Canada Place but down the street a ways...) In Bayonne, they would not let us back in the terminal once they discovered there were no accessible shuttles ordered for the day (we pre-booked and paid months in advance). That was terrible being outside in the cold with a special needs child. The workers were  actually covering her with their own coats since we were outside for over an hour trying to get a transfer to the airport! Now we are trying once more to find a reliable transfer to YVR for April 2024. 

[martincath]

8 minutes ago, CruiszBug said:

... Now we are trying once more to find a reliable transfer to YVR for April 2024. 

Taxi firms locally must have a % (~17%) of their fleets Accessible - while there is zero requirement for Uber, Lyft etc. due to them 'sub-contracting' to individual drivers. So an accessible van taxi is on paper much more likely to roll in at Canada Place than an accessible Uber etc. to find at all... but there's no legal requirement for other passengers to pass up the chance of a van - and with cruisers very often being luggage-heavy, the average family of four may seriously struggle to get their bags in a Prius so they'll take a van rather than sit with suitcases on their laps all the way to YVR.

 

Unless you book one specifically, it's a crapshoot in the 'first-come, first-served' queue... but if you contact any cab firm directly, by phone or their Apps, the local bylaws mean they MUST despatch an accessible vehicle on demand. There's no specific timeframe unfortunately, so a rando calling from a US cellphone isn't likely to get any particularly special treatment... but that's where the following workaround comes in!

 

Who DOES get reliably good treatment from cab companies? Hotel concierges and bell captains - because unlike you, a one-off foreign visitor, those people call bucketloads of cabs every day and they can choose which cab company to call... so no cab firm with any sense will risk jeopardising their relationship by blowing off a hotel!

 

Canada Place just so happens to have one of our fancier hotels literally on top of the pier - the Pan Pacific. There's also the just-as-fancy Fairmont Waterfront literally across the street - which will probably have a quieter lobby to sit and wait in - and the even-fancier Fairmont Pacific Rim a block down, which is not only one of just two five-star hotels in the city but is easier to get to for cabs when the pier is busy as it's both a little further away from the pier but also has street-level 'drive-through' access from Cordova so the cabs can completely avoid the bottleneck right outside the pier.

 

I'd try the PP first - but if there's already people waiting for their cabs, cross to the Waterfront and if it's also busy walk the extra block down to the Pac Rim. Between these three swanky hotels, even on a busy day you should have a van cab arriving quickly... Start with an apology (the Canadian way!) e.g. 'sorry for bothering you, but <point at person in party who needs the vehicle> we are having great difficulty getting an accessible cab at the pier, even though we are not currently guests could you possibly call one for us?' would need a very hard-hearted hotelier to refuse!

[CruiszBug]

On 1/8/2024 at 8:06 PM, martincath said:

Taxi firms locally must have a % (~17%) of their fleets Accessible - while there is zero requirement for Uber, Lyft etc. due to them 'sub-contracting' to individual drivers. So an accessible van taxi is on paper much more likely to roll in at Canada Place than an accessible Uber etc. to find at all... but there's no legal requirement for other passengers to pass up the chance of a van - and with cruisers very often being luggage-heavy, the average family of four may seriously struggle to get their bags in a Prius so they'll take a van rather than sit with suitcases on their laps all the way to YVR.

 

Unless you book one specifically, it's a crapshoot in the 'first-come, first-served' queue... but if you contact any cab firm directly, by phone or their Apps, the local bylaws mean they MUST despatch an accessible vehicle on demand. There's no specific timeframe unfortunately, so a rando calling from a US cellphone isn't likely to get any particularly special treatment... but that's where the following workaround comes in!

 

Who DOES get reliably good treatment from cab companies? Hotel concierges and bell captains - because unlike you, a one-off foreign visitor, those people call bucketloads of cabs every day and they can choose which cab company to call... so no cab firm with any sense will risk jeopardising their relationship by blowing off a hotel!

 

Canada Place just so happens to have one of our fancier hotels literally on top of the pier - the Pan Pacific. There's also the just-as-fancy Fairmont Waterfront literally across the street - which will probably have a quieter lobby to sit and wait in - and the even-fancier Fairmont Pacific Rim a block down, which is not only one of just two five-star hotels in the city but is easier to get to for cabs when the pier is busy as it's both a little further away from the pier but also has street-level 'drive-through' access from Cordova so the cabs can completely avoid the bottleneck right outside the pier.

 

I'd try the PP first - but if there's already people waiting for their cabs, cross to the Waterfront and if it's also busy walk the extra block down to the Pac Rim. Between these three swanky hotels, even on a busy day you should have a van cab arriving quickly... Start with an apology (the Canadian way!) e.g. 'sorry for bothering you, but <point at person in party who needs the vehicle> we are having great difficulty getting an accessible cab at the pier, even though we are not currently guests could you possibly call one for us?' would need a very hard-hearted hotelier to refuse!

Going to give it a shot. I tried once before talking to the man outside PP who was handling putting people in taxis....Now I will try going inside and talking to the Concierge and hope for better luck this time! Thank you!