Vancouver cruise terminal

[cruisingrob21]

I personally enjoy taking the Seabus to North Vancouver before embarking.  Lots of great restaurants and you can get some great photos of the city and your ship:

 

[JLMcruise]

On 4/3/2024 at 12:14 PM, Crew News said:

will be passing through the Vancouver cruise terminal twice in the next month and will report back what I experienced.

If you are sailing on Holland America - let us know if there is a separate line for Club Orange. Thank you!!

[Crew News]

19 minutes ago, JLMcruise said:

If you are sailing on Holland America - let us know if there is a separate line for Club Orange. Thank you!!

There was a separate Priority line for the following last year and this should continue this year:  Pinnacle & Neptune Suites,  4* & 5* Mariners, and Club Orange.

Edited April 4 by Crew News

[Windsailer]

When I board the Noordam at the end of September the Nieuw Amsterdam will also be in port and boarding passengers. Will it be obvious where I should check in so I don't end up on the NA. (Not that I would normally mind!). TIA. 

[Crew News]

8 minutes ago, Windsailer said:

When I board the Noordam at the end of September the Nieuw Amsterdam will also be in port and boarding passengers. Will it be obvious where I should check in so I don't end up on the NA. (Not that I would normally mind!). TIA. 

No.  You need to look for Convention Center employees who will be holding signs for the ships in port. Each ship will have a separate entrance off the hallway but my experience is that there may not be a sign.  A HAL employee at each entrance screens incoming passengers.

Edited April 4 by Crew News

[Windsailer]

Thanks Crew News. That's reassuring!

[martincath]

12 minutes ago, Windsailer said:

When I board the Noordam at the end of September the Nieuw Amsterdam will also be in port and boarding passengers. Will it be obvious where I should check in so I don't end up on the NA. (Not that I would normally mind!). TIA. 

Only the very first (bag drop, which is split by ship, not line, so do be very careful!) and the very last part (actually boarding) is ship-specific, with Checkin-in desks done by lines and then Security and CBP Preclearance a mixed bag of all pax regardless of ship or line.

 

You won't be able to board the wrong HAL ship - your cruise card will be rejected at the gangway as you're not on their manifest - but you can put your bags into the wrong cage and if you do that it may not be caught (there have been a few reports over the years of folks and their bags both being on the right line but not vessel!)

[rj59]

In my experience, you might not want to check in too early. The problem is that once you go through security and customs, the waiting areas for boarding are quite small and limited, so every time in the past when I checked in before 11:30 boarding time, they made everyone sit in rows shoulder-to-shoulder, close to the people opposite you, with luggage cluttering everything, so it was uncomfortable. I'm not sure if they changed that post-covid. If you're 4-star or higher or in a suite, I think you get a different waiting area. there are lovely outdoor spots next to Canada place with views of the bay, and the "Flight over Canada" flying simulator on top of Canada Place cruise terminal is enjoyable. There's also a big food court across the street, with a Tim Horton's and lots of ethnic fast food and wifi, so a nice place to hang out. 

[YourWorldWithBill]

10 hours ago, rj59 said:

 The problem is that once you go through security and customs, the waiting areas for boarding are quite small and limited, so every time in the past when I checked in before 11:30 boarding time, they made everyone sit in rows shoulder-to-shoulder, close to the people opposite you, with luggage cluttering everything, so it was uncomfortable.

 If you're 4-star or higher or in a suite, I think you get a different waiting area. 

 

Slightly... For out Alaska cruise (about a year-and-a-half ago) we were in a Neptune suite. We were sitting as you described, until someone went around asking for 4 and 5 star mariners. We jumped up and said we were in a suite, so they moved us a few feet to an area with slightly less people, still the same seating, but not anything special.

 

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Slightly... For out Alaska cruise (about a year-and-a-half ago) we were in a Neptune suite. We were sitting as you described, until someone went around asking for 4 and 5 star mariners. We jumped up and said we were in a suite, so they moved us a few feet to an area with slightly less people, still the same seating, but not anything special.

 

Oh help me - I'm having flashbacks and not the good Woodstock kind. This is exactly why DH has said never again to Vancouver. It greatly lessons our AK cruise options, but keeps him happy. 

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

Oh help me - I'm having flashbacks and not the good Woodstock kind. This is exactly why DH has said never again to Vancouver. It greatly lessons our AK cruise options, but keeps him happy. 

But as a memory, it's great! The really painful memory is the long, long security line which is the first thing you encounter. That is a bit discouraging.

 

My cousins are driving up from Houston today in preparation for the eclipse. At least they'll get to see the dogs here. Every few hours I check (on my cell) for the forecast. 

[Blackduck59]

4 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Oh help me - I'm having flashbacks and not the good Woodstock kind. This is exactly why DH has said never again to Vancouver. It greatly lessons our AK cruise options, but keeps him happy. 

I think most people can find fault with just about every cruise port, airport or train station. We found the biggest bottleneck in Vancouver was waiting at US customs and border security. I think the question should be "is it a great itinerary?" if the answer is yes a few hours of pain at the port shouldn't be a deal breaker.

[amandas friend]

On the day of our embarkation, N.A. will be the only ship there. I would think that would decrease the wait times. 

[Crew News]

9 minutes ago, amandas friend said:

On the day of our embarkation, N.A. will be the only ship there. I would think that would decrease the wait times. 

Definitely.

[Haljo1935]

37 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

I think most people can find fault with just about every cruise port, airport or train station. We found the biggest bottleneck in Vancouver was waiting at US customs and border security. I think the question should be "is it a great itinerary?" if the answer is yes a few hours of pain at the port shouldn't be a deal breaker.

I tend to think that way, but he's drawn a pretty hard line about not wanting to leave out of Vancouver. We've done it twice and both times were painful. 

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

...My cousins are driving up from Houston today in preparation for the eclipse. At least they'll get to see the dogs here. Every few hours I check (on my cell) for the forecast. 

We're in a great spot, but the weather forecast is not promising. Looks like we'll be on the porch in the 🌧 but, like you, I check every few hours.

[Bolt.]

25 minutes ago, amandas friend said:

On the day of our embarkation, N.A. will be the only ship there. I would think that would decrease the wait times. 

Could you share what you use to find out which ships will be in port on a particular day?

[Crew News]

31 minutes ago, Bolt. said:

Could you share what you use to find out which ships will be in port on a particular day?

Not amandas friend but here is what I use:  Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska

 

If you go to each Alaska city map of cruise ship berths you can see the berth names.

Edited April 6 by Crew News

[amandas friend]

I found that on the port of Vancouver website 

[YourWorldWithBill]

4 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

We're in a great spot, but the weather forecast is not promising. Looks like we'll be on the porch in the 🌧 but, like you, I check every few hours.

A few months ago I bought what were some of the last tickets to watch at the Dallas Arboretum, figuring it would be nice to be with a group. Now maybe they'll all have umbrellas.

[3rdGenCunarder]

15 hours ago, Crew News said:

Not amandas friend but here is what I use:  Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska

 

If you go to each Alaska city map of cruise ship berths you can see the berth names.

 

That is a great resource for checking all ports on an Alaska cruise. They really have their info organized well. I'm on QE out of Vancouver this summer and somehow, the cruise gods have smiled on me and she's the only one in port that day! 

 

Two years ago, coming out of Covid, check-in at Vancouver was a nightmare. Probably 90% of passengers didn't know they had to do ArriveCAN to prepare for our arrival at Victoria near the end of the cruise. They thought, I'm in Canda, I've arrived, so I don't need to do the app. They got to the head of the queue unprepared and held up the process. The people working at the convention center made everyone stay in the ArriveCAN queue, even if some of us (including me) HAD done it properly and could have been sent to a separate desk. On top of that, they weren't reading the QR codes. Instead, they were checking people off lists. And then there was show the Covid test results, passport (twice), boarding pass, all at separate stations along the route. 

 

Not to tempt the cruise gods, but I figure if I survived that $*** show, I can get through a regular check-in at Vancouver. 

[dopey1200]

37 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

That is a great resource for checking all ports on an Alaska cruise. They really have their info organized well. I'm on QE out of Vancouver this summer and somehow, the cruise gods have smiled on me and she's the only one in port that day! 

 

Two years ago, coming out of Covid, check-in at Vancouver was a nightmare. Probably 90% of passengers didn't know they had to do ArriveCAN to prepare for our arrival at Victoria near the end of the cruise. They thought, I'm in Canda, I've arrived, so I don't need to do the app. They got to the head of the queue unprepared and held up the process. The people working at the convention center made everyone stay in the ArriveCAN queue, even if some of us (including me) HAD done it properly and could have been sent to a separate desk. On top of that, they weren't reading the QR codes. Instead, they were checking people off lists. And then there was show the Covid test results, passport (twice), boarding pass, all at separate stations along the route. 

 

Not to tempt the cruise gods, but I figure if I survived that $*** show, I can get through a regular check-in at Vancouver. 

I'm glad you mentioned this about ArriveCan - is that still a thing? I'm sure we don't need the test results, but do you still need to use ArriveCan for any other reason? It was 2 years ago for me when we last sailed to Canada on the east coast.

[3rdGenCunarder]

44 minutes ago, dopey1200 said:

I'm glad you mentioned this about ArriveCan - is that still a thing? I'm sure we don't need the test results, but do you still need to use ArriveCan for any other reason? It was 2 years ago for me when we last sailed to Canada on the east coast.

No, thank goodness!!!

[Crew News]

27 minutes ago, dopey1200 said:

I'm glad you mentioned this about ArriveCan - is that still a thing? I'm sure we don't need the test results, but do you still need to use ArriveCan for any other reason? It was 2 years ago for me when we last sailed to Canada on the east coast.

It is no longer required.

 

My airline has a final check-in process that sends me to ArriveCan 72 hours before my flight.  The app says it is an advance custom declaration opportunity.  If it saves time in the airport chaos, it is worth a try.

[Blackduck59]

23 minutes ago, Crew News said:

It is no longer required.

 

My airline has a final check-in process that sends me to ArriveCan 72 hours before my flight.  The app says it is an advance custom declaration opportunity.  If it saves time in the airport chaos, it is worth a try.

 

I would take any residual version of "Arrive Can" with a grain of salt. The investigation into the money pit that is "Arrive Can" is ongoing and it is just another example of a poorly monitored program thrown together with good intentions but poor execution. I doubt it will save any time on arrival and suspect it will be a waste of any time you spend on it before arrival.