Vancouver - info please

[gg3]

Help please. Sailing out of Vancouver in July. We are doing 2 days precruise and because of a great deal on 5 star hotel, we are staying near airport. Question: we will have a full day Friday and Friday night to spend touring. Suggestions on best transportation methods to get around town. HAL has not given us the name of our hotel, so don't know if it has a shuttle. Also, we have to spend an overnighter post cruise so we will have all Saturday to play before flying out next morning at 9 am. Would you stay at airport or downtown that night ?? Thanks, gg

[ell52]

The only 5* hotel "near the airport" I can think of is the Fairmont YVR. If that's where you're staying, it is actually at the airport terminal. I would just take either the Airporter or public transit into downtown, then use the hop on/hop off trolley to see the main sights, have dinner in the city and return to your hotel the same way you came or via cab. A cab will run $30 -$35 depending on traffic. If it's another hotel in Richmond (where the airport is), I don't know of any that have shuttles to downtown Vancouver.

 

Post-cruise, you'd save time and see more if you stay downtown, but you have an early flight, so will probably need to take a cab in the morning.

 

p.s. You should be able to find out the name of the hotel HAL has booked for you. Any particular reason you or your travel agent can't call and ask? If they know it's by the airport and that it's a 5*, then they know the name. It would make planning easier.

[trilinearmipmap]

A rental car with taxes will run about $45.00 Canadian if you book it ahead on the internet so with gas and parking it will be roughly equivalent to round trip cab fare to downtown if that is where you want to go.

 

On the cheap end there is a public transit bus that will get you downtown for a few dollars.

 

If your hotel turns out to be the Fairmont at the airport it is the nicest place I have stayed in including places costing four times as much, downtown would be more convenient for sightseeing but I would stay at the Fairmont just because you will get a perfect sleep and and overall nice experience.

[gg3]

The only 5* hotel "near the airport" I can think of is the Fairmont YVR. If that's where you're staying, it is actually at the airport terminal. I would just take either the Airporter or public transit into downtown, then use the hop on/hop off trolley to see the main sights, have dinner in the city and return to your hotel the same way you came or via cab. A cab will run $30 -$35 depending on traffic. If it's another hotel in Richmond (where the airport is), I don't know of any that have shuttles to downtown Vancouver.

 

Post-cruise, you'd save time and see more if you stay downtown, but you have an early flight, so will probably need to take a cab in the morning.

 

p.s. You should be able to find out the name of the hotel HAL has booked for you. Any particular reason you or your travel agent can't call and ask? If they know it's by the airport and that it's a 5*, then they know the name. It would make planning easier.

 

Let me tell you first, that there was a mix up w/HAL. I sat in my agent's office and heard the whole conversation w/Holland. She asked for the special they had running for Vancouver, cruising Holland w/1 night free downtown at a luxury hotel. We added an extra day at a great rate. They booked the deal......yesterday. Today, my agent told me HAL had me scheduled for 2 nights pre cruise in Seattle, shuttle to Vancouver. What ???? She told them they messed up. Now HAL has said all the downtown hotel pkgs. they have are booked and they would set us up at a 5 star in airport area. OR, they would put us on waitlist. Agent told them to book the 5 star and put us on waitlist, since we were originally promised downtown Vancouver. HAL said you can't do both....either book airport area or take waitlist. Crap on that. So to insure we have some place July 5, she took the airport area. HAL said they could not tell her yet what hotel. What is that about ??? I have gone from being so excited, to so down because we know we want to be downtown. Any advice ????????gg

[ell52]

Let me tell you first, that there was a mix up w/HAL. I sat in my agent's office and heard the whole conversation w/Holland. She asked for the special they had running for Vancouver, cruising Holland w/1 night free downtown at a luxury hotel. We added an extra day at a great rate. They booked the deal......yesterday. Today, my agent told me HAL had me scheduled for 2 nights pre cruise in Seattle, shuttle to Vancouver. What ???? She told them they messed up. Now HAL has said all the downtown hotel pkgs. they have are booked and they would set us up at a 5 star in airport area. OR, they would put us on waitlist. Agent told them to book the 5 star and put us on waitlist, since we were originally promised downtown Vancouver. HAL said you can't do both....either book airport area or take waitlist. Crap on that. So to insure we have some place July 5, she took the airport area. HAL said they could not tell her yet what hotel. What is that about ??? I have gone from being so excited, to so down because we know we want to be downtown. Any advice ????????gg

 

If the hotel package with HAL is still cancellable, this is what I would do: (1) Hang onto the reservation for the time being; (2) Look for a better deal through Hotwire or Priceline; (3) Cancel the HAL pkg if you find something.

 

I know the Sutton Place is a 5* (downtown) that often shows up on Hotwire for a very good price. If that doesn't work out, and you're at the Fairmont YVR, be assured that it is a very nice hotel. The only downside is getting to and from downtown with the added cost and hassle.

 

There's no reason HAL can't tell you the name of the hotel - they're just choosing not to. Is there anyone higher up on the chain of command at HAL that the agent or you can speak to. After all, it was their mistake in the first place.

[weathermom]

if you are staying near the airport - I'd get a rental car if I were you - there are many great things to see that are NOT downtown... Steveston (not far from the airport ) is really interesting, granville island - very cool. the North Shore (Grouse mountain, capilano suspension bridge ).. much easier to do with a rental car than by other modes of transportation if you're out of the city. + vancouver is not hard to get around & signage is quite good.