Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite

[scottbee]

On the cab cost of $35 does that include tip too? I know the $39 on the limo does not. We're headed there tonight and won't get in close to midnight, and I'm still pondering cab or limo:confused:

 

Susan :)

 

At midnight, Skytrain is $2.50/ea. Use the $ savings to buy yourself a nice meal!

[AkSusan]

At midnight, Skytrain is $2.50/ea. Use the $ savings to buy yourself a nice meal!

If it was just me I probably would but I'm with my Mom and with each having two big suitcases and a carry on, so we'll be cabbing it.

 

Susan :)

[Putterdude]

If it was just me I probably would but I'm with my Mom and with each having two big suitcases and a carry on, so we'll be cabbing it.

 

Susan :)

 

Makes perfect sense to me....as good as the Canada Line is, it is not a "one size fits all" solution.

Edited September 8, 2009 by Putterdude

[Sally Forth]

Makes perfect sense to me....as good as the Canada Line is, it is not a "one size fits all" solution.

 

Here's an idea... Canada Line porters. You could have people who will carry the luggage onto the train, travel with the person to their destination, and then carry it to the hotel or ship. Even if you tipped them $20 you'd still be ahead.

 

Viv

grinning as I think of the union issues this would cause

[Putterdude]

Being a poor pensioner I could use the job...now lets see at 25 mins per trip, 10 hr day, $20 per trip, wow that's $400 per day, if I worked 7 days a week during cruise season that's $2,800 a week, $12,000 in a good month ...I'm all over it....where do I sign up. Gosh I could even afford to hire Ut to take my empties back....what a deal.:D

[harry0]

FYI-If leaving from Ballentyne -Have cab driver drop you off across the street from terminal(our cabbie did)-You then carry your bags about 150ft. You will save time and $ by not waiting in long line of vehicles.I heard a few people tell me it cost another $5 and 10-15 minutes more.

[Kamloops50]

I've cruised from Canada Place twice. Once my sister drove us to

the pier. The second we took a taxi . It delivered us directly to the unloading area with no waits.

[IDKaren]

ok-so arriving sunday at airport-plan to take new Canada Line to cruise ship. What is the name of the stop we should get off at and approx how far from docks is it? THanks!

[scottbee]

ok-so arriving sunday at airport-plan to take new Canada Line to cruise ship. What is the name of the stop we should get off at and approx how far from docks is it? THanks!

 

There are two cruise piers in Vancouver; Canada Place and Ballantyne Pier

 

The Canada Line (YVR - Waterfront) subway line drops you at Waterfront, 2 blocks from Canada Place, but if you need to get to Ballantyne, you will need to take a short taxi ride ($10) from there, it's a little over a mile.

 

Map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=100934763039761071004.000467645fcda21dd87b2&ll=49.285052,-123.105626&spn=0.017104,0.045447&z=15

[Putterdude]

ok-so arriving sunday at airport-plan to take new Canada Line to cruise ship. What is the name of the stop we should get off at and approx how far from docks is it? THanks!

 

You will take the car to the end of the line which is Waterfront Station and Canada Place is about 1 1/2 block west of there. You do have the option of walking completely underground thru the Waterfront Centre complex to Canada Place but it is a longer walk or even staying under ground and coming up at Howe St. which is just about 100 paces east of Canada Place. All of that said, if you get off at Waterfront Station and follow the signs you won't get lost. Have a great cruise.:)

[IDKaren]

thanks so much! I believe we go out of Canada Place on NCL so that should be pretty simple Packing my rain gear as we speak cuz i imagine we will need it!

[Putterdude]

thanks so much! I believe we go out of Canada Place on NCL so that should be pretty simple Packing my rain gear as we speak cuz i imagine we will need it!

 

You are very welcome and yes NCL does berth at Canada Place.:)

[scottbee]

You are very welcome and yes NCL does berth at Canada Place.:)

 

Norwegian Pearl docks at Ballantyne on the 21st, so if this is the sailing you're on, you will need to take a taxi from Waterfront to Ballantyne Pier. There is no hard and fast rule about who docks where, there are almost always exceptions.

 

Always best to consult the port's cruise calendar http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/about/cruiseandtourism/cruiselineschedules.aspx

Edited September 10, 2009 by scottbee

[Putterdude]

IDKAREN if you are leaving on the Norwegian Sun, you will be embarking at Canada Place.

As a footnote to the above post the Norwegian Star will also use Ballantyne on Sunday, September 20th. Neither the Star or the Pearl were homeported during the Alaska season and are these are likely respositioning cruises. At the begining and the end of the Alaska season when repositioning cruises occur there can be anomalies in the berthing schedule otherwise Princess, HAL, NCL and Carnival use Canada Place with RCI and Celebrity using Ballantyne. However I do agree it is always a good idea to check the schedule.

[not2old]

Hello Vickie, I have lots of questions and hope you can help. We booked a cruise that departs in Seattle but ends in Vancouver.

what is the easiest way to get back to Seattle, Amtrak maybe? The hotel that we will be staying pre cruise in Seattle is letting us use a day pass until our flight leaves @ 10:00pm but we need to get back to Seattle. My husband has limited mobility and sometimes is short on patience :-( so I need to be as efficient as possible. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!!

[Putterdude]

Other than renting a car and driving then your option is really only Quick Coach as the Amtrak departures from Vancouver don't really work for you.

www.quickcoach.com/

[deb63]

I'm a real cruise newbie. Haven't gone on our first one yet - we go in 2010.

 

DH and I were playing with ideas for Alaska for 2011, had decided on NCL when DCL made their announcment. And with young kids we are now thinking DCL (depending on the prices when they announce).

 

Putterdude, I see where you mentioned renting a car to get from Seattle to Vancouver. That is kind of what I was here to try to search. I was looking at Amtrack/and the bus shuttle. While they both work great getting to Vancouver in time to cruise. Neither's time schedule works well for catching a flight in Seattle home. My DH gives me so many of his vacation days to play with each year - and. . .the DCL Tuesday - Tuesday schedule is kind of making it hard for me to justify.

 

If we were to fly into Seattle, rent a car & drive up to Vancouver. Then rent a car in Vancouver on our departure to drive back to Seattle to catch our flight. . .how hard is that? My DH (an ex cop/ex truck driver) is fairly good with directions, etc. On a map it doesn't look too hard. Is it something people do often? Rent one way across a country?

 

Thanks for any information you can share! I'd like to work out DCL for our children. ..as their enjoying thier time, sure increases us enjoying ours. The flights directly into Vancouver are double Seattle - so it would be nice to figure out an alternative before deciding if DCL can work for us.

[scottbee]

I'm a real cruise newbie. Haven't gone on our first one yet - we go in 2010.

 

DH and I were playing with ideas for Alaska for 2011, had decided on NCL when DCL made their announcment. And with young kids we are now thinking DCL (depending on the prices when they announce).

 

Putterdude, I see where you mentioned renting a car to get from Seattle to Vancouver. That is kind of what I was here to try to search. I was looking at Amtrack/and the bus shuttle. While they both work great getting to Vancouver in time to cruise. Neither's time schedule works well for catching a flight in Seattle home. My DH gives me so many of his vacation days to play with each year - and. . .the DCL Tuesday - Tuesday schedule is kind of making it hard for me to justify.

 

If we were to fly into Seattle, rent a car & drive up to Vancouver. Then rent a car in Vancouver on our departure to drive back to Seattle to catch our flight. . .how hard is that? My DH (an ex cop/ex truck driver) is fairly good with directions, etc. On a map it doesn't look too hard. Is it something people do often? Rent one way across a country?

 

Thanks for any information you can share! I'd like to work out DCL for our children. ..as their enjoying thier time, sure increases us enjoying ours. The flights directly into Vancouver are double Seattle - so it would be nice to figure out an alternative before deciding if DCL can work for us.

 

It's a fairly simple drive, shouldn't be an issue. The drive itself takes 3 hours, plus however long the border crossing takes (0-2 hours typically).

As for airfares into Vancouver vs Seattle- sometimes they're much higher, sometimes they aren't; so keep watching.

[deb63]

Thank you Scottbee.

 

After reading some of this thread I played with the car rental websites - and it made a big difference. I would prefer to fly directly to/from Vancouver - but it is nice to have a plan B if the rates stay where they are today. For us round trip to Seattle is about $1300. But round trip to Vancouver is about $2800. But a bigger issue was the return flights currently scheduled for home, we wouldn't be able to get home the same day. Not an issue for my DDs and I - but could be an issue for DH.

 

Neither DH nor I have flown since security increases after 9/11 - but I've read to allow up to 2 hours. So docking, allowing for desbarking, getting to the airport, security. . . . what would be the earliest time someone would be safe booking a flight home after the cruise (Vancouver being the port)?

 

I really appreciate all the insight/tips on this board. It has helped a lot!!!

 

Thanks!!

Edited September 13, 2009 by deb63

[Putterdude]

Well the good news is that you have a full year to dream and plan. Amtrak is really a good way to go. The ships generally leave Vancouver about 4:30 to 5 pm and the train gets in around noon (I am going from memory right now) so you have lots of time to get from the train station to the pier as its less than 15 mins away. You clear customs at the train station in Vancouver and it is a breeze compared to the boarder at Blaine,WA.

All of the "brand" name car rental companies have offices in Vancouver including, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Alamo/National....Enterprise is also here but I don't think they will allow a drop in Vancouver or visa versa. However other than Enterprise all will allow you to drop the car out of state/province. The downside of the rental is that you could have a wait of up to 2 hrs at the boarder although if you arrive early in the morning on a weekday the wait is likely in the range of 1 hr. You will have a drive time of about 3 hrs plus your wait time. There is alternative route from Bellingham that will take you to the Lyden/Aldergrove border crossing which tends to have shorter lines, you will see this on your map.

As we move closer to the date you may just snag a seat sale airline that will make sense for you.

[Putterdude]

Neither DH nor I have flown since security increases after 9/11 - but I've read to allow up to 2 hours. So docking, allowing for desbarking, getting to the airport, security. . . . what would be the earliest time someone would be safe booking a flight home after the cruise (Vancouver being the port)?

 

 

As it stands right now DCL may be the only ship in port on a Tuesday so anything after 12:30 or 1 pm will be a slam dunk.

[deb63]

I played with Amtrack and the bus shuttle. Both worked great getting there, but coming home (time wise) they didn't seem to work as well. But you are right. . .I've got over a year to play with it. :) DCL is suppose to start booking 9/28th - I just wanted a realistic idea if we could do it by then, so I'd know whether or not to put down a deposit.

 

I'll keep an eye out (as I play with costs/ideas) for anything after 1:00 pm. Having a target helps.

 

Thank you again for your insight/help! DH loved the idea of Amtrak or driving from Seattle to Vancouver. Not for the savings, but he felt the scenery would add to our trip. I'm was more about the savings. :)

Edited September 13, 2009 by deb63

[harry0]

I recently used the AM train from Sea-VC. It was a nice trip but customs took us an hour and 15 minutes to go through at the station in VC. This was probably due to the fact we were the last car called to get off the train. Or maybe just bad timing. They unloaded from the back to the front, So it might be a good idea to get a seat at the back of the train. We were one of the first in line at Seatle to board. Maybe first wasn't a good move, as they seem to assign seats from the front to the back.

VC was a great city. We are looking foward to returning soon.

[Putterdude]

I recently used the AM train from Sea-VC. It was a nice trip but customs took us an hour and 15 minutes to go through at the station in VC. This was probably due to the fact we were the last car called to get off the train. Or maybe just bad timing. They unloaded from the back to the front, So it might be a good idea to get a seat at the back of the train. We were one of the first in line at Seatle to board. Maybe first wasn't a good move, as they seem to assign seats from the front to the back.

VC was a great city. We are looking foward to returning soon.

 

This a the worst I have heard,seen or read about. If it happened this month what could have been the cause was a lack of man-power. Canadian customs does hire a number of university students druing the summer and they start to return to school in early September.....soooo.

[Kamper]

Will shops, movie theaters, etc be closed on Thanksgiving Day in Vancouver?