Time and cost to get to Vancouver Airport from Pier?

[muskokacruizerz]

Is a 12:15 flight time (within Canada) too early to book? Our ship is scheduled to arrive in port at 7:00 a.m on May 7th (Wednesday).

Theoretically that leaves me 5 and a quarter hours to clear customs, get off ship and get to the airport. Any opinions?

Also what is the best way to get to the airport and the cost? Cruise ship shuttle, local shuttle, taxi...?

[Putterdude]

You will be extremely tight at 12:15, not impossible but tight. The airport is about 45 minutes from the cruise terminals and for an international flight you need to be at the airport 2 hrs ahead of departure as you will clear US Customs at the Vancouver airport. Most cruise lines don’t want you to have a flight that is earlier than 12:30. You won’t be able to get off the ship as soon as it docks, it will likely be closer to 8:00 then you must collect your bags and clear Canadian Customs and be in a cab or shuttle but 9:00. A cab will run you about $35 to $40 incl tip. Here is a link to the airport shuttle and the other to a program called US direct which all of the cruise lines participate in and would likely be a good bet.

 

http://www.yvrairporter.com/

http://www.portvancouver.com/vanAlaCruise/content/infoPassengers/usDirect.html

[Cruise Junky]

Seeing as you have an domestic flight not an International Flight, 12:15 should be ok. Looks like you're on the Ryndam coming into Canada Place. You're the only ship in port that day so cabs won't be nuts. Unless the ship is late getting in, you should be fine.

[muskokacruizerz]

Thanks for the info. I've booked the 12:15 flight to Toronto. Hope everyt'g goes well as my tickets are non-refundable and would cost $150 p.p. to change on flight day!

I'll just have to be super-vigilant that HAL assigns us an early disembarkation time. Our last cruise (Celebrity) assigned us a late disembarkation time even tho' we had our car right at the terminal and were facing a ten-hour drive home. But the front desk was very accomodating and changed us to an earlier departure.