2 Days in Vancouver

I need some help with plans for 2 days in Vancouver once we debark Radiance of the Seas. Here's my plan I'm open to some better suggestions.

Take a taxi to the Blue Horizon Hotel for a 2 night stay. Drop our luggage and have them store it if our room is not ready. Then we will either take the HOHO Trolley 2.5 hour tour or a 4 hour tour with Land & Sea. The HOHO Trolley had a buy one day get another free and the Land & Sea tour is $75 PP. Check in to the hotel and later take the HOHO Trolley to Canada Place for dinner and to see “Fly over Canada”. Should we buy tickets in advance this will be a Friday evening. Take a taxi back to the hotel.

The next day we would like to go to Grouse Mountain if the weather permits…is there a shuttle that will pick us up at the Blue Horizon? We would also like to go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge…how can we get from Grouse Mountain to the Suspension Bridge? We could then take the shuttle back to the hotel. If we get the trolley tickets we could use it to take us somewhere later for dinner. We fly home the next day.

What suggestions would you have if the weather is not feasible to go to either of these?

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Look down this forum page and you will see "what to do in Vancouver". Good info.

While you could take the HOHO to Canada Place, it would be over two hours faster to walk... all HOHOs go in one direction, anticlockwise, so you have to sit through virtually every stop to get from BH hotel back to CP!

Dinner at Canada Place... if typical food court fare, or high falutin' Franco-German restaurants are your thing you'll be well-served. Dinner near Canada Place... you're almost certainly going to find better value near your hotel en route by foot. There are tons of mid-price options within a block of the most direct walking route from BH to CP, and several higher-end places too. A bit more info on budget & tastes will enable much more relevant recos.

Fly Over Canada I just rode today, a birthday treat from my better half. I would not advise dining before riding - it's fairly gentle, but there are some rapid side to side and up & down motions so I would not have enjoyed it as much on a full stomach. We prepaid, but did not book a timeslot; arrived at ~4:15pm and were on the ride in just over 30 minutes (including the somewhat odd and definitely irrelevant to the ride preshow movie plus queue time), out and on our way for cocktails by just about 5:00pm on the nose.

Our General Admission queue was about 2/3rds as long as the space available to line up in, so I'd guess a max time of an hour in total for the whole experience. Value-wise it's almost twice as long as Soarin' at Disney, but not done with quite such high production values (jarring transitons between regions, motion not synchronized as well to the film, and a couple of blatantly fake SFX). Worth doing once at $20? Yes, I'd say so, but nowhere near as good as Soarin' for repeat visit value IMO.

re: HOHO/Landsea tour - note that while the length of one circuit on the trolley is 2.5 hours, as soon as you get off you have to add 20 minutes to the tour duration (that's the approximate frequency of buses). Nothing to stop you just riding around without getting off, but the crux of the HOHO concept is in the name - Hop On, Hop Off! I would allow for 4 hours, same as a regular city tour, for a HOHO circuit to allow for getting off at a handful of stops.

Taking HOHO to dinner has similar issue of directionality, plus they stop running early (last trolley ifrom BH is 4:52pm!). Assume walk or cab - we have a compact downtown, a $10 taxi ride will get your to literally hundreds of restaurants running the gamut in price and genre.

Cap Bridge offers a free shuttle, as does Grouse, both of which have a stop outside Blue Horizon. NB: they are close together, but different shuttles run to each - i.e. unless you want to waste an hour coming back downtown and out again, assume you will be making your own way between the two attractions. They're on a direct bus route (#236) at $2.75pp, or a c.$10 cab fare - bit of a wash as to which is fastest as cabs don't tend to line up all day at North Shore attractions so you may need to call one. Cheapest depends on the size of your party.

If it's cloudy, I find Grouse dubious value - but the activities and sights around the bridge are fairly weather-independent as long as you have rainwear (and if you're cruising Alaska, you'd be insane not to be carrying appropriate rain gear...)

Popular indoor attractions include the Aquarium, Science World, various Museums & art galleries. Without knowing more about your group of travelers it's hard to make a good recommendation - but dig around in Canada & West Coast forum for posts by BCHappyGal who has a very comprehensive list of attractions in her Signature.

Thanks so much for your informative reply. I was thinking the HOHO might not be a good idea and you have so confirmed.

While you could take the HOHO to Canada Place, it would be over two hours faster to walk... all HOHOs go in one direction, anticlockwise, so you have to sit through virtually every stop to get from BH hotel back to CP!

 

Is it feasible to walk to Canada Place from Blue Horizon how many blocks? We are seniors and DH has a bum ankle but he does do quite well. Is there a city bus that the hotel can direct us to take or would a taxi be better?

Dinner at Canada Place... if typical food court fare, or high falutin' Franco-German restaurants are your thing you'll be well-served. Dinner near Canada Place... you're almost certainly going to find better value near your hotel en route by foot. There are tons of mid-price options within a block of the most direct walking route from BH to CP, and several higher-end places too. A bit more info on budget & tastes will enable much more relevant recos.

 

Fly Over Canada I just rode today, a birthday treat from my better half. I would not advise dining before riding - it's fairly gentle, but there are some rapid side to side and up & down motions so I would not have enjoyed it as much on a full stomach. We prepaid, but did not book a timeslot; arrived at ~4:15pm and were on the ride in just over 30 minutes (including the somewhat odd and definitely irrelevant to the ride preshow movie plus queue time), out and on our way for cocktails by just about 5:00pm on the nose.

 

Our General Admission queue was about 2/3rds as long as the space available to line up in, so I'd guess a max time of an hour in total for the whole experience. Value-wise it's almost twice as long as Soarin' at Disney, but not done with quite such high production values (jarring transitons between regions, motion not synchronized as well to the film, and a couple of blatantly fake SFX). Worth doing once at $20? Yes, I'd say so, but nowhere near as good as Soarin' for repeat visit value IMO.

 

If we make it to Canada Place I'm sure we will do this attraction. We did Soarin' at Disney and enjoyed it.

 

re: HOHO/Landsea tour - note that while the length of one circuit on the trolley is 2.5 hours, as soon as you get off you have to add 20 minutes to the tour duration (that's the approximate frequency of buses). Nothing to stop you just riding around without getting off, but the crux of the HOHO concept is in the name - Hop On, Hop Off! I would allow for 4 hours, same as a regular city tour, for a HOHO circuit to allow for getting off at a handful of stops.

 

I have nixed the Landsea tour seems a little pricy and may just price out the cruise ship tour that will drop us at the hotel after the tour.

 

Taking HOHO to dinner has similar issue of directionality, plus they stop running early (last trolley ifrom BH is 4:52pm!). Assume walk or cab - we have a compact downtown, a $10 taxi ride will get your to literally hundreds of restaurants running the gamut in price and genre.

 

Cap Bridge offers a free shuttle, as does Grouse, both of which have a stop outside Blue Horizon. NB: they are close together, but different shuttles run to each - i.e. unless you want to waste an hour coming back downtown and out again, assume you will be making your own way between the two attractions. They're on a direct bus route (#236) at $2.75pp, or a c.$10 cab fare - bit of a wash as to which is fastest as cabs don't tend to line up all day at North Shore attractions so you may need to call one. Cheapest depends on the size of your party.

 

I couldn't find anything about a shuttle to Grouse from the hotel. The plan right now is take the shuttle to Grouse, if the weather is good, and after that take the #236 bus or taxi to Cap Bridge and then take their shuttle back to the BH.

If it's cloudy, I find Grouse dubious value - but the activities and sights around the bridge are fairly weather-independent as long as you have rainwear (and if you're cruising Alaska, you'd be insane not to be carrying appropriate rain gear...)

 

Popular indoor attractions include the Aquarium, Science World, various Museums & art galleries. Without knowing more about your group of travelers it's hard to make a good recommendation - but dig around in Canada & West Coast forum for posts by BCHappyGal who has a very comprehensive list of attractions in her Signature.

I've printed out the posting by BCHappyGal so I'll have it ready in case we need it.

Thanks again I have always been able to get the answers I need here on CC.:)

Answers below:

Is it feasible to walk to Canada Place from Blue Horizon how many blocks? We are seniors and DH has a bum ankle but he does do quite well. Is there a city bus that the hotel can direct us to take or would a taxi be better?

 

Here's a Google Map - less than a mile, sidewalks are good, very little elevation change, and easy to follow route. You'll have a better idea how far is too far though! Bus will get you close, and if 65+ Seniors you qualify for concession fares (carry some ID just in case) of $1.75pp for any trips around downtown. The 005 goes along Robson past the BH - change the map in the link above to Transit by clicking the little bus icon and it'll show you the way - although it still involves a walk of about 400 yards. A cab would probably run about $7 (more on a cruise morning, lots of waiting in traffic at the terminal).

 

If we make it to Canada Place I'm sure we will do this attraction. We did Soarin' at Disney and enjoyed it.

 

If you enjoyed Soarin' I can't imagine you not enjoying Flyover Canada - have fun!

 

I have nixed the Landsea tour seems a little pricy and may just price out the cruise ship tour that will drop us at the hotel after the tour.

 

I do find the regular bus tours a little pricey - part of their attraction is they will take you out to the airport, so it's like a tour & transfer all in one, but if you're going to a hotel as close as BH the value compared to a HOHO is poor, even if you just use the HOHO for one full circuit.

 

I couldn't find anything about a shuttle to Grouse from the hotel. The plan right now is take the shuttle to Grouse, if the weather is good, and after that take the #236 bus or taxi to Cap Bridge and then take their shuttle back to the BH.

 

The Grouse shuttle info is hidden away on their website, with a link right at the bottom of the Tickets page... here's the direct URL. Looks like only a Canada Place departure now - although I may be misremembering, it's possible only the Cap Bridge shuttle had a stop at BH. To minimise your walking you could always shuttle up to Cap (right outside BH for the pickup on this still), bus 236 Cap>Grouse (again $1.75pp for Seniors, you're traveling in just one Zone), Grouse shuttle to CP then Flyover Canada at CP. You could even ask the Cap Bridge shuttle driver if he'd drop you at BH from CP if you're feeling cheeky (show your ticket, smile - and tip)!

Answers below:

Can we take the public transit bus from Blue Horizon to Grouse Mountain? I tried to check on the transit site it looks like the stop may be near the Blue Horizon and we would have to transfer once. I think we would like to do Grouse Mountain first then Cap bridge and then CP.

Can we take the public transit bus from Blue Horizon to Grouse Mountain? I tried to check on the transit site it looks like the stop may be near the Blue Horizon and we would have to transfer once. I think we would like to do Grouse Mountain first then Cap bridge and then CP.

You can - it's much more efficient to use just buses from BH as indeed there is a stop just a couple of blocks away (from Canada Place or further East the Seabus/bus combo is quicker). Here's the route. NB: this time you will be traveling in two Zones, so you may to pay a ltitle more. For Seniors, it will cost $2.75pp on a weekday - still just $1.75pp weekends though, as the whole system counts as a single Zone then.

From Grouse, just get on the 236 (or 232 if it comes first) again to head back down the hill toward Cap Bridge - only one zone this time, so $1.75pp even on weekdays.

Info on Vancouver from a local!

My favorite must do attractions are

1) Grouse Mountain – http://www.grousemountain.com – this is a wonderful scenic mountain only about 15 mins from downtown Vancouver. Ride the airtram to the top for lots of fun activities that include a loggers show, birds of prey show, 2 movies (1 about the Vancouver area and 1 about the 2 Grizzly Bears who make their home on Grouse Mtn) ride a chair lift higher up the mountain to visit the wind turbine that generates approximately 30% of the power required for Grouse Mountain Resort and visit with 2 live Grizzly Bears. Thrill to a 2 hour Zip Line Tour. Enjoy a meal in any of the restaurants. Caveat only spend the money to go up on a clear day.

2) Capilano Suspension Bridge – http://www.capbridge.com – this is Vancouver’s oldest tourist attraction and I still enjoy visiting it! Located on Capilano Road just before you reach the Grouse Mountain parking lot. Walk across a suspension Bridge over the Capilano Gorge, wonder the trails thru the rain forest, walk thru the treetops on the new Tree Top Adventure, traverse a Cliff Top walk, visit the trading post for a huge selection of souvenirs, watch native weavers and/or carvers at work.

3) Capilano Fish Hatchery is also located on Capilano Road and is a great place to view salmon jumping up the fish ladders to get around the Cleveland Dam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capilano_River_Regional_Park

4) Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge – http://www.lynncanyon.ca - is also located in North Vancouver and is much less touristy than Capilano but it also is not as spectacular. The bridge is slightly higher above the water but much shorter in span. Located in a Provincial Park this bridge comes with some nice hiking trails and you will find an ecology centre in the park as well as picnic tables and a food concession outlet. Should you choose to enjoy the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge always cross the suspension bridge first and then hike down the trail to the lower (Twin Falls wooden) bridge to cross back over the Lynn Valley River and return to your car – that way you are hiking downhill rather than uphill. It is also free to visit this suspension bridge!

5) Stanley Park – http://www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/ - is the crown jewel of Vancouver's parks. As one of North America's largest urban parks, covering over a 1000 acres and offering an abundance of activities. Enjoy the totem pole collection near the Brockton Point Light House, hiking trails, beaches, water parks for the kids (young & old), rose gardens, miniature train, petting zoo, aquarium –http://www.vanaqua.org – many view points, and several restaurants.

6) Vancouver Aquarium – http://www.vanaqua.org – is Canada’s largest aquarium and is committed to the conservation of marine life and education. Located in Stanley Park this is a fun place for the family to visit.

7) Gas Town – the location where Vancouver originated. The name is derived from a very colorful character named Gassy Jack who was one of the first settlers in the area and a salon keeper – while in Gas Town don’t miss your photo op with the statue of Gassy Jack and by the Steam Clock.

8) At the start of Gas Town is the Harbor Centre Tower http://www.vancouverlookout.com a great spot to start your tour of Vancouver with a birds eye view of the city. Either take the elevator up to the lookout level or go to the top and enjoy a meal in the revolving restaurant.

9) China Town is only about 6 blocks over from Gas Town and is the largest China Town north of San Francisco. While in China Town enjoy a visit to the Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Gardens http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com and also make sure you visit the world’s thinnest building it is only 6’ wide!

10) Granville Island – http://www.granvilleisland.com – is a huge public market area which not only sells fruit & veggies but you can also buy frozen fish to be shipped to your home. Many artists make this their home and you can watch them at work in their studios – making this a great place to buy unique souvenirs. The Granville Island Brewery is also located here and you can stop in for a free tour & tastes. There are theatres for live performances and many fine restaurants. A fun way to get to Granville Island is via the Aquabus – http://www.theaquabus.com

11) Burnaby Village Museum – http://www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca – is an open air museum with over 30 restored homes, shops, school, church and a 1912 carousel situated on 10 acres

12) Gulf of Georgia Cannery – http://www.gulfofgeorgiacannery.com – is a restored fishing cannery located in the historic fishing village of Steveston (part of Richmond). Here you see exhibits that showcase the history of the fishing industry in British Columbia. Once finished in the museum it is great fun to walk along the fishing docks and see the fishing boats which are selling their catch. There are also some excellent restaurants located here.

13) The Vancouver Maritime Museum located on the shore of English Bay is fun for the whole family with lots of hands on exhibits for the kid in all of us. Here to you will find the ship St Roch which the RCMP sailed from Vancouver to Halifax via the Northwest Passage and then completed the return journey in 1944. You actually get to tour this ship. http://www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com

14) Queen Elizabeth Park http://www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/queenelizabeth The 130 acre (52 hectare) park is one of the most beautifully maintained public parks in the world. Second only to Stanley Park in annual visitations, it receives nearly 6 million people a year who marvel at its superior standard of garden plantings.

The park was originally quarried for its rock which served to build Vancouver's first roadways. In 1929 the Board proceeded to acquire the property which had become an abandoned eyesore but still served as the site for two holding reservoirs for the City's drinking water. Dedicated as a park by King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (the present Queen's mother) on their much lauded visit to Vancouver in 1939.

15) Fort Langley is the restored wooden fort built by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post. It is the origin of British Columbia and was the first capital. This Fort is operated by the Federal Parks Board. http://www.fortlangley.org

16) If you are a wine lover you might want to rent a car and spend a day visiting a few of the many excellent wineries located in the Fraser Valley only about a 1 hour drive from your hotel. Almost all of the wineries offer free tastes & tours. Two of the wineries have excellent restaurants on the premises. This makes for a very fun and relaxing day. Check out the Fraser Valley Wine Association web site for a map of winery locations and a brief description of each winery http://www.fvwa.ca

17) VanDusen Botanical Garden is a scenic 55- acre garden of international renown – a living museum of plants collected from around the world and artistically displayed amidst rolling lawns, woodlands and five tranquil lakes, all in the heart of Vancouver and just 15 minutes from downtown.

Due to Vancouver’s mild climate, plants bloom at the Garden year-round. This same climate creates a unique environment where plants from varying climate regions thrive and grow – at VanDusen you will see plants from the southern hemisphere, tropical areas and the high Arctic tundra along side native species. The Elizabethan Maze (one of only six in North America) provides year-round fun.

18) UBC Botanical Garden located at the University of British Columbia covers 110 acres and includes an Alpine, Asian, Native, Food, and Japanese Gardens. http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org

19) Enjoy a FREE walking tour of Vancouver. The Gastown tour starts in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the statue of Gassy Jack in Gastown. The Downtown tour starts at the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the Olympic Cauldron. The China Town tour starts at the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the Chinese memorial statue. All of these tours start at 11am. The Granville Island Tour starts at 3pm at the bus stop just at the entrance to Granville Island. Check these tours out at http://www.tourguys.ca The Tour Guys have added an afternoon walking tour of Granville Island and 2 evening tours….

20) A new addition I have just found for the FOODIES in the gang! Check out http://www.offtheeatentrack.com this company offers culinary tasting tours of various areas of Vancouver. I did the Railtown Urban Eats tour and it was Fabulous! This tour would blend well with the free walking tour offered by http://www.tourguys.ca … you could easily do the free walking tour and then meet up with this tour company for this tour for your lunch - the food is plentiful & wonderful you will not leave this tour hungry!

Vancouver has a bunch of hop-on hop-off buses

http://www.vancouverpinkbustours.com/

http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tours/hop-on-hop-off

http://bigbus.ca/home/

Great thread! I think I am going to need 2 days pre-cruise in Vancouver next summer :)

Lorey, please post your experience with the Blue Horizon. I just booked it based on reviews I have read here but it always nice to read about recent stays!

Have a great cruise :D

Great thread! I think I am going to need 2 days pre-cruise in Vancouver next summer :)

 

Lorey, please post your experience with the Blue Horizon. I just booked it based on reviews I have read here but it always nice to read about recent stays!

 

Have a great cruise :D

We stayed at the Blue Horizon and it was a great choice. We were on the 19th floor room facing Robson St and the room was huge. Twice someone came to the door to see if everything was satisfactory. TIP...we requested a early arrival and when we got there at 11am our room was ready. The clerk said to keep it quite as the people sitting around had been waiting since 8am.

Unfortunately I came off the ship not feeling so well and that put a slight damper on our plans. The weather was fabulous and after checking in we then took a taxi to Canada Place, less than $10, and took the free shuttle bus to Grouse Mountain. The plan was to then go to the Cap bridge but I just couldn't do it. The next day we took the HOHO which stopped right in front and got off at Canada Place and took in Fly over Canada which was nice. We then walked a few blocks to Gastown, poked around and got back on the HOHO. That evening we just walked down Robson and grabbed something at a fast food joint and a Ice cream store.

We did eat breakfast at the Hotel restaurant, Dh had full breakfast $12 a d I just had a small fruit dish and muffin $8. Both were good.

I thought the Blue Horizon was a perfect choice.

A big thank you to Putterdude and Martincath and BCHappygirl for all their valuable information. We had a great time.

Thanks for coming back and telling us how you enjoyed your visit and your stay at the Blue Horizon.

Cheers!

Dennis

Thank you for your feedback and I am very happy that you had such a good time. I guess in the 7 years that I have been posting on Cruise Critic, we have never seen anyone come back with anything but positive remarks about the Blue Horizon....which is a good thing.

Yea! We love the Blue Horizon. We have stayed there twice for our anniversary. Last time, we got a room on the 28th floor! It was phenomenal. :)

If it's any help I did this at the start and finish of a recent r/t Alaska cruise.

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The firework displays seem to happen in the week beginning on the last Saturday in July. All the best, Tony