Vancouver help

Hello,

Need some help with my Vancouver itinerary. Arriving on Monday 1pm and taking Alaska curise on Friday. Staying in downtown near CanadaPL.

Monday - Stanley Park and walk around the city.

Tuesday - Van Dusen Gardens, Queen Elizabeth Gardens with Bloedel Conservatory.

Wednesday - Grouse mountain - Zipline with Peak Experience (Skyride, mountaintop activities and Peak Chair access) and Lynn Canyon only for the bridge

Thursday - Take a ferry out to Bowen Island for a hike.

Question : 1. Can I do grouse mountain and Lynn canyon on the same day?

2. Is Bowen Island worth the visit.

3. Place to walk at night Seawall, Canada Pl or anymore

Appreciate your input.

I have left you a reply on the Alaska forum.

3. Place to walk at night Seawall, Canada Pl or anymore

• Fly Over Canada runs until 9pm.
  
• Lookout operates into the evening.... the restaurant gives free ride up to the top.
  
• Gastown opens into the night.
  
• Robson, Denman, Davie offer good nightlife along with the Granville Entertainment district.
  
• The Seawall starts at the cruise terminal, around Stanley Park, around English Bay, and False Creek. You can be walking for hours. Need to pay attention to sunset. @mycruise2000... when are you cruising?
  
• A cab ride away.... La Casa...open til 11pm. 228 flavor gelato heaven.
  

Thanks for you reply.

Cruise leaving on july 8 celebrity millie

Official sunset time is 9:20pm. Expect light until 9:30pm.

A message from the island....

[YOUTUBE]L8Y8YY4DDPI[/YOUTUBE]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/welcome-to-bowen-island-don-t-forget-to-leave-1.3665117

Hello,

 

Need some help with my Vancouver itinerary. Arriving on Monday 1pm and taking Alaska curise on Friday. Staying in downtown near CanadaPL.

Monday - Stanley Park and walk around the city.

 

Tuesday - Van Dusen Gardens, Queen Elizabeth Gardens with Bloedel Conservatory.

 

Wednesday - Grouse mountain - Zipline with Peak Experience (Skyride, mountaintop activities and Peak Chair access) and Lynn Canyon only for the bridge

 

Thursday - Take a ferry out to Bowen Island for a hike.

 

Question : 1. Can I do grouse mountain and Lynn canyon on the same day?

2. Is Bowen Island worth the visit.

3. Place to walk at night Seawall, Canada Pl or anymore

 

Appreciate your input.

All sounds good. Do you have a car rental? If not then getting to Bowen Island and back will be by taxi and that might cost you a bit. There are three hikes that I'm aware of. One is to Dorman Point. Short with a little bit of elevation change. But worth the view at the end. The next one is to Killarney Lake. Easy and flat. The other i believe is on the other side of the island and you need a car to get there. Can't remember what it's called.

I did the first two on my last trip and it took about 3.5/4 hours round trip to do both. Also the ferry cost is for a round trip ride.

The third hike you are thinking of is Mt Gardiner - it is walkable from the ferry - one access point is near the end of the loop around Killarney Lake - there is no need to take a taxi to get to the ferry to Bowen Island - the 250 Horseshoe Bay bus from downtown Vancouver will get you to the ferry terminal and it is one fare $2.75 to get there - there is also a local BC Transit shuttle bus that runs on Bowen Island and it will take you close to the access for Mt Gardiner.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Dennis

There is another taxi to consider for a unique scenic experience to get to Bowen..... Granville Island and weekdays in Coal Harbour offers a "water taxi" service. Return for free on the BC Ferry to the #250 bus. Departing from Granville Island offers views of English Bay you would not get from the cruise ship.

http://eblaunch.com/bowen-island-ferry-routes-schedule

I would suggest you visit Capilano Suspension Bridge instead of Lynn Valley - much more spectacular and on Capilano Road the same as Grouse mountain ... Whereas Lynn Valley is the next gorge over and you really need a rental car to access Lynn Valley - any savings over the entrance fee to Capilano vs free at Lynn Valley will be quickly eaten up by the cost of the rental car and parking fees.

Both Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain offer free shuttle bus service from downtown to their attractions ---

I generally do both Grouse Mountain & Capilano Suspension bridge in one day... Allow about 2 hours for Capilano and the remainder of the day for Grouse....

You will love the Millie and her crew... you will have Captain George as Captain Nicolas will still be in Greece on vacation...

The Guest Relations Manager is Guy and Activities manager is Tanya Cruise Director was Steve but I now Sue Denning was returning to the Millie after he vacation but I think she is only returning in August but not sure....

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 originally erected in 1889 over the Capilano Gorge. This bridge stretches 450’ end to end and hovers 230’ above Capilano River. 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, 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) Fly Over Canada incorporates state of the art technology in an Imax theatre to show you supernatural Canada, Fly from coast to coast taking in breath stealing views of Niagara Falls, Lake Louise, The Rockies & more. Spectacular! http://www.flyovercanada.com

8) 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.

9) 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.

10) 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!

11) 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

12) 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

13) 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.

14) 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

15) 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.

16) 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

17) If you are a wine lover you might want to rent a car and spend a day visiting a few of the many (23 Licensed) 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. http://www.bcwine.com (click on the Fraser Valley button)

18) 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.

19) 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 There is also a treetop walk which is great for “fit” explorers who are not afraid of heights – however I would not recommend it for anyone who has any mobility issues. Also these gardens are not as well maintained as I would expect a botanical garden to be!

20) Enjoy FREE guided walking tours of Vancouver. The Gastown tour starts at the Howe & Georgia Street entrance to the Pacific Center Mall and ends at the statue of Gassy Jack in Gastown. The Downtown tour starts at the Howe & Georgia Street entrance to the Pacific Center Mall and ends at the Olympic Cauldron. The China Town tour starts at the Howe & Georgia Street entrance to the Pacific Center Mall and ends at the Chinese memorial statue. All of these tours start at 11amCheck these tours out at http://www.tourguys.ca The Tour Guys have added an afternoon walking tour of Granville Island and 2 evening tours….. The Granville Island Tour starts at 3pm at the bus stop just at the entrance to Granville Island.

21) For the FOODIES in the gang! Check out 2 companies that offer food tasting tours http://www.foodietours.ca and http://www.offtheeatentrack.ca – both offer an excellent tour!

http://www.foodietours.ca visit much more high end restaurants in the heart of the west end of Vancouver (tourist/hotel district)

while http://www.offtheeatentrack.ca concentrates on more casual independently owned eateries in various areas of Vancouver! (Gastown, Main Street Area, Vancouver East)

I just enjoyed Foodietours “Guilty Pleasures Gourmet Tour” and was very impressed with the organization, quality of restaurants & refreshments, guides knowledge of foods and the eateries we were visiting as well as the area we were walking in. Felt it was excellent value for the money provided you did not spend the extra $20. For the alcohol! This company also offers a tasting tour on Granville Island Public Market and of the Vancouver Street Food Carts.

As for Off the Eaten Track - this company offers culinary tasting tours of various areas of Vancouver. The brunch tour visits local establishments in East Vancouver while the dinner tour concentrates on the Main Street area and the Railtown Urban Eats tour is an area adjacent to GasTown. All are Fabulous! The Railtown Urban Eats tour would blend well with the free walking tour offered by http://www.tourguys.ca … you could easily do the free walking tour of GasTown and then meet up with this tour company for your lunch - the food is plentiful & wonderful you will not leave any of the tours hungry!

For the tourist in town you actually meet at Waterfront Station and the company drives you to the tour location and then of course back at the end. Just to give you a hint of what to expect - the Gems of Main Street tour started in a Chocolate Shoppe – how can it be anything but wonderful when one starts out with chocolate…. And of course we must mention the rum cocktail concoction at the Tiki Lounge paired with a pork slider & the Pizza Joint owned and run by a chef who actually worked at the Vatican making pizza for the Pope – now if it is good enough for the Pope it has to be good enough for us! After 5 great stops with the history of the area being shared by our guide Bonnie we were all absolutely stuffed! Great job Bonnie!

22) A new addition to the Vancouver scene. The Richmond Olympic Experience located at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Visitors are welcomed by a sculpture paying tribute to the volunteers who made the 2010 Vancouver Games possible. You will then be whisked away on an interactive journey that celebrates the Olympic spirit. A multimedia theatre takes you to the heart of the Olympic dream through a series of multimedia galleries evoking the triumphs, tragedies, controversies and celebrations of Olympic history. Thrilling interactive sport simulations including a virtual ski jump will get your heart racing. Outside the Oval, you can follow the incredible journey of the Olympic torch across Canada via a commemorative torch relay trail through the outdoor plazas.

23) Rogers Arena Get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the premier sports and entertainment facilities in North America with a Rogers Arena tour. See where, for over 15 years, we’ve thrilled and entertained fans from all over the world, staged the best of the best in entertainment and sports, and welcomed over 25 million fans through our doors. Experience first-hand the “cathedral of hockey” that brings in millions of fans coming to see the Vancouver Canucks live (Hockey), and where history was made when the Canadian women's and men's hockey teams marked their moments in history during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Stadium behind the scenes tours are Wed – Sat at 10;30am, 12 (noon) and 1:30pm!

24) BC Place is BC’s Premier multipurpose stadium, hosting sport, exhibitions and live entertainment, right in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. Home of the BC Lions Football Club, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Soccer) and the BC Sports Hall of Fame. This state of the art facility intrigues with its retractable roof, 800 WIFI ports and 1,100 digital screens. The 36’ façade is lit up by thousands of individually- addressable LED lights that create colour animations bringing life to the Vancouver skyline.

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/

We are staying several days post Alaska Cruise and want to know what is the best place/way to do a currency exchange US to CAD?

We are flying home from Seattle and do not have a Princess transfer. What options are there for us and which would be most convenient Bus?/BG BUS Shuttle, Amtrack or quick flight to Seattle from Vancouver. DH doesn't travel as well as he used to. BTW our hotel is Lonsdale Quay. Thanks for any info

Depending on your flight time from Seattle I would do the Amtrak.

Keep in mind it runs once in the morning and once in the evening. You would still have to get to the airport from downtown.

The flight from YVR is quick and you clear customs before your flight so you don't have to worry about it when you get to Seattle.

Hello,

 

Need some help with my Vancouver itinerary. Arriving on Monday 1pm and taking Alaska curise on Friday. Staying in downtown near CanadaPL.

Monday - Stanley Park and walk around the city.

 

Tuesday - Van Dusen Gardens, Queen Elizabeth Gardens with Bloedel Conservatory.

 

Wednesday - Grouse mountain - Zipline with Peak Experience (Skyride, mountaintop activities and Peak Chair access) and Lynn Canyon only for the bridge

 

Thursday - Take a ferry out to Bowen Island for a hike.

 

Question : 1. Can I do grouse mountain and Lynn canyon on the same day?

2. Is Bowen Island worth the visit.

3. Place to walk at night Seawall, Canada Pl or anymore

 

Appreciate your input.

1) Distance between Grouse Mountain & Lynn Canyon is issue

Use google maps to coordinate schedule.

2) Bowen Island is beautiful!

3) Do some research 1st, many places to visit.

SeaTac Light Rail

TICKETS AROUND $3.25 +/- PENDING STOP PER PERSON EACH WAY

The SeaTac / Airport Station is connected to the fourth floor of the airport parking garage. Trains arrive and depart on the platform level of the station. The covered, level walkway to the airport terminal is one level down on the mezzanine. The well-lit walkway is separated from the main area of the garage and directional signs point the way to the main terminal skybridge

Approximate train frequencies - weekdays

5:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. Every 15 minutes

6:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Every 6 minutes

8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Every 10 minutes

3:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Every 6 minutes

6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Every 10 minutes

10:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. Every 15 minutes

We are staying several days post Alaska Cruise and want to know what is the best place/way to do a currency exchange US to CAD?

<snip>

For hard currency, our favourite ways/places to exchange US and CDN currency are at Vancouver Bullion Exchange and Charlies Currency Exchange. VBCE has three offices but the most convenient for a tourist is their downtown location on Pender. Charlie's, while sketchy sounding, and it is a extremely small shop, is legit. They are also located downtown on Granville by Robson, beside the Burger King. They only deal with cash only. I find Charlie's normally has very slightly better rates for USD-CDN than VBCE.

I've used Charlie's a few times but VBCE many times, only because VBCE takes debit card transactions so I can purchase hard foreign currency via an electronic purchase versus having to carry a wad of cash around with me to Charlie's. If you end up going to VBCE, ask for the "preferred rate" which gives a very slightly better rate but it's free for the asking.

There are also a few currency exchange places in Richmond. They are legit too but a bit sketchier as you read stories about mainland Chinese money flowing through these currency exchanges to get capital out of China to purchase housing in Vancouver. Long story.