Transportation from St Regis Vancouver

We will be staying post cruise at the St Regis in Vancouver and have a early 8:00am flight the next day. Can someone tell me my best options for getting from the hotel to to YVR and how long would it take on a weekday? Or would we better off finding a hotel near the airport with a shuttle? First time in Vancouver so we want to see as much as we can.

I'll lay out the options and let you decide what's best for you...

I'm going to assume you're heading back Gainesville-ward so you'll need to arrive in enough time to go through US Customs & Immigration as well as regular airport security here in Vancouver. Official recommendation is to arrive 3 hours before your flight (5am).

First, the cheapest way: Canada Line Skytrain. Technically you cannot arrive that early by Skytrain - first one leaves downtown at 4:45am-ish (depends which station you board at) and arrives at YVR for 5:15am. We've had many flights out of YVR between 7 and 8am and always used Skytrain - never had a problem getting to the gate in plenty of time even with checked luggage.

Folks do report long queues on occasion though, so if your comfort level is such that you *must* be at the airport a full 3 hours early, discount this option. If you're comfortable with only 2.75 hours leeway, then here's a link to Google directions showing walking route from hotel to station etc. I've preset the time for a 5:15am arrival - you can change the date to your own but the schedule is the same every weekday.

Second - taxi. That early there's no traffic to worry about, so set your alarm for whatever time you need to get ready such that you can call the front desk at 4:25am and ask them to call you a cab. By the time you get downstairs it should be waiting and you'll be at YVR for 5:00am. Expect to pay a metered fare of probably a little under $35 that early in the day, all companies charge the same rates by law.

Third - limo. No speed, convenience or any other benefit over a cab except comfier seats. Cost is nearly double the cab fare for a towncar (3-4pax+luggage) at $53+tax (the only company I've used is Aerocar, they have exclusive access to the airport for inbound travelers), other locals or visitors may have some other recommended limo firms.

Unless cost is your absolute number one factor, never ever stay at the airport - by the time you get there post-cruise to drop bags, then get back into town again you'll have lost 90 minutes from your touring time. By the time you wait for the hotel 'free' shuttle (which may be on the hour or half-hour, or not guarantee seats so it's first-come first-served) you'll probably spend dang near as much time getting to YVR as you would just coming straight from downtown that early anyway. The only hotel right at the airport is a Fairmont - it's probably pricier than the St Regis...

St Regis is in a good location for walking or transit - and right beside the biggest downtown mall for shopping. There's a quirky bar just across the street which a lot of people miss as it's one floor up - The Railway Club. Used to be a members only place, now anyone can come in. Dirt cheap food, though limited hours, and one of the most active live music scenes in downtown (there's often a cover charge later in the evening when bands are on).

Thanks so much for the info. I think we will go with a taxi- for DH every minutes of sleep in the morning is precious. We have Global Entry for US Immigration and Customs so we should be able to get through those rather quickly. Think I will target a 5:00 am taxi.

Really appreciate the tip on the Railway Club, we will definitely go there.

From the St Regis you can walk a couple of blocks to either Vancouver City Centre or Waterfront Station. I'd walk to Waterfront as it's slightly downhill v slightly uphill. Use the Waterfront Skytrain CANADA LINE entrance at the corner of Granville St @ W.Hastings and take Skytrain to the airport. 1st train leaves Waterfront at 04:48 which will have you at YVR around 5:15 am, plenty of time to get your 8am flight. $4/ea.

The only real downside to taking Skytrain this early in the morning is that it will be too early to grab a cup of coffee at Caffe Artigiano when you walk past.

A taxi will be about $35 and get you there perhaps 5 min faster than that .(during the bulk of the day in traffic a taxi would be slower than skytrain)

Thanks so much for the info. I think we will go with a taxi- for DH every minutes of sleep in the morning is precious. We have Global Entry for US Immigration and Customs so we should be able to get through those rather quickly. Think I will target a 5:00 am taxi.

 

Really appreciate the tip on the Railway Club, we will definitely go there.

Sounds good - if you can access the short security queue that removes the biggest potential bottleneck. Since we got Nexus cards we've been turning up ~90 minutes before US-bound flights and it's been more than enough (NB: having already checked-in online first of course).