Easy walk to terminal and Waterfront Station?

We will be staying at a hotel (cross street Hornsby an Dunsmuir). Is this an easy walk to the cruise ship terminal and from Waterfront Station/Canada Line? Or are there lots of stairs, etc?

We are a group of 3 fit adults and a 6 y.o. We will have 3 spinner suitcases, 3 backpacks and a booster seat.

Its a downhill walk with no stairs from your hotel. About 6 blocks I think. There is a ramp that leads from the street down one floor to the checkin area. Shouldn't give you any trouble at all.

So you decided to stick to Le Soleil rather than an apartment rental?

As already mentioned, smooth sailing on gently sloping sidewalks for less than five hundred yards. Hornby (NB: no 's', just in case you're asking someone for directions and they get confused) leads you right down to Canada Place - just head for the mountains and you're going the right way. Cross to the north side (nearest the water) and turn right - follow the sidewalk until you reach the vehicle entrance. Google Map of route here.

The pedestrian ramp will be on your side of it, just behind a set of stairs. This Google Streetview shows it at a better angle - the railings where the two people are standing is the top of the ramp. Rotate the view if it's not pointing northward.

I would do it... especially if it's a dry day.

It's going to be tough for that 6yr old carrying his booster seat, but I think it's doable. Make a pitstop at Bella's (Burrard and Hastings) for some great award winning ice cream as a reward!

I would do it... especially if it's a dry day.

 

It's going to be tough for that 6yr old carrying his booster seat, but I think it's doable. Make a pitstop at Bella's (Burrard and Hastings) for some great award winning ice cream as a reward!

We LOVE ice cream!!!

It's a small booster seat...and hubby will carry on his suitcase or in his free hand. :-)

So you decided to stick to Le Soleil rather than an apartment rental?

 

As already mentioned, smooth sailing on gently sloping sidewalks for less than five hundred yards. Hornby (NB: no 's', just in case you're asking someone for directions and they get confused) leads you right down to Canada Place - just head for the mountains and you're going the right way. Cross to the north side (nearest the water) and turn right - follow the sidewalk until you reach the vehicle entrance. Google Map of route here.

The pedestrian ramp will be on your side of it, just behind a set of stairs. This Google Streetview shows it at a better angle - the railings where the two people are standing is the top of the ramp. Rotate the view if it's not pointing northward.

Yep!...Good memory! After reviewing with DH the research and feedback I got we decided on the hotel (1) the location to the port, (2) the location to train line, restaurant, etc and (3) he didn't like the idea of Gastown, etc for our DH. We liked the idea of apartmental rental because of the laundry facilities. However, after reading Celebrity's website I see that with Elite Status we get 1 bag of free laundry - and there are 3 of us...so we will get our laundry done while on the ship. Family of 3 in 2 suitcases for almost 3 weeks...you better believe there will be lots of washing and re-wearing. :-)

We plan to walk most of the time, which includes a practice run for Friday morning. This is easier to do w/o all the luggage. We will utilize the train to get from YVR and to get to/from Science World. I assume the latter will be too far to walk. BC (Before Children) DH and I were more into exploring a city, taking the beaten path, walking, etc. Now it's a whole new world AC (After Children). :-)

We will utilize the train to get from YVR and to get to/from Science World. I assume the latter will be too far to walk. BC (Before Children) DH and I were more into exploring a city, taking the beaten path, walking, etc. Now it's a whole new world AC (After Children). :-)

• The taxi is $31 a carload from the airport to your hotel. With the $15 airport surcharge.... you are saving around $5 using the train. btw... With the collapsing oil ruble.... it's $22 USD for the taxi carload for door to door convenience.
  
• If you still plan to take the train.... exit one station early at "Vancouver City Centre Station". This means you rolling your luggage downhill to your hotel to save $5.
  

We LOVE ice cream!!!

• http://bellagelateria.com/
  
• https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Executive+Hotel+Le+Soleil,+567+Hornby+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6C+2E8/Bella+Gelateria,+West+Cordova+Street,+Vancouver,+BC/@49.2865105,-123.1187984,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867182177e22f9:0xa118def979194acb!2m2!1d-123.1182551!2d49.2853076!1m5!1m1!1s0x548671830239e747:0x58eb136e51fa9773!2m2!1d-123.1163702!2d49.2878911
  
• http://www.news1130.com/2012/07/08/international-recognition-for-local-gelato-maker/
  

If they really behave.... take them to La Casa the night before to experience 218 flavours...

• http://www.lacasagelato.com/
  
• http://www.marthastewart.com/909325/visiting-la-casa-gelato-and-tasting-flavors#909325
  

Thoughts...

• The taxi is $31 a carload from the airport to your hotel. With the $15 airport surcharge.... you are saving around $5 using the train. btw... With the collapsing oil ruble.... it's $22 USD for the taxi carload for door to door convenience.
  
• If you still plan to take the train.... exit one station early at "Vancouver City Centre Station". This means you rolling your luggage downhill to your hotel to save $5.
  

I didn't realize it's that inexpensive to get a cab ride. That $5 saving is not worth the hassle! Thanks!

I didn't realize it's that inexpensive to get a cab ride. That $5 saving is not worth the hassle! Thanks!

If you weren't also planning to go to Science World the same day you arrive I'd be in 100% agreement with xlxo on the cab. But since you do, and you are correct it's likely too far to walk with the wee one at a little over 2km each way (plus the elevation change involves a bit of jinking around or some extra walking along the viaducts to Main St), you may want to consider transit passes.

Day Passes or FareSaver packs bought *inside* the airport at the 7-Eleven do not have the inbound surcharge added (ticket machines DO charge the extra $5 per pass). The former will run you $9.75 for the 2 adults, $7.50 for the 6 year old. They are good on all Translink services - buses, SkyTrain, Seabus - until end of service (1am or later depending on route). The latter is a pack of 10 tickets for a discounted price - if you are going to sporadically use transit over two or more days, these are ideal.

Hard to give a 100% recommendation as to whether FareSavers are better for you without knowing where you'll go, and when, while you're in town; also to complicate matters they'll cease to exist when our system finally switches over fully to prepaid cards (Compass - long story short it's now in operation but not fully and is seriously behind schedule, so probably FareSavers are here to stay for a good chunk of 2016 at least).

The other good thing about FareSavers is that you can rip out the tickets from the pack and distribute any way you want - e.g. you could use 3 of the tickets for all three of you to get into town from YVR, another three to get from your hotel to Science World, and another three to get back to the hotel afterward. Total spend $21 if it's a weekend or $31.50 if you're traveling on a weekday - and you have a spare ticket left. Or pay the cash fare for your 6yo to/from SW, keep the regular tix for you and DH and you can take a fourth trip somewhere another day.

In other words the price of that one cab fare could get all three of you to your hotel and enable two other transit trips some other time. It's hard to argue with the value if you're able and willing to take transit in the first place - and it sounds like your family has no problem with that.

Even if you do decide cab fare is the better value to avoid hassle with luggage, you definitely want to take SkyTrain to & from Science World - your hotel is a block away from Burrard Station, the same line that takes you to Main St/Scienceworld station. Cross my street and you're there. Route here - Google maps is fully-integrated with Translink schedules, so you can compare waling, biking, transit and cab routes just by clicking the different icons for mode of transportation just above to start & finish addresses.

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 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….

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/

Some good thoughts here but just a little tip - depending on how many ships are in port on your sailing date you may be accessing the cruise terminal from the convention center and not down the ramp.

When you approach Canada Place you will see both signs and personnel directing you the right way.

This change came into effect this year with the closure of Ballantyne pier and in an attempt to speed up things when multiple ships are in port.

Have a good cruise and hope you enjoy our fair city.

Cheers!

Dennis

Hard to give a 100% recommendation as to whether FareSavers are better for you without knowing where you'll go, and when, while you're in town; also to complicate matters they'll cease to exist when our system finally switches over fully to prepaid cards (Compass - long story short it's now in operation but not fully and is seriously behind schedule, so probably FareSavers are here to stay for a good chunk of 2016 at least).

 

The other good thing about FareSavers is that you can rip out the tickets from the pack and distribute any way you want - e.g. you could use 3 of the tickets for all three of you to get into town from YVR, another three to get from your hotel to Science World, and another three to get back to the hotel afterward. Total spend $21 if it's a weekend or $31.50 if you're traveling on a weekday - and you have a spare ticket left. Or pay the cash fare for your 6yo to/from SW, keep the regular tix for you and DH and you can take a fourth trip somewhere another day.

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Yup, poor timing of the FareSaver announcement - I could have saved quite a bit of typing the day before! I figured with every single other date being out by many months, then the debacle with the first compulsory monthly pass upload, that it was a safe bet nothing else would be announced before the summer.

Bummer to lose the YVR AddFare loophole, but my current small stash for YVR-inbound rides remains functional until the last fare gate closes so I'm confident we'll save at least another $10 bucks before we have to convert them to stored value.

The closing of the YVR loophole brings up an interesting question - wasn't some of the original thought behind the surcharge that it would be paid both ways but there was no practical way to collect if for people coming to the airport and it was to be $2.50 each way - when that couldn't be done it was made $5.00 for the outbound only. Now with the compass cards it should be possible to revert to what was originally the intend and charge both ways at the lower rate as you have to tap out as you get off.

Also does anyone using the Compass card regularly know if three people are travelling together and one has a loaded Compass Card - can you tap three times and have three fares taken off of one Compass card.

Any thoughts on that.

Cheers!

^No on the multiple taps UT - it's an inherent limitation of the system regardless of which generation is in use; until there's a Tap Out you can hit Tap In as much and often as you like but it won't re-register.

Friends expecting us in London keep an extra couple of Oyster cards lying around for visitors. I'll be doing the same when we start getting visitors post-Compass (part of the reason for our little stash for FareSavers was to give them to our guests) - a beer in return seems pretty fair compensation for the $6 buy-in;-)

As to the practicality of bringing back a To and Fro lower AddFare, I agree it's possible but since any change to the AddFare would require jumping through the same hoops of public communication, government buy-in, PPP company approval, and undoubtedly take time, money, and hassle I think it'll stay just as it is. Fingers crossed with no loophole that means more income, so paying off the debt faster, so the AddFare will go away quicker than current estimates...