bqkali

How do you guys find these specials? Is it through the cruise lines' websites, or other cruise agencies' websites? There's so many cruise travel agencies out there - how do you know which one is legit? I don't know where to start looking!

I wish I had a magical formula, but I've randomly stumbled upon most of my deals. When I find a cruise that sounds good, I do a "mock booking" on the cruiseline website and see what the final cost is. If it's a bargain, I'll share it on here.

Found another one!

Voyager of the Seas at 30% supplement AND low base price on December 10. Inside starting at $504 ($774 outside, $809 veranda) - yes, solo prices.

7 nights to Western Caribbean including Cozumel, Falmouth, Grand Cayman. I've never been on RCCL, but maybe it's time to try it...great price, and hits two things on my cruising bucket list: the chance to go to Dunn's Falls AND the chance to cruise a big ship!

Celebrity Millenium has a 64% supplement (rather than full 100%) on the November 14, 2011 sailing. Base prices are low, so this makes it a decent final price. Insides start at $539 for a solo cabin, and the upgrades for outside or veranda are reasonable as well.

Not the world's greatest deal, but not bad for a short getaway (5 nights with ports at Roatan and Cozumel) and an excellent ship :)

I'm in Orlando... trying to find the best option for getting to Ft. Lauderdale - we're flying back into MCO, and don't want to pay for 16 days at the airport pkg. Our daughter is going to pick us up at MCO after we fly back from London. It looks to me like our ONLY option is to rent a car. We'll have an hour drive to the airport (we live out in the burbs) to pick up a car, drive back home, leave our car here, then head out to Ft. Lauderdale. Just a real pain. Thanks for your advice, though. I'll start looking at rental cars-may have to pick one up the night BEFORE the cruise.

 

Sharon

Many towns/cities have car rental agencies "in town" rather than simply at the airport, so you may not have to drive all the way to the airport to simply pick up a car. I've got one about 2 miles from home - handy for one day when my car was in the repair shop. It is definitely worth looking into as another option.

Also look into Connect 2 Cruise bus service:

http://www.connect2cruise.com/rates.php?ratetype=oneway

At $65pp it may not be the cheapest option, but it is yet another alternative. Leaves from Orlando in the morning, getting you to Fort Lauderdale in time for lunch onboard. Perhaps an option if you can get yourself to one of the public pick-up points.

Yesterday I did an hour of intense strength-training (free weights rather than circuit machines :eek:), but managed to fit in a quick warm-up jog beforehand. All on a treadmill, speed between 4-6mph, incline 0-3%, for 1.6 miles.

Miles Completedd: 25.6

Miles to go: 740.4

I haven't posted in a week, so thought I'd check in with everyone to post my progress and see if anyone else is "running" to the ship!

I did strength training once last week, jogging on the treadmill once (speed 5-6mph; incline 0-6%), and spin class yesterday (wow my legs burn). So only three workouts instead of the 5 I had set a goal for :cool:. I definitely worked hard when I was at the gym, just didn't actually get there as frequently as I had hoped! I'll have to do better this week.

It's 766 miles from my home to Port Canaveral...and I had about 4 miles in running and 20 on the bike, so in a hypothetical world, if I could just put those miles from the gym as miles on the road, well...it'll still be a while before I hypothetically "run to the ship". Good thing I have until December!

Miles Completed: 24

Miles to go: 742

Hi there Cruise Cat (and others!)! Thanks for resurrecting this thread...mind if I join you? :) I'm trying to get myself in shape, not for weight loss reasons, but general health. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at motivating myself unless I'm somehow accountable!

I've got a couple of goals along the way, and I'm thinking my personal routines will change accordingly for this.

My first goal is getting in shape for my spring vacation...heading to Yosemite end of May/early June and will be doing a fair amount of hiking that trip (and ending with San Francisco's hills :rolleyes:). One of those days, I'll be hiking Half Dome, a grueling, steep 16-mile hike. So for spring my goal is definitely cardio and building up those leg muscles. Hoping for 3x per week cardio workouts, probably once a week of walking at intense inclines (10%+), with the other cardio workouts varied to keep things interesting, probably some mix of running, spin class, swimming, ellipticals, etc. My other 2x per week workouts will be strength-training, with a big push for my lower body! Strong legs will be necessary! ;)

My second goal is getting in shape for a race on July 24th. It is an "aquathon" - 1500 meter swim & 10K run. I'm not big on races (I'm not very competitive in spirit), but DH is racing that same day (as a full triathlon) and convinced me it would be fun. I'm a strong swimmer, and have done a 10K race before, but now I need to put both of them together. I figure this should be about 90 minutes of racing altogether, which doesn't seem so scary. So once I'm home from California, I'll have to make sure I get in a weekly swim, a weekly run, and again, one more varied cardio workout to mix things up (key for me, or else I get bored). Running outside is a whole different animal than on a treadmill, at least here in Richmond in the summer, when it is frequently 90-100 degree days! So I will have to get myself outside and start to adjust my body for that. Strength training will also require more focus on upper body for my swim and especially core exercises.

Third goal, quite frankly, is to look good in a bathing suit for my cruise!! I'm not going til December, but still VERY excited about it and really want to keep up my fitness so that I don't feel too bad about indulging a little on vacation!! Hopefully by the time this rolls around, working out will be part of my daily routine and easier to keep up. More of a maintenance and toning goal at this point, but obviously subject to change. December still seems very far away...

Saturday was on the incline treadmill for 45 minutes, speed always between 4-5mph and incline between 3-15%. I was sweating at the end of it, but didn't have a clear pattern on the machine, just changed the incline and/or speed whenever I needed a breather. A good start, for sure.

Sunday I did strength training, and today I am sore! Really feel it in my quads and inner/outer thighs. I am going to start writing down my weight & reps to track some progress, but for this weekend, I was pleased with what I accomplished.

Monday is usually a day off from the gym (it's always SUPER crowded from everyone who didn't make it over the weekend :rolleyes:), which works out great since I'm feeling it from yesterday. But it is supposed to be beautiful outside, sunny and 80 degrees, so hopefully I will get a nice walk in after work, mostly to enjoy the weather. I'll report in sometime tonight and tomorrow the real work will continue! :)

This is my second eastern Caribbean cruise, the first only went to Nassau. My problem is on our Allure of the Seas cruise coming up in May, I have 1 day in St.Thomas and 1 day in St. Martin. The two things I want to do is shop one day and go to a beach with calm water on the other. So, shopping in St Martin and beach at St Thomas or vice versa? Any help would be appreciated. :)

Easy enough to split your time in each place! You'll have full port days in each place - spend 2-3 hours shopping in the morning, then 2-3 hours at the beach in the afternoon before reboarding! Perfect blend of shopping and sunshine :D You'll get a chance to see a larger selection of stores and two beautiful beaches. You can do all this by taxi (taxi from ship to shops, then shop to beach, then beach to ship).

I'm only a few years out of college, and still remember clearly my college days :D In fact, I missed 3 days of class once to go to Europe and fell ridiculously behind...so I know how hard this proposition would be. I can only imagine taking a full week away from class!!

I think this is a generous and thoughtful idea, but an absolutely horrible idea just the same!!

College is hard, especially as a freshman. She will barely have gotten adjusted to college life, from living in dorms to taking on adult responsibilities and dealing with a million different types of stress...and that's before you factor in the academics!

It's very possible that she could miss class without a professor noticing - but it's true that some professors have a strict attendance policy and DO notice. I had several that had a maximum of 3 absences allowed, or else automatic failure. In a one-week cruise, she'd miss all 3 of these permitted days off in some cases (for example, a class offered Monday, Wednesday, Friday). God forbid, if she ended up having an emergency or illness and needed to take another day off....well, you can imagine the problems that would bring. Yes, many other professors are much more lax - but the problem is, final payment will be due before she ever gets a syllabus to learn policies (or find out when important assignments/exams will be due).

Even if everything falls into place, and she doesn't have any important labs/papers/presentations/exams that week, there will still be a LOT of work that week. From regular homework assignments to reading, she'd either have to bring work on the cruise with her (not just a little, probably hours worth!!) or risk falling behind. Trust me, once you fall behind in a college course, it's hard to get back to where you need to be.

And I kind of hate to say it, but once you go to college, you don't want anything to do with high schoolers anymore :eek: If you did go on the cruise, I bet she wouldn't be caught dead in the kids club!!! I'm not sure why so much weight is being put on not wanting to cruise once she turns 18? There's still lots to do onboard whether it's the shows, pool, or structured onboard activities. Plus wouldn't some of the point of this cruise be that you could spend time together? Enjoy each other's companionship and catch up on the latest stories!!

Lastly, it seems silly to me to say this is her last chance to cruise with you. I vacationed with my family as a college student and still had a good time, and I took a 10-day trip with just my mom after I graduated and had the time of my life :) Pick a trip that falls over one of her breaks - then she won't have to worry at all about missing time from school.

All in all, I think the timing of this is really poor, but kudos to you for coming up with such a lovely idea of how to spend time with your daughter :):) Hopefully you'll find another time to go on an absolutely wonderful trip together.

Thanks for this detailed (and fun!) review. I am enjoying your writing and your take on NCL :)

...and thanks to your review, I'm now adding the Epic to my short-list of cruises that I'm choosing from for later this year. I was going back and forth between two cruises, and had almost settled on Freedom of the Seas, but thanks to you, now I've got yet another cruise to choose from and an even harder decision :p

Looks like a great time, and glad that you gave NCL a try!:D

Fact is, before I began reading these threads, I imagined we would spend 1oo bucks onboard. Armed with ten pages of spending tips, my eyes have certainly opened! At least I am learning before the end of my first cruise with the final bill...

Please don't think you have to spend much money onboard (unless you want to ;)). You will see reports of people literally spending $1000+++++ on their onboard account but that is HUGELY unnecessary to have a good time. Perhaps pick one indulgence (beers by the pool, casino visits, a trip to the specialty restaurant, a formal photo, an expensive shore excursion, whatever interests you and your new husband) and try to limit everything else. Don't forget you can ask for onboard credit if you'd like instead a standard registry!!!

My first cruise - last December - my total onboard expenses were:

$140 tips ($10 per person per day x 7 days x 2 people)

$48 photos (3 8x10s for Christmas gifts)

$93 spa (2 manicures + tip)

$1 postage from Guatemala

= $282 total - $100 onboard credit from travel agent = $182 for 2 people

Frankly, we wouldn't have even spent that much, but our OBC couldn't be used toward tips (some can, some can't -- check with your travel agent!) so we had to spend at least $100 (hence our trip to the spa) and then the photos were just because we needed some gifts anyway.

Second cruise, my total onboard expenses were:

$115 tips ($11.50 per person per day x 10 days x 1 person)

$87 drinks

= $202 total for 1 person

Upcoming cruise, I'm budgeting for:

$147 tips ($10.50 per person per day x 7 days x 2 people)

$40 specialty restaurant ($20 per person x 2 people)

= $187 total for 2 people

So you can definitely keep your onboard account in check. We are not big gamblers/drinkers, so that definitely cuts down on the expenses. Tips are the only required onboard expense - anything else is just an extra you can choose to indulge in or choose not to spend on.

We always book shore excursions independently, finding it a better value, which is why you don't see it in my onboard expenses. We pay cash in port :) BUT that will add to the cost of your trip as well - though a $20 cab fare + $10 in chair/umbrella fees is an affordable way to spend the day.

Can someone please explain bringing our own wine aboard and paying corkage? That sounds legit, but potentially expensive?

Most cruise lines allow you to bring your own wine onboard. Check with your cruise line for limits - some are unlimited, some are 1 bottle per person. If you open the bottle of wine in your own room and drink it in your room or carry it yourself to a lounge/theatre/wherever, it is FREE (well, other than the cost of the bottle you bought at your local wine store :rolleyes:). If you choose to take it to the restaurant and have your sommelier/waiter open it for you, serve it with dinner, and store any remaining wine for the next day, there is generally a corkage fee of $15-25.

I wish I could help you with the info about the promenade room...but out of my 2 cruises, both were insides and so is my upcoming cruise. Someday I'll try out the balcony, but I'm waiting for my romantic cruise getaway with my future hubby...haven't had an excuse to cruise with him yet!

Thanks for sharing great tips on how to save. This will be our honeymoon and first cruise! We are absolutely on a budget and look to figure out the best way to enjoy without feeling like we're missing something great as a result of our spending restrictions.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and honeymoon! Cruising is a great value vacation if you plan ahead :) I've gone on two cruises now and both were done on a budget - and both were still wonderful experiences. You can have a great time without spending too much money!

How much does a typical 'watered-down, smokey bar' cocktail cost (understanding they add an automatic 15%)?

-Figure about $4 for a beer, $6 for a basic cocktail (rum & coke, etc.), $2 for a soda, $7+ for a glass of wine (the sky is the limit), $8-10 for a martini. For frozen drinks (pina coladas, for example), ask for the drink in a regular glass rather than a souvenir glass to save about $2. Sometimes there are "drink of the day" specials also.

I've read people say they bring their own bottled water and soda in packed luggage, is that allowed?

-Absolutely, but remember how many people will have to handle your luggage and for their sake, please bring reasonable amounts. You can always buy more soda in port if you run out. If you are a huge soda drinker, perhaps look into buying a soda card where you pay a set cost for the week for unlimited sodas.

They have free coffee AND coffee at cost? pretend starbucks?

-Depending on the cruiseline, often the "free coffee" is made from concentrate (some cruiselines still serve brewed coffee for free whereas others charge for brewed coffee). However, it is standard to charge for cappucinos, lattes, etc. Again, if you are a big coffee drinker, look into "coffee cards".

Can you buy liquor on board and take it to your cabin?

-No, if you buy liquor in the duty-free shops, it will be held for you until the end of the week. If you want to buy bottles of liquor for your cabin, you might be able to order a bar setup BEFORE you get onboard, but even then the liquor price per bottle will be marked up considerably from what you would pay at a local store.

Bonus Tip: If you want to indulge in a drink, it is almost always cheaper to get drinks in port than on the ship. For example, a beer at a beach club will probably only be $2-3 vs. $4-5 onboard.

Which trip night is best to choose a specialty restaurant-first port night, last cruise night, etc?

-Everyone has different opinions. For a lot of ships, you may be able to find the menus online ahead of time to see if there is a night where the menu doesn't interest you as much. Otherwise, pick a night that seems to fit your schedule best :)

Is it worth the 40 bucks considering its our honeymoon?

-In my opinion, yes. It guarantees a quiet meal with a table for two with attentive service. Do it at least one night for a really special experience.

What is the best way to avoid cattle call lines when it is time to eat?

-At dinner, if you have traditional dining (assigned tables), you won't have a problem with a cattle call. For other meals, try off-peak hours (i.e. a 1:30 lunch rather than noon) or look for alternative venues other than the buffet (maybe the pool grill, room service, or other eateries onboard).

Do they serve breakfast in the main dining room in addition to the windjammer buffet?

-Yes, though usually for a shorter amount of time - the buffet may have breakfast 6am-10am while the main dining room may only have 7am-9am. Set a wake up call accordingly if the MDR experience is important to you.

Early dining or late? We are 36 and 37 so look forward to checking out the 'night life' on the ship.

-Neither will interfere with the nightlife onboard, but early dining tends to attract more families. If you'd rather dine with a more adult group, choose late. If it doesn't matter to you, pick the time that works best with your port schedules and personal dining preferences.

I've read late dining means missing shows and being full for midnight buffet?

-My experience has been that shows will be offered twice per night - usually roughly 7pm & 9pm, and are about 45 minutes long. If you have early dining, you'll eat at 6 and see the show at 9. If you have late dining, you'll see the show at 7 and eat at 8. Sometimes there is another show at around 10pm, for both early & late diners - these shows tend to be more "adult" shows (comedians rated PG-13+) rather than a typical singing/dancing production show. You'll be full for the midnight buffet no matter what...they feed you a ton! If it's important to you, just skip dessert that night.

This formal stuff. Is it just getting dressed fancy for dinner or are there parties to accompany the dress?

-Mostly just dressing up for dinner and shows. Most people also remain dressed for pre/post dinner cocktails.

If I bring medications on board, do they give me a hard time about the container or prescription?

-I've never had a problem but I've never traveled with more than one prescription.

We live in Napa and plan to fly to LGB. Would it be safe to fly in that early morning and avoid a hotel room night before?

-You are always taking a chance that there will be delays to weather, mechanical problems, airline strikes, whatever. If it is an EARLY flight and NON-STOP in a time of year not known for weather delays, I'd chance it. Other people wouldn't...that's your call.

Sorry I can't help with your other questions.

I have no more time off from work this year :rolleyes: but for anyone who has the time, NCL has some great bargains on their 7-day Mexico Riviera cruises. Departing from LA with stops in Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan.

Price for a SOLO cruiser in an INSIDE cabin on the Norwegian Star is $462 INCLUDING taxes/fees on either 10/24 or 10/31 (November cruises about $50 more). Oceanviews about $100 more. My travel agent is throwing in a tiny OBC of $25 -- guess that's the best you get on such a low fare -- but it'll buy a sailaway drink at least :)

Unless you are staying in a budget motel and eating at fast food restaurants or camping and (the horror) preparing your own meals, a cruise can be a great value even with a few extras.

Not sure I understand your "the horror" comment...for me, sometimes preparing my own meals is more enjoyable than heading to a restaurant. A lot of parks have grills available and if you take advantage of them, you get more time on site in the fresh air :) For example, you can enjoy the sunset at Yellowstone while grilling - if you DIDN'T prepare your own meal, you wouldn't be able to take advantage of eating outside and enjoying the scenery instead of staring at the inside walls of a restaurant...Things like bagged salad make preparing your own meals very easy and not inconvenient at all.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy dining out and don't prepare all my own meals on vacation, but just wanted to explain that sometimes preparing your own meals is not about saving money, but instead it's about having a little more time to take in your surroundings and the experience. Certainly not a "horror" at all.

Are we allowed to bring our dinner sandwiches on the bus into Canada? How about shelf stable milk boxes? When I checked on the customs web site it was confusing.

I think dairy products and meat are prohibited, but was not sure about packaged shelf stable milk boxes.

Sorry, I don't know the official answer. I cross the border (though at Niagara Falls, not Vancouver) regularly and try to bring things I know are allowed to avoid any disputes. Granola bars, bags of chips, bottled water, etc. It might not be the most nutritious food ever, but I've never had any problems with packaged food. If you eat before you board the bus, chances are you won't need more than a snack during the ride anyway and then you can eat again on the other side of the border:)

If you want sandwiches and shelf-stable milk (both of which I'm assuming are not allowed), why don't you just pack everything and eat it all before you hit the border? ;) Then you don't have to worry about customs rules. It is perfectly legal to bring a sandwich on the bus in Seattle and eat in the first 2+ hours drive to the border (or conversely, in the first hour heading from Vancouver back to the USA). Just don't forget to eat it!!!

Seriously, if you're worried, I'd err on the side of "better safe than sorry".

Hi....I have a question about the cascades 510 from Seattle to Vancouver........

We have Business class tickets and from what I have read, it should be easy in Seattle. Do the same rules apply as far as carryon as a plane? such as 3oz or less liquids? One carry on per person?

Carry-on baggage allowance is much more generous than on flights. That being said, checked luggage services are available and free. Typically, suitcases will not fit overhead and must be put on the baggage rack at the end of the car so I'd advise checking your suitcases so you don't have to find room on the rack for your items. There is never enough room for everyone's! Plus then you don't have to lug your suitcase up and down the stairs into the train car.

Carry-on allowances: Personal Item (such as a purse) PLUS up to 2 additional pieces per passenger, each of which may not exceed 28” x 22” x 14” or 50 lbs. There are NO restrictions on liquids.

Additionally, you are allowed up to 3 checked suitcases per passenger. There is a weight limit of 50lbs per suitcase, but no size limit for dimensions.

When arriving in Vancouver is luggage like a airport or is it sitting next to the train?

When you arrive in Vancouver, your luggage will be placed on the platform beside the train (you may have to wait a few minutes for them to unload the baggage car). You must get your suitcases before you go through Customs & Immigration.

I've heard horror stories about Iberia flights.....do you (or anyone) have any comments about them?

 

Jeanne

I flew on Iberia from Madrid to JFK in April. The flight was okay, certainly not a horror story, but not fantastic either.

The good -

the flight was on time

good in-flight entertainment

flight attendants friendly, helpful & fluent in English

seats were comfortable (well, as comfortable as can be expected in coach)

The bad -

"unidentifiable" food so if you have allergies you might have a problem

they only came around twice offering drinks (once with lunch and one other time BUT you could walk to the galley area and get a drink at any time)

Pack some snacks and bottled water and I'd say you'll be fine :)

Second part, a few of us would be planing on bring some rum runner flasks (http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com/flasks.aspx) with us on the cruise. Obviously it's cheaper for us to buy the booze in Seattle. Any idea if the customs at Pacific Central Station would have any problem with that?

Officially, when crossing the border (won't get into what's permitted to bring on the cruise :rolleyes:), you are allowed the following amounts of alcohol per person of legal drinking age (duty-free):

1.5 L of wine (for those who don't know metric ;) that's 2 standard size bottles)

OR 1.14 L of liquor (approx. 38.5oz; standard size bottle is 750ml/~25oz)

OR 24 x 355 ml cans/bottles (8.5 L) of beer (24 x 12oz. cans)

More can be brought, but it must be declared at customs and duty (tax) must be paid on any alcohol exceeding those amounts. Once you factor in the duty, it's probably just as cheap to buy your booze in Vancouver if you need more than what is allowed duty-free.

Just wondering if it is acceptable for tourists to wear sleeveless tops and/or shorts while visiting the Sagrada Familla in Barcelona. I know it isn't kosher (no pun intended ;)) to do so in the Vatican, but I was wondering about elsewhere.

The Sagrada Familia is still an unfinished cathedral, with few religious icons at this point (mostly a construction site ;)). As such, it is more of an architectural highlight than a sacred place and you will find a number of tourists wearing sleeveless tops and shorts.

However, if you are planning on visiting other churches that day that ARE used for worship and prayer (the Barcelona Cathedral, for example) you will want to cover your shoulders, etc. as a sign of respect.

For touring in Barcelona, in general, I advise wearing/bringing a sweater to layer. It will be great when you need it for entering churches, but also makes it easy to warm up if the air conditioning is too cold!

I have already paid an agreed-upon price (often an expensive price) for the services of a tour and because of that I expect the guide to provide the tour as it was described when I signed up. There is no reason I should have to pay another $7.50 per person (15%) on a $50 tour. If your wages are not what you consider "acceptable" then I can't imagine why you would accept the position in the first place. At this point it is an issue between a guide and his employer and not my responsibility to provide a sufficient salary.

That being said, I will tip a nominal amount ($1-3) if I have received friendly service or better than expected narration. Smiles and enthusiasm are always appreciated. Any tour guide who goes above and beyond will receive aproportional gratuity...things like spending time providing personal recommendations of other things to do in the area after the tour, giving directions to favorite local restaurants, etc. But these tips are because I have received things I didn't expect and didn't already pay for as part of my tour price.

If I'm on a private tour, I tend to tip more since I recognize the guide does some behind-the-scenes work of planning out my day and customizing itineraries to my personal interests. The tip is proportional to the amount of effort required on their part while planning and the service I receive on the day of the tour itself. I've definitely tipped more than 15% and have tipped less than 15% as well when I was unimpressed with the service.

A sign at the front - worded politely and without an amount - is acceptable, though probably unnecessary and still a little tacky. If a tour guide goes as far to verbally mention that they expect a tip, it is a strike against them in my book. I find it highly unprofessional and downright presumptuous. It detracts from my experience and therefore warrants no tip. Trust me - a smile and good service will do more for your tip bucket than verbal reminders.

All NCL cruises are double. No getting around that.

Actually, that is not true. While 200% is the standard for NCL cruises regardless of cabin type, I have seen some last-minute cruises (VERY last-minute, i.e. two weeks or less before sailing) sell for less. My TA found one for me this past April on a repo to Europe - I don't remember the exact details, but it was about 12 days long, normal inside price was only about $500 and single was about $800. It was a great deal but I already had vacation plans for that same timeframe and obviously couldn't do both ;)

Not sure on which thread the question was asked about a place to lock up your bike at the Aquarium so I will post this answer on a couple of threads.

 

Yes there is a large bike rack across from the main entrance to the aquarium next to the washrooms - looks like room for about 20 bikes and it was nearly full when I went through there around noon.

 

Hope this helps who ever asked the original question.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Thanks Dennis that is very helpful! I am definitely planning on renting a bike for my day in Vancouver - hope to see Granville Island, Stanley Park, the aquarium, Gastown, and Chinatown all in one day...(not necessarily in that order). I'm looking forward to it already!

One (very likely) final question before we go. Is the free shuttle running in Stanley Park for the summer? I thought I saw somewhere on the web site for Stanley Park that there was no funding for the shuttle, but I'm sure there was a post from Putterdude not too long ago that the shuttle was running. Is there a fee now?

The shuttle is running daily 10am-6:30pm until September 7th. It is now $2pp and you can hop on/off all day.

Check out a map of stops and FAQ here:

http://vancouver.ca/PARKS/PARKS/stanley/shuttle.htm

Hi Putter Dude & Urban Trekker :) Thanks again for your help with Stanley Park. I have one more question, if you don't mind...

I'm thinking due to the distance I'd like to cover, it might be better to rent a bike for Stanley Park. Is there any chance that you know whether there's a bike rack or somewhere to lock the bike near the aquarium? OR is there somewhere to rent a bike from inside the park itself? I've found several places on Denman with affordable bike rentals, but I'd hate to back-track out of the park to pick up the rental if I don't have to. Thanks!!

To my way of thinking an hour or so at the Space Centre/Planetarium would be enough...I think that you may find the Science Centre just a tad juvenile, I hate to say it but the Ontario Science Ceentre is superior, so an other hour will look after it. Now the Maritime Museum....well I am a history nut and could get lost there for hours, I have to read everthing....but for most people one to two hours max.

Yikes, I've been to the Ontario Science Centre recently and wasn't all that impressed...and if that's better than Vancouver...