ell52

21 hours ago, Cruiznuts said:

Also booked some of our cars thru Discount Hawaii Car Rentals - they had the best price and loved their choices for pick up locations.

 

Remember to check back on the Discount Hawaii site from time to time as the prices often drop closer to the date of travel. You can book, cancel, and re-book as many times as you like. We usually book at a price we can live with, then check back later. We've had substantial price drops - not always, but worth a check. 

3 hours ago, EliseL said:

Hi. We will be going to a luau. I want to see the dancing and husband will love the pig. Wondering what else they serve for food as they really only mention the pig in the descriptions. I’ll go regardless but was just wondering. 

Look up (Google) the website for the specific luau you are going to.  The website will show the menu they serve.  There will be vegetarian items (some more than others). 

I don't know that anyone can guarantee or foresee "quick pick up and drop off" as it's entirely dependent on how busy any given location is on the day. The major car rental companies run shuttles to/from the port when there are rentals with them. 

We use Discount Hawaii Car Rentals for both cruises and land vacations in Hawaii.  They are a local car rental consolidator - i.e. They search all the major car rental companies for the best prices in real time.  You can book and don't have to pay until you pick up the car.  You can also cancel at any time and re-book if you see that the price has dropped.  We've used them for years and have never had any problems with them.  If you go to their site, they have different locations for pick up on the different islands - just pick the "cruise passenger" option for the ports you want a rental.  

If you're just going to one place in Vancouver, I'd recommend Van Dusen Botanical Garden  for both the variety of plants as well as the setting.  It has lots of meandering pathways that lead you to different plant groupings and is beautifully tranquil.

If you have time, there's also Bloedel Conservatory nearby that's under a dome and has tropical plants and birds and is situated inside Queen Elizabeth Park with its rock quarry gardens.   

Just wanted to add that there are lots of specialty gardens - eg. Nitobe Memorial Japanese Garden, Sun Yat Sen Garden, gardens throughout Stanley Park.  But for a serious "gardener's" garden, it's hard to beat Van Dusen. 

They will serve you a mix of assorted nuts - just ask your server or bartender.  No crisps.

On 10/29/2019 at 12:10 PM, Cruiznuts said:

any favorite restaurants at whalers?  Or kaaanapali generally? 

 

Thx!

Besides those already mentioned, you might like Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman. It's next to Hula Grill and across from Leilani's at Whaler's Village.  It's a more casual cousin to the original Merriman's. Their Happy Hour is a fabulous deal - you can easily make an early (3pm - 5:30pm) dinner out of the appies and drinks.  They also have one of the best Mai Tais on the islands!

In San Diego, you don't have to limit yourself to just the waterfront/downtown area. You can easily get to Balboa Park and San Diego Zoo by public transit - 20 -25 minutes by bus takes you practically to the entrance.

There is a very small beach close to the pier in front of The Courtyard King Kamehameha Hotel. It gets quite crowded when cruise ships are in town.  Another beach nearby is the Old Airport Beach just north of town. It has washrooms, picnic tables, some shade trees, and a decent sandy beach.  It's only a few minutes away by taxi or uber.

The best beaches are really much further north along the coast - eg. Hapuna, A-Bay, Kauna'oa (beach fronting the Mauna Kea Beach  Hotel). 

You probably will find that the best Asian (fusion or otherwise) aren't in Chinatown (eg Richmond District). Perhaps ask the folks on Chowhound San Francisco. They have some very knowledgeable posters who seem to keep up with all the latest 'best' spots. 

Our standby hole-in-the-wall noodle place closed so we've been trying different spots in and around Chinatown. This year, we'll likely try Harbor View which is within walking distance of the ship's pier.  

13 hours ago, josephml1 said:

Hi, we are going to be there with children, thank you for your advice

As previous posters have noted, please provide more information if you want to get more relevant suggestions.  

e.g.  How old are the children? Are they old enough to enjoy and have the patience for historical tours and museums?  What are their interests? What are your interests? Do you/they like to be at the beach? Are they swimmers and snorkelers?  What have you all enjoyed as a family on other vacations?

Also to add:  It's a level, then slightly downhill walk to Canada Place. I'd just walk it especially if the weather is at all decent. 

2 hours ago, snplw said:

We are coming into Vancouver in Sept.2020.  Doing a day long tour then taking train down to Seattle.  Any thoughts on staying near the train station?  Not comfortable doing either of the backpackers places right at the station.  We are 50+, and will have at least 2 carry-ons.  Plus the kicker would really like a shuttle to the station at 4-5AM.  Thanks all.

I wouldn't be comfortable doing the backpackers hostels either.  They've been trying to make the area a bit more 'upscale' with some trendy restaurants, but it's not an area I'd want to spend a lot of time in. 

There are no shuttles to the train station but downtown Vancouver and the city centre are quite compact.  You'd be much better off finding a hotel downtown and taking a taxi to the train station in the morning. As mentioned in the above posts, the YWCA hotel is a good choice if you're trying to watch your budget. Do a search on Tripadvisor to narrow down some preferences within your price range and posters here can give you more specific feedback.  

There are no shuttles from YVR to Canada Place unless you mean a cruise line transfer.  Three and a half hours should give you sufficient time to get to the port provided you have no flight delays or delays at border control/customs.

Considerations:  

-  Strictly speaking, Skytrain is the quickest, but you need to factor in the short walk to YVR platform, purchasing tickets and the walk from Waterfront station to Canada Place

-  Skytrain doesn't have to contend with car traffic 

-  A taxi will take you right to the drop-off luggage point for your cruise.

-  Your comfort level finding/using transit and handling your own bags

If there is no traffic (i.e. not rush hour and no accidents en route), then time difference between Skytrain and taxi are negligible.

On 9/22/2019 at 11:00 AM, skynight said:

No shots. But believe Hep A is recommended for travelers.  We have had this shot.

Ditto this!!  (Former public health nurse here.)

1 hour ago, LiveToCruise99 said:

We will be in Honolulu for one day in early November.  We are thinking about using the trolley to do our sight seeing.  I'm always concerned about how busy it will be and how much time might be wasted waiting for the next trolley or transferring and worrying if the next trolley might be full.   Has anyone taken it who can tell me how busy it typically is at that time of year?  I think we are the only ship in port that day.  How long do you have to wait between trolleys?  And lastly, I can find all kinds of offers to sell me a daily pass but I thought I read you could pay as you go.  And if so, how much is it each time you board?  Thank you.

You're probably better off asking this question on a place like Tripadvisor.  You can read reviews from people who have used the trolley plus read comments/questions on the Waikiki forum.

The number of ships in port make little difference to how busy they'll be since the bulk of tourism in Honolulu doesn't come from cruisers. Plus, first-time cruisers who arrive in Honolulu often like to take excursions further afield. 

I love @martincath's detailed explanation and agree.  I have never experienced an hour wait for a cab from YVR. Even when the queue looks like a Disneyland line, it moves steadily and quite quickly.  Maybe it does get to twenty minutes, but we've never experienced more than a 10-15 minute wait, tops and more usually under 10 minutes.  

1 hour ago, calliecat said:

Do you need a reservation or can I just do walk-off and head that way and pay?

You can do walk-up. There are lots of vans and they try to fill them with people going the same destination/direction before leaving. On a disembark day, most people are heading to the airport, so it shouldn't take too long to fill and go.  

You should also consider Uber. Depending on how many in your party, it may be more cost effective.  i.e. Supershuttle charges per person.  Uber or taxi is the charge per vehicle.

Perhaps the OP could come back and let us know if they specifically wanted to make the 2-day Seattle stop or if it was strictly because of cheaper airfare.  

You might want to try Long Beach.  It's a reasonably short cab ride away (15-20 mins?). Would you be able to manage the Queen Mary? It's been awhile since I've been, but the tours there were pretty interesting.  Or you could just go have lunch or a drink and poke around there. 

Also the Aquarium of the Pacific

On 9/18/2019 at 1:37 PM, Langley Cruisers said:

 

 

Awesome, thanks both! 👍

Their cakes are amazing too!!!  One of the few places to still get a great Diplomat cake. 

Looks like you're departing Sep 21? 

If so, there will be 3 ships in port, including 2 Princess ships (Ruby and Golden Princess). They all are scheduled to depart at same time out of Canada Place. I'd take it pretty seriously because there will always be people who want to board early regardless of suggestions.  My guess is there will be long lines early in the day as Princess tries to board and process 2 ships.

Love Valley Bakery! It’s a bit of a trek for us to get there now, so haven’t been in a while. And yes. Their Nanaimo bars are v good. 

Ditto, what Scott said for your options.  

My preferences in order and reasons:

1. Amtrak:  relaxing, comfortable ride, can get up and stretch your legs. Not too expensive. Only a short cab ride to the port in Vancouver.
2. Quick Shuttle: Takes you directly to the port.  
3. Bolt Bus:  Inexpensive. As with Amtrak, need a cab from station to Canada Place pier. 

Not recommended:

1. Limo/private car service: Only if you have money to burn 
2. Air:  Expensive, plus you have all the inconveniences of air travel.

We've been on 10+ coastal cruises, both north and southbound. Some have been rough and some have been silky smooth. It's really dependant on the weather as well as the prevailing currents. Northbound may be rougher, but I don't bother trying to predict anymore.

If you're prone to sea sickness, just be prepared to take precautions with whatever works for you - i.e. sea bands, gravol, bonine, ginger, etc.- take at first sign of queasiness,  and try to book a cabin low and midship.

If you're experienced cruisers, I'm sure you've experienced a few rough seas along the way. 🙂  So don't be scared off,  give the Coastal a try. 

No Uber in Victoria yet.  You can take either a shuttle or taxi from the cruise ship pier.  The shuttle will drop you off a few blocks from Chinatown (about 1000 block Government St) and of course the taxi can drop you off right in the middle of Chinatown. 

If you don't mind walking, I'd take the shuttle and walk up Government Street or along Wharf Street. It's an easy, level walk.  Victoria Chinatown is very small with an interesting history, but won't take much time unless there is something in particular you want to see or do there.