ell52

So you don't go through customs with your luggage? Interesting.

For US departures, you drop off your bags first, then go through security and US border check. So theoretically, you could drop off your bags and go for dinner before going through security, etc. I would worry about having enough time for dinner at the Fairmont, then returning to (possibly) a long line at security and border checks. But, I'm a worrier.

I know this is an odd request, but does the skytrain go from the airport to Vancouver General Hospital?

No, it does not. The nearest stop would be Broadway-City Hall which is about 3 blocks east and 3 blocks north of Vancouver General (VGH is on 12th Ave., Broadway is effectively 9th). Its walkable, but uphill between Broadway and 12th.

Is it true that it is an easy short walk with wheeled luggage from Canada place where we get off the ship to Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel?

 

Is this a nice hotel?

 

 

Thanks

As mentioned by martincath in a previous post, I think you mean the Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver Harbourfront (formerly the Rennaissance). If so, we did an overnight stay there when we were in town to catch the Whitecaps FC home opener. It was very nice and the service was excellent. It will be very convenient for you to get there from Canada Place.

Thanks for the info. I'll skip Tojo as I don't want to be harassed when I ask for a fork, lol (never could master chopsticks). Is Blue water less snooty? Thx.

 

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If you're willing to go a bit out of the city core for Japanese restaurant, I quite like Kishimoto on Commercial Drive and Zipang Provisions on Main Street. They both have interesting menus and unique dishes. They're neighbourhood-style places, so no snooty-ness factor!

Kishimoto doesn't take reservations, so go early when they open or be prepared to wait. Commercial Drive has some interesting shops for browsing, so shouldn't be too hard to pass the time. Beautiful, inventive dishes.

This coming August we will be arriving a day early for a cruise. We will be staying at the Marriott Pinnacle. We are avid walkers, and Stanley Park appears to be close. Is it what you would consider walking distance from the hotel?

As you say you are "avid" walkers, then Stanley Park is definitely walking distance. Walking from Canada Place to and around the seawall is one of our favourite things to do. As mentioned, it is quite level with lovely views of the water, mountains and park. You can take a jaunt into the park or go all the way around the seawall to the English Bay side.

Here are a couple of printable pdf maps:

http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Stanley-Park-Map-Guide-2012.pdf

http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Stanley-Park-trails-map.pdf

Service is excellent at Sutton Place, so if you need a larger vehicle (e.g. van), the doorman will gladly call one for you.

I have never used the Accent Inn parking, so please bear this in mind. You need to consider that Canada Place parking is in a dedicated parkade with 24/7 onsite security. Accent Inn will also have security, but it will be part of overall hotel security. Given this, I'd probably opt for Canada Place.

But really, cars can be broken into anywhere, regardless of security. Just make sure your "stuff" is not of the valuable, can't be replaced kind.

I wouldn't worry about staying at a hotel where tours pick up from. Waikiki is very walkable and as mentioned, tour companies will stop at most major hotels and likely will be quite close to wherever you plan to stay.

and thank you to the LOCAL Vancouver Folk for Being so patient and kind to answer questions over and over and over again!

:)

Thanks. I first joined CC way back in 2002 while researching a Tahiti cruise and found so much great information regarding transportation, tours, etc (as well as meeting some great people on my first roll call), that I keep coming back to answer when possible as a way to 'pay back'. I'm sure it's also true of the other local posters here and on the rest of CC -- Not to mention that we're proud of where we're from and want to share it with others. :)

Looking at your other posts, I see you are on the NCL Jewel, leaving out of Seattle.

Therefore, you are asking about a return trip in one day (Seattle -Vancouver-Seattle) AND want to see both Grouse Mountain and Capilano Suspension Bridge - I wouldn't do it. It will be a long day! Factoring in travel time (no matter what method), I don't think it's enough time to appreciate or enjoy the experience.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

With respect to Lynn Canyon Park... We think we will get to our hotel to drop off luggage around 1:30ish. Assuming we walk to the SeaBus stop, how long do you think it would take to get to LCP and to the suspension bridge?

 

Is the park something that closes at a particular time? I am not sure if this will be achievable the more I think about it....

 

Thanks

The park closes at 9 pm in the summer. So if you want to just walk the trails and suspension bridge, you'll have plenty of time . However the Ecology Centre closes at 5 pm.

Here's a link from the Lynn Canyon website: --> Public Transit Directions

Don't know when you plan to arrive at Canada Place, but if you arrive before noon, you will have plenty of time to take in Fly Over Canada and walk around CP. In addition, I'd suggest a walk either east, to Gastown or west along the seawalk/promenade towards Stanley Park. The walk towards Stanley Park is one of my favourites. You don't have to go all the way to the park to enjoy the views and ambience.

Has the OP posted on this thread after the first couple posts?

 

Can't find much new.

I've also read most of this thread.

Not sure what you mean by "Can't find much new." ???? People ask questions, the locals and others try to answer the best they can.

We are cruising in July, and I'm thinking of doing the after cruise HAL Vancouver tour and transfer.

• Has anyone done the tour before? Comments?
  

The tour will drop us off at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport. I realize it is at the airport, but

• will it require a shuttle to the terminal for a domestic flight?
  
  

Thanks for any insights!

The Vancouver Airport Fairmont is right next to the US Departures check-in. For a domestic flight, walk to the left (when facing the building) and you'll come to the Domestic Terminal. No need for a shuttle - a few minutes walk, tops.

Hi! We will be in Vancouver for one day/night and would love a good meal in Chinatown, specifically DimSum. Can anyone recommend a restaurant? Thanks!

The dim sum in Chinatown is not the best. If you're willing to go further afield (still in Vancouver), there is Kirin at City Square on Cambie and accessible by Canada Line; also Dynasty on West Broadway and Sun Sui Wah on Main St. The latter two are a short taxi ride from downtown. If you're willing to go further out to Richmond, then there are dozens of good dim sum places.

If you really want to stay in Chinatown, then Floata on Keefer St is your best bet - not terrible, but not good compared to what's available elsewhere.

Hi everyone. First I must apologize for not reading the full thread so this might already have been asked multiple times.

 

My parents are driving to Vancouver from Calgary for a 7 day out of Canada Place. Anyhow, besides getting a hotel in downtown are there any other convenient options for parking near the port? We know they can park at the port for about $190 for the week.

 

We are just trying to see if there are any other options. Thanks.

 

(Ps we are from Vancouver originally and know the city well just not the parking situation as none of our family have taken an Alaskan Cruise before).

Perhaps I misunderstood. I thought this meant you don't want hotel suggestions? As others have pointed out, a hotel with parking package would be the most convenient and cost effective. Otherwise, my suggestion of the long-term parking lot at YVR is the only alternative I can think of.

Hi everyone. First I must apologize for not reading the full thread so this might already have been asked multiple times.

 

My parents are driving to Vancouver from Calgary for a 7 day out of Canada Place. Anyhow, besides getting a hotel in downtown are there any other convenient options for parking near the port? We know they can park at the port for about $190 for the week.

 

We are just trying to see if there are any other options. Thanks.

 

(Ps we are from Vancouver originally and know the city well just not the parking situation as none of our family have taken an Alaskan Cruise before).

The only other alternative I can think of is the long-term parking lot at YVR. It's a bit cheaper ($14/day), but would also require that they take a shuttle from the lot to airport, then Canada Line to Waterfront Station (for Canada Place). They'd also have to schlepp their bags back and forth, so not sure if it's worth the trouble. I guess they could cab it to and from YVR, but then it would offset any potential $$ savings.

All excellent suggestions, and I would add the very humble, but excellent "Peaceful" on W.Broadway (Canada Line to Broadway/City Hall, 1 block walk). Think of it as the best Chinese diner, ever.

Agreed.

Just to reiterate Martincath's comments about Bao Bei; this is not your usual Chinese restaurant. Yes, it's fusion, but also very trendy, busy and can get quite noisy. You won't see many Asian faces. If that's not your thing, then be forewarned. - Not a knock on Bao Bei, just an observation.

Good morning! I too will be onboard this June 28 cruise and just wanted to share some info I found. It seems July 1 is National Canada Day and as I tried to book a car for our Sydney day and perhaps drive to Uisage Ban Falls, there were no cars to be had by Enterprise...just a "closed this day message."

While the Enterprise location you checked is closed, there are other rental car locations open. A quick search via Expedia and Travelocity show both Avis and Budget cars available on July 1 in Sydney.

I find that Tripit is one of the easiest ways to share your itineraries with family members. No need to copy/paste details into an email - you just click 'share' and enter their email addresses. We use it to send trip details to our sons and they can send their trip details to us.

Ell52 - I think the real confusion about Waterfront Station is which entrance to use - as you know it can be accessed from several entrances but walking to Waterfront Station is the easiest one to use.

 

Dennis

Aah, yes - of course. I took the OP to literally mean which "station". :)

Is there room for all our luggage on the train????

Yes. If you can easily handle your bags on to/off of the train, you shouldn't have a problem. They've been built for commuters from the airport.

Here's a picture from one of the regular posters on this forum (Scottbee):

There's also generous amount of space between seats for carry-on sized bags/roll-aboards.

Link to the rest of Scott's excellent photos of Canada Line: https://picasaweb.google.com/vancouvercruise/CanadaLineYVRToCanadaPlaceWaterfrontStation#

If you mean what station to use from Canada Place, I don't believe there is any disagreement. You would use Waterfront Station and take the train marked to YVR (not Brighouse). To get there, walk up the slight hill on Howe Street away from Canada Place, turn left at Cordova and walk about a block and a half. The train station will be on your left (can't miss it - looks like an old train station), follow signs to Canada Line or ask someone.

Here is a map that shows you the stations.

we'll be returning into Vancouver on a Saturday. What is the earliest time we would want to schedule flight out of YVR? Could we make an 11:45a flight? We'd love to explore for a day or three but unfortunately need to return back east on our return day. TIA. :)

It should be okay if there are no unexpected delays and you are in one of the first groups off the ship (e.g. self-disembark; walk-off with bags).

If you're taking a taxi and the line is long, go up to street level and get a cab from in front of either the Pan Pacific or Fairmont Waterfront across the street. You could also take Canada Line from Waterfront Station.

We will be arriving in Vancouver on the Amtrak train and staying at the Pan Pacific. Maybe it has been posted on here but, I cannot find the answer. We are in our late 60's, early 70's and reasonably good health. Is it walkable to the Pan Pacific from the Amtrak station with rolling luggage ? If not, what is the best form of transportation to get to the hotel. Thank you for any advice you can give.

While it's technically walkable, it's neither advisable nor necessary when there are reasonably inexpensive alternatives:

Cheapest: Take the skytrain from Main Street station to Waterfront Station. Main Street station is just across the park in front of Pacific Central Station (the Amtrak station). It's an equally easy walk from Waterfront Station to the Pan Pacific. Fare: $2.75pp

Taxi: There will be plenty in front of the train station to take you directly to the hotel. Fare: Approx $10+, depending on traffic.