Vancouver Airport Questions

We will be cruising from Alaska to Vancouver at the end of June and are super excited! We are from Cape Cod and are looking for one-way flights to Boston from Vancouver, but the ones we found do not arrive in Boston until mid-afternoon of the next day. Is this typical of flights from Vancouver to Boston? They are both international airports so we just assumed assumed there would be more flights available on the afternoon of our disembarkation. Also, which is the best way to get to the Vancouver airport from the port of call? We were looking at transfers (we're doing HAL) but were wondering if taxi would be cheaper? If our flight doesn't leave until 7-9pm that night, is there a place in the airport where we can pay to hold our bags for the day while we explore (instead of sitting in the airport all day)?

Thank you in advance for any tips! Clearly we are new to the cruising life haha! ;);)

We will be cruising from Alaska to Vancouver at the end of June and are super excited! We are from Cape Cod and are looking for one-way flights to Boston from Vancouver, but the ones we found do not arrive in Boston until mid-afternoon of the next day. Is this typical of flights from Vancouver to Boston? They are both international airports so we just assumed assumed there would be more flights available on the afternoon of our disembarkation. Also, which is the best way to get to the Vancouver airport from the port of call? We were looking at transfers (we're doing HAL) but were wondering if taxi would be cheaper? If our flight doesn't leave until 7-9pm that night, is there a place in the airport where we can pay to hold our bags for the day while we explore (instead of sitting in the airport all day)?

 

Thank you in advance for any tips! Clearly we are new to the cruising life haha! ;);)

I had same difficulty booking return flight to New York. Most flights were either very early in a.m. (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) or much latter in the day with stops and time difference bringing us to the East Coast in the morning or early afternoon the next day. I have been monitoring these flights since November, 2017 and nothing really changed significantly. At the end we booked 11 a.m. flight and are keeping our fingers crossed that we will make it. These boards warn about long lines in the port (for taxi even ) and then in the airport. One thing I can say that about two-three months ago a new return flight was added by Air Canada leaving at 2 p.m. on our days (we are looking at end of May this year) and NON-STOP. Price was reasonable, too. Well, too late for us.

I saw martincath reference this on another thread. Looks like there is a service that will let you check your bags at Canada Place:

http://www.cdsbaggage.ca

^Unfortunately CDS cannot check your bags onto the flight for you, but they can send them out to YVR for collection at their office there (totes worthwhile, $40 for up to 4 bags and they stay open until 11pm+ so even with a red-eyes, no issue picking them up). Getting out to the airport to drop bags then back downtown to Do Stuff wastes at least an hour, more likely 75mins, which is a big chunk of your one day - and since storage costs alone run $8 per bag it's a very tiny upcharge for a very useful time saver!

We've got a friend in Boston, and it's a hassle visiting between there and YVR. Virtually no direct flights (we've never managed to get on one, they've always been seasonal at the wrong times for us if they were offered at all). Early in the day or red-eyes are definitely the most popular time blocks for east coast flights. Generally we fly from PDX or SEA instead, and tie in some time in our Portland pad with the Boston trips, but if you just need to get home Air Canada via Toronto has pretty efficient and frequent connections; flights on US airlines via Chicago or MSP have also been good to us in the past for short total travel times (it's been a while since we went from YVR so I'm not up on the most recent optimal routings).

Whatever you do, avoid HAL transfers like the plague. A taxi costs the same for a carload of people as each person on the HAL bus!!!! Even if you cannot carry your own bags, paying for Skycaps at YVR and porters at the pier still saves a packet... If you sent your bags ahead, SkyTrain is an absolute doddle to use. CAD$2.85pp - approx. US$4 for a couple! - when taken offpeak (any day after 6:30pm, or all day weekends/holidays).

...looking for one-way flights to Boston from Vancouver, but the ones we found do not arrive in Boston until mid-afternoon of the next day. Is this typical of flights from Vancouver to Boston? They are both international airports so we just assumed assumed there would be more flights available on the afternoon of our disembarkation. Also, which is the best way to get to the Vancouver airport from the port of call? ;);)

The deal with flights between Vancouver and New York or Boston is these flights are timed to make connections in Vancouver across the pacific.

Cathay Pacific and Philippine Airlines operate large aircraft that start at JFK, and Vancouver is a stop on the way to Hong Kong or Manila.

Air Canada has a flight from Newark that is also a wide body, that connects with a bank of flights from Vancouver to Australia and New Zealand.

More common (with thous of us who live in Vancouver) would be to Vancouver to Toronto or Montreal and then connect there on to Boston or LaGuardia. Both Air Canada and WestJet should have hourly or half-hour flights out of Vancouver as well as hourly flights from Toronto to both Boston or LaGuardia.

If you do Toronto (or Montreal), your checked baggage is automatically transferred, you clear US customers in Toronto using an expedited lane for transferring passengers.

The only direct flight is AC532 leaving at 9 am. -probably too early.

AC 114 to Toronto leaves Vancouver at noon. The connecting flight arrives at Logan at 10:30 EDT

Why not stay an extra day in Vancouver and take the direct flight the next day. A shame not to see more of our beautiful city while you are here?

We will be cruising from Alaska to Vancouver at the end of June and are super excited! We are from Cape Cod and are looking for one-way flights to Boston from Vancouver, but the ones we found do not arrive in Boston until mid-afternoon of the next day. Is this typical of flights from Vancouver to Boston? They are both international airports so we just assumed assumed there would be more flights available on the afternoon of our disembarkation. Also, which is the best way to get to the Vancouver airport from the port of call? We were looking at transfers (we're doing HAL) but were wondering if taxi would be cheaper? If our flight doesn't leave until 7-9pm that night, is there a place in the airport where we can pay to hold our bags for the day while we explore (instead of sitting in the airport all day)?

 

Thank you in advance for any tips! Clearly we are new to the cruising life haha! ;);)

Taxi is a Flat Rate of $35 to the pier. Credit Card will be taken by the taxi driver.

Train is fast and cheaper but you will need to walk a block to the pier. It runs right outside YVR. Weekends are less than week days. Comes every 7 min. and 30 min or less to Waterfront Station.

[$5 is added to all fares at YVR due to Transit Surcharge.]

[No need for buying a Compass Card which you add money on unless staying in Vancouver for awhile to make it worth while.

To get any money on that card back it is not as easy. Only register on line and mail in or go to their office in Stadium Station in Chinatown which has certain opening hours.] You can buy a Day Pass for the whole day instead.

https://www.translink.ca/Fares-and-Passes/Tap-to-Pay.aspxhttps://www.translink.ca/Fares-and-Passes/Canada-Line-YVR-AddFare.aspx