Vancouver hotel stay

Flying in the night before, would it be more cost effective if we found a hotel at the airport or Richmond and then take a taxi to the cruise terminal . . . OR taxi directly to a downtown hotel with a shuttle to the terminal? Looking at prices of hotels, it seems you get a little better hotel deal further out, but then the taxi might cost more. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.:)

Hey there, I live in Vancouver so hopefully I can help.

Taxi's in Vancouver aren't necessarily cheap and a taxi from the airport to downtown is going to be between $40-60 at least. If you stay in Richmond you will get a free shuttle from the airport to your hotel, but will be stuck with the taxi charge to downtown the next day. If you take the taxi downtown right from the airport, you may get a free shuttle from your hotel to the cruise terminal, but you still need the taxi to the hotel. Not many downtown hotels will offer a shuttle from the airport, so unless you are planning on taking public transit (actually not that bad, direct train from yvr to downtown for around 5 bucks each), it seems like you will be stuck with a taxi charge regardless.

Using hotwire and priceline, I've found and booked 3-4* hotels downtown for around $70-80. Hotels in Richmond can usually be nabbed for about $40-60 using same sites. The 3* in Richmond is usually the holiday inn, 3.5* is usually the Sheraton.

As you can see you'll probably save anywhere from $20-60 or so by staying in Richmond, and it would be a lot easier getting there and getting into your room after the flight what with it being 5 minutes from the airport. If it were me, I'd probably stay in Richmond.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask if you have more questions :)

(Typed this on my phone so apologies for any typos)

On a side note, just saw in your Sig you were on Inspiration last December. How was it? Mrs P and I are booked on the Inspiration for this Christmas and can't wait :) First Christmas cruise.

Thanks so much Spacemansspiff33!! As we get into Vancouver and settled into hotel by mid-afternoon, don't think we will have much time to sightsee anyway... so saving a bit on a room and taxi will get me a double helping of the DOD..haha

We really like the Inspiration. She is just the right size and getting around is easy. This December will be our third time on the 4-day Baja and are hoping the band we like will still be playing. Can't remember their name but they were good. Ship a little dated but think she just got update 1.0 so will be spruced up for us.

Thanks again for your help.:)

We stayed in Richmond pre & post cruise this summer. Pre we took the Skytrain (subway) downtown almost daily. Our hotel was the Hampton Inn, 2-3 blocks away from the Bridgeport Station. A Days Inn is next door and River Rock Casino is adjacent to the station. All have free airport shuttles. Alternatively you can take the Skytrain to the airport.

You can take the Skytrain to the end of the line at Waterfront Station. Canada Place (cruise ship terminal) is a few blocks walk away. Just follow the (ant) trail of suitcases ;)

Yeah if you feel up for it, I would really recommend considering the train downtown. Stay in Richmond to take advantage of the free shuttle, then train directly to the Terminal the next afternoon.

It's the new train they built for the Olympics a couple years back, so it is all very clean and modern. The "Canada Line" will take you all the way to Waterfront Station which happens to be a 2 minute walk from the Convention Centre and Cruise Terminals. All in all it's less than a 30 minute journey, whereas a Taxi would be about 20 - 25 minutes so almost the same. As you said, more money for the DOD!! :)

Yeah if you feel up for it, I would really recommend considering the train downtown. Stay in Richmond to take advantage of the free shuttle, then train directly to the Terminal the next afternoon.

 

It's the new train they built for the Olympics a couple years back, so it is all very clean and modern. The "Canada Line" will take you all the way to Waterfront Station which happens to be a 2 minute walk from the Convention Centre and Cruise Terminals. All in all it's less than a 30 minute journey, whereas a Taxi would be about 20 - 25 minutes so almost the same. As you said, more money for the DOD!! :)

We did this exact thing a month or two ago - stayed at Marriot in Richmond (free shuttle from the airport), took the Canada Line skytrain (about 2 blocks away) to downtown (2-3 blocks from the pier) for $2.75 each. Plus a nice local gave us a free ticket, so that covered one fare. Plus the hotel was right by a large mall - great for shopping and dining.

Would do this again.

DaveOKC

Thanks for all the replies. We have decided to book in Richmond and catch a taxi to the pier. Trying to manage 2 suitcases plus a carryone, plus soda, handbag, Yike!! Never had to pack for a 16-day cruise so should be an adventure. Thank goodness for Platinum free laundry!!:D

Thanks for all the replies. We have decided to book in Richmond and catch a taxi to the pier. Trying to manage 2 suitcases plus a carryone, plus soda, handbag, Yike!! Never had to pack for a 16-day cruise so should be an adventure. Thank goodness for Platinum free laundry!!:D

What date is your cruise? My office overlooks the terminal, I'll be sure to wave you off :)

HI Gold Mine Gal,

I am going to be be the voice for the staying downtown. Don't get me wrong there are nice hotels to stay at the night before. We have stayed at the River Rock and the Marriott in Richmond.

You can get a nice hotel using Priceline for a one night stay. We used it for a one night staycation and got the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle and that's our go to hotel now when we spend the night in Vancouver.(Just stayed there the other night)

The other option is to use Groupon. There are usually good hotels in their Getaways page.

What date is your cruise? My office overlooks the terminal, I'll be sure to wave you off :)

Off to Hawaii, Sept 18, 2014. I'll be waving back! Happy holidays to you and yours.:)

We are thinking of staying for 1 or 2 nights after the cruise ends in Vancouver. I can use points to stay at the Airport so it would be free - but for 1 or 2 nights would you recommend staying downtown or at the airport.

If we took an organized tour - I would think the tour company would pick us up at the airport hotel but not sure.

Just looking for recommendations

We are thinking of staying for 1 or 2 nights after the cruise ends in Vancouver. I can use points to stay at the Airport so it would be free - but for 1 or 2 nights would you recommend staying downtown or at the airport.

 

If we took an organized tour - I would think the tour company would pick us up at the airport hotel but not sure.

 

Just looking for recommendations

If your budget can handle it, I'd always recommend staying downtown. Virtually none of the most popular attractions are closer to YVR than downtown so you'll need to travel daily.

Even the airport hotels very close to a Skytrain station or a short shuttle ride away still require 35-45 minutes to get to & from downtown - if you're here for just a day or two, that's an annoying chunk of time to spend in transit. Depending on location a cab might be quicker - but add the cost of two cab fares a day (c. $35 each way) and you'll find it's as cheap or cheaper to stay downtown anyway!

Offhand I can't think of any hotels near YVR that don't have another in the same chain (i.e. same points account) downtown either.

Just the points are much less for an airport hotel then a downtown hotel. Definitely will be looking downtown then. Thanks.

Does anyone have an opinion on the Pan Pacific Vancouver? I know it is pricey, but having the cruise terminal right in the same building seems very handy for boarding. We will be arriving early afternoon the day before our cruise. Being right downtown might give us better options of things to walk to for the day. We are too old to be schlepping luggage, carry-ons etc with us to take a train. ;) Taxi would be our option.

Any thoughts on the Vancouver Westin Grand? I have points and looking to stay there pre-cruise. We are on an Alaskan Cruise this May. How far is it from the Cruise terminal? Thanks.

Any thoughts on the Vancouver Westin Grand? I have points and looking to stay there pre-cruise. We are on an Alaskan Cruise this May. How far is it from the Cruise terminal? Thanks.

About 1km from the cruise terminal.

Does anyone have an opinion on the Pan Pacific Vancouver? I know it is pricey, but having the cruise terminal right in the same building seems very handy for boarding. We will be arriving early afternoon the day before our cruise. Being right downtown might give us better options of things to walk to for the day. We are too old to be schlepping luggage, carry-ons etc with us to take a train. ;) Taxi would be our option.

The Pan Pacific, built some years ago, is still in beautiful condition. We stay there whenever possible due to the views (I'm originally from Vancouver) and have always been pleased. It is pricey, but with the views and the access to the ships, you should be also pleased....

Does anyone have an opinion on the Pan Pacific Vancouver? I know it is pricey, but having the cruise terminal right in the same building seems very handy for boarding. We will be arriving early afternoon the day before our cruise. Being right downtown might give us better options of things to walk to for the day. We are too old to be schlepping luggage, carry-ons etc with us to take a train. ;) Taxi would be our option.

Stayed at the Pan Pacific for two nights in April before our Alaska cruise. Got a great deal on Priceline. It's a beautiful property, great views, very convenient to the cruise terminal. Woke up early on embarkation day (I was still on Eastern time!) and watched Crystal Symphony and Carnival Miracle sail in!

We walked along the waterfront to Stanley Park, got to see the Olympic torch lighted during an event, walked to Gastown for lunch.

I highly recommend the Pan Pacific, and would stay there again. Vancouver is a wonderful city!

I've enjoyed staying at the Pan Pacific several times and will again this coming May. It has wonderful views and it's an ideal location.

If you go down to the bottom level, there is an escalator that will take you to a food court.

The bellman will take your bags to the ship for you.

From the airport, I usually use the car service AERO CARS instead of a taxi. It is about $10 more but a much more comfortable ride.

Hi All,

I have read these posts BUT we have never been to Alaska or Vancouver so am not sure about the areas you are talking about. We will arrive in Vancouver off Celebrity Millenium on a Friday and will have Friday and Saturday in the city, leaving on Sunday. It sounds like we should stay at the airport and take the train downtown to see the city. Is this easy to do on our own?

Thanks,

Lucy

Whenever I am in Vancouver, I try to stick near the Skytrain. I find it to be much more cost effective. Generally, I'll stay at the Sandman on West Georgia, and because of corporate discounts, I can get a room with 2 queens for $86 a night in low season and $120 a night in peak season. It is a block down Beatty St. from the Stadium Skytrain station and hopping on the Skytrain will take me right to the waterfront, where I'll get to street level right at Canada Place.

If you're a gambler and are willing to spend between $160-250 per night for a room, there is always the River Rock casino/hotel. It is right on the Skytrain line from the airport, and it is a single zone fare to get you to the Waterfront.

I can't stress enough how much I recommend the Skytrain over cab. At the airport, yes, you pay a $5 airport improvement fee, but when you factor that in with the $2.75 or whatever for the ticket, you're saving money compared to a taxi and you get taken within a stones throw of the terminal.

Correction - from the River Rock to downtown is a two zone fare except in the evenings and weekends and holidays.

Cheers

Dennis

Hi Canadian Neighbors!

DH and I will be staying in Vancouver for 2 days post-cruise from RCCL Radiance on July 25th and are booked at the Blue Horizon on Robson Street. It looked to be a good downtown location, am I correct? Is it a walkable distance from Canada Place and the Cascades train station, where we will need to take the train to Seattle on Sunday morning? Also wondering if there is any laundry options close by? We plan to try to see Capilano Park, Grouse Mtn, and Stanley Park, as well. Very excited to visit your beautiful city! Thanks for your help!;)

Hi Canadian Neighbors!

 

DH and I will be staying in Vancouver for 2 days post-cruise from RCCL Radiance on July 25th and are booked at the Blue Horizon on Robson Street. It looked to be a good downtown location, am I correct? Is it a walkable distance from Canada Place and the Cascades train station, where we will need to take the train to Seattle on Sunday morning? Also wondering if there is any laundry options close by? We plan to try to see Capilano Park, Grouse Mtn, and Stanley Park, as well. Very excited to visit your beautiful city! Thanks for your help!;)

Blue Horizon gets a lot of love on the boards. The location is pretty good - very good for the North Shore attractions and Stanley Park (there are bus stops outside the hotel for the HOHOs and the Grouse/Capilano shuttles).

I would not say it's close to walking distance, certainly not with luggage, to Pacific Central Station (where Amtrak leaves from) - but I'd be shocked if a cab was over $10 at c. 5:30am Sunday morning.

Walkable to Canada Place is dependent on how mobile you are and how easily you can handle your luggage - all the streets have good wide sidewalks, it's a net downhill slope to the pier, distance approx. 1.3km/0.8 miles so by most folks standards it's very walkable. If you're feeling lazy though a cab will be $7-8.

As to Laundry, I can't think of any self-service laundrettes nearby - Robson is a high-rent area so all the residential buildings have their own laundry room if not en-suite washer/dryers. There are a few dry cleaners not too far away; those usually offer some sort of wash'n'fold service as well as actual dry cleaning. Nearest is probably Fast Iron a couple of blocks away. I'm sure the hotel also offers a laundry service.

Edit - Brainfart! I forgot a local-to-me laundry that offers free pickup & delivery to downtown hotels. Launder Clean Center on Main. I can't confirm how flexible their pickup/delivery times are, but you could give them a call to compare with the hotel rates...