vancouver hotels

[jagsfan]

I tried the roll call, but there seems to be a total of 3 people sailing July 30 on Coral,

my 2 friends and the cruiser who started the thread.

I'm helping my friends with their Alaska 25th anniversary cruise, and I'm trying to find a

hotel that's mid-price......not budget, but not budget breaking, either. They fly in a day

early and will take the train in to town. I guess something a short cab ride from the

terminal and another short one to the ship.

Anybody got a great suggestion?

Thanks for any help.

[mycruz]

We stayed at the Hyatt and found it very convienent. Also, the Westin at the airport is a nice place, they can take the train in to the city, it's just a short walk to the station. The airport hotels are more economical than the ones downtown. Vancouvers public transportation is very good, at least when we used it last fall.

[more cruises]

We've done Priceline twice and stayed at the Hyatt and at the Delta Suites. Chose Downtown and 4 star. Paid about $100 each time. Both hotels were excellent and walking distance to the ship and lots of restaurants.

 

If you've never done Priceline before read the tutorial at Biddingfortravel.com

[skidroe]

We always stay at the Coast Plaza Hotel, they have "cruise packages" and a wide variety of rooms.

[goodie2shoes]

We have stayed at the Marriott near the airport when driving to Vancouver. They have a Park and Fly that can also be used as a Park and Cruise. They have a shuttle that takes you to the ship as well.

 

I'm thinking that if you are flying in, you could take the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, and then arrange to go on the shuttle to the ship the next day as well.

 

Certainly worth looking into I would think.

[lovetoholiday]

We stayed at the St Regis and walked to the ship. 5 minutes downhill - or just a short ride in a taxi. Nice hotel.

[DrivesLikeMario]

There's also the Pan Pacific. It's directly above the cruise port. You take an elevator down to check in for the ship. If they're looking for proximity to the ship, great views and a beautiful hotel, go for this one. They do have good prices sometimes: http://www2.panpacific.com/Vancouver/Overview.html

 

If they're concerned about price, Priceline is their best bet. Some of the hotels book up for large conventions though and if they're staying overnight when it's high season, their bid may have to be higher than normal.

[Putterdude]

I would recommend checking Hotwire for Vancouver Downtown or bidding on Priceline.com. One of the problems that you are going to encounter with your date is that it is beginning of a holiday weekend for us called BC Day. If you bid on Priceline I would choose Vancouver-Downtown and then 3*+ and start bidding at about $90, for about $135 you should get a great room in a terrific hotel. Although you may have to to go to $150 with it being the holiday weekend or start a 3*. I would avoid the Vancouver-Entertainment District as there are parts of it that can be a bit seedy and rowdy.

[Urban trekker]

In addition to what PD said about it being the start of our long BC Day weekend - it is also the end of Gay Pride Week and the North American Out Games and on the 30th it is also a Fireworks night - these events attract huge crowds and the hotels are going to very busy so I wouldn`t wait to long to book - agree with PD that using either Hotwire or Priceline.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[5326jan]

I tried the roll call, but there seems to be a total of 3 people sailing July 30 on Coral,

my 2 friends and the cruiser who started the thread.

I'm helping my friends with their Alaska 25th anniversary cruise, and I'm trying to find a

hotel that's mid-price......not budget, but not budget breaking, either. They fly in a day

early and will take the train in to town. I guess something a short cab ride from the

terminal and another short one to the ship.

Anybody got a great suggestion?

Thanks for any help.

 

We stayed at the Westin Bayshore and it was very nice. It overlooks Stanley Park and the Marina. The rooms are nice sized and well equipped. The linens are luxurious!

[LAC2]

Am contemplating reservations at the Holiday Inn Express on E. Hastings for 9/22-9/24/11. Our ship departs from Ballentyne Pier on 9/24. We are looking at 4 rooms for the 8 of us and want to take in the sights before embarkation. We also need to find a reasonable store to purchase wine to take on the ship.

 

Is this hotel ok? They say they have a shuttle to downtown and the pier, but is the area ok? Do you think we could arrange a cab to take us to the store for shopping? Any suggestions? We thought maybe Costco.

 

Sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate any advice.

[Urban trekker]

This hotel is too far from the downtown core - you will be spending most of your time traveling back and forth to the various attractions. Costco is located in downtown Vancouver and they don`t sell beer or wine in grocery stores in BC. The area around the hotel is solid working class - I spend the first five years of my life living about two blocks from where the hotel is - my maternal grandparents helped build the original Catholic church a couple of blocks from your hotel so you could say that I have some roots in that community - there is a private liquor store about a block from the hotel - there is a Shoppers Drug Mart across the street which is like CVS in the US - there are lots of ma and pa restaurants - one that I frequent regularly is the Slocan Restaurant - here`s a link describing what they are all about.

 

http://www.jdhorn.com/student/studentWeb/1107/slocanrestaurantcurrent/home.htm

 

I usually have either liver and onions if it is the daily special or lasagna which is among the best that I have had - the owner is a real sports nut - a diehard Canucks fan.

 

Looking forward to meeting you on the ship

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[LAC2]

This hotel is too far from the downtown core - you will be spending most of your time traveling back and forth to the various attractions. Costco is located in downtown Vancouver and they don`t sell beer or wine in grocery stores in BC. The area around the hotel is solid working class - I spend the first five years of my life living about two blocks from where the hotel is - my maternal grandparents helped build the original Catholic church a couple of blocks from your hotel so you could say that I have some roots in that community - there is a private liquor store about a block from the hotel - there is a Shoppers Drug Mart across the street which is like CVS in the US - there are lots of ma and pa restaurants - one that I frequent regularly is the Slocan Restaurant - here`s a link describing what they are all about.

 

http://www.jdhorn.com/student/studentWeb/1107/slocanrestaurantcurrent/home.htm

 

I usually have either liver and onions if it is the daily special or lasagna which is among the best that I have had - the owner is a real sports nut - a diehard Canucks fan.

 

Looking forward to meeting you on the ship

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

UT - So do you think we should rethink our plans about staying at the Holiday Inn Express on E. Hastings?

 

We really like the idea of getting a 2-day Ho Ho Trolley passes to tour the city. I don't think there is a Trolley stop near the HIE.

[Urban trekker]

Are you using Priority Club points or was that hotel selected because of the price and proximity to the Port - while close to the Port in appearance it is no easier getting to that from the downtown Hotels.

 

I did a quick search on Hotwire for your dates and got a 4 **** in Vancouver West - the preferred downtown location for $123 per room - this is likely the Hyatt.

 

There is a 2.5 ** in the Entertainment district - probably either the Comfort Inn or Ramada for around $110.00 a night

 

There is a 3 *** in Vancouver South - that`s the Broadway Corridor - just across the bridge from downtown but attractive for restaurants, transit and shopping - that could be the Holiday Inn on Broadway. About the same as the above.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[sheshe01]

I used Hotwire for July stay $4* Vancouver West $121. I got Sheraton Wall Centre. Happy with this as I love the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds!

[maryh307]

Hi Sheshe01 and Urban Trekker,

 

We only used Hotwire for the first time last year and have very little experience with bidding. I must say UT and PD were a big help with recommendations of sites for our first bid last September.

 

I too am looking to book Hotwire, but a little earlier in September. I'm looking for 9/7-9/9/11. I see that Sheshe01 got the Sheraton Wall Centre. Do you remember what the % recommendation was? I've been checking for a few weeks now and can see the price ranges for the 4* from $121-124 most days with a 90% rating. I can't tell if this is the same hotel listing for the last 4 weeks. Urban Trekker also thought LAC2 may get the Hyatt for later in September. What made you think it may be the Hyatt. I find that different sites having different percent recommendations for the hotels but most have the same amenities . I'm trying to get an idea which hotel we may score with the listing on Hotwire. I would think the 5* is the Pan Pacific. As nice as the hotel appears, we would prefer to stay in the $120-$125 price range.

 

DH would prefer to be close to the Sutton Place where we stayed last year. We would love to score the same hotel this year but haven't seen anyone mention winning this hotel on Hotwire or Priceline for September. I have looked at the bidding sites, but very little is being posted for August and September. Most hotels do have the same features including a pool, rest.,exercise equip. Internet, etc. Is there a way of determining which hotels have which ratings for Hotwire?

 

Thanks

 

Mary

[Urban trekker]

As I stated in my post I only did a quick scan of the Hotwire site and when I saw the 4 **** clicked on details and it indicated it could be a hotel like the Hyatt but yes it could be the Sutton or Sheraton - all are close to each other and the answer was posted in response to someone who was following up on my advice to get something closer to the downtown core - they weren`t looking for a specific hotel - I was trying to give them some examples how Hotwire prices appear to the same as what they were looking at the Holiday Inn Express that was out of the downtown core.

 

Hope this clarifies my post

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[scottbee]

Am contemplating reservations at the Holiday Inn Express on E. Hastings for 9/22-9/24/11. Our ship departs from Ballentyne Pier on 9/24. We are looking at 4 rooms for the 8 of us and want to take in the sights before embarkation. We also need to find a reasonable store to purchase wine to take on the ship....

 

It's away from the downtown core, and not really near much of interest except the old hockey arena.

 

I'd recommend priceline bidding in the downtown area for 3 or 4 stars, over the HI E.Hastings. If you really want a HIExpress near shopping and easy to get back downtown, stay at the HI Metrotown in Burnaby (whihch is the next municipality over form Vancouver). Right next to the largest mall in the province and across t he street from Skytrain "Metrotown" station which will get you downtown in 15 minutes.

[maryh307]

Thanks Urban Trekker, it does clear things up. I guess I was hoping you had seen something in the Hotwire description that helped narrow the hotels down to the Hyatt. We are hoping to get the Sutton Place again but thought it may have come up as 5* last year. I had seen the Sutton Place listed as a winning bid by several people last year which prompted us to use Hotwire for the first time. At that time, we didn't know anything about the downtown area. We enjoyed visiting Stanley Park, Granville Market, pier area and Suspension bridge. The Sutton Place felt like it was conveniently located to most of the sites we wanted to visit. It sounds like all three hotels are fairly close or just a matter of blocks apart on Burrard. I might just go ahead and book. All three hotels look like we would enjoy staying there, when I checked them on line.

 

We have a Bermuda cruise booked for next month with grandchildren. I have to finish researching tours and activities that both grandchildren will like. I was just hoping to resolve our hotel for Vancouver before our June cruise.

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

Mary

[Putterdude]

Sutton Place has been moved by Hotwire to 5*, I suspect on the basis of their Grande Residences not by the hotel itself. Better Bidding has indicated that the hotel you were looking at was the Sheraton at Wall Centre. There is nothing much to choose from between the Hyatt and the Sheraton...but if I had my druthers I would prefer to the Hyatt as it just puts you about 3 blocks closer to most things and is just more in the centre of the city.

[maryh307]

Putterdude,

 

Thank you so much for the info. Thinking the bid was for the Sheraton, DH wanted to hold off. We agree, it would be nice to be in the center of things like the Hyatt or a few blocks up at the Sheraton.

I see on Hotels.com that the Sutton Place has a 2 day special at $164.00. With any luck, they will be offering their hotel on Hotwire soon closer to $125.00. The difference in price almost pays for breakfast at the WhiteSpot.

 

Can you tell me what I should be looking for in Hotwire to get a better idea which hotels might be offered? Do you have to be signed in. When I check winning bids, I see only current dates that have been won for downtown area.

 

Thanks,

 

Mary

[Putterdude]

Hi Mary;

Sorry I have no strong personal information...I rely on Better Bidding which is no better than the folks who post on it. My preference is bidding for rooms in Vancouver on Priceline and really don't have a lot of experience with Hotwire but confess I did use them to book a couple of nights at the Westin Diplomat Spa and Resort in Hollywood Beach next January for an obscenely low rate. My thought is anytime you can get a 4* hotel in Vancouver for under $125 during the cruise season....it is hard to beat.