Which of these three hotels to choose in Vancouver?

[midwestchick]

yep... the building across the street has a liquor store. However it's on the otherside.... so you need to walk around the block.

 

Note... this public liquor store has limited hours with limited selection. Check the hours of operation to avoid dissappointment.

 

 

Thanks. Looking at several hotels. Are there any with close walking distance to the port?

[martincath]

Thanks. Looking at several hotels. Are there any with close walking distance to the port?

Depending on how distant your personal definition of 'close' is, anything from a dozen to fifty or more... If you can walk a mile wheeling your luggage, almost every downtown hotel works!

 

Just plug in the hotel names you're considering to Google Maps - here's a pre-selected one with directions to Canada Place - and see how far away they are.

[midwestchick]

Depending on how distant your personal definition of 'close' is, anything from a dozen to fifty or more... If you can walk a mile wheeling your luggage, almost every downtown hotel works!

 

Just plug in the hotel names you're considering to Google Maps - here's a pre-selected one with directions to Canada Place - and see how far away they are.

 

 

Oops! That took me to a map that used my current location. 👀 😱 Certainly not a short walk....lol.

A mile with luggage may not be an easy task.

[martincath]

Oops! That took me to a map that used my current location. 👀 😱 Certainly not a short walk....lol.

A mile with luggage may not be an easy task.

You must have recently used Google (live cookies) or be logged-in if it grabbed your home address for the To field in the directions. Simply overwrite your address with the names of the hotels (Hotel Name + vancouver should be enough to get the right one) to see how far each are - there's one literally on top of the cruise temrinal (Pan Pacific), two others within a couple of blocks (Fairmonts Waterfront and Pacific Rim), and many more within six blocks or so. And a mile in a local cab should not cost more than CAD$10 if you want to avoid schlepping bags...

[xlxo]

Thanks. Looking at several hotels. Are there any with close walking distance to the port?

Keep in mind... the closer you are to the cruise terminal... the price spikes....

 

Hotels by distance... and prices....

• Pan Pacific (above cruise terminal)
  
• Fairmont Waterfront (across the street, also available with Mr. Grey package)
  
• Fairmont Pacific Rim. This hotel and above offer a cruise luggage transfer service.
  
• Auberge
  
• Day's Inn
  
• Delta. Popular with distance, room size, and value
  
• Marriot Harborside
  
• Marriot Pinnacle
  

 

From this point onwards... hotels are about distance to the cruise terminal. I like them as they are just $10 or so cab fare to the cruise terminal.

• Hyatt Regency
  
• Shangrila
  
• Sutton
  
• Hampton Inn
  
• Blue Horizon
  

 

All distances are approximate..... ball parked...

[slidergirl]

I'm not sure how the traffic is nowadays down to Canada Place. I just remember the day I was taking my southbound repo a few Septembers ago, the traffic was backed up 2 blocks from Canada Place, mostly with cabs. I just paid the cabbie right there and walked the rest of the way. I had been staying at the Westin Bayshore, so it was a tad far to walk, even with just a carryon.

[midwestchick]

You must have recently used Google (live cookies) or be logged-in if it grabbed your home address for the To field in the directions. Simply overwrite your address with the names of the hotels (Hotel Name + vancouver should be enough to get the right one) to see how far each are - there's one literally on top of the cruise temrinal (Pan Pacific), two others within a couple of blocks (Fairmonts Waterfront and Pacific Rim), and many more within six blocks or so. And a mile in a local cab should not cost more than CAD$10 if you want to avoid schlepping bags...

 

 

Did it correctly this time from a hotel. Fifteen minute walk...I'm sure it would take longer with suitcases.

[midwestchick]

Keep in mind... the closer you are to the cruise terminal... the price spikes....

 

Hotels by distance... and prices....

• Pan Pacific (above cruise terminal)
  
• Fairmont Waterfront (across the street, also available with Mr. Grey package)
  
• Fairmont Pacific Rim. This hotel and above offer a cruise luggage transfer service.
  
• Auberge
  
• Day's Inn
  
• Delta. Popular with distance, room size, and value
  
• Marriot Harborside
  
• Marriot Pinnacle
  

 

From this point onwards... hotels are about distance to the cruise terminal. I like them as they are just $10 or so cab fare to the cruise terminal.

• Hyatt Regency
  
• Shangrila
  
• Sutton
  
• Hampton Inn
  
• Blue Horizon
  

 

All distances are approximate..... ball parked...

 

Blue Horizon is another one I'm looking at. Anyone ever stayed there?

Pan Pacific is a lot more $$$$$$$ than I care to pay.

[marys350]

Blue Horizon is another one I'm looking at. Anyone ever stayed there?

Pan Pacific is a lot more $$$$$$$ than I care to pay.

 

We stayed at the Blue Horizon in September, 2015 for our Pacific Coastal cruise. The rate was very reasonable and the hotel was in a good location near restaurants, shopping, and a BC liquor/wine store. Our bed and room were clean and comfortable. The taxi from the hotel to the cruise terminal was less than $10.00. We also enjoyed a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant (for a fee, not included). I think that Blue Horizon is a great choice for cruisers who don't want to spend $$$$$ for a pricey hotel close to the cruise terminal. I'd rather take a taxi and spend the money that I saved on dinner. We enjoyed Happy Hour at Joe Forte's Restaurant, which is walking distance from the Blue Horizon.

:) Mary

[midwestchick]

We stayed at the Blue Horizon in September, 2015 for our Pacific Coastal cruise. The rate was very reasonable and the hotel was in a good location near restaurants, shopping, and a BC liquor/wine store. Our bed and room were clean and comfortable. The taxi from the hotel to the cruise terminal was less than $10.00. We also enjoyed a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant (for a fee, not included). I think that Blue Horizon is a great choice for cruisers who don't want to spend $$$$$ for a pricey hotel close to the cruise terminal. I'd rather take a taxi and spend the money that I saved on dinner. We enjoyed Happy Hour at Joe Forte's Restaurant, which is walking distance from the Blue Horizon.

:) Mary

 

 

Do you remember the taxi fee from the airport to the hotel?

I just booked the Blue Horizon....looking forward to it.

[martincath]

Do you remember the taxi fee from the airport to the hotel?

I just booked the Blue Horizon....looking forward to it.

In case Mary doesn't read the Canada boards frequently... taxi from YVR is fixed rate and Blue Horizon is solidly inside the Downtown/Kits CAD$31 zone. (Plus tip - same as you'd tip in the US, most will round up to $35).

 

USD will be taken at a somewhat naff exchange rate (~US$23 official bank rate at the mo, expect to be asked for US$25+ for the fare) and credit cards at whatever rate your issuer offers.

[midwestchick]

In case Mary doesn't read the Canada boards frequently... taxi from YVR is fixed rate and Blue Horizon is solidly inside the Downtown/Kits CAD$31 zone. (Plus tip - same as you'd tip in the US, most will round up to $35).

 

USD will be taken at a somewhat naff exchange rate (~US$23 official bank rate at the mo, expect to be asked for US$25+ for the fare) and credit cards at whatever rate your issuer offers.

 

 

Thank you. So they will accept U.S. dollars? I've been wondering if I should get some CAD.

[martincath]

Thank you. So they will accept U.S. dollars? I've been wondering if I should get some CAD.

As much as I'd like to recommend you getting CAD, since they're so nice to look at compared to USD as well as being the nice & respectful thing to do when visiting any sovereign country, from a practical perspective the only things you will absolutely NEED to have CAD for is taking public buses (and even then, you can buy transit tickets with credit cards at ticket machines in Skytrain stations which are also valid on buses, so it's just if you decide to jump on a bus with no forward planning that cash becomes a necessity) and small purchases from small vendors (it's very common for Credit/Debit transactions to be subject to a posted $5 minimum despite that being technically against the rules of the card issuers - but if disputed the right to refuse service to anyone can be employed...)

 

Tourist-focused businesses will almost all take USD cash and credit cards - even Timmies for coffee & donuts post a USD exchange rate! - so for short stays I feel the simplest thing to do is burst a US$20 note on your first small purchase (bottles of water, snacks, knick-knack souvenirs) and use the change you get in CAD to pay for any other small incidentals, tips to bell staff etc. You might get a rather poor exchange rate of say 80cents to the dollar vs 75, but the total 'fee' is still tiny (a buck on a $20 note in this example). Buy meals and taxi rides and anything else $10+ with Credit cards.

[marys350]

Do you remember the taxi fee from the airport to the hotel?

I just booked the Blue Horizon....looking forward to it.

 

Glad to see that Martincath provided information about taxi rates from the airport to Blue Horizon. We flew to Seattle and then took the train to Vancouver, so I wouldn't have been able to help you there. I hope that you enjoy the Blue Horizon. Definitely check out Joe Forte's Happy Hour menu online. The food was delicious and we ordered drink and appetizer specials and called it dinner.

[xlxo]

Thank you. So they will accept U.S. dollars? I've been wondering if I should get some CAD.

fyi... the Vancouver taxi's do take US credit cards. Perhaps before luggage is loaded..... ask the cab driver if the credit card machine is working. There are occasional breakdowns.

 

fyi.... Discover is not a common credit card accepted in Vancouver.

[cpl100]

Glad to see that Martincath provided information about taxi rates from the airport to Blue Horizon. We flew to Seattle and then took the train to Vancouver, so I wouldn't have been able to help you there. I hope that you enjoy the Blue Horizon. Definitely check out Joe Forte's Happy Hour menu online. The food was delicious and we ordered drink and appetizer specials and called it dinner.

 

We are flying to Seattle and taking the train also. Was it a great experience? Six people are doing it on my recommendation, so I hope it is as great as I read. Were the taxis plentiful st the train station? We will be staying at the Weston Grand pre-cruise.

[marys350]

We are flying to Seattle and taking the train also. Was it a great experience? Six people are doing it on my recommendation, so I hope it is as great as I read. Were the taxis plentiful st the train station? We will be staying at the Weston Grand pre-cruise.

 

We really enjoyed taking the Cascade train from Seattle to Vancouver and seeing the beautiful scenery along the way. If you haven't purchased train tickets yet, I'd recommend buying Business Class tickets. It's well worth the extra money. The business class seats are roomier and there are fewer people in those cars, so it's quieter. The business class ticket includes a $3.00 voucher toward food/beverages in the dining car.

 

We took the morning train the day before our cruise. There are no assigned seats, so it's wise to get to the train station early for priority seating (we arrived between 6:15-6:30 for the 7:45 a.m. train). There was no food sold at the train station, so I'd suggest that you grab a light breakfast first unless you want to wait and buy something in the dining car after you get on the train. We sat on the left hand side of the train for the best views of the scenery. When you arrive in Vancouver, those in business class are the first ones to get off the train, get their luggage, and go through customs. We had a short wait for a taxi after we got off at the Vancouver station; however, a steady line of taxis started to arrive and the lines of passengers moved right along. I imagine that it took a bit longer for those with regular tickets to disembark the train and leave the station.

 

I'm sure that you will enjoy your ride on the Cascade train.

Enjoy!

Mary

Edited June 4, 2016 by marys350

[dd likes to cruise]

Any advice about Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. It is on Burrard St. Hotel says 10.00 cab ride to port.

 

Dori

[xlxo]

I would stay at the Wall Center....

• Davie street restaurants one blocks to the South
  
• Robson street restaurants two blocks to the North
  
• convenient hospital access across the street. Some say ambulance noise may be an issue. I assume sirens are not used in the evening. Perhaps request a room that faces East?
  

Edited July 10, 2016 by xlxo

[dd likes to cruise]

I have some Starwood points and was able to book, half points, half cash. The rate was lower when I booked a month or so ago than it is now.

 

Thanks.

Edited July 10, 2016 by dd likes to cruise

[Urban trekker]

Yes $10.00 cab fare to the port would be correct. It's only about a dozen blocks from the hotel to the port.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[Earl Rosebery]

I would stay at the Wall Center....

• Davie street restaurants one blocks to the South
  
• Robson street restaurants two blocks to the North
  
• convenient hospital access across the street. Some say ambulance noise may be an issue. I assume sirens are not used in the evening. Perhaps request a room that faces East?
  

They use their ****** sirens 24/7

[SherriM]

Just switched from the St Regis to the Fairmont Waterfront. Was this a good decision? We sail the HAL NA the end of September 2016.

 

This has been a great thread!!! I wasn't confident that the St Regis was the best choice but can't being myself to pay the Pan Pacific room rates! ;) Reservation can be cancelled if you all advise us to switch gears.

Thanks!!!

[xlxo]

What's the price difference for the Waterfront upgrade? Double?

 

I walked by the neighborhood and it's "doable". The train station is next door.

 

I haven't stayed at the St. Regis.... but I would be concerned about traffic noise more.

 

Waterfront is a great hotel across the street from the cruise terminal. The only thing that would prevent me is the price per night.

Edited July 16, 2016 by xlxo

[4774Papa]

I narrowed down our choice for a week in Vancouver to the St. Regis and the Metropolitan.

They are in the same area and seemed to be about the same quality.

 

The Metropolitan's prices were better, so we booked there.

 

Paid about $1100 US for seven days.