Pre/post cruise hotel Vancouver

[rowrow]

On the Princess web page for Alaska Hotel Packages I understood the prices quoted for various hotels included whatever taxes ( 17.5% ? ) were applicable.

In some fine print I noticed that hotel taxes were additional and would be paid at the hotel.

Would appreciate some advice before we book. Many thanks

[WatchHill]

We've been to Vancouver, both pre and post cruise. For each trip we have priced out booking with the cruise line and doing it independently, never had to pay additional taxes. However, you would be best to look at booking a hotel independent of the cruise line. From experience, I can honestly say there has been a substantial difference in cost in our favor.

We have stayed at Sutton Place, Delta both in town & near the airport, Pan Pacific [our favorite], and Sheraton Wall Center.

 

Darcy

[cruzrbachoua]

We have done Vancouver post cruise through princess and in other cities pre cruise through princess and we pay nothing to the hotel other than what we take out of mini bar or room service etc but all hotel costs are paid for by princess...and while yes most times you could find a hotel cheaper, we splurge a couple of times depending on the cruise and/or reason for the cruise (ie celebration) and will go with the entire pampering of being picked up at airport to hotel, hotel to ship and ship to airport only having to just show up with no planning on our own and every time the hotels have been amazing and 5*+ experience.

[Cruiserkenn]

We have done Vancouver post cruise through princess and in other cities pre cruise through princess and we pay nothing to the hotel other than what we take out of mini bar or room service etc but all hotel costs are paid for by princess...and while yes most times you could find a hotel cheaper, we splurge a couple of times depending on the cruise and/or reason for the cruise (ie celebration) and will go with the entire pampering of being picked up at airport to hotel, hotel to ship and ship to airport only having to just show up with no planning on our own and every time the hotels have been amazing and 5*+ experience.

 

Yes, for sure. It is great being picked up by Princess, taken to the hotel, and taken to the ship. Especially great in a strange and unknown city. Enjoy! 😊

[casofilia]

If you are independently booking hotels in Canada, and also probably the States, it pays to ask the FULL price per night. The online prices are often only the base price and there may be, and often is, more to pay in taxes.

Depending on where you are booking the taxes may be up to 20% a night as there may be a Government tax, a Provincial tax, a City tax and an "Amenity" tax. If you get away with less than 10% consider yourself very lucky!!

Caveat Emptor.

[laktex]

We've been to Vancouver, both pre and post cruise. For each trip we have priced out booking with the cruise line and doing it independently, never had to pay additional taxes. However, you would be best to look at booking a hotel independent of the cruise line. From experience, I can honestly say there has been a substantial difference in cost in our favor.

We have stayed at Sutton Place, Delta both in town & near the airport, Pan Pacific [our favorite], and Sheraton Wall Center.

 

Darcy

 

Pan Pacific is brilliant - if you splash out for a room on the Pacific Club floor you get great evening canapés and drinks from the Exec lounge with wonderful views and a delightful breakfast all included. Not cheap but a great experience. Also rooms recently updated.

[Sandy R]

Here's another vote for the Pan Pacific. We stayed on the club floor and because breakfast was included and we used the canapés for a few dinners, we felt the club cost was fair. Also, Princess ships dock below the hotel. You can take your luggage down yourself or ask a hotel porter for help.

[casofilia]

If you are looking for "budget" hotel accommodation move away from Downtown and the Airport. Remember that Vancouver has a really brilliant transit system; regular, fast and cheap(ish). Also most hotels will provide breakfast these days and most are close to local restaurants,

[RLK33853]

Pan Pacific is great but right across the street is the Fairmont Waterfront. It is just as nice, is right across the street from getting on the ship, and is usually quite a bit cheaper.

If you want a great hotel - the Four Seasons is the best in my book but it is around 5 blocks from the cruise terminal.

[cherrypop]

We are from the area and have stayed at the Pan Pacific a few times and its a great hotel. There is also the Bayshore Inn which is close to Stanley Park and there is a boardwalk along the water, the cab fare from the Bayshore is $10.00 to the port. If you are coming in via the airport another option would be Riverrock Hotel and Casino, it is your first stop after the airport on the skytrain (5 minute ride). To get to the port from Riverrock you jump back on the skytrain for a 20 minute ride to the Waterfront station and then its a 2 block walk to the port, we have done this many times and its quite easy.

[casofilia]

Riverrock Hotel and Casino, it is your first stop after the airport on the skytrain (5 minute ride).

 

The THIRD.

[rowrow]

Many thanks for those ideas. We initially thought the prices quoted by Princess on their web site would have included taxes but then was thrown a bit by this fine print at the bottom of the web page ......Note: All Cruise Plus Hotel Packages are quoted per person, double occupancy. Government fees and taxes are additional and vary by city and duration of stay.

We did price hotels separately and all the addons for transfers, Victoria excursion including a stay at the Empress ( which we would not have considered due to $$$ ) and probably, most of all, peace of mind and ease of booking everything in a 'strange city'.

So we are considering the Princess 3 nite Hotel package in YVR including the Victoria excursion, plus a few extra nights at the same hotel at a much reduced rate including all the transfers etc back to the ship for boarding. We appreciate the easy. And not a lot more $ than having to do all that by ourselves.

Had we been familiar with the city and surrounds and local transport we may have approached the situation differently

Thank you all.

[martincath]

Sure, compare the Princess price (NB: this may be listed per person!) with the same hotels independently. If you're solo, a per-person price makes for a great deal - but mostly I find, especially in Vancouver where there are multiple transport options and the pier is literally in the heart of the downtown core, that any packaged cruise extra is just a ripoff.

 

You can actually spend less money for a SUPERIOR service thanks to the extra padding applied to the extras! Those built-in transfers included in the cruiseline hotel costs equate to the same as a cab ride - per person. A couple can take a towncar for the cost of a cruise transfer from YVR to port or vice-versa, and 3-4 of you could be in a stretch limo without paying extra... and of course you have the full list of hotels available instead of the very short list of cruiseline options (which are generally on the nicer end to be fair). Ah, but those transfers include luggage handling you say? Well - that's FREE at the pier (longshoremen are unionised and very well-paid, to the extent there are official signs up saying not to tip) and if you pay the Skycaps at YVR they'll take your case even earlier than the cruiseline transfer people will - the desks to check in for them are in a different room so you have to drag your bags through customs into the arrivals hall yourself or pay a skycap anyway!

 

Another thing that folks who don't check maps fail to realise is that EVERY downtown hotel is very close to the pier by typical cruise standards - it's pretty hard to find one more than a mile away! So when you factor in that you can easily walk to the pier from many hotels, or spend at most CAD$15 on a cab ride, you really need to have a serious hatred of independent booking or an incredibly high OBC balance to make any of the pre/post transfers and hotels worthwhile!

 

Personally I'd never recommend an airport hotel unless you have a multi-day stay, where the 60-90mins extra transit time daily can be worth the $ savings - if you're doing day trips around the area and thus a rental car is a sensible option, the free parking out there helps too. But for typical day or two stays focusing on the sites downtown or with free shuttles from downtown, losing at least an hour a day of touring time can really hurt your plans - and if you travel later in the day you could be spending up to 20mins between trains if you just miss one...

 

Plus, any hotel right on the Canada Line is typically more expensive than many 3*+ downtown hotels (definitely both Fairmont YVR & River Rock - which is 3rd after YVR Airport station but also the first after leaving the airport environs - Sea Island and Templeton both serve parts of the airport technically, so I too tend to consider Bridgeport 'the first station after leaving the airport' as those 3 Sea Island stations are lumped together into a separate effective 'special fare zone' with both free travel between them and the $5 AddFare applying when leaving). Hotels up the 'wrong branch' into Richmond are cheaper (e.g. Radisson, just 2mins away from Aberdeen) but train frequency is half as often as from Bridgeport so waiting for those late-night trains can feel like an eternity if you just miss one!

 

As long as you don't need a fancy name, the YWCA Hotel is by far the best deal in the region - cheaper than any airport hotel for a regular hotel room (twin/double en suite) and even less for shared baths etc. Good downtown location in Yaletown, with Chinatown and Gastown a few mins easy walk. Plus you save on the cost of transit tickets each day (up to $10 per person) by being in the heart of the action.

[cruisefan2012]

A huge thank you to the opening poster for this thread

 

I will be in Vancouver in May 2018 for a Star Princess cruise to Alaska and completely forgot to book a hotel for my 3 nights in Vancouver - Expedia says Vancouver is 55% booked for those dates

 

I looked on cruisetimetables and saw that there is a Holland America cruise leaving on the same date as mine on Saturday 5th May 2018 and realised that I should book a room somewhere quick

 

Decided on the stupidly expensive but amazing located Pan Pacific for a lot of reasons

 

Thank you once again RowRow

[cherrypop]

A huge thank you to the opening poster for this thread

 

I will be in Vancouver in May 2018 for a Star Princess cruise to Alaska and completely forgot to book a hotel for my 3 nights in Vancouver - Expedia says Vancouver is 55% booked for those dates

 

I looked on cruisetimetables and saw that there is a Holland America cruise leaving on the same date as mine on Saturday 5th May 2018 and realised that I should book a room somewhere quick

 

Decided on the stupidly expensive but amazing located Pan Pacific for a lot of reasons

 

Thank you once again RowRow

 

You won't be disappointed, its a great hotel and close to everything you will want to see.

[LoriPhil]

We have also booked the Pan Pacific for our May 2018 cruise on the Coral; love the hotel (though typically dine elsewhere a little less pricey) and location. We use the AAA-rate, which doesn't knock huge dollars off the price but we feel better when we get a little better price. In the past have watched Hotwire and lucked out, but after a few dodgy experiences with car rentals and airline books via travel sites like Hotwire or Travelocity, get a better comfort level with direct bookings.

[Colo Cruiser]

Try here too.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=39