Car Rental after Vancouver Cruise

[jjt]

I will be renting a car after our cruise returns to Vancouver to spend time there afterwards. I have a choice between picking up the rental car in North Vancouver or at YVR airport. What would be easier to get to after the cruise? Thanks!

 

[Meander Ingwa]

Are you ending your visit by flying out from the airport?  If so, get your car there.  Return will be easier and then they will shuttle you to departures.

[jjt]

No, I'm actually returning the car in Seattle. So really it's just a matter of which location is quicker and easier to get to.

[Imma on a boat]

I’m doing the same thing and will take the Sky Train to pick up the car at the airport. 

[lobsternight]

The Avis/budget in North Vancouveris easy enough, though a bit of a stroll.  I see cruise passengers doing it all the time.  Depart the terminal and go towards the Seabus (Waterfront) Station  believe there is an elevator from Canada Place to the station if you wish. You will use the walkway over the train tracks to the Seabus. Should take you 5 minutes, also elevators at seabus if you need them.  Once across to North Vancouver exit the seabus station and go left, half a block away the road turns right, becomes  chesterfield Ave.  1 minute walk up a small hill to Esplanade, turn right.  There is a IGA supermarket, just past that at the entrance to the Shoppers Drug Mart is an elevator up one floor  there it is

[jjt]

Thanks for the great advice and detailed information. Both sound very doable so I will probably use the airport location since the rental is cheaper from there.

[tj_shopper]

On 7/30/2023 at 2:36 PM, Imma on a boat said:

I’m doing the same thing and will take the Sky Train to pick up the car at the airport. 

How far is the Sky Train from the cruise port?  We will have luggage to be lugging around with us to get to the car rental at the airport.  Thanks.

[WisRiver]

What car rental company are you using that allows you to pick up the car in Vancouver and drop in Seattle?  So far I have checked with Hertz and Enterprise, and they say I cannot drop in Seattle from Vancouver.

 

[martincath]

On 8/26/2023 at 10:00 AM, tj_shopper said:

How far is the Sky Train from the cruise port?  We will have luggage to be lugging around with us to get to the car rental at the airport.  Thanks.

Google Map - it's very likely less distance than you already walk from your cabin to the curb! NB: do not go down the tempting entrance right on Howe just outside the pier - wrong platform, wrong line, and while you can walk around inside it involves multiple elevation changes (major hassle if you can roll bags, but not humph them upstairs, as very few elevators!) and more walking distance than just sticking to the street route listed!!!)  Follow it along in Streetview to see the landmarks, but it's ridiculously easy with just a Plan English summary of: 'turn left outside pier, follow sidewalk around curve and street becomes Howe, turn left on Cordova and walk downhill until you see a huge brick building with many pillars - go inside, head down to Canada Line platform, and tap a credit card on the gates to allow access and egress at the other end'

 

Only remotely tricky part is the Y shaped train line - every second train goes to YVR, the others go to Not Where You Want To Be, but the train itself and all the signs makes it super clear where each is going, and then verbal warnings happen aboard so you can get off at any station up to Bridgeport and simply wait for the next train if you somehow manage to get on the wrong one...

[martincath]

3 minutes ago, WisRiver said:

What car rental company are you using that allows you to pick up the car in Vancouver and drop in Seattle?  So far I have checked with Hertz and Enterprise, and they say I cannot drop in Seattle from Vancouver.

 

Shop with Kayak - or even better if you are a member, Costco - and compare not just multiple companies but multiple offices at the same time! Not every franchise is happy for one-way cross-border rentals; back in TheBeforeTimes you could reliably find downtown branches that would let you do it, but these days with folks still struggling to replenish car fleets you might have to pay the airport surcharges to find a one-way.

 

Flexible in timing, or have booked a refundable train or bus so you can wait until last minute? Try the sometimes-FREE car repo services! For example Transfer Car hooks up folks who want to go X to Y with companies who need their vehicles repositioned - and close-but-over-a-border pairs like Van-Sea, Toronto-Buffalo, Montreal-Albany might save a fortune compared to the cost to a rental franchise of loading them on trucks so they're happy to give you a steal of a deal...

[Imma on a boat]

About a 5 minute walk from Waterfront station to Canada Place cruise terminal. 
 Easy enough with luggage and back pack. Just did it today(Sunday). Plenty of others seen doing the same. 
We reserved a car from Avis for travel from YVR to Seattle 1 way. A little pricey but flight was still cheaper out of Seattle and affords us a day to sight see there too.