HELP!!! Cruise Parking in Vancouver, BC

[CruisinMissMolly]

Hello!

We are taking an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver, BC in September. Sadly, there is no parking available at Canada Place. We are driving in from Oregon and I have NO idea where we can park or where to go from here.  Any help/suggestions would be wonderful. 

Thank you so much for your help!!!

Edited August 4, 2023 by CruisinMissMolly

[Coral]

You can look at the airport and then take Skytrain (or cab) to downtown area.

 

If you are driving in the day before, you may want to stay at an airport hotel and see if they have parking also.

Edited August 4, 2023 by Coral

[Coquitlam Cruiser]

As  Coral suggested use the Templeton Long Term lot @ YVR.   You can book in advance (cheaper) and the Canada Line stops at this lot and provides direct access to Waterfront Station which is literally adjacent to Canada Place. Travel time is approximately 30 minutes and ample room for luggage.  Upon arrival at Waterfront Station look for the elevator beside the escalator to take you to street level.  Also there is an elevator inside the entrance to the Pan Pacific Hotel on your right which takes you to the parking garage / baggage drop.  Have done this many times and it is very convenient and stress free. 

 

 

[CruisinMissMolly]

4 hours ago, Coral said:

You can look at the airport and then take Skytrain (or cab) to downtown area.

 

If you are driving in the day before, you may want to stay at an airport hotel and see if they have parking also.

Thank you so much!

[CruisinMissMolly]

22 minutes ago, Coquitlam Cruiser said:

As  Coral suggested use the Templeton Long Term lot @ YVR.   You can book in advance (cheaper) and the Canada Line stops at this lot and provides direct access to Waterfront Station which is literally adjacent to Canada Place. Travel time is approximately 30 minutes and ample room for luggage.  Upon arrival at Waterfront Station look for the elevator beside the escalator to take you to street level.  Also there is an elevator inside the entrance to the Pan Pacific Hotel on your right which takes you to the parking garage / baggage drop.  Have done this many times and it is very convenient and stress free. 

 

 

Thank you.  What is the Canada Line?  

[cruisingrob21]

1 hour ago, CruisinMissMolly said:

Thank you.  What is the Canada Line?  

Vancouver's rapid transit system.  It's efficient, reasonably clean, and safe.  I use it every time I take a cruise from Vancouver.

 

As a fellow Oregonian, I'm wondering if you are driving to canada the day before your departure and spending a night at a hotel?

[CruisinMissMolly]

This is the first time we've done this, so I'm not sure what to do.  Should we go the day before and spend the night? 

[sherryillk]

We're also Oregonians driving in for a September Alaskan cruise and the working plan is to drive up the day of the cruise, park at the long term airport parking lot and take the Canada line to the waterfront. We have three drivers so we can take 2-3 hour shifts. 

[CruisinMissMolly]

That is a great idea, Sherry!  Did you have to reserve parking at the airport? 

[sherryillk]

 

Just now, CruisinMissMolly said:

That is a great idea, Sherry!  Did you have to reserve parking at the airport? 

 

It seems like we'll get a discount if we reserve early. It ends up being about $100 USD to park there for the length of our cruise which isn't so bad. Plus, the Skytrain is right across the street from the lot and you can just tap your credit card for it so unless you have a ton of luggage, it should pretty easy plus cheaper and faster than a cab/Uber. 

[cruisingrob21]

1 hour ago, CruisinMissMolly said:

This is the first time we've done this, so I'm not sure what to do.  Should we go the day before and spend the night? 

We've thought about it (we usually do RT Seattle voyages, actually leaving on Sunday for one), but my concern is the border crossing can sometimes be very bad.  So we'd have to leave at like 5am to get to the border around 1130 or so.  We've also thought about driving up the night before and getting a hotel, or taking Amtrak Cascades from Portland and spending the night in vancouver.  The train leaves around 3pm and arrives around 11pm.

[sherryillk]

5 minutes ago, cruisingrob21 said:

We've thought about it (we usually do RT Seattle voyages, actually leaving on Sunday for one), but my concern is the border crossing can sometimes be very bad.  So we'd have to leave at like 5am to get to the border around 1130 or so.  We've also thought about driving up the night before and getting a hotel, or taking Amtrak Cascades from Portland and spending the night in vancouver.  The train leaves around 3pm and arrives around 11pm.

I'm slightly concerned about the border crossing too, especially since it'll be on a Saturday and we'll be mixed in with all those people from Seattle popping up for the weekend. The last time we went on a Saturday was pre-pandemic and we spent about an hour at the border. We went last year but on a weekday and they were still requiring ArriveCAN so it was practically no wait at all at the border. I figure we'll just leave super early and if we end up with extra time, we can do breakfast in Richmond. 

[cruisingrob21]

14 minutes ago, sherryillk said:

I'm slightly concerned about the border crossing too, especially since it'll be on a Saturday and we'll be mixed in with all those people from Seattle popping up for the weekend. The last time we went on a Saturday was pre-pandemic and we spent about an hour at the border. We went last year but on a weekday and they were still requiring ArriveCAN so it was practically no wait at all at the border. I figure we'll just leave super early and if we end up with extra time, we can do breakfast in Richmond. 

It's a good idea.

 

Make sure you check the WSDOT travel apps to see if one crossing is shorter than another, there are 3 that are convenient for your route.  

 

https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/border-crossings

 

 

[Meander Ingwa]

The OP does not mention what  day of the week she is expecting to drive up on.  If a weekday I would totally plan to go a day ahead of time.  Traffic from just south of Olympia up through Everett can potentially be very heavy and slow on a workday.  Leaving at 5am put you in the heart of rush hour traffic on a weekday.  On a weekend, particularly SUnday I would plan on getting on the road and trying to be north of Olympia before noon.  On any day of the week, I hate this drive and overall I love to drive.

 

For sure an airport parking lot and the train into town.  $100 is an outstanding rate.  The parking garage I use at my airport is consistently filled and I always reserve weeks in advance.  People are really traveling a lot now.

 

I find that google maps with the  traffic feature turned on is much better than the WSDOT app.  Sadly they changed the app last year and it is much less user friendly or nimble.  I can see traffic and accidents in an instant without a lot of fuss on my google maps

[CruisinMissMolly]

42 minutes ago, cruisingrob21 said:

We've thought about it (we usually do RT Seattle voyages, actually leaving on Sunday for one), but my concern is the border crossing can sometimes be very bad.  So we'd have to leave at like 5am to get to the border around 1130 or so.  We've also thought about driving up the night before and getting a hotel, or taking Amtrak Cascades from Portland and spending the night in vancouver.  The train leaves around 3pm and arrives around 11pm.

That's a good idea!  This just seems like a lot.  I wish there was ample parking by the port. Ugh!

[CruisinMissMolly]

3 minutes ago, Meander Ingwa said:

The OP does not mention what  day of the week she is expecting to drive up on.  If a weekday I would totally plan to go a day ahead of time.  Traffic from just south of Olympia up through Everett can potentially be very heavy and slow on a workday.  Leaving at 5am put you in the heart of rush hour traffic on a weekday.  On a weekend, particularly SUnday I would plan on getting on the road and trying to be north of Olympia before noon.  On any day of the week, I hate this drive and overall I love to drive.

 

For sure an airport parking lot and the train into town.  $100 is an outstanding rate.  The parking garage I use at my airport is consistently filled and I always reserve weeks in advance.  People are really traveling a lot now.

 

I find that google maps with the  traffic feature turned on is much better than the WSDOT app.  Sadly they changed the app last year and it is much less user friendly or nimble.  I can see traffic and accidents in an instant without a lot of fuss on my google maps

We are driving in on a Friday.  Thank you for letting me know about traffic.

[CruisinMissMolly]

1 hour ago, sherryillk said:

 

 

It seems like we'll get a discount if we reserve early. It ends up being about $100 USD to park there for the length of our cruise which isn't so bad. Plus, the Skytrain is right across the street from the lot and you can just tap your credit card for it so unless you have a ton of luggage, it should pretty easy plus cheaper and faster than a cab/Uber. 

Could you please post a link and/or give information on how I can make a reservation?

[sherryillk]

7 minutes ago, CruisinMissMolly said:

Could you please post a link and/or give information on how I can make a reservation?

This is the site I was looking at: https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr

 

Just input the dates and it'll give you a quote in CAD and you can reserve your spot in the lot of your choice. 

[Meander Ingwa]

11 minutes ago, CruisinMissMolly said:

We are driving in on a Friday.  Thank you for letting me know about traffic.

Friday is called "Friday Lite" around the traffic circles here in Seattle Metro.  But personally I would drive up a day early.  I just dont think the stress factor is worth it.  drive time, border time, park and transit in from the airport.  A hotel room sooths that stress away

[Coral]

The other option is to see if the cruise line offers transfers from Seattle (check times that you would need to have flown in by).

 

Then, you just need to get yourself to the Seattle airport (park there) and then take a cruise transfer to Vancouver.

 

Either way - I would spend the night the night before in either Vancouver or Seattle. Why stress yourself out right before a trip?

[Coquitlam Cruiser]

8 hours ago, CruisinMissMolly said:

Thank you.  What is the Canada Line?  

Canada Line aka SkyTrain is Metro Vancouver’s rapid transit system 

[martincath]

I'm a bit late to the party here @CruisinMissMolly but I'll add a couple of tidbits and reinforce some of the already-mentioned opinions!

 

First - yes, coming up the day before is wise. Border fluctuations this year have been wild - 2023 may in theory be 'normal' for travel, with numbers up of flyers and drivers, hotel bookings etc. etc. but there is a distinct lack of consistency. This year has been a mess - with NEXUS we have still sailed past the border queues, but unless ALL of you in the car have that you can't use those lanes so your border crossing time is really variable, and CBP/CBSA staffing still seems to be problematic as until the traveler patterns stabilize they can't staff up booths very accurately, so Really Long Waits/Almost No Wait seem to be happening much more often, with the former often down to the fact that half the booths are closed (i.e. border agencies did not expect this many cars at this time).

 

Depending exactly where in Oregon you're coming from therefore how many hours on paper that drive is, how many potential drivers are in the car, whether you have friends/family who would be happy to e.g. drop you off/pick you up again in Portland, you may find that the train or a coach may end up cheaper than even long-term airport parking plus gas - you'll have to do the math on that yourself! But assuming that driving does remain your preferred option... 

 

Parking at Templeton is great value, but the SkyTrain inbound is not so much for a group - on a Friday you'd be looking at ~US$7pp inbound, compared to a per-cab price of ~$US29, as there's an extra CAD$5pp fee for all travelers leaving Sea Island where YVR lives. You can however ride for free all over Sea Island - there's a big mall as well as the airport and parking - so you can take SkyTrain to the airport (only one stop, so even if standing room only not much of a hassle) if you want to hop into the fixed price cabs.

 

There's also the issue that this station isn't the end of the line, so getting a seat for everyone may not happen depending how many folks fill up the train at YVR station, and you'll have far less time to get organized as station stops are short. Unless the train is mostly empty, I'd suggest actually riding it backwards even if you want to take it all the way downtown - go to YVR station, where everyone onboard will get off and it will sit for a few minutes which gives you plenty time to secure seats together and slide your big suitcases underneath them. Waterfront is the other terminus, so again everyone piles off and you can take a bit more time getting organized.

 

The other thing to consider is driving right to the pier to drop off all the bags and most of the people - no fee to enter just for a drop-off, in theory now only the driver needs to pay to get back to the pier from YVR parking so the cost drops, so it just comes down to the value of your time and hassle factor... even on the Canada Line, which does have plenty of room under seats for bags, it's easier to travel unencumbered! Ballpark a half hour drive into town, the same out again, for an hour round trip if you avoid rush hour commuter traffic - but only a single ~$7 train ticket for the driver compared to one for each party member.

 

Whether you do this or not, when heading back out to the airport after the cruise everyone can pile onto the train - no AddFare going this direction so approx. $3pp! - and get off at Templeton if you're driving straight home after the cruise.

 

For minimum possible hotel price, I'd compare Bellingham area hotels with suburban metro Vancouver (Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby) to see who's doing the best pricing - chances are you are too late to score room(s) in the YWCA Hotel downtown here, generally the best value option in the region especially if you arrive early enough to do some sightseeing. But you might get lucky, it's worth checking to see if they have availability - the family rooms (5 single beds) are unique downtown, and if you're adults+kids or even two couples traveling, a pair of 'Jack & Jill' rooms sharing one bathroom between them are cheaper than the full en suites but a bit pricier than the 'shared bathrooms along the corridor' rooms. It is a real hotel, not a hostel, and one of the shiniest (new wing only opened ~2 years, old wing renovated this very year) as well as cheapest, and unlike any other bargains you get full mod cons like AC and elevators!

 

But with a car needing parked, the 'park & stay' specials at a handful of hotels mostly near the airport might be just what you want - local chain Accent Inns used to offer a 'park & cruise' package at both their airport and Burnaby locations, with included shuttle to the port and a week of parking in the rates, and they don't often show up on big booking sites. I'd actually go old-school and call them to ask about the available packages - a local 'milk run' shuttle runs about $18pp to take you from airport area hotels to the pier, but unless you're a solo a cab is going to be better value and more flexible in timing, and while you would need to use the hotel shuttle to get back to YVR if you want a fixed-price cab those only operate inbound, so from the pier all fares are metered and you may as well go directly to the hotel.

[CruisinMissMolly]

4 hours ago, martincath said:

I'm a bit late to the party here @CruisinMissMolly but I'll add a couple of tidbits and reinforce some of the already-mentioned opinions!

 

First - yes, coming up the day before is wise. Border fluctuations this year have been wild - 2023 may in theory be 'normal' for travel, with numbers up of flyers and drivers, hotel bookings etc. etc. but there is a distinct lack of consistency. This year has been a mess - with NEXUS we have still sailed past the border queues, but unless ALL of you in the car have that you can't use those lanes so your border crossing time is really variable, and CBP/CBSA staffing still seems to be problematic as until the traveler patterns stabilize they can't staff up booths very accurately, so Really Long Waits/Almost No Wait seem to be happening much more often, with the former often down to the fact that half the booths are closed (i.e. border agencies did not expect this many cars at this time).

 

Depending exactly where in Oregon you're coming from therefore how many hours on paper that drive is, how many potential drivers are in the car, whether you have friends/family who would be happy to e.g. drop you off/pick you up again in Portland, you may find that the train or a coach may end up cheaper than even long-term airport parking plus gas - you'll have to do the math on that yourself! But assuming that driving does remain your preferred option... 

 

Parking at Templeton is great value, but the SkyTrain inbound is not so much for a group - on a Friday you'd be looking at ~US$7pp inbound, compared to a per-cab price of ~$US29, as there's an extra CAD$5pp fee for all travelers leaving Sea Island where YVR lives. You can however ride for free all over Sea Island - there's a big mall as well as the airport and parking - so you can take SkyTrain to the airport (only one stop, so even if standing room only not much of a hassle) if you want to hop into the fixed price cabs.

 

There's also the issue that this station isn't the end of the line, so getting a seat for everyone may not happen depending how many folks fill up the train at YVR station, and you'll have far less time to get organized as station stops are short. Unless the train is mostly empty, I'd suggest actually riding it backwards even if you want to take it all the way downtown - go to YVR station, where everyone onboard will get off and it will sit for a few minutes which gives you plenty time to secure seats together and slide your big suitcases underneath them. Waterfront is the other terminus, so again everyone piles off and you can take a bit more time getting organized.

 

The other thing to consider is driving right to the pier to drop off all the bags and most of the people - no fee to enter just for a drop-off, in theory now only the driver needs to pay to get back to the pier from YVR parking so the cost drops, so it just comes down to the value of your time and hassle factor... even on the Canada Line, which does have plenty of room under seats for bags, it's easier to travel unencumbered! Ballpark a half hour drive into town, the same out again, for an hour round trip if you avoid rush hour commuter traffic - but only a single ~$7 train ticket for the driver compared to one for each party member.

 

Whether you do this or not, when heading back out to the airport after the cruise everyone can pile onto the train - no AddFare going this direction so approx. $3pp! - and get off at Templeton if you're driving straight home after the cruise.

 

For minimum possible hotel price, I'd compare Bellingham area hotels with suburban metro Vancouver (Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby) to see who's doing the best pricing - chances are you are too late to score room(s) in the YWCA Hotel downtown here, generally the best value option in the region especially if you arrive early enough to do some sightseeing. But you might get lucky, it's worth checking to see if they have availability - the family rooms (5 single beds) are unique downtown, and if you're adults+kids or even two couples traveling, a pair of 'Jack & Jill' rooms sharing one bathroom between them are cheaper than the full en suites but a bit pricier than the 'shared bathrooms along the corridor' rooms. It is a real hotel, not a hostel, and one of the shiniest (new wing only opened ~2 years, old wing renovated this very year) as well as cheapest, and unlike any other bargains you get full mod cons like AC and elevators!

 

But with a car needing parked, the 'park & stay' specials at a handful of hotels mostly near the airport might be just what you want - local chain Accent Inns used to offer a 'park & cruise' package at both their airport and Burnaby locations, with included shuttle to the port and a week of parking in the rates, and they don't often show up on big booking sites. I'd actually go old-school and call them to ask about the available packages - a local 'milk run' shuttle runs about $18pp to take you from airport area hotels to the pier, but unless you're a solo a cab is going to be better value and more flexible in timing, and while you would need to use the hotel shuttle to get back to YVR if you want a fixed-price cab those only operate inbound, so from the pier all fares are metered and you may as well go directly to the hotel.

Wow! Wow! Wow!  Thank you SO much for the wealth of information!!!  I am truly grateful for your time and help.  🙂

[obi_guacamole]

For anyone else who stumbles upon this thread like I did.

 

We couldn't get a reservation for Canada Place parking and my wife didn't want to risk the lot being full on the day of our cruise. I had to find a less risky solution. And $55 a day is a bit steep honestly.

 

I got a "park & stay" deal with Accent Inn Vancouver Airport (which is actually in Richmond). The Burnaby location didn't have the program when I called the Accent Inn 800 number. but they still had it for the Richmond location. They shuttle to and from the Sky Train station in the airport. 

We'll see how it goes in a couple weeks.

[em-sk]

5 hours ago, obi_guacamole said:

For anyone else who stumbles upon this thread like I did.

 

We couldn't get a reservation for Canada Place parking and my wife didn't want to risk the lot being full on the day of our cruise. I had to find a less risky solution. And $55 a day is a bit steep honestly.

 

I got a "park & stay" deal with Accent Inn Vancouver Airport (which is actually in Richmond). The Burnaby location didn't have the program when I called the Accent Inn 800 number. but they still had it for the Richmond location. They shuttle to and from the Sky Train station in the airport. 

We'll see how it goes in a couple weeks.

 

There is a surcharge on skytrain when departing any of the airport stations (Templeton, Sea Island or YVR Stations).   If you ask the shuttle driver to drop you off at any of the stations in Richmond your will save about $5 per person. Bridgeport station would be my pick.

 

There is no surcharge going to the airport.