Where to drop off luggage off in Vancouver Canada Place?

[Coral]

I feel silly asking this. I have cruised a ton out of Vancouver and did so most recently in May. I stayed at Pan Pacific for one night in May so they took care of my luggage. Most of the time, I have stayed at Pan Pacific before.

 

I am taking a shuttle from Whistler to Canada Place. They have told me they will drop me off at Fairmont Waterfront at around noon.

 

Where will I take my luggage to drop it off for a cruise?

 

Thanks!

Theresa

[disneyochem]

Don’t feel silly asking this!  We cruised three times out of Vancouver this summer and luggage drop off was in two different spots!  In June and July, we dropped luggage to the right—down the ramp through the garage.  Handed our luggage off and then took an elevator up.  This is where we’ve always dropped off luggage.

 

In August, they had signs and people directing us for luggage drop off to the left of Canada Place.  Wouldn’t even let us go down through the garage.  We got in a line that crossed another line of folks (person alternating which line went).  We dropped off our luggage in a large conference room and then went to check in.  Two ships in port that day—Koningsdam and the Majestic.  One luggage line and then it split inside the big conference room.

 

So, sorry, no answer really for you!  I will say that it was very clear where to go—both by signage and by staff.

[Coral]

Thanks @disneyochem  There will be 2 ships in port - Eurodam and Sapphire Princess. I guess it will be obvious.... I appreciate that.

 

I have never just been "dropped off at the pier". I have taken taxis before or stayed at Pan Pacific.

[dawnvip]

Last year, we took an Alaska cruise and rode skytrain to the Waterfront station.

 

We walked into the Pan Pacific and then took the elevator down to the "cruise terminal level" where cruise passengers start the process by handing off their bags. It is a huge time saver in Vancouver if your bags are tagged ahead of arrival!!

[Coral]

16 hours ago, dawnvip said:

Last year, we took an Alaska cruise and rode skytrain to the Waterfront station.

 

We walked into the Pan Pacific and then took the elevator down to the "cruise terminal level" where cruise passengers start the process by handing off their bags. It is a huge time saver in Vancouver if your bags are tagged ahead of arrival!!

Thanks.

 

When I was there in May. I stayed at Pan Pacific. They handled my luggage. I then went to the convention center to check in which is a different location than the bottom of the parking garage which is where I have had taxi's drop me off previously. Thus the confusion.

 

I will make sure my bags are tagged ahead of time.

[SCX22]

If arriving after 11:00 a.m. or after

Enter the Pan Pacific Hotel and take the Canada Place Convention Center elevators to Level CS, and luggage drop off will be there.  Level CS is below street level and if you don't take the elevator, you'll have to maneuver your luggage down a steep ramp.  

 

If arriving before 11:00 a.m.

Enter the Pan Pacific Hotel and take the Canada Place Convention Center elevators to Level P2, and luggage drop off will be here.  This is the parking garage and you'll have to walk to the other end of the garage.  After dropping off your luggage, you take the elevators nearest luggage drop off back up to Level CS.  Luggage drop off here starts at around 9:30 a.m. and stays open until check-in closes.

 

Last piece of advice is to pay attention to sign with the ship name in front of the luggage carts.  You don't want your luggage going to the wrong ship!

[SuzD123]

On 9/3/2023 at 11:58 PM, dawnvip said:

Last year, we took an Alaska cruise and rode skytrain to the Waterfront station.

 

We walked into the Pan Pacific and then took the elevator down to the "cruise terminal level" where cruise passengers start the process by handing off their bags. It is a huge time saver in Vancouver if your bags are tagged ahead of arrival!!

YAY...excited to see this.  Our TA just keeps reassuring me that everything will be perfectly fine.  We sail out of Vancouver on May 2024 for a 13-night cruisetour.  We fly in the day/night before and are staying at the Pan Pacific.  Short of the transportation from the airport to hotel (which we haven't even thought of yet)...THIS sounds like the easiest trip from hotel to port we have ever had.  Thank you!!

Edited September 6, 2023 by SuzD123

[Coral]

On 9/5/2023 at 2:49 AM, SCX22 said:

If arriving after 11:00 a.m. or after

Enter the Pan Pacific Hotel and take the Canada Place Convention Center elevators to Level CS, and luggage drop off will be there.  Level CS is below street level and if you don't take the elevator, you'll have to maneuver your luggage down a steep ramp.  

 

If arriving before 11:00 a.m.

Enter the Pan Pacific Hotel and take the Canada Place Convention Center elevators to Level P2, and luggage drop off will be here.  This is the parking garage and you'll have to walk to the other end of the garage.  After dropping off your luggage, you take the elevators nearest luggage drop off back up to Level CS.  Luggage drop off here starts at around 9:30 a.m. and stays open until check-in closes.

 

Last piece of advice is to pay attention to sign with the ship name in front of the luggage carts.  You don't want your luggage going to the wrong ship!

Thank you. My shuttle is dropping me off at noon.

[Coral]

On 9/6/2023 at 4:48 PM, SuzD123 said:

YAY...excited to see this.  Our TA just keeps reassuring me that everything will be perfectly fine.  We sail out of Vancouver on May 2024 for a 13-night cruisetour.  We fly in the day/night before and are staying at the Pan Pacific.  Short of the transportation from the airport to hotel (which we haven't even thought of yet)...THIS sounds like the easiest trip from hotel to port we have ever had.  Thank you!!

If you are staying at the Pan Pacific - when you check in, the bell captain will give you a card (ask for it if he doesn't say anything). For a nominal tip (I think it was $3-$5 per bag), he will pick up your bags in the room the morning of the cruise and transport them them to the ship for you. Make sure your bags are tagged. He did tell me to call the earlier the better. I called at 8 or 8:30.

[Coral]

On 9/5/2023 at 2:49 AM, SCX22 said:

If arriving after 11:00 a.m. or after

Enter the Pan Pacific Hotel and take the Canada Place Convention Center elevators to Level CS, and luggage drop off will be there.  Level CS is below street level and if you don't take the elevator, you'll have to maneuver your luggage down a steep ramp.  

 

Ok - so if I enter Pan Pacific, do I steer to the left towards the convention area? Do I actually enter the convention area (there were distinct doors). I was there in May and walked down there to check in. So I am familiar with the area. Just trying to think if the elevators were before the convention area or after.

 

I know if I go straight, it is the hotel elevators.

 

Thank you!!

[SCX22]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Ok - so if I enter Pan Pacific, do I steer to the left towards the convention area? Do I actually enter the convention area (there were distinct doors). I was there in May and walked down there to check in. So I am familiar with the area. Just trying to think if the elevators were before the convention area or after.

 

I know if I go straight, it is the hotel elevators.

 

Thank you!!

 

The Elevators will be on your right when walking into the complex from the street.  Find elevators with signs that say "Cruise Ships" and "Parking."  If you make it to the actual Convention Centre halls or the Pan Pacific, you've gone too far.

 

Happy travels!

Edited September 9, 2023 by SCX22

[Coral]

1 minute ago, SCX22 said:

 

The Elevators will be on your right when walking into the complex from the street.  Find elevators with signs that say "parking."  If you make it to the Convention Centre or the Pan Pacific, you've gone too far.

 

Happy travels!

Sorry - I read "enter the Pan Pacific hotel" and thought I was going through the front doors of the hotel.

 

I appreciate the help!

[PJ1254]

Cruising on RCI to Alaska in June & wish to enjoy the day in Vancouver, specifically the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. I was thinking I would drop bags at the port early (7:30am ish) & choose a later check-in time to avoid the crowds, but not sure what the best approach would be. 

 

Any seasoned Vancouver RCI cruisers with best suggestions on how best to unload bags & enjoy the day without missing departure!!?? Thank you in advance for your guidance.

Edited February 2 by PaulaPJ1254

[Ferry_Watcher]

If Vancouver is anything like Seattle, 7:30 AM would be too early to drop off luggage at the terminal.  Porters/Longshore would be busy with disembarking passengers.  You may be able to drop bags off after 9/9:30 AM.  

Of course if you were a guest at the Pan Pacific you could have the Bellman pick up your luggage at your room, but that service is just for hotel guests. 

[martincath]

4 hours ago, PaulaPJ1254 said:

... drop bags at the port early (7:30am ish) & choose a later check-in time to avoid the crowds, ...

Officially bag drop begins some time between 10 and 10:30am, depending how many pax are being offloaded. Earlier-than-that drops involve schlepping down to the lower parking levels and finding a longshoreman with a luggage cage for your ship - but even that is extremely unlikely to be available before ~9am, and I can only personally speak to having done it once at 9:30am (at which point there were literally just a handful of other bags in the cages).

 

If you can score a late check-out from your hotel, or simply ask them to hold your bags until later, then you can spend your morning doing the across-the-bridge-with-notorious-traffic-woes North Shore sites like Cap before heading back to your hotel for bags by noonish (even if you do all the stuff at Cap, 2 hours is plenty of time especially if you pay the $3 for transit so you are there when they open, rather than arriving on the first shuttle with the hordes).

 

Go to pier to drop bags then go for lunch and/or a short, very close bit of further sightseeing (e.g. walking Gastown for the Steamclock & cobbles, riding FlyOverCanada right at the pier, basically the sort of places that you can walk to the pier in minutes rather than risk having to cross a bridge back to town) and you can safely shave the margins very tightly.

[PJ1254]

@Martincath - when you say $3 transit to Cap...what are you referring to? I've only heard about the free shuttle from the Port to to Cap but that sounds as if that is when the large groups arrive.

 

Also I'd be willing to schlep down to the basement as I heard there is an elevator inside the Pan Pacific that will get me there directly (true??) - if they will actually take my bags and deliver them to our cabiin later. The alternative would be to pay a baggage storage company, I guess??

 

Our hotel is closer to the airport as we're arriving late the night before. 

 

Would you suggest we just request earliest check-in, drop the bags before that and then after check-in, head out to Cap? Is it worth the trip to Cap? I welcome any/all input on how best to best utilize my day in Vancouver before the RCI departure at 4pm. Thank you for your guidance. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

Just remember that even though the ship sails at 4pm, the terminal doors will close earlier, and once the gangway is pulled no one can get on or off the ship.

[SCX22]

3 hours ago, PaulaPJ1254 said:

Would you suggest we just request earliest check-in, drop the bags before that and then after check-in, head out to Cap? Is it worth the trip to Cap? I welcome any/all input on how best to best utilize my day in Vancouver before the RCI departure at 4pm. Thank you for your guidance. 

Once you check-in for your cruise, you’re prohibited from leaving the terminal.  This is because you will clear US Immigration in the terminal and once you’ve cleared those formalities, you’re considered to be on American soil.

 

I think dropping off bags at 9:30 am and heading to North Vancouver is cutting it very close.  You also have to worry about traffic crossing the Lion’s Gate Bridge.  In reality, all aboard will be between 2:00 and 2:30 pm.

If I were you, I would check out of my hotel later and check in late for the cruise , like 1:00 pm because the lines start to die down during this time, or drop off bags at 9:30am and stick to walking around downtown Vancouver, maybe grabbing lunch.  Honestly, those shuttles to Capilano are for passengers that are calling in Vancouver and have a later departure time like 8:00 pm or are disembarking with late flights.

 

If you’re set on going to Capilano, there’s an alternative.  Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge is free and opens at 7:00 am.  The experience is nearly identical as Capilano, but is further away by 20 minutes.  Rent a car from the airport and return it to a downtown location near the Canada Place.  If you’re on the road by 6:30 am, you’ll have no problems experiencing Lynn Canyon and making it to your cruise check-in on time.  This would entail you bringing all your luggage in your car.  If you do this, make sure to drop off your party at the Canada Place with the luggage and the person returning the car can walk back.

[PJ1254]

@SCX22 thank you so much for the insight. I guess we'll have to skip Capilano as I don't want to be rushed getting back to the ship and since I can't drop the luggage any earlier than 9:30, we'll just have to hang around town. 

 

Since you're such a wealth of knowledge on Vancouver, someone mentioned touring the "gardens". Not sure what this is referencing, but are they close by? Do you know if it is worth going to and time feasible if bags are dropped at 9:30am? What would you suggest with our limited time for those who have never been to Vancouver? Thank you!

[SCX22]

9 hours ago, PJ1254 said:

Since you're such a wealth of knowledge on Vancouver, someone mentioned touring the "gardens". Not sure what this is referencing, but are they close by? Do you know if it is worth going to and time feasible if bags are dropped at 9:30am? What would you suggest with our limited time for those who have never been to Vancouver? Thank you!

 

Maybe the person was referencing Stanley Park?  There are lots of gardens there and there's the famous totem poles.  It's quite a walk from the Canada Place and even if you got there, the park is quite large with the attractions spread apart.  Recommend renting a car or a bike to get around.

 

As has been mentioned before, Gastown, which has the famous steam clock, is next door to the Canada Place.  Robson Street and the surrounding area is the main shopping/eating throughfare and is a few blocks (depending on how deep you go in) from the Canada Place.  The Vancouver Art Gallery is in the Robson Street Area and houses pop, modern, native, and, depending on what's on loan, classical art.  Wouldn't recommend straying too far from these areas.

[martincath]

@PJ1254, I see that you tried to 'flag' me not long after my post, but it seems to have stayed plain text so I didn't get a notification!

 

No harm done, as most of what I'd have said was already covered by @SCX22 - I too feel like the value of Cap is poor for visitors, you guys subsidize us locals significantly (we literally pay what you do for one day to get an entire year of access!), and frankly it's a bit of a circus. Lynn Canyon is not only quieter, but IMO a superior experience due to the much more natural surroundings, actual park rangers in an informative little museum/eco-centre, and the cafe is IMO better and verifiably a lot cheaper than food at Cap! The only downside is the hassle of getting there without your own vehicle - transit is possible but lengthy with at least one transfer, on the day you embark it's not a risk I'd take unless you did the rental car thing or found somewhere to stash bags so you could get there nice & early.

 

As to transit to Cap, a regular Translink bus from downtown literally stops right outside - which is why I mentioned the $3 ride if you really want to go (it does have a couple of distinctions, being much longer and higher than the Lynn Canyon bridge, and maybe the various modern froo-froo bits actually entice you!) Bus 246 is the one you want - Google Map with directions from a nice, central intersection - for CAD$3.15pp, even less for seniors and kids.

 

If it's still something that entices - or doing Lynn by transit or Grouse Mountain or some other North Shore site - then with an airport hotel I'd say that the only way to improve your timing is to spend some money, and stash bags downtown at cost for the morning. The Bell desk at the Pan Pacific holds bags for non-guests and in theory operates 24/7; there are also various luggage storage options in other hotels and shops you can find via Google - bounce, luggage hero, several others operate - which have a more formal system with a hefty guarantee against loss for probably a saving (last time I checked, rates per bag went ~$6-10 vs. $10 at the PP). The official cruise storage at the pier is even pricier, starting at $13!

 

Depending how many people you have, how many bags need stored, a rental car might work out well financially compared to stashing a bunch of bags for a fee though if you already have good insurance through a credit card, use your phone for GPS etc. to avoid all the bells & whistles. Parking is cheap at Lynn, even cheaper at some other places out of town (with a car, going as far as Squamish would be low risk if you left early enough - so the gondola ride or Britannia Mining Museum might be enticing), and while the cost in Stanley Park is higher a car is actually a pretty efficient way to quickly hit some highlights, as parking rate includes ALL locations so you can stop at Totems, drive on to Prospect Point, then round to the Beaches, the Rose Garden etc. in short hops and the cost is the same for one person or if there's a bum on every seat of the car.

 

Best thing(s) to do though? That's too dependent on your personal tastes for me to say - if you've never been here the temptation is of course to ask about Must Sees, but with just the morning you can't possibly do more than a tiny amount, so far better to try and figure out what's the best bang for YOUR bucks. Tripadvisor's great for popular site comparisons, a solid idea of what Joe Q Public thinks is 'best' comes from just reading the top ten rankings. Get everyone in your group to look separately, choose their personal top three things, compare lists, and see how close to being on the same page you all are about which things are best for you. Personally I don't even think Cap is a must-see at all, others rave about it because they get more from the experience of being on the highest/longest bridge, looking down through the glass floor of the cliffwalk etc. whereas for me woodlands should be more about the 'forest bathing' quiet ambience and a really narrow canyon with frothing white water is more attractive than a wide-but-boring one, so Lynn checks my boxes much better.

 

And definitely be back in town by lunch if you do decide to roam further in the morning. You really want toi be walking into the pier at 2pm for your planned 4pm leaving - CBP take the pre-screening just as seriously as any other border crossing, and the passenger manifest has to be locked down and transmitted IIRC at least 90minutes before the ship leaves! If it's a busy day with some other ships leaving later, there may still be a bit of queueing even at 2pm unfortunately - but far less than there would have been earlier...

 

[1nolaguy]

Suzd123, I'm not sure if you are still following this but please clarify your advice above.  You noted " skytrain exit waterfront station enter Pan Pacific", I google-mapped this and it appears about 5-6 blocks from WFS and PP. At 73 and dragging my wife and 4 bags that is quite a hall. Am I doing this correctly? Dropping bags in PP at CS sounds perfect but we are at YRV the night before sailing.

[martincath]

18 hours ago, 1nolaguy said:

Suzd123, I'm not sure if you are still following this but please clarify your advice above.  You noted " skytrain exit waterfront station enter Pan Pacific", I google-mapped this and it appears about 5-6 blocks from WFS and PP. At 73 and dragging my wife and 4 bags that is quite a hall. Am I doing this correctly? Dropping bags in PP at CS sounds perfect but we are at YRV the night before sailing.

Welcome to posting! Note that if you want to 'ping' someone, you need to type the @ symbol - once you do that, a little popup should appear with a list of names that gets smaller as you type each letter of their handle - and when you see the name you want, click it and you should see their name formatted in a blue bubble (example - I have addressed this post directly to you @1nolaguy so your name appears in a blue bubble, confirming I selected it correctly)

 

If you are comfortable moving yourselves and all your bags at least 400 yards without using a porter or an airport trolley, SkyTrain should work for you. If not, take a cab - they're much pricer for two people but are at least fixed rate and significantly cheaper than cruise transfers! $41 is the current rate to the pier from YVR, or vice versa (in CAD, so tip as you would at home for a cab but expect total cost to be about 75% of equivalent USD).

 

SkyTrain does have multiple exit points - coming in from YVR it's best to board the back of the train, which means when you walk off you should see signs pointing you up to Granville Street conveniently close. There's an elevator right up to street level - and from here, it's DOWNhill to the pier! Not steep, but every little helps! Map from that specific entrance to the pier here. Check out Google's Streetview too, it makes it easier to follow a route if you have already virtually 'walked' it! If you're heading downhill, and can see mountains and water ahead of you, you're almost certainly going the right way!

 

If you're feeling good about roling those bags along, you can even walk down a ramp (same one the cars use, very obvious, but with a proper separated sidewalk) directly to the parking level. While it appears this year there's a new system enabling you to drop bags at street level just inside the convention hall, if you arrive early (<10am) you will almost certainly still have to go down to P2 to drop bags so the ramp is a handy shortcut.

[SuzD123]

21 hours ago, 1nolaguy said:

Suzd123, I'm not sure if you are still following this but please clarify your advice above.  You noted " skytrain exit waterfront station enter Pan Pacific", I google-mapped this and it appears about 5-6 blocks from WFS and PP. At 73 and dragging my wife and 4 bags that is quite a hall. Am I doing this correctly? Dropping bags in PP at CS sounds perfect but we are at YRV the night before sailing.

I am so confused.  Yes @1nolaguy, I am still following but I didn't provide the advise attributed to me...at least I don't think I did.  😕  I am scrolling back through to see who did.  We are sailing out of Vancouver for the first time in less than 2 weeks and staying at Pan Pacific.  So we are relying on others' advice.

Edited May 6 by SuzD123

[1nolaguy]

Thanks @SuzD123 and @martincath ( hope I got that correct) for getting back to Mr. As an update, and for general info for others, on 5/5/24 we opted to take Lyft from our hotel near the airport (YVR) to the Canada place. The driver took us directly to P2 at baggage unload. The rate was $23.50CAD. In my opinion the few dollar difference vs skytrain and not having to drag 120+ pounds of luggage back to the airport, around Skytrain, to Canada Place and then down the various ramps to level P2 is a no Brainerd. On a separate note, this was also our first cruise out of Vancouver. While it was long, as in distance covered, HAL did a great job directing us and keeping us moving. With two ships loading at the same time , from arrival to on board was about 30 minutes.