ALASKA OUT OF VANCOVER

[a.madruga]

WHAT IS BEST FOR AIRFARE AND HOTEL? USE HOLLAND OR ON MY OWN? THANKS TO ALL

[CruiserBruce]

Please don't write in all caps. It is considered yelling, and against Cruise Critic rules.

 

The only way to know about airfares is to do the research...compare what you can buy on your own, and what the cruise line offers. There is no one absolute better option.

[a.madruga]

Sorry and thank you

[Susanmaz]

As for airfare, it depends on where you’re coming from and returning to… we fly from the west coast, so our options are different from flying from east coast. We like to stay down by Canada Place and spend a day or two exploring. If you don’t plan to come in until the day before, it may be better to stay by the airport and shuttle down to the pier. 

[lyndarra]

9 minutes ago, a.madruga said:

Sorry and thank you

I wouldn't be sorry. I sometimes accidently hit Caps Lock, so, should I delete and re-type everything? Nope. I read your post and my hearing is still fine. Some people are just a bit.....Hmm. Better not to say it.

[a.madruga]

Yes

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

Please don't write in all caps. It is considered yelling, and against Cruise Critic rules.

 

The only way to know about airfares is to do the research...compare what you can buy on your own, and what the cruise line offers. There is no one absolute better option.

 

[Blackduck59]

Probably the most convenient hotel for cruising out of Vancouver is the Pan Pacific, literally right next door to the cruise terminal. There is of course I price to be paid for this convenience, We haven't stayed there in years but it is not inexpensive.

[Kc52]

I would suggest enquiring about the Flight Ease fares from Holland America and do your own search for flights as well. We do this when we fly and have had luck in finding the best route, airline, timing and cost - sometimes HAL and other times not. In terms of hotels, there are several in downtown Vancouver near the port. The Pan Pacific is expensive but this is exactly where the port is (they are joined). There are many hotels within a few miles of the port which would be less costly. If you arrive early before your cruise and want to explore, staying in the downtown would be best to connect with busses, LRT skytrain transit etc. 

[a.madruga]

Thanks 

[a.madruga]

19 minutes ago, Susanmaz said:

As for airfare, it depends on where you’re coming from and returning to… we fly from the west coast, so our options are different from flying from east coast. We like to stay down by Canada Place and spend a day or two exploring. If you don’t plan to come in until the day before, it may be better to stay by the airport and shuttle down to the pier. 

Sounds good 

 

[Puchi boy]

From YVR, you can take The Canada Line (light rail) to downtown and get off at West Georgia Metro Station. A 10 minute walk is the Fairmont Downtown, a great old hotel with lots of restaurants nearby. The next day, you can take a relaxing 20 minute walk downhill to the cruise pier.

[RD64]

Vancouver hotels are not inexpensive at the best of times - during the summer cruise season, the prices are astronomical - although I have seen some people “claim” that they have stayed at the Pan Pacific for $300 in August- the true cost will be much higher. You are paying for the location which can’t be beat.  The Fairmont on Burrard - less than ten minutes (walking) up the street is equally expensive. There are also those on various boards that have “claimed” to pay $200 for a hotel in Vancouver. 

 

I would recommend the Sheraton Wall Centre - also on Burrard - just a little further north of the Fairmont. If you are fairly mobile it is a 10-15 minute walk to Canada Place and very central to the main shopping streets of Robson and Alberti, and an amazing Thai restaurant - Sahla Thai. Not cheap, but more reasonable than the Pan Pacific or Fairmont.

 

Again, if you are fairly mobile, on the morning of your departure, you can easily make the walk down to Canada Place to literally - watch your ship come in .

 

 

[RD64]

52 minutes ago, Puchi boy said:

From YVR, you can take The Canada Line (light rail) to downtown and get off at West Georgia Metro Station. A 10 minute walk is the Fairmont Downtown, a great old hotel with lots of restaurants nearby. The next day, you can take a relaxing 20 minute walk downhill to the cruise pier.

Agree with everything. My time estimate may be less as I have very long legs.

[tupper10]

Purchasing the hotel through HAL charges you almost double what you can do on your own since the rate is per person not per room.  I suggest you book the hotel on your own.  Also note that taxi fare is regulated from the airport to the hotel/cruise port so it is generally cheaper than an uber.  You need to fly in at least one to two days before your cruise leaves given what is going on with delayed canceled flights. We stayed downtown, not by the port since we wanted to walk to see the sites, and have loads of restaurants nearby.  I suggest you do a web search on one of the larger sites to see what is still available and the cost and then book through the hotel's site which is generally cheaper.  We always book a refundable rate. For airfare we did use flight ease.  We had no issues with flightease at all - we got our seats right away and when we paid final payment we asked for our airline tickets to be issued to us which HAL did.  Good luck and have fun.  Vancouver is a great city.  

[vicd1969]

Have you looked at doing a southbound cruise from Whittier to Vancouver instead? In addition to lower priced hotels the days before the cruise, you won’t have to endure the loooong wait for US customs and immigration on embarkation.

[Thetideishigh2021]

As a Vancouverite May I suggest a boutique hotel downtown,  the Wedgewood Hotel is in a great location with a nice lounge and restaurant,  Chain hotels are great but a Hyatt is a Hyatt etc.  if you are American you’ll be saving  roughly 30% due the exchange rate from the moment you get off the plane so enjoy your stay!

 

[Susanmaz]

We used our credit card reward points for our night at the Pan Pacific in May. It cost us nothing to stay, just tips to the bell staff to get our luggage to our room and to the pier the next morning. There is a food court and a Rexall drugstore across the street. It was a $40 USD cab ride to the hotel. Best free hotel room we’ve ever had.

[jsn55]

7 hours ago, a.madruga said:

WHAT IS BEST FOR AIRFARE AND HOTEL? USE HOLLAND OR ON MY OWN? THANKS TO ALL

I always book air and hotels directly because I don't want a 'middle-man' involved, I want to pick my own flights, I often use points to book hotels.  But sometimes booking through the cruiseline is much better price-wise.  Only way to tell is to do your research and find the best deals that work for you.  Then compare to what the cruiseline can offer you.

[Crew News]

Holland America offers Embarkation Day and Disembarkation Day bus service from/to the Seattle airport for $79/each way.  Flights through Seattle with hotels having free airport shuttles are very much cheaper than Vancouver.

[lyndarra]

We did the HAL Alaska cruise out of Vancouver last June. We  returned to Anchorage on the train which was great. However. We had one night booked at the Ramada Hotel in Anchorage before flying back to Vancouver. It was very handy to the station and city but it would be close to the worst, correction, the worst hotel I have ever spent a night in in the USA. I later read reviews of it on Trip  Advisor and many more pax had a worse experince tahn we did.

We found the Hotel Belmont in Vancouver was nice. Also, Best Western near the airport was good too.

[lyndarra]

59 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

We did the HAL Alaska cruise out of Vancouver last June. We  returned to Anchorage on the train which was great. However. We had one night booked at the Ramada Hotel in Anchorage before flying back to Vancouver. It was very handy to the station and city but it would be close to the worst, correction, the worst hotel I have ever spent a night in in the USA. I later read reviews of it on Trip  Advisor and many more pax had a worse experince tahn we did.

We found the Hotel Belmont in Vancouver was nice. Also, Best Western near the airport was good too.

I forgot to mention we did a post cruise tour to Denali from where we returned to Anchorage. Sorry if I sounded confused - I often am.

[jsn55]

Wow, I remember a Ramada Inn at EWR twenty years ago as being the worst hotel I'd ever experienced.  Guess it's good to know they're maintained their standards at the Ramada chain.

[dawnvip]

I think it was mentioned above, but you can definitely get better priced rooms if you stay near the airport as opposed to downtown Vancouver. If your plan is to come in the evening before embarkation, Richmond (where YVR is located) hotels are a great option. Just ensure the hotel has free airport shuttle included (many do). Then its an easy return to airport the next morning and a 40 min skytrain ride right into town at the waterfront. 

 

There are a ton of great responses/discussions on the west coast departures board for other hotel options in Vancouver.

[Hogladyrider]

On 11/8/2023 at 12:05 PM, a.madruga said:

WHAT IS BEST FOR AIRFARE AND HOTEL? USE HOLLAND OR ON MY OWN? THANKS TO ALL

From your signature it looks like you might be flying out of Florida.  If so, I've done this twice, both times took red eye out of OIA.  Alaska Airlines offers a companion fare with their CC so you might want to research that.  

It is a LONG flight no matter what airline you choose.  I have never booked flights via the cruise line as I prefer to select my own flight times.

As for hotels we are doing HAL in Alaska in 2025 and OMG the hotels are VERY expensive.  Pan Pacific is $500 in May!  Guess it depends on your budget, for us it is one night, clean room, bathroom etc. I'd rather spend the extra  $$$ doing other things.  We do not have cc points so we will be paying for a room when bookings open for 2025.

Good luck whatever you choose, it does depend on the time of year your are cruising, we will be cruising in May, early shoulder season.

[a.madruga]

9 minutes ago, Hogladyrider said:

From your signature it looks like you might be flying out of Florida.  If so, I've done this twice, both times took red eye out of OIA.  Alaska Airlines offers a companion fare with their CC so you might want to research that.  

It is a LONG flight no matter what airline you choose.  I have never booked flights via the cruise line as I prefer to select my own flight times.

As for hotels we are doing HAL in Alaska in 2025 and OMG the hotels are VERY expensive.  Pan Pacific is $500 in May!  Guess it depends on your budget, for us it is one night, clean room, bathroom etc. I'd rather spend the extra  $$$ doing other things.  We do not have cc points so we will be paying for a room when bookings open for 2025.

Good luck whatever you choose, it does depend on the time of year your are cruising, we will be cruising in May, early shoulder season.

Thanks and yes we live closer to key largo than Miami it’s a long flight but can’t wait my only half will turn 65 and retire. We missed out on 60 because of Covid when our 10 day to Alaska was cancelled..,,