Flyover and Aquarium before check in at Canada Place

[mattR]

Gonig on the Royal Princess out of Vancouver on Jul 13th.  Flight gets into YVR at 7:30am so thinking of catching breakfast at the airport then hop on the Sky Train drop off luggage around 9am then head out to do somethings around downtown Vancouver till 2pm (Three ship day so want to miss most of the chaos).  Was thinking of going to the Aquarium and Stanley park and finish off with Flyover at Canada Place. 

 

How long does Flyover take?

Any other recommendations of things to do in the downtown area?

What is the earliest we can drop off bags?

[martincath]

Flyover is a whopping 8 minutes ride time - but there's a whole program that shuffles you from room to room, so the total experience is at least 30mins (plus wait time if you don't make a reso). I'd consider prebooking a timeslot an hour before you plan to go check in, that way if all goes smoothly you'll have a bit of extra padding (booking 45mins before really doesn't allow for anything to go wrong!)

 

Bag drop you might be able to do at 9am - I've never been earlier than 9:30 myself, but the longshoremen did look bored out of their gourds already as if they'd been guarding the luggage cages for quite a while! Just look for signage, and it will help you greatly if you print bag tags at home and bring them with you, then swap them out for the plane tags on the SkyTrain ride into town to save pfaffing around with blank tags and no pens available to write on them with!

 

The Aquarium is pretty quick to get to or from by bus - the 19 has a stop only three blocks from the pier, maybe 700metres, and goes right into the park (the bus loop is an even shorter walk to the Aquarium). Depending how many 'speak to the keeper at Xam' shows you do, and how much reading of bumph at exhibits, you might kill anywhere from an hour to three at the Aquarium - so you probably have time to walk one way along the Seawall (budget an hour - it's silly not to at least go as far out as the Totem Poles if you're already at the Aquarium!) rather than bussing both ways.

 

I would not prebook tickets for the Aquarium though, in case your flight is delayed and you need to change plans on the fly!

[mattR]

Great thanks for the info.  One of my favorite tv shows growing up was Danger Bay so would like to see the aquarium.  Is there something other the FlyOver that you would recommend in the area? 

[martincath]

There are a lot of options, even if you are sticking to places within walking distance to play it very safe for getting back to the pier - any other TV shows you're enough of a fan of you might enjoy seeing where they were filmed? I usually point out a few when I'm showing folks around, there's a raft of popular spots for camera angles to make Vancouver look like <Insert American City Here>

 

On the more traditionally touristy fare front, the Harbour Centre lookout is pretty reasonable for tickets, good views on a clear day; there's the main Vancouver Art Gallery, plus the Bill Reid (much smaller, Indigenous art focused) for indoor arty things; a big list of public art locations and some suggested walking routes for outdoor stuff; a free walking tour with Toonie (usually goes 10am daily, but often add a 9:30 and/or 10:30 in summer too if lots of folks sign up); Roedde House museum is a bit off the beaten path, but nicely curated to appear how the house would have been back in the day when it was just trees and other mansions nearby, and while the blocks around it are very sketchy the Police Museum is only a mile on foot (see a real morgue and cold case files, kids can dress up in tactical gear and hit each other with nightsticks!); Dr Sun Yat-Sen is the most authentic Chinese Scholars Garden outside China, entry includes a docent-led tour to explain the ridiculous details in the design (the free park nextdoor shares the same koi pond and a similar vibe, just without the authenticity - rocks are human-carved rather than naturally shaped by the currents of Lake Tai, stones underfoot pebbles or bricks rather than broken teapot shards hand-laid in a mosaic; still a very nice gazebo to eat a picnic lunch in!); maybe the Sports Hall of Fame at BC Place if you won't be too upset at all the reminders how much better than Alberta we are at sportsball? 😉

[mattR]

LOL  Thanks for the additional info.  Another great Canadian tv show that I watched all the time was of course "The Beachcombers" 

[martincath]

20 hours ago, mattR said:

LOL  Thanks for the additional info.  Another great Canadian tv show that I watched all the time was of course "The Beachcombers" 

Getting up to Gibsons and back would be really tight on embarkation day unfortunately!!!

[GORDONCHICK]

Stanley Park and the aquarium is plenty to keep you busy before the cruise, IMO.