Live From the Grand Princess, 22-Day Alaska B2B, Apr 30 - May 22

[Ken the cruiser]

4 hours ago, Nattyg1723 said:

@Ken the cruiseri just love that you are a fellow bird nerd! I thought I was the only one who takes pictures of the local pigeons 😅 i always send them to my dad 🙂

Yes, we do enjoy the “hunt” for taking photos of any wildlife we are lucky enough to see, big or small! But there is just something about taking pictures of the “elusive” pigeons we see in different parts of the world that have given us an extra amount of joy. 😁

[Alaska05]

What is the site you use for the ships position that you posted

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, Alaska05 said:

After reading your experience from the airport, we are seriously considering taking the Skytrain from YVR when we arrive about 6:00 pm on a Thursday evening.  We are staying at the Marriott Pinnacle on W. Hastings. 

May I suggest you first check to see how many ships will be in port on the day you embark on your cruise. If there are 3, just make sure you get to the airport transfer collection point early rather than later. If there is just one or two, you should be fine.

[Ken the cruiser]

22 minutes ago, Alaska05 said:

What is the site you use for the ships position that you posted

Cruise Mapper

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9104005

 

I usually do an internet search using “<ship name> current location” and then look for the Cruise Mapper link.

 

Edited May 1 by Ken the cruiser

[Port Power]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We finally boarded the ship a little after 2 pm, over 3.5 hours after checking in with the ship transfer POC at the airport. The first part of the adventure took over 90 minutes to go 12 km from the Vancouver airport to the cruise terminal, mostly caused by some serious downtown traffic jams due to ongoing construction along with 3 cruise ships in port today!

 

 
But after creeping along or standing still for over 90 minutes, we finally saw the ship! 
 

 

Then it took another 90 minutes to go through the checkin process. The main cause for this horrendous delay was that the embarking passengers associated with all 3 ships were being processed through the same cruise terminal, where normally there is only 1-2 ships in port on any given day! 😱

 

 

  

 

Now I know why I stay at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel!  Just walk across the road.

Edited May 1 by Port Power

[Alaska05]

7 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

May I suggest you first check to see how many ships will be in port on the day you embark on your cruise. If there are 3, just make sure you get to the airport transfer collection point early rather than later. If there is just one or two, you should be fine.

There will be 3 in port (Edge, Koningsdam and Sapphire) so it will be busy at Canada Place.  Good thing we are staying downtown the night before.

[memoak]

6 hours ago, Port Power said:

 

Now I know why I stay at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel!  Just walk across the road.

That is why we stay at the Pan Pacific no need to even leave the building

[marden1970]

13 hours ago, milogurd said:

@Nattyg1723 @Ken the cruiser Have you tried out the Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell University for Apple and Android phones? Lots of Pigeons too! 

https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org

 

 

Thank you for mentioning this, I was unaware.  I just downloaded it as well. 

[catgirl411]

16 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We finally boarded the ship a little after 2 pm, over 3.5 hours after checking in with the ship transfer POC at the airport. The first part of the adventure took over 90 minutes to go 12 km from the Vancouver airport to the cruise terminal, mostly caused by some serious downtown traffic jams due to ongoing construction along with 3 cruise ships in port today!

 

 
But after creeping along or standing still for over 90 minutes, we finally saw the ship! 
 

 

Then it took another 90 minutes to go through the checkin process. The main cause for this horrendous delay was that the embarking passengers associated with all 3 ships were being processed through the same cruise terminal, where normally there is only 1-2 ships in port on any given day! 😱

 

 

  
But we finally made it to our cabin and all is good, especially after admiring the view from our aft-facing balcony. 😁

 

 

 
And of course how could resist not taking a photo of the not so elusive Vancouver International Airport pigeon while we waited 30 minutes before boarding the ship transfer bus! 😂

  

 

Have you ever done the Sky Trsin from the airport to the port? It’s fast, cheap and easy and avoids the downtown traffic.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Alaska05 said:

There will be 3 in port (Edge, Koningsdam and Sapphire) so it will be busy at Canada Place.  Good thing we are staying downtown the night before.

That sounds like a very wise decision! Hopefully by then the folks at the Vancouver cruise terminal will have a better handle on the checkin process. But then, this was pretty much the start of the Alaska cruising season, so some organizational issues had to be expected. In our case it was the perfect storm, when you add in the traffic issues associated with the downtown construction going on at the same time.

[catgirl411]

13 hours ago, Alaska05 said:

After reading your experience from the airport, we are seriously considering taking the Skytrain from YVR when we arrive about 6:00 pm on a Thursday evening.  We are staying at the Marriott Pinnacle on W. Hastings. 

Do it. The SkyTrain works very well.

[Ken the cruiser]

Briefly woke up around 5 am and peaked outside as it was starting to get light.

 

 
Also noticed the Ruby and Noordam were following us and that we had just left Johnstone Strait.

 

 

  
Went back to bed for a few minutes and decided to get back up to watch the sunrise! 😁

 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

25 minutes ago, catgirl411 said:

Have you ever done the Sky Train from the airport to the port? It’s fast, cheap and easy and avoids the downtown traffic.

Definitely an option to consider if we ever book a cruise out of Vancouver again. 😉

[Ken the cruiser]

25 minutes ago, catgirl411 said:

Do it. The SkyTrain works very well.

If I might ask, how do two people in their 70s get 2 large suitcases along with a carryon bag on and off the Sky Train, and where is the luggage stored on the ride over?

[catgirl411]

6 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If I might ask, how do two people in their 70s get 2 large suitcases along with a carryon bag on and off the Sky Train, and where is the luggage stored on the ride over?

Well we are two people in their late 60s, one with a hip that had been unsuccessfully replaced and one who was waiting for knee replacement at the time. We try to avoid anything crazy involving walking and carrying. We travel with two large suitcases and a carryon each. We truly didn’t find the SkyTrsin to be any harder than walking through airports dragging suitcases. It was just fine and usually isn’t crowded. You just keep the luggage beside you on the train.  It is an LRT for commuting not a train as such. 

[cr8tiv1]

If you are not in a hurry (Airport to Vancouver downtown pre-cruise), I would suggest getting a taxi for more than one person.  It is a flat rate, you're not driving, less of a hassle, and "what's your rush?

 

It is one rate and the exchange rate is so good.

 

I did the SkyTrain once.  Someone was nice enough to hand us their ticket.  But it is a much further walk from the airport than the taxi stand and then a walk from the station to the hotel.  

 

37 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If I might ask, how do two people in their 70s get 2 large suitcases along with a carryon bag on and off the Sky Train, and where is the luggage stored on the ride over?

 

14 hours ago, Alaska05 said:

After reading your experience from the airport, we are seriously considering taking the Skytrain from YVR when we arrive about 6:00 pm on a Thursday evening.  We are staying at the Marriott Pinnacle on W. Hastings. 

 

[arizonaperson]

Just curious if any of the bars onboard are offering diet Dr Pepper or regular Dr Pepper? My opinion is -they don’t ,but if you could check a few of the bars for me and ask only if you have time. Just trying to take a poll of what ships may or may not have it.

[milogurd]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If I might ask, how do two people in their 70s get 2 large suitcases along with a carryon bag on and off the Sky Train, and where is the luggage stored on the ride over?

 

 

SkyTrain connects Vancouver Airport to Cruise Port

 

The Canada Line Rapid Transit SkyTrain is a very convenient way to get from Vancouver Airport to the Canada Place cruise port. The Canada Line connects the airport with the cruise terminal in downtown Vancouver.

 

The Canada Line from the airport has wider aisles and space under the seats for your luggage.

 

The Rapid Transport Station at Vancouver Airport is located between the international and domestic terminals; just follow the signs for SkyTrain or Rapid Transport System. There is a covered walkway to the station with escalators and elevators to make the short walk very easy, even with baggage. 

 

To go from Vancouver Airport to the cruise port, you need to take the Canada Line which has two routes. One route runs from Vancouver Airport to the cruise port on the waterfront and the other route serves the City of Richmond, so make sure you get the SkyTrain in the right direction for your cruise port destination (Waterfront)! There are 13 stations on this route, starting with YVR airport.

 

If you are traveling from the airport to the cruise ship, you will be getting off at the final station “Waterfront”. From the station, it is an easy 5-8 minute walk along W. Cordova St and Howe St to Canada Place.

 

The Canada Line SkyTrain journey between Vancouver Airport and the cruise port takes 26-30 minutes. It runs every 6 minutes at peak times. In the early morning and evening, the service is reduced to every 12 minutes. Late at night and at off-peak times such as weekends and holidays it operates a 20-minute service.

 

The SkyTrain service begins at around 5am (4.48am from the waterfront and 5.07am from the airport). Last SkyTrains are around 1am (1.05am from the waterfront and 12.56am from the airport). You certainly won’t have to wait long to travel by this efficient mode of transport.

 

Fares start at CAN$3 for 90-minutes of travel by SkyTrain in Zone 1. The fare from the airport to downtown cover two zones and starts at CAN$4.25. There is an additional surcharge of CAN$5 YVR Addfare for eastbound trips only from the airport.

 

Therefore, the cost for an adult one-way trip eastbound from Vancouver airport to cruise port is CAN$9.25 (which includes a YVR surcharge of CAN$5).

 

The return trip is just CAN$4.25 as the surcharge does not apply to westbound trips from the cruise port to the airport.

 

The easiest pay to pay is by using a contactless credit card or mobile wallet with a tap-to-pay feature. Tap your card on the reader once when you board the SkyTrain and, most importantly, you tap again when you exit. This way your charge card will only be charged for the length of time you traveled (up to 90 minutes per single fare).

 

You can also purchase a single-use ticket from vending machines at the SkyTrain station in the airport, or you can purchase a day pass if you want to use public transport (such as buses and other SkyTrain routes) around the city for the rest of the day.

 

You can pay by Compass Card which is reloadable, but it is only worth getting a Compass Card if you plan to stay in the city for a while, or for future visits to Vancouver. Compass Cards do not expire. It is valid for Vancouver Bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coat Express as well as some ferries.

 

Here is the 5-8 minute walk route from Waterfront Station to the Canada Place cruise port entrance:

 

Edited May 1 by milogurd

[Ken the cruiser]

39 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

Just curious if any of the bars onboard are offering diet Dr Pepper or regular Dr Pepper? My opinion is -they don’t ,but if you could check a few of the bars for me and ask only if you have time. Just trying to take a poll of what ships may or may not have it.

From what I was able to tell from the app, they offer Coke and Diet Coke, Sprite, Ginger Ale, tonic water, soda water, and Red Bull. When I visit a bar this evening, I’ll try to remember to ask about Dr Pepper.

[silkismom]

Pre-Covid, I think there was a Senior discount on the Sky Train.

[arizonaperson]

@Ken the cruiser

Thanks!,

just my curiosity. It’s so much better when somebody is actually on a ship to ask these questions. Another CC poster said they got diet Dr Pepper on Regal Princess this year,but again I’ve just never heard of it on Princess,but it very well could be a new thing or varies from ship to ship. So just taking an informal poll and if you don’t have time, not a problem.

I know there would be a lot of happy people if Dr Pepper was available and if diet Dr Pepper was available they’d probably be happy too,but I just don’t think it is available on Princess.

[Ken the cruiser]

Thanks everyone for your insights regarding the SkyTrain! Sounds like a valid option for many travelers, even though we’ll probably still stay at the Fairmont Hotel at the airport and then use the Princess airport-to-ship transfer for $29 pp, if we ever cruise out of Vancouver again.
 

The biggest “low stress” perk we see for us, remembering we usually go on longer 21+ day cruises, is that they take our large suitcases when we check in at the Princess airport-to-pier transfer location at the airport and don’t have to deal with it again until we get on the ship. 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

For those interested there are 2700 guests and 1100 crew onboard this 8-day cruise. With a double-occupancy capacity of 2600 guests, I’d say the Grand is a pretty full ship! 😂

 

Edited May 1 by Ken the cruiser

[cr8tiv1]

For those who are interested:  

 

Have you found/had contact with the "mysterious" concierge on the Grand?  Who is s/he?

 

Who is the Assistant Manager in the Reserve Collection MDR?  

 

It's been sooooo long since I've been on the Grand.  Tell "her" that I miss her.

 

Thanks

[milogurd]

8 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

For those interested there are 2700 guests and 1100 crew onboard this 8-day cruise.

Edited May 1 by milogurd