Vancouver Info if needed

[Tweedy]

Trying to tag photos as we departed from Vancouver and wondered if someone could tell me what the huge mountains of the yellow substance just beyond the Lion's Gate bridge is? Thanks

B. Cole

 

That would be sulfur.

[scottbee]

Trying to tag photos as we departed from Vancouver and wondered if someone could tell me what the huge mountains of the yellow substance just beyond the Lion's Gate bridge is? Thanks

B. Cole

 

Sulfur: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur located on your periodic table just between Phosphorus and Chlorine

[Putterdude]

Having lived on the North Shore for most of my life the sulfur has always been of some concern to the District of North Vancouver, its fire department and particularly the Capilano Native People whose reserve is very close to Vancouver Wharves...however no problem have developed. I recall that there was some incident there some 10 or 15 years ago but it was quickly and safely dealt with. I believe that most of the sulfur is a by- product of the tar sands in northern Alberta and from Vancouver Wharves it finds its way to China where it is used in fertilizer.

[cruiseryyc]

I believe that most of the sulfur is a by- product of the tar sands in northern Alberta

 

Putt I hate to disagree with but the sulfur in Vancouver (that has been there for years) is not a byproduct of AB tar sands. It is a byproduct of natural gas found in Northern Alberta, not the tar sands.

 

 

 

 

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=16de8b8a-1bed-4490-a7b0-3490509e4d97

[Putterdude]

I am wrong about it's source and where it goes, evidently 22% goes to Japan and 20% to China....however growing up in North Van, I can remember when it wasn't there at all....the yellow piles did not appear on the landscape until about 1960.:)

[cole]

That would be sulfur.

Thanks so much. That's what I thought but wanted to be correct when I tag my photos.

[MShockey802]

We are coming into Vancouver on July 4 (4 adults including 2 wheelchairs). Thought about staying in a hotel near the airport (any suggestions?). Need to rent a vehicle to travel to Bellingham for dialysis on July 6. Return rental on July 7. Concerns: how to get from hotel to ship on July 8. Any suggestions? We will have 4 large suitcases as well and need all the help we can get!

[Putterdude]

We are coming into Vancouver on July 4 (4 adults including 2 wheelchairs). Thought about staying in a hotel near the airport (any suggestions?). Need to rent a vehicle to travel to Bellingham for dialysis on July 6. Return rental on July 7. Concerns: how to get from hotel to ship on July 8. Any suggestions? We will have 4 large suitcases as well and need all the help we can get!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

With the 4 of you, wheelchairs and luggage you will likely want a mini-van but you know your requirements better than me. Hotels out by the airport range from Best Western to Fairmont and everything in between. All of the hotels/motels will have accessible rooms. Having to go to Bellingham for dialysis is a little different wrinkle and my advice would be to be at the border heading south before 0900 to avoid lineups. All of the large car rental companies have downtown offices which are within about 8 blocks of the Canada Place cruise terminal and will shuttle you. The exception is National that have a permanent location in the lobby of the Pan Pacific which forms part of Canada Place. I would be inclined to drop my party c/w luggage off at Canada Place, return the car by myself and then shuttle back with the rental company.

[paddingtonbear]

I am considering a trip to Grouse Mountain if the weather is fine.

Is it worth it?

I am not interested in paying extra for the zip line (although that sounded good even to me who hates heights until I saw the price!).

 

The capilano suspension bridge and cliff walk sounds like a must do.

These are both fairly easily accessible by bus.

 

Is Lynne Canyon worth doing too (requires a taxi ride between Capilano Suspension bridge and Lynne Canyon) or if you have seen Capilano is that enough?

 

I thought I would give Granville Island a miss because I don't think I will really be interesed in markets. Although there is a tour that does Capillano, Gas Town, Stanley Park and Granville Island which might make it easy. Has anyone done this tour with landsea tours?

Edited June 12, 2012 by paddingtonbear

[Urban trekker]

No if you do Capilano there is no need to do Lynn - it is much smaller scale and run by the local Parks Board - other than an ecology center and a place to grab a bite to eat and some hiking opportunities there is little else to see.

 

Here is a link to one of my blogs where I posted some video of me crossing the bridge back in 2009

 

http://yvrcruiser.blogspot.ca/search?q=lynn+canyon+video

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Putterdude]

You can take in both the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain with by transit or with their free shuttle bus.

Who is the operator of the tour you are looking at?

[paddingtonbear]

You can take in both the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain with by transit or with their free shuttle bus.

 

Who is the operator of the tour you are looking at?

 

vancouversightseeing dot com/vancouver-capilano-suspension-bridge/

 

Land sea tours do one of Capilano Suspension bridge and Grouse Mt but I think I can get to them by myself if I needed to do both.

Edited June 12, 2012 by paddingtonbear

[paddingtonbear]

No if you do Capilano there is no need to do Lynn - it is much smaller scale and run by the local Parks Board - other than an ecology center and a place to grab a bite to eat and some hiking opportunities there is little else to see.

 

Here is a link to one of my blogs where I posted some video of me crossing the bridge back in 2009

 

http://yvrcruiser.blogspot.ca/search?q=lynn+canyon+video

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Thanks Dennis it looks very nice. If we have time we might do it as well!

[Putterdude]

Land sea tours do one of Capilano Suspension bridge and Grouse Mt but I think I can get to them by myself if I needed to do both.

 

Land Sea are excellent operators but no, with what you have planned you really don't need them. Stick with the free shuttles or transit and you will make out just fine.

[paddingtonbear]

Land Sea are excellent operators but no, with what you have planned you really don't need them. Stick with the free shuttles or transit and you will make out just fine.

 

Thanks putterdude. We are doing a two day tour with them to Victoria and it works out better than I could do it independently so I am happy with them, for that tour.

[karonius]

After our Alaska cruise, ending in Vancouver, we are taking the ferry to Victoria to visit friends for a few days. After reading so many posts I think we need to visit Vancouver for at least the day and take the early evening ferry(swartz bay terminal) to Victoria. So here are my questions.

 

1. Basically, how do we do this?

2. HOHO sounds good, but what about our luggage?

3. How do we get to the ferry terminal, both from Canada Place and/or a HOHO place.

4. Are there luggage storage at Canada Place?

 

Thanks in advance,

Karen

[Putterdude]

After our Alaska cruise, ending in Vancouver, we are taking the ferry to Victoria to visit friends for a few days. After reading so many posts I think we need to visit Vancouver for at least the day and take the early evening ferry(swartz bay terminal) to Victoria. So here are my questions.

 

1. Basically, how do we do this?

2. HOHO sounds good, but what about our luggage?

3. How do we get to the ferry terminal, both from Canada Place and/or a HOHO place.

4. Are there luggage storage at Canada Place?

 

Thanks in advance,

Karen

 

The HOHO all have a stop at Canada Place and you have the option of storing your luggage at the commercial luggage service there, Priority Baggage Service, or taking it to the bell desk of the Pan Pacific or Fairmont's Waterfront hotel across the street and giving them nice tip for putting your luggage in their lock up....then you are free to move about the city.

Getting to Victoria via the ferry, I would recommend Pacific Stage Lines which has a number of pick up locations at downtown hotels. The advantage with them you need not handle your luggage from point of pick up until you arrive at the Victoria bus station. Plus you have a comfortable coach seat for the whole trip. Your other option is using transit which involves a number of transfers and schlepping your luggage at each one.

http://www.prioritybaggage.ca/

 

http://www.pacificcoach.com/

[karonius]

The HOHO all have a stop at Canada Place and you have the option of storing your luggage at the commercial luggage service there, Priority Baggage Service, or taking it to the bell desk of the Pan Pacific or Fairmont's Waterfront hotel across the street and giving them nice tip for putting your luggage in their lock up....then you are free to move about the city.

 

Getting to Victoria via the ferry, I would recommend Pacific Stage Lines which has a number of pick up locations at downtown hotels. The advantage with them you need not handle your luggage from point of pick up until you arrive at the Victoria bus station. Plus you have a comfortable coach seat for the whole trip. Your other option is using transit which involves a number of transfers and schlepping your luggage at each one.

 

http://www.prioritybaggage.ca/

 

http://www.pacificcoach.com/

thanks....but....what would you recommend doing and how. If we want to check out Vancouver for the day and then get to the ferry what do you recommend the best way to do it, especially considering we have luggage?

 

and if we end up not exploring the city, what is the best way to get from Canada place to ferry?

thanks again, I knew one answer would end up with twice as many questions...lol

Karen

[Putterdude]

thanks....but....what would you recommend doing and how. If we want to check out Vancouver for the day and then get to the ferry what do you recommend the best way to do it, especially considering we have luggage?

 

and if we end up not exploring the city, what is the best way to get from Canada place to ferry?

thanks again, I knew one answer would end up with twice as many questions...lol

Karen

 

I think I have dealt with your luggage question in the previous post.

With the amount of time you have in Vancouver I would recommend a HOHO which is the best way to see a lot of the city in a short period of time. I tend to recommend the Vancouver Trolley HOHO for its live narration. Stops on the route you may care to see would be Stanley Park and it aquarium, totem poles and Prospect Point, then on to Granville Island, historic Gastown, Chinatown and its Dr. Sun Yat-Sen gardens and around Canada Place perhaps the cauldron of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

As for getting to Victoria I have recommended to you Pacific Coach Lines and that is whether or not you tour Vancouver. I would suggest you contact them re their schedule for pick ups in the downtown area then work around that.

 

 

www.vancouvertrolley.com/

[karonius]

I think I have dealt with your luggage question in the previous post.

 

With the amount of time you have in Vancouver I would recommend a HOHO which is the best way to see a lot of the city in a short period of time. I tend to recommend the Vancouver Trolley HOHO for its live narration. Stops on the route you may care to see would be Stanley Park and it aquarium, totem poles and Prospect Point, then on to Granville Island, historic Gastown, Chinatown and its Dr. Sun Yat-Sen gardens and around Canada Place perhaps the cauldron of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

 

As for getting to Victoria I have recommended to you Pacific Coach Lines and that is whether or not you tour Vancouver. I would suggest you contact them re their schedule for pick ups in the downtown area then work around that.

 

 

www.vancouvertrolley.com/

 

thank you thank you.....Karen

[scottbee]

thanks....but....what would you recommend doing and how. If we want to check out Vancouver for the day and then get to the ferry what do you recommend the best way to do it, especially considering we have luggage?

 

and if we end up not exploring the city, what is the best way to get from Canada place to ferry?

thanks again, I knew one answer would end up with twice as many questions...lol

Karen

 

You have two options to get to the ferry; Pacific Coach Lines (already mentioned), but they only pick up downtown at one spot, otherwise you need to get to the Amtrak/Bus station, it costs $35.00 for the trip (minus the ferry portion) to get from downtown vancouver to downtown Victoria

 

Other option is take the Canada Line Skytrain and get off just before the airport at Bridgeport station, and transfer to a #620 bus to the ferry terminal. On the Victoria side the #70 will take you to downtown, and there's another bus (#84 IIRC) that goes from the ferry to Butchart. Cost is $8.75 ($7.50 weekends) + the ferry.

 

If you need more details, let me know

[Putterdude]

So that it is clear to karonius, Pacific Coach Lines operates directly from Canada Place during the cruise season and picks up at a variety of downtown hotels during the summer months. However a reservation is required and that is why I recommend contacting Pacific Coach Lines re their schedule.

[karonius]

Thanks for the information, the public transportation option looks great, as we will not need transportation in Victoria as our friends are picking us up at the ferry. Thanks again!

[Alaska_2012]

Hello! We will be arriving in Vancouver around noon (Amtrak Cascades) next Friday. We are staying at Delta Suites Vancouver. We plan to go straight to the hotel from the train station, drop off our things and then we will be ready to explore.

 

Would we have enough time to go to/enjoy Grouse Mountain? If so, could someone give me the best way to get there from Delta Suites? We are doing the LandSea pre-cruise tour the next morning so I would like to do something not included on that tour. Thank you so much!

[donaldsc]

Hi there..I live in Vancouver and have worked at several of the hotels in the city..and have also worked on cruise ships before, so I've done more Alaska cruises than I care to admit..I'll gladly answer any questions about the city, cruising or what have you! :)

 

I have an 11:50 flight to the states. If I book on a limo, do I have to self-disembark or can I get by with being in the first group off?

 

DON