Vancouver Info if needed

[FlCatLover]

A few years ago we spent a couple days in Vancouver before a cruise and want to do it again next July. Putterdude, I think you were the one who was very helpful in my finding a good, reasonable hotel on a bus route out (maybe south) of downtown. I don't remember what hotel it was but am hoping maybe someone knows or could direct me to one that might work for us this time.

We will be 4 adults. My hubby, adult son and his girlfriend and me. I'd like a room with a separate bedroom and pull out couch but a room with a divider and pull out would work. Heck, we'd even take a room with two queen beds if it comes right down to it. Or if there is a really low price, two rooms could be an option.

Any help would be appreciated!!

 

I also can't figure out how to change my signature so it shows we are going on this cruise.

[martincath]

A few years ago we spent a couple days in Vancouver before a cruise and want to do it again next July. Putterdude, I think you were the one who was very helpful in my finding a good, reasonable hotel on a bus route out (maybe south) of downtown. I don't remember what hotel it was but am hoping maybe someone knows or could direct me to one that might work for us this time.

We will be 4 adults. My hubby, adult son and his girlfriend and me. I'd like a room with a separate bedroom and pull out couch but a room with a divider and pull out would work. Heck, we'd even take a room with two queen beds if it comes right down to it. Or if there is a really low price, two rooms could be an option.

Any help would be appreciated!!

 

I also can't figure out how to change my signature so it shows we are going on this cruise.

Answered in your other dedicated question thread.

 

Oh, on the signature front - click here (your profile) and you'll see a link called 'customize profile' somewhere toward the right hand side of the screen (assuming you're on a computer - a tablet/phone using an app may look totally different...) Click it and you'll get a whole bunch of options down the left side of the screen to edit - one clearly named 'edit signature - no advertising allowed' Click that and now you can change your prior cruise info, paste in a link to a cruise countdown for your new one etc.

Edited July 28, 2015 by martincath
Added sig change info

[FlCatLover]

Thank you again martincath! I will give it a go.

And I'm sorry I asked it twice but found this thread only after I'd asked the other. Please forgive.

[ransrider]

It's awesome to see that this topic has been in existance since 2006 with some of the same posters still involved and that takes dedication. We will be first timers to Vancouver in May 2016, staying for 2 nights before we cruise northbound to Alaska. We are Hilton members with points and have booked the Hampton Inn Downtown on Robson. Planning on taking the Light-Rail SkyTrain from airport to hotel. Is this the best Hilton property to book that will allow us to walk the city. We will not be renting a car. I have learned of so many wonderful things to do in Vancouver since reading this thread--and yes, I started with the 2006 posts and have now completed through 2008 before I felt the need to jump to the end to post some of my own questions.

 

1. Is this the best Hilton property for us? Walking to restaurants/pubs, HOHO Trolley stops, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain, Vancouver Lookout Tower, Canada Place cruise port...are what interests us.

 

2. Is taking the Light-Rail from YVR to Hampton downtown a good choice?

 

3. Will we be able to walk with rolling luggage from Hampton to Canada Place port? We have no problem walking (seems <1 mile) but wonder about the available pathways to do so.

 

4. Where is the best place to rent bikes and bike trails in Vancouver?

 

5. We are from Minnesota and are wondering if May weather in Vancouver is similar to ours: 50-60 degrees F daytimes? Should we plan for rain?

 

6. Is the Red Robin on Robson still open? Our favorite burger joint!

 

My thanks for the wonderful help you all have already given.

[martincath]

Answers in red.

1. Is this the best Hilton property for us? Walking to restaurants/pubs, HOHO Trolley stops, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain, Vancouver Lookout Tower, Canada Place cruise port...are what interests us.

Yes - other Hilton locations suck for walking downtown as they are not in Vancouver but neighbouring cities.

 

2. Is taking the Light-Rail from YVR to Hampton downtown a good choice?

Yes - but be aware the nearest station is not on the Canada Line. You do not want to ride the other lines with a lot of baggage unless it's very late (i.e. quiet enough there will be empty seats to put your bags in). Closest Canada Line Station is City Centre - half a mile, slightly downhill.

 

3. Will we be able to walk with rolling luggage from Hampton to Canada Place port? We have no problem walking (seems <1 mile) but wonder about the available pathways to do so.

Yes - slightly uphill, but good sidewalks all the way. NB: do not take the most direct route unless you're comfortable around grittier urban areas - while straight up Beatty or Cambie is quickest, you'll go near Victory Square/Hastings and see a lot of homeless, shelters, begging etc. Straight up Robson, right on Howe is the simplest directions I can give and only a fraction longer (bang on a mile instead of a little under)

 

4. Where is the best place to rent bikes and bike trails in Vancouver?

Trails? None in Vancouver proper really. There are some sort-of offroad 'trails' around Stanley Park, but they're still very civilized and totally rideable on regular street bikes. If you don't mean actual offroad, mountain biking type activity though we have you covered - bazillions of bike paths, many totally separated from traffic. Google Maps does good cycling-specific directions.

 

From the Hampton there's only one logical bike rental spot - Simons. Just a couple of blocks up Robson and cheaper by far than most of the 'somewhere tourists walk past so we can double our prices' rental shops around the pier and the park.

 

5. We are from Minnesota and are wondering if May weather in Vancouver is similar to ours: 50-60 degrees F daytimes? Should we plan for rain?

Much the same, on average. Yes, it's beginning to get drier in May but still unusual for no rain (average 12 days/month). What you should have already packed for Alaskan cruising will work just fine (layers, lots of layers).

 

6. Is the Red Robin on Robson still open? Our favorite burger joint!

Open? Yes. Same? Yes. Best burger? Noooooooooo!!!!!!! Fries are OK, I'll give you that, but if you want to branch out try some of the local chains like Romers or Veras (they even have a food truck now, with a patio - unfortunately they took over the much-better Fresh Local Wild to get it, boo!!!). Plenty of our fancy restos do awesome burgers too, we're a laidback town - my fave is Campagnolo Upstairs' Dirty Burger (seriously aged beef, sells out every single day usually within the first couple of hours).

 

My thanks for the wonderful help you all have already given.

You're welcome

[ROGBARTLETT]

Is it safe to walk from St Regis Hotel to Sutton Place Hotel at night?

[Putterdude]

Is it safe to walk from St Regis Hotel to Sutton Place Hotel at night?

 

Extremely safe, you may encounter the occasional homeless person but they are harmless.

[ROGBARTLETT]

Thanks Putterdude...

[herdingdogmom]

Hello, I'm on a NCL cruise in late September. I'm flying in that morning. From what I can tell from all the info in these threads, taking a taxi from the airport to the pier is the quickest way and the flat rate is $36.

 

I'll be looking for a taxi at YVR at 10:00am on a Monday. In general, will I have any problem finding a taxi or have to wait in long lines? About how long will it take to get to the pier? Can I pay in USD or will I need to get some CAD at the airport?

 

One more question. Are there any convenience stores at the pier where I can buy some bottled water?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Putterdude]

Hello, I'm on a NCL cruise in late September. I'm flying in that morning. From what I can tell from all the info in these threads, taking a taxi from the airport to the pier is the quickest way and the flat rate is $36.

 

I'll be looking for a taxi at YVR at 10:00am on a Monday. In general, will I have any problem finding a taxi or have to wait in long lines? About how long will it take to get to the pier? Can I pay in USD or will I need to get some CAD at the airport?

 

One more question. Are there any convenience stores at the pier where I can buy some bottled water?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

There will be a long line of taxis at YVR so there will be no problem there at all. The cabbies will all be happy to take USD but you will not receive anywhere a proper exchange rate...the flat rate by the way is $35...but what's a dollar here and there. :D For water you would likely be best to go to the 7-11 in the domestic part of the terminal at YVR, it is located on level 1 outside of security.

[herdingdogmom]

There will be a long line of taxis at YVR so there will be no problem there at all. The cabbies will all be happy to take USD but you will not receive anywhere a proper exchange rate...the flat rate by the way is $35...but what's a dollar here and there. :D For water you would likely be best to go to the 7-11 in the domestic part of the terminal at YVR, it is located on level 1 outside of security.

 

Thanks PD. I'll check out the 7-11 at the airport. Any idea if they have regular prices or those inflated airport prices?

 

So the ride from the airport to the pier is about 35 minutes?

 

I must have read the taxi zone map wrong that said $36. My boarding docs say Ballantyne pier, but I also saw a post here recently that said this pier is closed. Will the taxi driver know where the ship is? I'm kind of confused.

[Putterdude]

Thanks PD. I'll check out the 7-11 at the airport. Any idea if they have regular prices or those inflated airport prices?

 

So the ride from the airport to the pier is about 35 minutes?

 

I must have read the taxi zone map wrong that said $36. My boarding docs say Ballantyne pier, but I also saw a post here recently that said this pier is closed. Will the taxi driver know where the ship is? I'm kind of confused.

 

It would appear that your cruise may be in 2016? I am not aware of any plan to reopen Ballantyne for 2016. If you are going to be on the 9/28/2015 cruise I can confirm that you will be departing from Canada Place. If it is 2016, I will provide a link below which you can check early next year to confirm that the Sun will be using Canada Place or Ballantyne. The flat rate fare to Ballantyne is $36 and $35 to Canada Place and the drive time is about 35 mins to either from YVR.

 

To the water question....well the prices are not supposed to be higher but that is always questionable. That said the extra dollar you might spend on a 6 pack of water at 7-11 at YVR IMO is much easier to take then dropping your luggage off at the pier and heading for a C store. There is a little shop in Canada Place but it is very expensive.

 

http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/cruise/cruise-schedule/

[herdingdogmom]

It would appear that your cruise may be in 2016? I am not aware of any plan to reopen Ballantyne for 2016. If you are going to be on the 9/28/2015 cruise I can confirm that you will be departing from Canada Place. If it is 2016, I will provide a link below which you can check early next year to confirm that the Sun will be using Canada Place or Ballantyne. The flat rate fare to Ballantyne is $36 and $35 to Canada Place and the drive time is about 35 mins to either from YVR.

 

To the water question....well the prices are not supposed to be higher but that is always questionable. That said the extra dollar you might spend on a 6 pack of water at 7-11 at YVR IMO is much easier to take then dropping your luggage off at the pier and heading for a C store. There is a little shop in Canada Place but it is very expensive.

 

http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/cruise/cruise-schedule/

 

Thanks so much for the important info about the pier. I'm sailing 9/28/15 on the Norwegian Pearl. The Pearl has been sailing out of Seattle, but will make a 1 stop in Vancouver before heading to California and then on to Miami. Looks like we will be there with the Sun.

 

I guess NCL has not updated their edocs for this one time stop. Thank goodness you know where the ship will be. I will note Canada Place on my documents and $35 for the taxi ride from YVR.

 

The airport 7-11 sounds like the best stop for bottled water! Thanks again.

Edited August 5, 2015 by herdingdogmom

[Birdnutty]

I can confirm what PD said. We just returned on Monday from an Alaskan trip with 2 days in Vancouver. I suggest you use a credit card for EVERYTHING in Canada, if you can. (including taxis) The exchange rate my cc card company gave me was 1.24 CAD to each $1 US, so even with the currency exchange fee the cc company charges, we still came out way ahead. To beat the exchange rate, our group of 4 bought a 10 ticket faresaver book at the 7-eleven rather than the bus and paid cc for that, so even the busfare was ultimately discounted.

 

My husband made the mistake of buying a small item in a store and paid with a $20 US. He asked for US change, but they said (as they all do) " We don't have any" and proceeded to give him Canadian change. He got soaked on that one.

 

For the tiny items for which we could not use a credit card, I was able to exchange some US for Canadian at our hotel (YWCA). They gave us a fixed exchange rate of 1.15 CAD to 1.00 US. We just made sure we used it all up before we left.

 

Costco, oddly enough, when we stopped there for a snack, actually did the currency conversion and charged us the correct amount of US funds. Go figure.

[Putterdude]

Just a couple of things relating to using USD credit cards in Vancouver. It is important to note that only the CAD is legal tender in in Canada. However, as a courtesy to our American cousins business in Vancouver and Victoria will generally accept USD, in fact even the Canadian Post Office and the BC Government Liquor stores accept the USD, the transit system does not. However, they will almost invariably do a conversion and give change in CAD, very few keep a USD till. You are not going to get the full exchange rate on the USD as the business has to go to the bank, stand in line and then pay what ever the exchange rate is and any foreign transaction fee that the bank may level. Remember banks have a buy rate and a sell rate on foreign exchange and the difference can be as much as 5 cents on the dollar.

 

With US credit cards. You really need to check with your card issuer as to how they calculate their exchange rate and do they add a foreign transaction fee. From personal experience I can tell you that B of A charges what I regard a usurious transaction fee on foregin transactions and Capital One (US) has no transaction fees....but I wonder about their exchange rates. Credit Cards are can be extremely useful and convenient but they come with a cost.

[martincath]

I agree with PD - you really need to check the small-print on your cards. On Monday for example, you should have gotten at least 1.30 instead of 1.24 to reflect the 'official interbank rate' if you were being charged a Foreign Transaction Fee on top. Some cards do bury their profit margins in a worse exchange rate rather than have a set fee, but it seems you have a real weaselly card that pads the exchange rate AND charges an FTF if I'm parsing your statement correctly.

 

Costco usually offers the worst rate of all - along with many other retailers (and every cruise ship I've been on for years) they offer the 'convenience' of paying in your native currency for a markup of ~4% of the transaction compared to interbank rates. I always note what the rate they offer us, refuse it, then compare to the CC statement on return home - and so far even our 2.5% FTF Mastercard has always significantly beaten the offered rate.

[Urban trekker]

Rans rider - you might want to check with your hotel regarding bikes - many of the downtown hotels have some available for use of or have deals with some of the bike shops.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[Birdnutty]

I agree with PD - you really need to check the small-print on your cards. On Monday for example, you should have gotten at least 1.30 instead of 1.24 to reflect the 'official interbank rate' if you were being charged a Foreign Transaction Fee on top. Some cards do bury their profit margins in a worse exchange rate rather than have a set fee, but it seems you have a real weaselly card that pads the exchange rate AND charges an FTF if I'm parsing your statement correctly.

 

Costco usually offers the worst rate of all - along with many other retailers (and every cruise ship I've been on for years) they offer the 'convenience' of paying in your native currency for a markup of ~4% of the transaction compared to interbank rates. I always note what the rate they offer us, refuse it, then compare to the CC statement on return home - and so far even our 2.5% FTF Mastercard has always significantly beaten the offered rate.

 

Not disagreeing with anyone. Yes, we probably did not get a great currency exchange, and yes, our cc bank did charge a fee. The thing that I was stressing is that it is cheaper by far, even with a transaction fee, to pay by cc than with US cash. And costco may have given a worse rate, but it was cheaper in our funds to buy there with US cash than the coffee shop around the corner.

 

I'm sure some cc companies give better rates by far than mine. I never checked around, as the last time I was in Canada, (and it's been awhile) the exchange rate was almost even, so I didn't even think of it this time. If I were going for a two week trip in Canada, it would make a much bigger difference than my measly 2 days.

[Everbest]

We'll be arriving in Vancouver on a Saturday morning and will be taking the train to Seattle that afternoon at 5:35. How early should we get to the train station? We'll use the HOHO to see the sites of Vancouver until then. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where we can store our bags until we leave for the train?

[martincath]

We'll be arriving in Vancouver on a Saturday morning and will be taking the train to Seattle that afternoon at 5:35. How early should we get to the train station? We'll use the HOHO to see the sites of Vancouver until then. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where we can store our bags until we leave for the train?

You could leave them at the train station, or at the pier. HOHO Trolley has a stop very close to Pacific Central (Science World) but all HOHOs have a stop at Canada Place, so it's probably easier doing it there.

 

NB: you must return by 4pm to collect, and you want to be at Pacific Central by 4:35pm anyway to get your seats and go through US Immigration/Customs, so basically returning for your bags then heading straight for the station in a cab is the most sensible thing to do.

[hawk/hornfan]

A group who arrive early to Vancouver for the Sept 22 Vancouver to Hawaii cruise on Celebrity Solstice are having a pre cruise meet @ the St Regis on Sept 21 for happy hour and beyond. If any of the locals on this thread would like to join us I think you would be most welcome, Hope to see some of you.

Edited August 13, 2015 by hawk/hornfan

[Everbest]

Thanks Martincath. It's good to know that I won't have to schlep my suitcases all over Vancouver.

[xlxo]

I should add... if you choose to leave your luggage at the pier... budget

-$7 for carry-on

-$8 for Regular

[CupKayke]

Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver vs Best Western Plus Chateau in Granville? Pros and Cons please

[martincath]

Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver vs Best Western Plus Chateau in Granville? Pros and Cons please

Answered on your other thread. Although I didn't think to add the Pros for the BW+ which are access to restos close by and the fact you can probably walk to everywhere you might want to visit whereas from Lonsdale you obviously need to get back over to Vancouver first via bus or Seabus.