Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite

[Putterdude]

Here is my saga: Flying into Seattle after midnight, taking the train to Vancouver before US Liquor stores are open, arriving in Vancouver on a Sunday, embarkation is on Victoria Day....where am I going to purchase adult beverages to take on board? My research shows that a few BC Liquor Stores are open on 'some' holidays. Can any of you local folks come up with a solution for me...other than just showing up at the port and handing me a bottle of rum:D

 

Ell52 has given you excellent advice. However there is a closer. privately operated liquor store a little closer at 678 Dunsmuir St....but as likely as not the price will be higher then a BC Liquor store. Frankly, I would be very inclined to bring my rum from OH, the price of an average 1.14 l bottle of rum in Vancouver is going to run you something north of $35 and each adult (over 19) can bring 1.14 l of alcohol into Canada duty free.

Edited March 31, 2012 by Putterdude

[Cliftoncruz]

I have a few questions for all of you well seasoned travels to Vancouver, BC. We are taking our first trip to Alaska to Vancouver in September. We are spending a few days in Vancouver. We maybe staying in the Harbor area-Pan Pacific. What are the need to see areas/attractions and how to get there? Second, our flight to NY leaves at about 0845 how slow is U.S. Customs and recommended time to arrive at YVR to clear customs?

 

Thanks!

 

Jim

Edited March 31, 2012 by Cliftoncruz

[Putterdude]

I have a few questions for all of you well seasoned travels to Vancouver, BC. We are taking our first trip to Alaska to Vancouver in September. We are spending a few days in Vancouver. We maybe staying in the Harbor area-Pan Pacific. What are the need to see areas/attractions and how to get there? Second, our flight to NY leaves at about 0845 how slow is U.S. Customs and recommended time to arrive at YVR to clear customs?

 

Thanks!

 

Jim

 

I would likely take one day and do a HOHO tour of the city. Some of the places that you should take in on that tour would be Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown and Chinatown. On another day I would recommend a trip over to the North Shore where you can do the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. Both the bridge and the mountain offer a free shuttle from the Pan Pacific and several locations and the HOHOs also have a stop at the Pan Pacific. As for your flight, you need to be at YVR a full 2 hours prior to your flight time and you are about 35 mins from YVR from downtown either by cab or the Canada Line. Here are some links for your convenience:

 

www.vancouvertrolley.com/

http://www.bigbus.ca/

http://www.vancouverpinkbustours.com/

www.capbridge.com/

http://www.grousemountain.com/Summer/summer-activities/

http://city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks/stanley/

http://www.granvilleisland.com/en

http://www.gastown.org/

www.vancouverchinesegarden.com/

[Quilting Queen]

We will be arriving in Vancouver on Saturday, May 19 by cruise ship. We have reservations for Amtrak at about 5:00 pm. Do you know of a tour we can do that will pick us up at the pier and drop us at Amtrak between 3:00 to 4:00. It does not have to be a private tour, but we will have our luggage with us. I foudn one but it is for $74.00 and we are looking for something that costs less than that.

 

Thanks,

Norine

[Cliftoncruz]

Putterdude,

 

Thank you so much for the information!

 

Jim

[no fuss travel]

I have a few questions for all of you well seasoned travels to Vancouver, BC. We are taking our first trip to Alaska to Vancouver in September. We are spending a few days in Vancouver. We maybe staying in the Harbor area-Pan Pacific. What are the need to see areas/attractions and how to get there? Second, our flight to NY leaves at about 0845 how slow is U.S. Customs and recommended time to arrive at YVR to clear customs?

 

Thanks!

 

Jim

Jim, if it is a busy day it could take you hour to hour and a half to get through immigration and security at YVR. I would give yourselves a clear two and a half hours just to be safe. We breezed through last month because we have NEXUS cards, but the others were waiting an hour to get through immigration around that time.

[Putterdude]

Jim, if it is a busy day it could take you hour to hour and a half to get through immigration and security at YVR. I would give yourselves a clear two and a half hours just to be safe. We breezed through last month because we have NEXUS cards, but the others were waiting an hour to get through immigration around that time.

 

Now really if someone is at YVR at 0645 for an 0845 flight do you think they need to be there earlier?....at that hour of the morning they will walk thru security and US Customs as they will be way ahead of any cruise ship passengers.

[Putterdude]

We will be arriving in Vancouver on Saturday, May 19 by cruise ship. We have reservations for Amtrak at about 5:00 pm. Do you know of a tour we can do that will pick us up at the pier and drop us at Amtrak between 3:00 to 4:00. It does not have to be a private tour, but we will have our luggage with us. I foudn one but it is for $74.00 and we are looking for something that costs less than that.

 

Thanks,

Norine

 

I am delighted that you found such a tour as I have no knowledge of one. My suggestion would be to check your luggage at Priority Baggage Services at Canada Place or at one of the nearby hotels and take one of the HOHOs from Canada Place. You then could pick up you luggage and grab a cab to the Pacific Central Station that Amtrak uses for about $12. Your HOHO fare will run just over $30 pp and you will have a luggage checking fee....but in total you will come in well under the $74 pp.

[S_cruiser]

With this talk of needing to be at the airport 2 -2 1/2 hours before flight departs, I have a question. How busy is the airport early in the AM?

 

We have a 6:20am flight and the hotel where we are staying has a shuttle. However, the first shuttle in the AM is at 4:45. Would we be okay with that timeframe or should I be looking for a hotel that has 24 hour shuttle service?

 

If I need to change hotets, any suggestions for a hotel would be appreciated. I currently have a reservation at the Marriott Airport.

 

Thanks

[Putterdude]

With this talk of needing to be at the airport 2 -2 1/2 hours before flight departs, I have a question. How busy is the airport early in the AM?

 

We have a 6:20am flight and the hotel where we are staying has a shuttle. However, the first shuttle in the AM is at 4:45. Would we be okay with that timeframe or should I be looking for a hotel that has 24 hour shuttle service?

 

If I need to change hotets, any suggestions for a hotel would be appreciated. I currently have a reservation at the Marriott Airport.

 

Thanks

 

US Customs does not open at YVR until 0500 so you will be just fine. To expedite things a bit I would pick up a US Customs form from the customer service desk on the ship and have it completed before you arrive at the airport.

 

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/sample_declaration_form.xml

[Quilting Queen]

Thanks Putterdude for the luggage drop off suggestion. I will mention that to the others I will be with.

 

Norine

[S_cruiser]

US Customs does not open at YVR until 0500 so you will be just fine. To expedite things a bit I would pick up a US Customs form from the customer service desk on the ship and have it completed before you arrive at the airport.

 

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/sample_declaration_form.xml

 

Thanks Putterdude for your answer and thanks for the suggestion of picking up the customs form before arriving at the airport.

[movingimages]

Greetings and thank you for this very informative thread! We (me, DH, 17yo DD) will be in Vancouver for 2 nights post-repositioning cruise, arriving on a Friday a.m. and departing YVR airport on Sunday at 8:15 a.m. We will not have a car. Perusing this thread, I've come to the following conclusions/questions and would just like some input (for peace of mind moving forward) and/or additional suggestions. Thanks, in advance, for any help that can be provided!

 

1) We should plan to arrive at the airport no later than 6:15 a.m., with an approximate travel time of 45 minutes by taxi. How easy will it be to get a taxi at this time on a Sunday morning? Are there other airport transfer options we can/should consider?

 

2) Downtown is easily and inexpensively accessed from the cruise port by taxi. Are they queued up outside, or is there some other procedure for obtaining one?

 

3) Where to stay? We do not require anything fancy, as we don't plan on spending much time in hotel room. (We stayed in Govt. hostels, family room, in England and were quite happy.) We do want to minimize transportation costs and be able to leave our luggage at hotel on Friday after debarkation. We would get hotel points with a Hilton property (e.g. Hampton Inn), but we're open to many choices. Under $150/night would be optimal.

 

4) Sightseeing (which probably impacts hotel choice). We definitely want to spend time at Stanley Park. Did I read correctly there is a HOHO bus for just inside the park? We also like meandering around markets, beaches, etc. Would like to go to Granville Island Market. Doable in our timeframe?

 

Looking forward to visiting Vancouver! Growing up in Detroit, I've had many opportunities to visit Eastern Canada - Toronto, Quebec, Windsor, Sarnia, Bayfield - but never the West!

[CanWeGoYet?]

Fritz will definitely be open (until 2:30am!). Definitely fits your Close, Good and Not Terribly Expensive criteria. And Poutine is a very Canadian thing, must be tried at least once... :)

 

Haha, Poutine! I tried it in montreal many years ago. I don't know - I did not think it was bad but I didn't understand why it's all the rage, or why my boyfriend missed it so when he was in seattle.

[scottbee]

Greetings and thank you for this very informative thread! We (me, DH, 17yo DD) will be in Vancouver for 2 nights post-repositioning cruise, arriving on a Friday a.m. and departing YVR airport on Sunday at 8:15 a.m. We will not have a car. Perusing this thread, I've come to the following conclusions/questions and would just like some input (for peace of mind moving forward) and/or additional suggestions. Thanks, in advance, for any help that can be provided!

 

1) We should plan to arrive at the airport no later than 6:15 a.m., with an approximate travel time of 45 minutes by taxi. How easy will it be to get a taxi at this time on a Sunday morning? Are there other airport transfer options we can/should consider?

 

2) Downtown is easily and inexpensively accessed from the cruise port by taxi. Are they queued up outside, or is there some other procedure for obtaining one?

 

3) Where to stay? We do not require anything fancy, as we don't plan on spending much time in hotel room. (We stayed in Govt. hostels, family room, in England and were quite happy.) We do want to minimize transportation costs and be able to leave our luggage at hotel on Friday after debarkation. We would get hotel points with a Hilton property (e.g. Hampton Inn), but we're open to many choices. Under $150/night would be optimal.

 

4) Sightseeing (which probably impacts hotel choice). We definitely want to spend time at Stanley Park. Did I read correctly there is a HOHO bus for just inside the park? We also like meandering around markets, beaches, etc. Would like to go to Granville Island Market. Doable in our timeframe?

 

Looking forward to visiting Vancouver! Growing up in Detroit, I've had many opportunities to visit Eastern Canada - Toronto, Quebec, Windsor, Sarnia, Bayfield - but never the West!

 

 

1. You can take the Canada Line Skytrain (subway), costing $2.50/ea from downtown to the airport. A lot cheaper than a $35 taxi.
   
2. Taxis should be outside the cruise port. Often during busy times there can be a short wait (some people report up to 1/2 hr, but I've never seen it that long)
   
3. If you're looking for a cheap hostel, the deal downtown is the YWCA Hotel (seriously). http://ywcahotel.com/ In a safe quiet part of downtown.
   
4. Definitely doable; and again to save money I would recommend taking the city bus, it's inexpensive and Vancouver has a great transit system. if you're going to spend a day exploring, an all day ticket is $9, or $2.50-$5.00 for single tickets depending on how far you go.
   

[martincath]

Another thumbs up for the YWCA Hotel - before we moved to Vancouver it's where we stayed on vacation here. Next door to the Georgian Court, around the corner from the Hampton - full kitchens available if you want to make your own breakfasts etc. and profits go to support a worthy organization.

 

Taxi to downtown from cruise port - if your luggage is manageable you can walk off the ship right into downtown! From Canada Place to YWCA on foot is less than 1 mile: Google Map

 

HOHO inside Stanley Park - if you're repositioning you might be outside the operating dates of the $10 park shuttle (Jun 1 - Sep 3) http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tour/stanley-park-shuttle

Edited April 3, 2012 by martincath

[Putterdude]

Greetings and thank you for this very informative thread! We (me, DH, 17yo DD) will be in Vancouver for 2 nights post-repositioning cruise, arriving on a Friday a.m. and departing YVR airport on Sunday at 8:15 a.m. We will not have a car. Perusing this thread, I've come to the following conclusions/questions and would just like some input (for peace of mind moving forward) and/or additional suggestions. Thanks, in advance, for any help that can be provided!

 

1) We should plan to arrive at the airport no later than 6:15 a.m., with an approximate travel time of 45 minutes by taxi. How easy will it be to get a taxi at this time on a Sunday morning? Are there other airport transfer options we can/should consider?

 

2) Downtown is easily and inexpensively accessed from the cruise port by taxi. Are they queued up outside, or is there some other procedure for obtaining one?

 

3) Where to stay? We do not require anything fancy, as we don't plan on spending much time in hotel room. (We stayed in Govt. hostels, family room, in England and were quite happy.) We do want to minimize transportation costs and be able to leave our luggage at hotel on Friday after debarkation. We would get hotel points with a Hilton property (e.g. Hampton Inn), but we're open to many choices. Under $150/night would be optimal.

 

4) Sightseeing (which probably impacts hotel choice). We definitely want to spend time at Stanley Park. Did I read correctly there is a HOHO bus for just inside the park? We also like meandering around markets, beaches, etc. Would like to go to Granville Island Market. Doable in our timeframe?

 

Looking forward to visiting Vancouver! Growing up in Detroit, I've had many opportunities to visit Eastern Canada - Toronto, Quebec, Windsor, Sarnia, Bayfield - but never the West!

 

You will have no trouble getting a cab on a Sunday morning at that time 35 mins to get out to YVR will be a cake walk. Your fare will be about $35. The Canada Line to YVR is definitely an option and is cheaper than a cab but it is no faster and may not be convenient all depending upon the location of your hotel in relation to a train station.

There will definitely be a cab line outside of Canada Place and a cab to almost any downtown hotel will run about $10. However depending upon which hotel you end up with you may be able to walk to it.

I have not check the Y's rates but in recent years they have been equal to or higher that 3*+ and 4* hotels you can find on Hotwire or bidding on Priceline.com. Hotels on these services can often be had for less than $150 p/n. For instance Hotwire right now is showing 2 hotels for the May 11/13 weekend for $150, a 5* for $150 and a 4* for $138.

The HOHO's are a great way to see a lot of the city in a little time. They all do a perimeter tour of Stanley park and the Vancouver Trolley offers a separate but more intense tour of the park.

[scottbee]

I have not check the Y's rates but in recent years they have been equal to or higher that 3*+ and 4* hotels you can find on Hotwire or bidding on Priceline.com. Hotels on these services can often be had for less than $150 p/n. For instance Hotwire right now is showing 2 hotels for the May 11/13 weekend for $150, a 5* for $150 and a 4* for $138.

 

I'm glad you're posting this warning while admitting you don't even know the numbers. I'm sure that's very useful to the readers of this forum.

[Putterdude]

I'm glad you're posting this warning while admitting you don't even know the numbers. I'm sure that's very useful to the readers of this forum.

 

Why thank you, I appreciate your kind words. If a person had checked the Y's rates against Hotwire and Priceline they would have known this.:)

[Urban trekker]

Here's a link to the daily rates for the YWCA:

 

http://www.ywcahotel.com/content/DAILY_RATES/964

 

If you want a no frills let's share the bath with others yes it is a good deal but if you want your own private bath and you are in high season then the rates are considerable higher.

 

I often stay at Y's when traveling but then I worked for them for more than 40 years so am used to their level of service - I have a cruise planned from NYC in Oct and was going to stay at one of the Y's for around $105.00 a night shared bath but good location and stayed there before - for the fun of it I checked Hotwire for same dates and got the Helmsley now part of the Westin chain for $107.00 a night and I will have my own bath etc.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Urban trekker]

YWCA summer rates for 2 people in a room:

 

 

Double/Double (2 double beds) with:

 

- private bath, TV (1-2 persons)

 

High season rate - June - Sept

 

$144 +

 

- $10 for each additional adult

 

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Urban trekker]

For the fun of it I plugged in the weekend of June 8 - 10 into Hotwire and they are showing two hotels in the Downtown West area - the preferred area - for the same or less than what the Y wants for the same time.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Putterdude]

Thanks for the information Ut. After the kind words I recieved earlier I did, just out of interest, check a mid-May weekend date at the Y's and the rate for a twin bedded room and private bath was something in the order of $126....IMO for the extra $10 to $12 a 4* hotel is where I would be staying but that's just me.

[scottbee]

Let's revisit the constraints as originally posted by the OP.

 

3 adults

2 nights May 13/14

Looking for budget

 

YWCA Hotel; triple w/ hall bath: $224 ai ($108/nt + taxes)

Hotwire 3 star (cheapest downtown): $290 ai ($121/nt + booking fee + taxes)

Hotwire 4 star (cheapest downtown): $351 ai ($148/nt + booking fee + taxes)

 

For a family on a budget, that $57 pays for a nice dinner out; and the 4 star is 50% more than what they were looking for (and I quote): We stayed in Govt. hostels, family room, in England and were quite happy.

[Urban trekker]

If they are looking for hostel style accomodations and that seems to be what they prefer why are you not suggesting the Canadian Youth hostels on either Granville or Burnaby streets - or the Samsun on Granville or how about the Cambie hostels or the Backpackers or the Ivanhoe. Aren't they even cheaper than the Y?

 

Cheers

 

Dennis