Does anyone know if the port hotels will let you leave your car parked there while on the cruise (like the Port Canaveral hotels)? It sounds like the port parking is pretty high.
Jodie
I would actually suggest longer that just a day trip to Whistler. Whistler is a worthwhile destination of it's own. We love it so much we bought a vacation home there! Quick suggestions of summer activities at Whistler:
world class mountain biking, hiking, sightseeing by using the Peak 2 Peak gondola, glacier skiing, bear viewing, swimming in glacier fed lakes, canoeing, river rafting, taking Rocky Mountaineer train to/from Whistler, cycling the valley trail, ziptreking, golfing, people watching in the village.
Vancouver is great (we live there) but we absolutely LOVE Whister!
Here's a link to Whistler's official website:
www.whistlerblackcomb.com
I am sure the hotels would charge more than the port parking - which at current rates is $20/day.
http://www.vinciparkcanadaplace.com/reserve-a-space.html
I'm going to guess no, as the Cruise ship terminal is downtown and parking is at preimium there. It may be different if you stay closer to the airport in Richmond, that's probably worth checking out.Many hotels in Port Canaveral allow you to leave your car at the hotel for FREE if you stay there at least one night before or after your cruise. I'm wondering if any of the hotels at the Vancouver port offer the same deal.
Jodie
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before, but the new Canada Line skytrain has been running for about a month now.
For those flying into YVR, the skytrain ride is about 25 minutes to downtown right to the Cruise Ship terminal at Waterfront.
This is my first post, so I can't post links yet, but you can search "Canada Line" on any search engine for more information.
I've lived in the Vancouver area all of my life, and welcome any questions any of you might have.
Just an FYI, it is about 15 miles from SeaTac airport to the Seattle Amtrak station. A cab ride will run you about $40 and a shared-ride van (Shuttle Express) will be about $30.
On another thread, someone said that it was a short cab ride (about $7) from the Vancouver Amtrak station to the cruise terminal.
I looked on the Amtrak website, but I couldn't find anywhere where it said whether or not they stop the train at the border. My best guess, after looking at the train schedules, would be that you would go through customs when you get off the train in Vancouver.
It looks like the Skytrain Waterfront station is about a block from the Canada Place terminals from what I could tell on google.
I would be careful about going up to Vancouver from Washington the day of the cruise. Someone on another thread said that they were told by DCL that if you miss the boat in Vancouver, you will not be allowed to get on at any other port (it has to do with foreign port regulations). We live in Washington and will drive up to Vancouver, but because of that, we're going to drive up the day before. Any number of things could happen to delay you. Flat tire, lines at the border, traffic accidents, road construction.
So what we are looking at doing is flying into Seattle on Saturday and renting a car...check out Seattle on Saturday and then head for the border on Sunday and drive up to Vancouver and take Sunday evening and all day Monday checking out Vancouver. Will we have problems getting across the border? What about renting a car in Seattle and taking it over the border?
How far is it from Vancouver Airport to the cruise terminal? What is the best way to get from the airport to the terminal or downtown hotels? Thanks for any info!
DCL CM told me that their pre-stay and post-stay resort hotels will be three different Fairmont hotels. She listed them off for me, but I couldn't follow her accent. Do you know which would be the best location? I thought I would go on a waitlist on Monday just in case we decide to use DCL.
Using Internet, I found four Vancouver Fairmont hotels -- Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Fairmont Waterfront, Fairmont Pacific Rim.
Thanks!
I think it's approx. 10 miles. About a $35 taxi ride in moderate traffic. The Canada line (part subway, part above ground) is faster and cheaper. Right now it's $3.75 per person and takes about 25 minutes. I've heard they are adding a $2.50 surcharge to the airport in the new year, but it's still a good deal if there are less than 4 of you. The Canada line ends at Waterfront station, which is next door to Canada Place.
The border crossing is what scares us the most. As of now ( may change) we are planning on flying into bellingham airport and then amtrak into vancouver and just stay there till we leave for the cruise. that will give us 2 days to adjust to the time difference as well as some time to site see all there is to see on the west.
When we went to the Canadian side of Niagra Falls, we flew into Buffalo, NY and rented a car from Budget or Alamo and drove over the border. We had no problem nor did the car rental place. We just bought the extra insurance just in case because they said sometimes border patrol wants proof of insurance before you enter Canada.
Are the rules different in Vancouver? Does anyone else have experience renting from the States and crossing the Canadian border with a car rental?