NothingBeatsBaseball

We had a family of five and stayed here. Not super close to Canada Place, but nice to have a few bedrooms and a kitchen for two days before we left. A grocery store across the street was nice to save a few bucks on a meal. https://www.timessquaresuites.com/ We did a precruise tour that picked us up from the hotel and dropped us off at Canada Place. We were happy with the experience. https://vancouvertours.com/cruise-tour/pre-post-cruise-vancouver-highlights-tour/

We enjoyed renting the car for the drive when we did it 10 years ago or so. Really enjoyed it. Stopping whenever we wanted was nice.

Tammy, you can message the Turo owner in the app and make those arrangements to see if they will drop off, etc. It is really up to them as to what they're willing to do. Turo allows you to cancel up to 24 hours before, but you do pay when you book. So if you are worried about who booked with based on their dialogue with you, you can cancel. I booked about five months out and then kept an eye on the reviews of the car I had to make sure they were still positive. Then a week or so out sent a message to the owner to confirm, because who knows what could happen to a car in an Alaskan winter. Sounds like your husband will have his wheelchair, but the Shrine has wheelchairs you can borrow. So if you have anyone else in your party who may like one, they are available.

We did the Sapphire Princess one way from Vancouver last year with an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old. For them never having been on a cruise before, being on the ship and that whole experience itself was mostly enough to keep them entertained. They liked exploring the ship and we had a few bundled up late night walks on the promenade deck where they flopped on the deck ala SpongeBob. But we packed some surprise gifts (croc charms, small legos sets, hot wheels, etc) that that helped give them something to look forward to. The Glacier Bay day we made sure they saw the glaciers, but we didn't force them to watch the whole time. We stayed on our balcony for a decent time and let them watch movies in the room. We got room service pizzas and ate them on the balcony as a family, which was nice. It was a challenge as a parent to juggle "hey kids appreciate this nature!" with "what is realistic kids this age would appreciate?" but also "how can I relax and enjoy the trip while keeping them busy?". We didn't do any of the kid clubs. Both kiddos enjoyed the two magic shows we saw on board. We swam once, but the pool was too deep and too crowded for them to enjoy it much. In port, we did the train in Skagway (the 8-year-old enjoyed more than we expected... the 4-year-old slept through it as little did we know but he'd feel sick that night). Renting a car in Juneau was fantastic. We were going to do a float plane trip in Ketchikan but it was canceled due to wind.

We went to Mendenhall Glacier, ate lunch, and then headed to the National Shrine of St. Thérèse. As we drove back to the main part of the city we stopped on the side of the road a few times. We pulled into Lena Beach but didn't stay long. Then we headed over the bridge to Douglas Island. There are lots of trails there. Our kids had a good time running around Sandy Beach. We took some of our favorite photos there. We spent more time there than I expected. There is a trail in the Treadwill Mine there, but we didn't get to it. There are other trails on Douglas Island. We tried the Outer Point Loop Trail.... but it was flooded halfway or so. We saw some beavers which was neat. On Douglas Island, there were multiple places we pulled off on the side of the road to just take photos and enjoy the view. We had perfect weather so it was one of our best days of the trip.

https://turo.com/us/en/suv-rental/united-states/juneau-ak/jeep/cherokee/1376008?endDate=01%2F25%2F2024&endTime=10%3A00&startDate=01%2F22%2F2024&startTime=10%3A00 This was the car we rented.

I did this tour with them last June. https://vancouvertours.com/cruise-tour/pre-post-cruise-vancouver-highlights-tour/ We did it as a pre-cruise tour. They picked us up at our hotel, on time and exactly where they said they would. The guide was good. The bus was fine and bout what you'd expect. Our luggage was handled fine. We were dropped off on time at Canada Place at the bus offloading zone. Overall, very happy with it. The actual tour didn't see a ton of Vancouver. But covered what it said it would. It served as a great way to use more time in the city and not have to worry about an Uber or train ride to Canada Place with luggage. For what we saw, was it worth it on that price alone... probably not. But we had ages 4-70 with us, so the ease of not having to worry about traffic, etc and still experiencing more of the city made it worth it. Our group was glad we did it. (Edit to answer your specific qusetion) Yes, we had other guests with us. Some were on different "tours", so they dropped some off to go to an observatory when we were taken to Canada Place. Seemed fine to me and they seemed organized about it. They had lots of space in the back of the bus for luggage. As far as enough time. Perhaps your tour is longer, what we had wasn't enough at Granville Island but we knew that going in. It was walk around a bit, eat, find the bus. Stanley Park, I mean it's huge, but it spent the time it said at the various spots.

We rented a Turo. I understand the hesitation with it. I had some too, but ours worked out great. The owner met us across the street from the port. We had all day to go whenever we wanted. We too wanted a larger vehicle and were able to find what we needed.

I did the Sapphire Princess inside passage with Glacier Bay last June. I think if you had a balcony you'd be happy with what you can see from the balcony if you couldn't move to other spots on the ship the easiest. My only suggestion would be to get a balcony that has cover above it so if it is raining, it feels like you can still use the balcony. I traveled with someone who couldn't walk long distances and we found Princess' help getting them on and off the ship in a wheelchair was very considerate and helpful. I will add this, Princess' port locations in Ketchikan and Skagway were great. I can't speak to what they are for cruises you are looking at. But in Ketchikan, we were right in the city steps off the ship. Skagway.... not as much... BUT if you book the train through them, the train nearly pulls up to the ship.

In Juneau, if you can swing a Turo rental car there are lots of trails. Douglas Island has some awesome views. The beach there is really cool. The Turo we rental worked out great. We met the person across the street from the dock and drove off from there.

Customs is very easy in Vancouver. I've done it at the airport and train station. No problems. The Amtrak ride from Seattle to Vancouver is very scenic and worth the trip alone for the views. If you can swing it, sailing out of Vancouver is the most recommended option on these boards.

An obstructed view can be a good choice too. This was our view on the Sapphire Princess. The natural light was nice to keep our body clocks normal. We also used the view to check the weather, see how close we were to port, etc. I don't remember the price difference but everyone in our party was happy with the choice. I think the balcony is only a must if you or your party have mobility issues. Then it is nice to have that dedicated space to view Glacier Bay, College Fjord, etc.

We had room E731 on the Sapphire last summer. It was big and was fully covered. It was great for a few foggy/drizzly days. Extra space and it being completely covered a a huge plus. I didn't wander down to the bow in Glacier Bay ... but I do think it was open. I can't remember now. Someone else could speak to it better than I.

We rented a Turo in Jueneau and went to multiple places. There are some nice hikes across the bridge on Douglas Island, a few were flooded when we went through. We went to the shrine as well. Packed a lot into a day.

If you're getting the rental cars, instead of making Anchorage your base for a few days, I'd suggest staying in or near Palme for a few days. It is on your way to Manatuska Glacier anyway. Hatcher Pass near Palmer is fantastic for hikes. There are grocery stores and restaurants in Palmer. The drive to Manatuska is awesome.