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What to do with luggage after disembarking a cruise and before heading to YVR


susiesan
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We will be self disembarking the Coral Princess on Wednesday June 26, 2019. We have a flight to USA on UA that departs YVR at 3:30pm. We'd like to do some sightseeing in Vancouver before heading to the airport. We don't want to sit around YVR for 6 hours before the flight home and we are not able to take the time to stay in Vancouver overnight due to work. Of course, we will have luggage for the two of us and don't want to lug it around in the morning. We can use public transportation to do some sightseeing and then Skytrain to YVR. Is there somewhere at Canada Place to store luggage for a few hours?

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^Yes - the official pier luggage storage is run by CDS. $8 for big suitcases. You can also leave bags with the bell staff at the Pan Pacific hotel upstairs - if there's a queue for CDS this might be quicker, and it's also cheaper (all reports continue to say $5 per bag).

 

Check the port schedule to see how many other ships are in port with you (it will likely not flip over to 2019 sched until about March next year). Amalgamation sites like cruisett will be available already, but they need to be taken with a pinch of salt, as they have missed ships (even entire lines!) in the past.

 

If it's a 1 or 2 ship day, I'd be very comfortable heading out to YVR by 1pm from downtown - that gives you 2 hours to check-in, drop bags, clear security and immigration. If it's a 3 or 4 shipper, unless you have Global Entry or NEXUS to ensure you speed through security and immigration queues you may want to actually use the recommended 3 hours pre-flight timeframe YVR suggests and leave downtown by noon. Lunching at YVR has several options after security.

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Coral Princess comes and goes on Wednesdays so hopefully we will be the only ship in Vancouver that day. I will check schedules early 2019 to get a definitive answer, to be prepared. But good to know that my plan to do some touring and have a nice lunch before heading to the airport will work. I will figure out what one thing I want to do in the few hours we have in Vancouver.

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We had that issue after our recent Alaska cruise...But our flight didn't leave until 8:05 pm!

We ended up booking a tour with Landsea Tours:

 

https://vancouvertours.com/pre-post-cruise-tours/

 

Their Sea to Sky tour was pretty good...picked us up at the cruise terminal, held our luggage ...and dropped us at the airport in plenty of time for our flight...With an earlier flight, you might want to look at their "City Highlights" tour...

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At YVR US Customs and Security can be very busy on a cruise day especially. Also it is summer time and US students are out of school already. You can check in 3 hours before and relax in the US area when through. Duty Free shopping and many food options behind security. 2 lounges. Air Canada and Premium Plaza.

You could do a Taxi tour or a booked shuttle tour, along with your luggage and then end at YVR and check in. There are restaurants before security at YVR as well and other options too. Observation deck above Domestic food court to watch the planes and table to eat up there.

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We had that issue after our recent Alaska cruise...But our flight didn't leave until 8:05 pm!

We ended up booking a tour with Landsea Tours:

 

https://vancouvertours.com/pre-post-cruise-tours/

 

Their Sea to Sky tour was pretty good...picked us up at the cruise terminal, held our luggage ...and dropped us at the airport in plenty of time for our flight...With an earlier flight, you might want to look at their "City Highlights" tour...

Good idea, but the timing won't work They pick up at 10:00am and it is a 4 hour tour so we would get to the airport too late. I think we'll just store the luggage and either take a taxi to a few places or walk.

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^Yes - the official pier luggage storage is run by CDS. $8 for big suitcases. You can also leave bags with the bell staff at the Pan Pacific hotel upstairs - if there's a queue for CDS this might be quicker, and it's also cheaper (all reports continue to say $5 per bag).

 

Check the port schedule to see how many other ships are in port with you (it will likely not flip over to 2019 sched until about March next year). Amalgamation sites like cruisett will be available already, but they need to be taken with a pinch of salt, as they have missed ships (even entire lines!) in the past.

 

If it's a 1 or 2 ship day, I'd be very comfortable heading out to YVR by 1pm from downtown - that gives you 2 hours to check-in, drop bags, clear security and immigration. If it's a 3 or 4 shipper, unless you have Global Entry or NEXUS to ensure you speed through security and immigration queues you may want to actually use the recommended 3 hours pre-flight timeframe YVR suggests and leave downtown by noon. Lunching at YVR has several options after security.

 

The one item to add, is if your flight is fairly late in the evening and leaves after US customers in Vancouver closes, then your flight will depart from an international gate and you will clear US customers/immigration when you land in the US. US customs has generally closed at 8 or 9 pm.

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  • 7 months later...

According to the port schedule on June 26 there will be 3 smaller ships in port at Vancouver. Our flight from YVR has been changed and moved up to departing at 1:40pm now. So we will likely need to leave for the airport at 11:30. We have very little time to do anything in Vancouver. Now I wish I had booked a flight later I the day, but too late to change now.

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Despite the ships being smaller than some, I'd still be inclined to push that airport trip a little earlier. Arriving at YVR 2 hours before your flight should still be OK but not even starting the trip until then is risky! SkyTrain removes the worries about long cab lines or no cabs around where you are, but I'd still be aiming for at least 2.5hrs pre-flight at Waterfront Station to start the journey.

 

Have you tried contacting the airline? While it is less than a 2 hour shift so they won't just automatically agree to let you swap the flight for free, if you tell them that you have booked some post-cruise plans and their new time screws those up you could get lucky...

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