Vancouver question

[Floridanamaw]

We will be in Vancouver after our cruise on the 20th and 21st flying home on the 22nd. Is there someplace downtown, close to Robson Street or Blue Horizon that we could use to ship things home. Something like a Mail Quick or Mail Boxes Etc? My suitcase is pushing the weight limit now and I'm sure I will purchase a few things and just wondering if I could find someplace close to where we are staying to ship them home on Saturday. Thanks.

[Putterdude]

FedEx have an agent at:

 

Vancouver Business Plus

360 Robson St

Vancouver, BC V6B2B2

(604) 685-0877

 

There is a UPS store (formerly Mail Box Etc) at:

1350 Burrard St.

 

and another in the Denman Place Mall

1030 Denman St.

 

All of these are 8 or more blocks from the Blue Horizon, likely the easiest one to get to the be the FedEx agent at 360 Burrard.

 

There may be some independent mail box - business centres closer that I am not aware of.

[kenish]

We will be in Vancouver after our cruise on the 20th and 21st flying home on the 22nd.

 

Consider USPS flat rate Priority Mail. There are standard size boxes, "If it fits it ships". To save time you can get the boxes at your local PO, prepay the postage online or at the kiosk, and preprint the label. All you have to do is put the items into the box and take it to a US Post Office at the port. Also, many of the shops at the various ports will ship your purchases; if it's high-value they can add insurance to the shipment.

 

Of course you will get the best value by shipping small/heavy/dense items.

 

Another suggestion is take along clothes, socks, and underwear that are good for one last wearing and discard them along the way. I save old garments during the year with this in mind.

 

I'd re-evaluate what you really need to take. Alaska cruises are pretty casual, at least from my personal experience. Keep in mind you need to leave a few pounds leeway...there are articles in the travel press and on this forum where luggage was carefully weighed at home, but was overweight on the airline's scale at check-in. Guess who wins in that case?

[Kamloops50]

Consider USPS flat rate Priority Mail. There are standard size boxes, "If it fits it ships". To save time you can get the boxes at your local PO, prepay the postage online or at the kiosk, and preprint the label. All you have to do is put the items into the box and take it to a US Post Office at the port. Also, many of the shops at the various ports will ship your purchases; if it's high-value they can add insurance to the shipment.

 

Of course you will get the best value by shipping small/heavy/dense items.

 

Another suggestion is take along clothes, socks, and underwear that are good for one last wearing and discard them along the way. I save old garments during the year with this in mind.

 

I'd re-evaluate what you really need to take. Alaska cruises are pretty casual, at least from my personal experience. Keep in mind you need to leave a few pounds leeway...there are articles in the travel press and on this forum where luggage was carefully weighed at home, but was overweight on the airline's scale at check-in. Guess who wins in that case?

 

They are asking about Vancouver Canada. There is no product from Canada Post that does that. The best is to ship via UPS or Loomis.

Staple stores are also UPS or Fedex reps.

[martincath]

I'll second Kenish's advice; postage rates in Canada are higher than just about anywhere else we've ever visited or bought stuff from. We've taken items to the US so we can ship them from there, and the USPS flat-rate boxes are excellent value if there's no urgency in delivery times.

 

PD - I believe Kenish means to ship home from an Alaskan PO while still on the cruise...

Edited September 4, 2014 by martincath

[Floridanamaw]

FedEx have an agent at:

 

Vancouver Business Plus

360 Robson St

Vancouver, BC V6B2B2

(604) 685-0877

 

There is a UPS store (formerly Mail Box Etc) at:

1350 Burrard St.

 

and another in the Denman Place Mall

1030 Denman St.

 

All of these are 8 or more blocks from the Blue Horizon, likely the easiest one to get to the be the FedEx agent at 360 Burrard.

 

There may be some independent mail box - business centres closer that I am not aware of.

 

This helps, thanks. I'm going to look again this weekend at all the stuff I'm taking and see if anything can be taken out of the bag. As it sits right now it's at 34 pounds and I'm basically done packing with only a few last minute things. We don't usually buy big items but we do buy shirts and maybe jackets. Hopefully we won't have to ship anything home. Thanks for the info.

[Putterdude]

This helps, thanks. I'm going to look again this weekend at all the stuff I'm taking and see if anything can be taken out of the bag. As it sits right now it's at 34 pounds and I'm basically done packing with only a few last minute things. We don't usually buy big items but we do buy shirts and maybe jackets. Hopefully we won't have to ship anything home. Thanks for the info.

 

Actually, I had forgotten about Staples and there is a Staples in Royal Centre at Burrard and Georgia Sts. which is about 5 blocks from the BH....just grist for the mill....if you need more grist.

 

I am very familiar with the USPS "flat rate" box but obviously that don't work in Canada Post/Postes Canada ....we need to be politically correct.

[rkacruiser]

After an Auckland-Sydney-Vancouver cruise in 2012, I had "stuff" that I had collected that I did not want to lug home in my luggage. Staying at the Pan Pacific Hotel for a couple of days after the cruise, I found a Canada Post office in the underground mall beneath the Pan Pacific/Fairmont Waterfront/and other buildings. They had boxes available and the charges I paid to ship my "stuff" were reasonable, I felt. Certainly better than overweight luggage charges that Delta would have charged and the effort I would have had to expend in handling such heavy luggage.

 

Canada Post's service was fine. I so appreciated it!

[Putterdude]

Canada Post's service was fine!

 

Oh come now, Canada Post "fine".....you can't fool us, we are Canadian!, The reason our postal rates are so high....we have to pay for storage.:D

 

Seriously, if it worked for you that's all that matters.

[BruceMuzz]

If you do plan to take a box of personal items off the ship in Alaska for mailing, you need to be aware that US Customs MUST be advised in advance.

 

If not, you are, in effect, bringing undeclared items into the USA.

Some people do it and get away with it.

Others get caught and have to pay big fines.

 

If you inform the ship's Purser a few days before you plan to take the items ashore, he can coordinate with US Customs as they clear the ship.

Customs usually requires you to meet them with the proposed items. They make a cursory inspection to ensure that you are not taking dangerous, illegal, or high value items into the USA. The entire thing takes about 15 minutes.

 

Note also that many US Post Offices in Alaska posts have been closed down this past summer as a cost-cutting move.

Juneau still has a small one near the Federal Building downtown. Many other Alaska ports require a long taxi ride out of town to mail something.

[Floridanamaw]

If I mail anything it will be from Vancouver not Alaska. Hopefully I won't have too but I was just looking for someplace too if I needed.

[Urban trekker]

There's also a Canada Post Office in the London Drugs in Vancouver Center/Pacific Center complex. There is a Fed-Ex depot in the 900 block Hornby - If I am walking along Robson in the next week or so I will see what might be close to the hotel.

 

PS - the UPS store in the 1300 block Burrard is located in my condo complex.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

Edited September 5, 2014 by Urban trekker

[scottbee]

We will be in Vancouver after our cruise on the 20th and 21st flying home on the 22nd. Is there someplace downtown, close to Robson Street or Blue Horizon that we could use to ship things home. Something like a Mail Quick or Mail Boxes Etc? My suitcase is pushing the weight limit now and I'm sure I will purchase a few things and just wondering if I could find someplace close to where we are staying to ship them home on Saturday. Thanks.

 

I'll second the suggestion to ship home from Alaska and not from Vancouver. International parcel rates are quite high compared to US domestic parcel rates.

[Tweedy]

It might be less expensive to purchase an additional bag to put the "extras" in rather then shipping them home from Vancouver.

[kenish]

Double post, sorry!

Edited September 5, 2014 by kenish

[kenish]

They are asking about Vancouver Canada. There is no product from Canada Post that does that. The best is to ship via UPS or Loomis.

Staple stores are also UPS or Fedex reps.

 

Yes, my suggestion is mailing from a US port (Juneau, Ketchikan, etc) instead of waiting until Vancouver for the reasons others have stated. Sorry if my reply wasn't clear. I realize Canada Post doesn't have similar, and UPS/Fedex will be far more expensive. I didn't think about the Customs declaration issue.

 

For USPS offices being open or closed, just give them a call ahead of time.

Edited September 5, 2014 by kenish