10:30 a.m. flight from Vancouver?

[bay guy]

Planning a Hawaii cruise for next year and cruise ends in Vancouver. If we self disembark, can we get to the airport in time to check in for and catch a 10:30 a.m. flight?

[CeeCee59]

Not a chance. You would need to BE at the airport for a flight to the US a minimum of 2 hours in advance meaning that you would have to be through customs at Canada Place, then travel to the airport either by taxi or using Skytrain by 8:30 which would be highly unlikely. Book a later flight!

[cruiser64093]

Around mid-day, the traffic in Vancouver begins to solidify. It's kind of iffy. Some options:

 

1- Take the subway from downtown to the Airport, about $4.00~ CAD. The train platform is about a half block from the cruise port in Vancouver, and the train goes directly to the airport, about 28 minutes. You can buy tickets from the kiosk machine. Fast, direct, and inexpensive. The subway in Vancouver is bright, clean and friendly.

 

2- Cab. Around $40.00 CAD, plus tip. Could be fast, if traffic allows. At mid-day, it's a gamble.

 

3- Transfer, via cruise line. Nice option if you don't like carrying your luggage around. However, it is maddening waiting for the bus to fill up when you have a tight airline connection and want to go *NOW*.

[Langley Cruisers]

Planning a Hawaii cruise for next year and cruise ends in Vancouver. If we self disembark, can we get to the airport in time to check in for and catch a 10:30 a.m. flight?

 

Agree, I wouldn't book it. As mentioned you will go through Customs in Vancouver when you disembark, and if you are flying from YVR to anywhere in the US (I assume you may be doing so), then you will go through US pre-clearance at the airport so your flight is treated as a domestic flight when you land in the States (this is a good thing, trust me).

 

We live close by and have disembarked in Vancouver and flown out of Vancouver many times - 10:30 is WAY too early, in my opinion.

 

EDITED to add:

 

...Take the subway from downtown to the Airport, about $4.00~ CAD. The train platform is about a half block from the cruise port in Vancouver, and the train goes directly to the airport, about 28 minutes. You can buy tickets from the kiosk machine. Fast, direct, and inexpensive. The subway in Vancouver is bright, clean and friendly.

 

Forgive me but we don't have a subway here - it's called the SkyTrain and it is above ground, just to clarify for those who may not know. :) And yes, it is bright, clean and friendly but I would never do this with luggage. Ever. But that's just me.

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Edited December 27, 2015 by Langley Cruisers

[elleluv]

That's definitely too early...

 

We've taken that cruise on a couple of occasions and because it's the first sailing into Vancouver, getting clearance from the authorities generally takes some extra time.

 

Royal recommends flights no earlier than 12:00 noon and I really wouldn't take one any earlier than that... We once had an 11:55 flight, with #1 tags and got to our gate just as they started boarding.

[bay guy]

Thanks everyone for the good advice.

[wendychloecruiser]

I would highly doubt you would make a flight at that time.

 

Just FYI, the "SKY TRAIN" is just the opposite of a "subway.":)

[Kamloops50]

You shouldn't take the chance . The earliest flight we made was 10:30AM and it was a domestic flight . The US clearance and security was indicated to be about 3 hours when we arrived. Canadian security was a 90 minute wait.

[Hoopster95]

Planning a Hawaii cruise for next year and cruise ends in Vancouver. If we self disembark, can we get to the airport in time to check in for and catch a 10:30 a.m. flight?

 

Agreed with everyone already... too early.

Best and least expensive (winning combination!) is SkyTrain hands down... and it's super easy as long as you don't have multiple pieces of luggage.

To understand if this works for you, pictures and explanation of Skytrain of YVR to Radiance here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=47847901&highlight=skytrain#post47847901

Of course you would be doing this in reverse from the pier to YVR

Have a great cruise :D

[immy619]

Not possible. Noon would.be the absolutely earliest I'd try and even that may be dangerously tight.

[critterchick]

Agree, I wouldn't book it. As mentioned you will go through Customs in Vancouver when you disembark, and if you are flying from YVR to anywhere in the US (I assume you may be doing so), then you will go through US pre-clearance at the airport so your flight is treated as a domestic flight when you land in the States (this is a good thing, trust me).

 

We live close by and have disembarked in Vancouver and flown out of Vancouver many times - 10:30 is WAY too early, in my opinion.

 

EDITED to add:

 

 

 

Forgive me but we don't have a subway here - it's called the SkyTrain and it is above ground, just to clarify for those who may not know. :) And yes, it is bright, clean and friendly but I would never do this with luggage. Ever. But that's just me.

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We do it with luggage and it's quite easy - the cars on the Canada Line to YVR have plenty of room for suitcases and it's not a big deal to roll a suitcase two blocks to the station.:)

 

As for the 10:30 flight, I wouldn't do it because there's no telling what might happen in the five sea days between Hawaii and Vancouver that might result in a late arrival. If there were a stop in Victoria or Seattle, I might chance it, but only if you have Global Entry, which cuts the potentially lengthy wait to clear US immigration to just a few minutes. NEXUS, which includes Global Entry, would be even better, since you get a special line going through security.