What to do in Vancouver for the day before red eye?

[4olivers]

We will be in Vancouver for a full day after our cruise....8am until 9pm.

 

What are some must sees/dos? Family of 9, 4 are teen/kids (boys)

 

 

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[germanyboy]

Have a great hopon hopoff bus tour that goes up through the park and it ends up in the gas town area just south of the dock. steam clock on the street, fabulous restaurants stuff

[germanyboy]

And go to Granville Island, shops, restaurants, farmers market

[Valiamo]

We will be in Vancouver for a full day after our cruise....8am until 9pm.

 

What are some must sees/dos? Family of 9, 4 are teen/kids (boys)

 

 

Stop at Stanley park and visit the Aquarium, lots to do in the park . Head down to Granville Island for a visit. Gas Town is another interesting spot.

 

Take the Sky Train out to the Airport and back! Sit up front, it is driverless! freaky, and fun.

 

Take the Hop-on-hop-off around the downtown area (24 hour pass unlimited travel on their buses). There are two different bus companies,and I recommend the Hop-on Hop-Off vs the Trolley company.

 

Stops include:

 

Gastown (Steam Clock) - interesting area - shopping, eating

 

Pacific Centre - Not much here - downtown Vancouver

 

Canada Place (Cruise Terminal) - See soaring over Canada, wander around the Olympic park

 

Also from this stop you can - Take the Water Taxi over to the Quay in North Vancouver - cost of a bus ticket you can take the water bus over and back again. a great trip across over to the North shore. (hint: get a book of 10 bus tickets at any convenience store, and save $)

 

Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel - Not much here, fancy hotel

 

Robson Street (shopping district) - maybe for the ladies not for the boys... loads of good eating establishments

 

Vancouver Pavilion (only during the summer)

 

Stanley Park (6 stops, including the famous totem poles) Aquarium, Stanley Park, Totem Poles, lots an lots of stuff to do here

 

Vancouver Aquatic Centre (False Creek Ferry transfer) take the water taxi ferry over to Granville Island - neat water taxi.

 

Granville Island Loads of activities and shops here, some GREAT sea food eateries.

 

Yaletown (only during the summer) shopping and food

 

Library Square - interesting library building was the evil laboratory in the 6th sense (the one with Arnold)

 

Sports District - BC Place

 

Chinatown (Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden) - kind of interesting.

 

Can you tell I love Vancouver? Used to travel there on a bi-weekly basis for years.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Valiamo

[xlxo]

First thing I would do is visit CDS Baggage at the cruise terminal. For $40 they will forward up to 4 bags to the airport for you to retrieve prior to your red eye.

 

If not the hop on service.... Catch the Grouse and/or Capilano shuttles for a day of exploration.

 

The Aquarium and mini train may be another idea with the Hop On service

 

Fly Over Canada is above the cruise terminal.

 

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@4olivers... when is your red-eye flight? You want to be at the airport 3 hours preflight.... you should be plan to leave for the airport 4 hours before your flight time if you are downtown.

[4olivers]

Wow! Thanks everyone, our flight is 11 pm Vancouver to Toronto then on home to Raleigh, NC by 10 am Sunday

 

 

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[Lurdes777]

I was going to post the same question as OP! Thank you for getting ahead of me :) So where exactly do we store our bags? Is it $40 for all bags? An no problem they will be transferred to the airport?

[Lurdes777]

The Hop on/off bus - does it pick up from the cruise terminal as well?

[Cruiserkenn]

Stanley Park is a must see and do, as others have said.

 

For the energetic, it is possible to hike all the way around Stanley Park, with great views of the water. The ships offshore, waiting to come into the harbor, are a great sight.

 

Dom't miss Stanley Park!

[emmak8]

Have a great day in Vancouver. Stanley Park is a must. There is a wonderful restaurant inside the park. Google it.

[xlxo]

Wow! Thanks everyone, our flight is 11 pm Vancouver to Toronto then on home to Raleigh, NC by 10 am Sunday

I recommend...

• 5:30pm early dinner
  
• 7pm leave downtown on subway (train trip is 25 minutes)
  
• 7:45pm locate CDS baggage office at International arrivals
  
• 8pm elevator up to US departures.... checkin, security, and delays. They recommend 3 pre-flight for congestion. Especially for first-timers who need the extra time to orient themselves.
  
• 11pm wheels up
  

Edited May 7, 2016 by xlxo

[xlxo]

I was going to post the same question as OP! Thank you for getting ahead of me :) So where exactly do we store our bags? Is it $40 for all bags? An no problem they will be transferred to the airport?

CDS has storage at the cruise terminal.... but you must retrieve your bags by 4pm. Second option is to have CDS send your bags to their airport location for evening pickup.

 

LandSea offers post-cruise tours where they take your luggage, however everyone's flight times are different and this limits where the post-cruise tour goes.

 

CDS's popular service frees you up to do whatever you want and also try out the subway to get to the airport.

[xlxo]

The Hop on/off bus - does it pick up from the cruise terminal as well?

If you look at the Hop On service maps... you'll see.... YES.... there is cruise terminal pickup. However the Hop On services do NOT handle luggage. This makes CDS airport luggage transfer so convenient.

 

•Big bus http://bigbus.ca/home/route-map (stop #3)

•Vancouver Trolley Hop-Offroute-map http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tours/route-map (stop #1 on both red and green route)

Edited May 7, 2016 by xlxo

[xlxo]

Stanley Park is a must see and do' date=' as others have said.

 

For the energetic, it is possible to hike all the way around Stanley Park, with great views of the water. The ships offshore, waiting to come into the harbor, are a great sight.

 

Dom't miss Stanley Park![/quote']Can you share more about your Stanley Park experience? The park is very large.... did you go to the Aquarium? Did you ride the mini train? Carriage ride? Did you explore the trails?

[LeeW]

You really need to look up Stanley Park to see all that is available. Totems exhibit is very good. Just walking along the shore has great views as well. Highly recommend the Aquarium. We got HOHO bus passes from a popular last minute travel website and got entry tickets at the same time (if you have a local aquarium you might also have free entry). Much of the aquarium centers on jellyfish displays. Outdoor area has shows and larger creatures. HOHO is also a good way to get to Granville Island.

 

The suspension bridge and tree platforms are pretty neat, although expensive.

[Cruiserkenn]

Can you share more about your Stanley Park experience? The park is very large.... did you go to the Aquarium? Did you ride the mini train? Carriage ride? Did you explore the trails?

 

I am a walker and a nature person, so the thing I enjoy most is walking around the entire perimeter of Stanley Park, and taking in the great sea views.

 

I also enjoyed the totem exhibit, as mentioned by another poster.

 

The gardens are also fantastic.

 

Personally, I can't get enough of walking in Stanley Park. I have visited four times :)

Edited May 7, 2016 by Cruisin'Rabbit

[NC&KY]

We like Vancouver as well, and we've done all the things mentioned so far. But the best single tourist attraction in the area, in my opinion, is the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. It is easily reachable by public transportation, and it has the finest collection of totems you can imagine. Your kids will love it.:D

 

I'm surprised this thread has not been moved to the Ports of Call area. You might check there for more opinions/details. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39

[newport dave]

Your kids would probably love Capilano Suspension bridge and park. Here's a link to my photos from 3 days in Vancouver prior to our Alaska tour. Just gives you some ideas on what to do.

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjJaJhAh

[tango55]

head up to grouse mtn.great view of the city.grizzly bears and elk there.normally $28 for a adult to ride the gondala but if you get a reservation at the restaurant the ride is free.take the seabus across burrard inlet to Lonsdale key .there is buses to the mtn.at the bus station there.also on way there is the bridge across capilano river.lots to see if you don't have luggage to pack around

[cr8tiv1]

You will find there are more things to do in Vancouver than you will have time for.

 

You could get a bus tour that may pick you up at the cruise terminal and drop you off at the airport (not sure about this one).

 

Store your luggage at Canada Place. Make reservations with Vancouver Tour Guys (free). http://www.tourguys.ca/#!free-tours/c1gaz

 

I stay away from Hop On buses. You really don't have time to get off and explore. More of a bus ride (I could be wrong).

 

Canada has a terrific train/metro system.

 

Enjoy your day. So much to see and do.

[martincath]

Certainly no bad advice above about what to do - although I'd have no hesitation in using HOHOs including getting off and on. You have all day, and the basic loop around is 2-3hours - that leaves at least 5 hours for actually hanging out at different spots and grabbing some lunch.

 

Also, transit passes are no longer available by the book - we moved onto the Compass Card at last (good for locals, but a hassle for tourists unless you are going to come back - you need to spend $6pp on the pass, it is refundable but only at one office in person or by mailing it in).

 

With kids, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Science World - and depending just how old they all are, the Kids Market at Granville Island could be good too (indoor 'jungle gym' up in the roof level is pretty cool, though I could see some teens eye-rolling and sighing...)

 

Maritime Museum is also popular with kids of all ages, as is the HR MacMillan Space Centre close by. Visit both using False Creek Ferries (not Aquabus, who do not go out that far) from Granville Island or other stops along the Seawall round False Creek.

 

I would heartily second MoA, but ONLY if the kids tolerate academic info - it's a HUGE place, but once you get out of a totem hall the exhibits are much more packed together and smaller scale with a ton of rooms and alcoves which have various artifacts and clothing from all over the world. Some exhibits are more exciting than others, but while grownups might be willing to spend three hours opening drawers and reading labels (a very easy amount of time to pass at MoA) the kids might be yawning after an hour... it's a bit pricey for entry to just see the totems then leave, plus the 45-60mins each way on transit from downtown.

[MarcsSharon]

When we got off our cruise - there were vans with signs giving tours - just like you find by the ports in the Islands. We talked about where we would go, negotiated a great rate and took off with maybe 5 other couples. The tour was great - hit all the sites others mentioned and the driver even dropped people off at airport and took us to our hotel. Vancouver is magnificent. Enjoy :)

[Putterdude]

You haven't indicated if budget is an issue but a hoho is a great way to see a lot of Vancover in a day. I always recommend the Vancover Trolley if only for its live narration. More expensive tours are offered by Land/Sea Tours and are excellent. Both the Capilano Suspension Bridge and the Grouse Mountain Skyride offer free shuttles, are extremely popular with tourists, but the cost of admission may be a bit high for a family.

[easyboy]

First thing I would do is visit CDS Baggage at the cruise terminal. For $40 they will forward up to 4 bags to the airport for you to retrieve prior to your red eye.

 

If not the hop on service.... Catch the Grouse and/or Capilano shuttles for a day of exploration.

 

The Aquarium and mini train may be another idea with the Hop On service

 

Fly Over Canada is above the cruise terminal.

Thanks for sharing the video.