How early of a flight in Vancouver

[zino5]

How early can we book a flight to leave in Vancouver?

 

If we book through Flights by Celebrity does this mean they will make sure we get to airport in time ?

 

Thanks

 

 

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[CruiserBruce]

A quick look around the board would reveal noon is the common recommendation.This means taking a cab, or arranging your own transport.

 

Celebrity will not allow you to book a transfer through them that they can't assure you will get off the ship, clear, immigration and customs, repeat the process at the airport (for US bound flights) and make your flight. Celebrity's timing will be more conservative than the recommendation of noon above. It is probably 1pm.

[zino5]

Ok thanks. Flight I am looking at is 12:50

 

 

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[Keith1010]

12:50 PM would be fine for a flight.

 

I would still get off early as the process at Vancouver can be quite long including check in, dropping bags off in another area, getting through security and as a USA citizen going through USA immigration.

 

Keith

[zino5]

12:50 PM would be fine for a flight.

 

I would still get off early as the process at Vancouver can be quite long including check in, dropping bags off in another area, getting through security and as a USA citizen going through USA immigration.

 

Keith

 

 

 

Thanks. If we book flight through Celebrity do they get you an early disembark because of flight time. I would think since we are booking through them they will assist in making the flight on time.

 

Thanks again

 

 

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[CruiserBruce]

Celebrity will schedule your disembarking time based upon your flight schedule. All cruise lines do, as far as I have experienced.

 

The point you need to understand is they won't sell you a transfer if your flight is too early. They will let you off the ship early, but not assist you with a transfer. However, 12:50 is not too early.

[zino5]

I understand the whole transfer.

My point is if I am booking the flight through the cruise line then I should be good with the time. Weather I use there transfer or arrange my own to airport that is on me and I totally get that. In my experience the cruise line transfers are very expensive compared to what one could do outside the cruise line

Thanks for all the information.

Now on to booking the flights !

 

 

 

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[CruiserBruce]

I understand the whole transfer.

My point is if I am booking the flight through the cruise line then I should be good with the time. Weather I use there transfer or arrange my own to airport that is on me and I totally get that. In my experience the cruise line transfers are very expensive compared to what one could do outside the cruise line

Thanks for all the information.

Now on to booking the flights !

 

 

 

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Lots of people agree with you, and don't use the cruise line transfers. We rarely do. Not using them usually saves you money, and opens up other options.

[martincath]

Accurate info above already, but some specifics:

 

• All cruiselines charge at least US$24 per person for their transfers in Vancouver (depends on the exchange rate - when we're closer to parity the price tends to be US$29). Since a cab is only ~CAD$35 (approx US$27 right now) the cruiseline transfers are a total ripoff. Our airport is close to downtown, well-connected with transit, credit cards can be used, and you don't have language barrier - there's very, very little convenience factor added with the transfers.
  
• Earliest folks off are always the self-disembarkation groups - while I haven't cruised on Celebrity, every time we've arrived on Princess we've been able to get off by 7:15-7:30am
  
• YVR does recommend a full 3 hours pre-flight to allow for check-in, bag drop, security and US preclearance - but it rarely takes more than an hour (unfortunately the exceptions are often busy cruise days!)
  
• The actual time taken, both getting to YVR and being processed there, is enormously variable, with the biggest factor how many other ships are in port with you. Our three-ship days are notorious - we simply don't have enough cabs to move everyone who wants to be taken to the airport, between the round-trip length and the bottleneck of access to the pier once the first batch of cabs are en route the flow becomes a trickle and the queue builds.
  
• NEXUS or Global Entry are useful - both get you into the short Security and Preclearance queues for US-bound flights. TSA Pre is utterly useless as we have no TSA. We have NEXUS and regularly show up only an hour ahead of flight time - and have never taken more than 30mins curb to gate (though to be fair, we usually fly 6-8am so before the hordes of cruisers can possibly have a flight booked)
  
• SkyTrain is the most consistently-fast way to travel - no traffic, lots of capacity for people and bags, 26min end-to-end travel time, and all for about US$3pp or less. If you can walk a quarter mile with your bags, this is far and away the most reliable way to get to YVR quickly. The only downside is local currency - but if you have a Chip & PIN MC or VISA you will be able to use that to buy tickets.
  
• For a flight at 12:50pm though, I would have no concern about missing it barring the sort of disaster that would hose you for flights at any time that day - massive powercuts, propulsion failure on ship, earthquakes, that sort of 'one in a million' type thing you cannot rationally plan for. You could actually WALK from ship to airport in time if you're in decent shape (it's <10 miles)
  

[Keith1010]

CruiserBruce as usual has given you good information.

 

The upside to using the bus transfer is that you won't have to worry about getting a taxi.

 

If there are a few ships in port sometimes the wait can be long.

 

You could book a private vehicle though and another option is to walk right next door to the Pan Pacific Hotel or across the street to the Fairmont to get a taxi.

 

I prefer a taxi or private vehicle over the cruise transfer because that way I am dropped off first and don't have to sit on a bus for a while and when we get into a private vehicle we go and no wait.

 

Keith

[DaveOKC]

I understand the whole transfer.

My point is if I am booking the flight through the cruise line then I should be good with the time. Weather I use there transfer or arrange my own to airport that is on me and I totally get that. In my experience the cruise line transfers are very expensive compared to what one could do outside the cruise line

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The one time we booked our flights and transfers through the cruiseline (HAL) was the one time we almost (had to run all the way through the large Vancouver airport) missed our flight! They put us on the last bus out of Canada Place and it was a total mess.

 

Ever since we do our own flights and mostly our own transfers.