Vancouver hotel-ship shuttle

[KenNBarbie]

Stay at 4 Seasons (HAL booking), and wondering how the morning shuttle to the ship is handled. Specifically what time do we have to get bags down, and is there timely breakfast options locally?

 

TIA

 

love, eat, cruise

[boards]

The Hal rep stationed at the hotel will give you that information. We have used Hal's booking of our hotel several times and that is how it was done.

[DaveOKC]

The best hotel to ship transfer is in Vancouver at the Pan Pacific. They take your luggage right from your room (you do not even have to be there) and then you meet in the hotel lobby. From there they walk you over to the elevators, put you in, press the down button and say "have a nice cruise"!

[Tinker's mom]

The best hotel to ship transfer is in Vancouver at the Pan Pacific. They take your luggage right from your room (you do not even have to be there) and then you meet in the hotel lobby. From there they walk you over to the elevators, put you in, press the down button and say "have a nice cruise"!

As a Vancourite, you are spot on and made me laugh.

[martincath]

Stay at 4 Seasons (HAL booking), and wondering how the morning shuttle to the ship is handled. Specifically what time do we have to get bags down, and is there timely breakfast options locally?

 

TIA

 

love, eat, cruise

Cancel the transfer is the best way to handle it! You could walk from the Four Seasons - but you're being charged ~$29pp. A cab would be $10 for as many people and bags as fit in it, and you can take it whenever you want to... From airport to hotel is also a ripoff through any cruiseline - the same transfer rate applies per person, whereas a cab is CAD$31 fixed rate. You could even take a limo for less than the cruise transfer (fixed price CAD$55.65 incl tax). Limo drivers expect a 15% tip, cabbies at least 10% - it's still a bargain compared to the USD price of cruise transfers!!!

 

You should also price up the hotel rate vs. independent booking - with HALs per person pricing, odds are good that (unless you are in a suite with a 'free' precruise hotel night) you will save money. Transfer costs are sometimes hidden inside the hotel rate - just compare the total price!

 

As to breakfast - if you're not on a B&B rate in the hotel, there are plenty of restos around for anything from a fast food to a proper sit down brekky. Scoozis is the cheapest 'sit down' near the pier, and easily-reached from your hotel - it's halfway to the pier when walking. If instead you want the best brekky in the city be standing outside Medina 15 minutes before they open (8 or 9am depending which day), about 500 yards easy walk from your hotel.

 

The best time to arrive at the pier depends on whether you are 'MUST be onboard as soon as humanly possible' folks or 'want to spend as little time queuing as possible' folks. For the latter, enjoy all morning in Vancouver, go have a nice lunch somewhere, and head to the pier after 2pm (but at least 90mins before departure).

 

If the former, head over at 10am - the longshoremen should be ready to take your luggage by then and while you will hang around for an hour before the actual boarding process begins you will be among the first people onboard, probably not long after 11am (US CBP control when people are allowed to start feeding through Security to reach them, they don't allow anyone until all incoming and in-transit pax have been 'zeroed out' - confirmed to have left the ship).