NCL Jewel - Our flight to Vancouver on 9/17/18 changed~We now arrive at 10:45 day of.

[c r u i s e]

We leave this coming Monday 9/17/18 on the NCL Jewel.

We were just notified that our flight to Vancouver, Canada has changed and we will now be arriving in Vancouver at 10:45am (instead of 8:25am) the day of departure!

This has made me nervous now as I think we are cutting it too close.

What is the consensus from experienced users of Vancouver Airport in Canada? Do we have ample time to clear customs/immigration and catch the train to be on the ship by 2pm, which is the latest boarding time?

 

Thanks for any input.

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

If the airline changed your flight time, they should be able to get you an earlier flight instead of a later one for no extra charge. Just call them instead of waiting around for an answer here.

That’s been our experience every time, which happens frequently when we book far in advance!

[casofilia]

We use YVR twice a year. Normally you get through customs and immigration quickly, the Canadians are very good in that respect. The station is next door and it takes 30 minutes to get to Waterside, trains every 6 minutes or so, where it is a 10 minute walk to Canada Place.

 

Only once have we been badly held up there; when 6/7 planes arrived within 20 minutes or so and we were one of the later ones. The whole arrival area was FULL with large numbers waiting. Even then the worst thing was the wait for luggage as Immigration were pushing people through.

 

I would say your blockage point would be waiting for luggage, YVR seems to be quite slow in that respect.

 

An on time arrival of 10.45 should have you clear of customs, immigration and baggage by Noon and so in to Canada Place by 1pm. BUT make sure you have Canadian currency for the train fare!!! I know that may sound stupid but I have had to help out Americans without CAD on more than one occasion and I am a New Zealander!!

 

Personally I would say go the day (or two) earlier and enjoy a day in Beautiful Vancouver, we love the place.

[mef_57]

I agree that you can call airline for an earlier flight. You may want to think ahead (and check prices) about going a day or two prior. It will up costs for hotels, but saves the stress. You can look at cheaper airport hotels rather than pricey downtown hotels. An airport hotel with shuttle which can return you tomairport to get the train to the port.

[c r u i s e]

Thanks Casofilia,

That is EXCELLENT info, appreciate it.

[pieshops]

I know its not always feasible but we would never ever even consider flying in the day of a cruise, even if we arrive at 11 at night the day before it is worth the peace of mind

[PATRLR]

If Casofilia's post is correct (and I have no reason to believe it is or is not correct), 1 hour is cutting it way to close. Just lookat all the opportunities for something to go wrong.

 

IMO, you need to book an earlier flight and the airline should let you do it for no charge. Even if it means coming the night before and paying for a hotel.

[GeezerCouple]

If Casofilia's post is correct (and I have no reason to believe it is or is not correct), 1 hour is cutting it way to close. Just lookat all the opportunities for something to go wrong.

 

IMO, you need to book an earlier flight and the airline should let you do it for no charge. Even if it means coming the night before and paying for a hotel.

 

Exactly!

 

How many times have you seen your flight or another nearby delayed sometimes for hours, due to "mechanical", or even "weather conditions", which could be in your departure area or elsewhere, which could affect the ability of your plane to leave the previous city...

 

MUCH too close!

 

We always (*always*) fly in at least one day early.

That ship IS sailing, with you :) or without you :( ...

 

GC

[www3traveler]

I would go in the night before, stay that the Norwegian partnership hotel (probably the Holiday Inn at Richmond--free transportation from the airport) and then take the Norwegian Shuttle to the ship the next morning. I have done this a number of times when boarding in Vancouver. There is also a Norwegian Shuttle running from the airport to the ship the morning of the cruise.

[treesah]

Personally I would not cut it this close for a 19 day cruise. You'll probably be fine but if you can arrive the night before, even if it costs more money, it's worth it. Arriving the day of the cruise would stress me to the max. I've done it previously and it's no fun. Good luck to you.

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

If the airline changed your flight time, they should be able to get you an earlier flight instead of a later one for no extra charge. Just call them instead of waiting around for an answer here.

That’s been our experience every time, which happens frequently when we book far in advance!

 

 

 

First response and still best answer!

 

On hour to spare = ZERO minutes when traveling for a cruise!

 

Something as simple as, fog, the arrival gate not being empty when you land, luggage taking longer than usual, walking the wrong direction, local transportation strike, or ANYTHING that goes wrong is likely to take up that whole “hour to spare” you were counting on.

 

Take the advice of many here and change your plans to arrive earlier.

 

Hopefully you’ve already done so by now!

GOOD LUCK! :)

[martincath]

I concur that while in theory it's still good (flights as late as IIRC 12:30pm are booked through cruiseline air programs) if pretty much ANYTHING goes pear-shaped at all you are fudged. If the flight is on time, you could actually be getting to the pier within not much over an hour if things go smoothly (20mins for immigration is easily achievable, anything faster and your bags won't be ready for you anyway!) and if you jump right into a cab ($35) or Limo (~$70) you should be downtown within 35mins.

 

Cruise transfers are actually SLOWER than cabs (you wait for the bus to fill), and unless NCL have slashed their pricing by half they'll be the same price per person as a whole cab (US$29 vs CAD$35, this price has been consistent for several years). Even if the cab queue is long - can happen if many large planes arrive just like with immigration backlogs - we've never had to wait for a limo ever; SkyTrain is the most consistent due to it being automated (26min travel time, max 12-15min wait for the next train around midday, and then 7mins walk to the pier on the other end) but since cabs & limos go door-to-door they are faster if you don't have to wait to get in them.

 

The good news is that since this is a repo cruise, you can at least fly onward to meet the ship - with regular AK cruises this can't be done without breaking the law as you end up cruising between different US ports, but since this one goes trans-Pacific the PVSA will not prevent you meeting it 'downstream' if you do miss departure. But you still miss out on your first evening and the first sea day!

 

I'd strongly recommend rebooking - since the airline bumped your schedule, there's a good chance you can get a free change. Bump it to the day before ideally - time in Vancouver is never difficult to fill with awesomeness!

[Aesop081]

Even if you don't clear the airport(customs, baggage, etc) until Noon you will have no issues getting to the cruise terminal by 1 pm...easy. The Skytrain(read subway) departs from directly in front of the airport and goes all the way to Canada place. Assuming you're departing from Canada Place you will be there by 1240 at the latest. If you go the night before there are, as you can imagine, as many types and rates of hotels as any other city. Pick one of your choosing if you come the night before. If you do come the night before and have no desire to do any tourism then pick one away from downtown but on or near the skytrain (e.g. River Rock Casino which has the sky train station built onto it) have a good nights sleep and appear at the terminal at your leisure the next day. As I learned once. The cost of a hotel and meals for one night compared to the overall cost of the vacation is quite negligible. And the stress of almost missing the boarding call was horrendous.

[AmyJA]

WOW immigration must have really improved since my last cruise. Took almost two hours to get through it then. They were almost out of zigzag queue. And not all the booths had people at them.

 

Thanks everyone.

[zqvol]

As long as your flight is on time , you really don't have anything to worry about.

[kitkat343]

I’d either move the flight or get trip insurance (not through the cruise line). Best of luck to you.

[Love my butler]

You are assuming your plane will be on time, no delays etc. For my money, that is cutting it way too close. Might want to check on airfare to Ketchikan.