Jump to content

Capilano Suspension morning of cruise


wgeo
 Share

Recommended Posts

Due to excellent suggestions from here, we are planning on staying at the YWCA pre-cruise.  Unfortunately we only have 2 1/2 days in Vancouver and my list of things to do is longer than we will have time to see.  I'm the type that usually gets on to the ship/port early - but I'm wondering if instead we could fit in the Capilano Suspension Bridge the same morning that our cruise departs?

 

I know there's a shuttle that's fairly close to the YWCA, but I see there's also one that leaves from Canada Place.  If we checked out of the hotel and brought the luggage to Canada Place, can we store/leave it there that early in the morning (I think the first shuttle leaves at 8:45)?

 

Also - how long do people tend to stay at Capilano?

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cap is easily done on Embarkation day. Even with the new Cliffwalk and Treewalk, I'd be astonished if anyone spent more than 3 hours on-site (2 hours should be plenty, but the crowds can make it hard to navigate with bottlenecks at every single thing there is to do). The first shuttle will likely be full of DISembarking cruisers who have been waiting around for it since they got booted off the ship 7:30am onward, and the park will also be crawling with folks doing the 'North Shore' post-cruise tours all morning and afternoon, so unless you want to take transit to get there right when they open (i.e. beat ALL the folks using the shuttles!) personally I'd head up on a later shuttle that guarantees being able to drop your bags with the longshoremen (which should be available from 9:30am, but could be as late as 10:30am if it's a 3 or 4 ship day).

 

If you do decide to take transit, or even the earliest shuttle, K.I.S.S. and just leave your bags at the Y - you'll be done by noon, back at the Y before 1pm, so can go for lunch in Yaletown then collect bags and head up to the pier.

 

If you want to instead lie in then take a shuttle at 10am, even if you stayed at Cap for 3 hours you'd be coming back on a shuttle leaving by 2pm or earlier - and that means arriving at the pier at the beginning of the best time to board; again it depends how many ships but generally aiming for after 2:30pm means minimal queue time. NB: you MUST be at the pier by 90mins pre-departure, so 2 hours beforehand is a sensible time to aim for (but do factor in shuttles from Cap potentially being full, accidents on the bridge causing delays etc.)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...
On 4/14/2019 at 8:00 PM, martincath said:

Cap is easily done on Embarkation day. Even with the new Cliffwalk and Treewalk, I'd be astonished if anyone spent more than 3 hours on-site (2 hours should be plenty, but the crowds can make it hard to navigate with bottlenecks at every single thing there is to do). The first shuttle will likely be full of DISembarking cruisers who have been waiting around for it since they got booted off the ship 7:30am onward, and the park will also be crawling with folks doing the 'North Shore' post-cruise tours all morning and afternoon, so unless you want to take transit to get there right when they open (i.e. beat ALL the folks using the shuttles!) personally I'd head up on a later shuttle that guarantees being able to drop your bags with the longshoremen (which should be available from 9:30am, but could be as late as 10:30am if it's a 3 or 4 ship day).

 

If you do decide to take transit, or even the earliest shuttle, K.I.S.S. and just leave your bags at the Y - you'll be done by noon, back at the Y before 1pm, so can go for lunch in Yaletown then collect bags and head up to the pier.

 

If you want to instead lie in then take a shuttle at 10am, even if you stayed at Cap for 3 hours you'd be coming back on a shuttle leaving by 2pm or earlier - and that means arriving at the pier at the beginning of the best time to board; again it depends how many ships but generally aiming for after 2:30pm means minimal queue time. NB: you MUST be at the pier by 90mins pre-departure, so 2 hours beforehand is a sensible time to aim for (but do factor in shuttles from Cap potentially being full, accidents on the bridge causing delays etc.)

Martincath, my daughter and I will be in Vancouver for 1.5 days precruise in late May.  I have been reading all of the Canada boards, and pay special attention to your advice.  I just want to say thank you for all of the time you devote here to answering, and answering well, so many questions from cruisers.  I am thinking about trying to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge before we board the cruise.  Still undecided.  Would you recommend trying to take a taxi to get to the entrance area right when they open?  I don't know if it's cost effective, but might be a bit of a head start over all the passengers disembarking that same day. Thanks so much!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

Martincath, my daughter and I will be in Vancouver for 1.5 days precruise in late May.  I have been reading all of the Canada boards, and pay special attention to your advice.  I just want to say thank you for all of the time you devote here to answering, and answering well, so many questions from cruisers.  I am thinking about trying to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge before we board the cruise.  Still undecided.  Would you recommend trying to take a taxi to get to the entrance area right when they open?  I don't know if it's cost effective, but might be a bit of a head start over all the passengers disembarking that same day. Thanks so much!

Very kind of you to say, and glad you've found my posts useful.

 

Purely from a logistical perspective, yes - taking a cab so you arrive when the park is about to open should guarantee that you beat all the pax on tours and Cap's own shuttle. Personally, I already think Cap charges too much for what they have on-site - even with the treewalk & cliffwalk to pad the experience (as a local resident, paying for a 1 day ticket gets me entry for the entire year - but I still don't visit unless I have out-of-town visitors who have it on their bucket list!). So whether it's worth the extra spend of a cab on top of that is something you're definitely going to have to ponder on your own!

 

I would say that if you're looking to avoid crowds you can do that while also saving money if you go in the evening - ticket prices drop 30% at 5pm IIRC. While this does mean you're generally paying to get back downtown (shuttles stop running before the park closes), since you're already considering dropping cash on a cab... So consider doing Cap the day before embarkation instead, taking one of the later free shuttles to the park, then instead of cabbing back take transit - buses run down to Lonsdale Quay where you can board the Seabus (a very scenic way back to Vancouver). Even if you can't attend on a Friday evening when they have lots of entertainment and food trucks at the Quay, the Shipyards area has expanded a lot in recent years so there are even more restaurants and breweries around to have dinner (perhaps even with a view, e.g. at Tap & Barrel).

 

The other alternative would be to go to Lynn Canyon instead of Cap - it's quieter, more educational, completely free, and frankly more spectacular especially in spring when the water is foaming from all the rain & snow melt. The only downside is the lack of a free shuttle - transit from downtown takes an hour each way as you have to make at least one change. But if you take a cab - and given you'd be saving almost a hundred bucks for 1 adult & 1 child ticket into Cap right off the bat, cabbing both ways would still save you money! - the drive time is about the same as the Cap shuttle. You can also save cash, avoid key traffic bottlenecks, and improve the scenicness of the trip by taking Seabus to and from Lonsdale Quay and only paying for the cab between the quay and the bridge.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, martincath said:

Very kind of you to say, and glad you've found my posts useful.

 

Purely from a logistical perspective, yes - taking a cab so you arrive when the park is about to open should guarantee that you beat all the pax on tours and Cap's own shuttle. Personally, I already think Cap charges too much for what they have on-site - even with the treewalk & cliffwalk to pad the experience (as a local resident, paying for a 1 day ticket gets me entry for the entire year - but I still don't visit unless I have out-of-town visitors who have it on their bucket list!). So whether it's worth the extra spend of a cab on top of that is something you're definitely going to have to ponder on your own!

 

I would say that if you're looking to avoid crowds you can do that while also saving money if you go in the evening - ticket prices drop 30% at 5pm IIRC. While this does mean you're generally paying to get back downtown (shuttles stop running before the park closes), since you're already considering dropping cash on a cab... So consider doing Cap the day before embarkation instead, taking one of the later free shuttles to the park, then instead of cabbing back take transit - buses run down to Lonsdale Quay where you can board the Seabus (a very scenic way back to Vancouver). Even if you can't attend on a Friday evening when they have lots of entertainment and food trucks at the Quay, the Shipyards area has expanded a lot in recent years so there are even more restaurants and breweries around to have dinner (perhaps even with a view, e.g. at Tap & Barrel).

 

The other alternative would be to go to Lynn Canyon instead of Cap - it's quieter, more educational, completely free, and frankly more spectacular especially in spring when the water is foaming from all the rain & snow melt. The only downside is the lack of a free shuttle - transit from downtown takes an hour each way as you have to make at least one change. But if you take a cab - and given you'd be saving almost a hundred bucks for 1 adult & 1 child ticket into Cap right off the bat, cabbing both ways would still save you money! - the drive time is about the same as the Cap shuttle. You can also save cash, avoid key traffic bottlenecks, and improve the scenicness of the trip by taking Seabus to and from Lonsdale Quay and only paying for the cab between the quay and the bridge.

Lots to think about here!  We arrive around midnight on Wed night and are staying at YWCA per your recommendation. My daughter also works part time for YMCA :)   On Thursday, we have a half day whale watch with Vancouver Whale Watch, so I could possibly do the evening visit after our whale watch.  Are taxis readily available to get back into Vancouver downtown area?  We board Radiance on Friday.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

Lots to think about here!  We arrive around midnight on Wed night and are staying at YWCA per your recommendation. My daughter also works part time for YMCA 🙂  On Thursday, we have a half day whale watch with Vancouver Whale Watch, so I could possibly do the evening visit after our whale watch.  Are taxis readily available to get back into Vancouver downtown area?  We board Radiance on Friday.

I don't think you'll find a lot of cabs lined up at Cap - though like I said, it's not somewhere I go remotely often so maybe some enterprising North Van cabbies actually do come and hang out after the shuttles stop - but you'll be able to call one easily.

 

VWW goes from Richmond, which will be at least 45mins drive time back to downtown if you're using their 'milk run' shuttle service. Your total time for a 3 hour tour will be more like 5.5 hours as they pad the shuttle schedule heavily up-front too, with downtown pickups starting 90mins in advance. I'd actually consider a rental car for the day, which would the allow you to drive directly to Cap from the whalewatch - and probably will only cost a very little more than the extra shuttle fees... Parking should be free at VWW, and is only $5 at Cap. Or if you haven't already booked the whalewatch, consider using a downtown-based one (Wild Whales from Granville Island, or Prince of Whales from the Westin Bayshore) neither of which need a long drive to get to. If you are booked already though, driving yourself instead of shuttling could also save enough time for a visit to the superb cannery museum in Steveston which is the highlight of that area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

Whale watch and shuttle (To/from Steveson) already booked and paid.  We may just skip the bridge.  I don’t know that it’s a bucket item.  There is a lot to do near Pan Pacific Hotel, where we will stay Thurs night.  All I HAVE to do still, is find awesome fish & chips!

https://vancouversun.com/life/food/local-food-reviews/metro-vancouvers-best-fish-and-chips-and-the-winner-is

 

Metro Vancouver's best fish and chips is Cockney Kings (and it's relatively local to me, so I can say yes- it's good).  From downtown, the New Westminster location is easier to reach (albeit a little further) on Skytrain, and as Skytrain is elevated (hence the name -- it has nothing to do with the airport or the old British airline), it'll give you some nice views of where the rest of us live, versus just downtown.

 

Skytrain: get on at Stadium Station, ride any eastbound train (marked either King George or Production Way), get off at New Westminster, it's a one block walk.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

Whale watch and shuttle (To/from Steveson) already booked and paid.  We may just skip the bridge.  I don’t know that it’s a bucket item.  There is a lot to do near Pan Pacific Hotel, where we will stay Thurs night.  All I HAVE to do still, is find awesome fish & chips!

Pajo's is right at Steveston so easy to visit when you're at VWW - and certainly should fall under 'awesome' even if they only placed 3rd in the Joe Q Public review linked above. My family was very happy with them - and they're Brits who've been eating at local chippies back home for literally their entire lives (and also including some professional fishermen).

3 hours ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

I will be back with friends in May, 2021.  They want to do an orca whale watch.  The reviews indicated the watches from Vancouver and Granville have a lower success rate of sightings.  This visit will be a test run.

Reviews are total nonsense when it comes to statistical data - the reviewers only went on one trip! Wild Whales usually claims a 95% success rate across the season; VWW only 90% (both self-reported - but you can check blogs as they often list what was seen each day and tot up the numbers yourself if you like).

 

All companies share info on whale location, and the only reason none of them have 100% is that orcas simply have too wide a range - even on a very fast boat you'd have to stay on the water for many hours to get to them when they're in certain parts of their 'local' range. Wild Whales is however the only vendor who uses each boat just once a day even in summer - instead they stay out up to twice as long as the others (they cap it at 7) which is why they have the best success rate (more time on the water = can travel further to get to the whales). That does of course mean you need to have a lot of time free so can't book another thing right afterward - but if you want the best possible chance of seeing Orcas on a single trip, rather than making use of the 'lifetime guarantee' that everyone offers of free repeat trips until you do see a whale, they are the folks to go with.

 

We're pretty much like Juneau - many vendors, several different types of boats, all the info is shared so the success rate really doesn't vary much across any of the companies so decision about who to use depends more on availability and boat amenities than whether you'll have a better chance of whale-sightings - but that extra time on the water from WW does make them the statistically most-successful vendor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Funny that I started getting notifcations on an old thread of mine.   FWIW - I found all of martincath's info to be spot on and very helpful for our trip last summer.

 

We stayed at the YWCA and it was perfect for us.

 

We did do Capilano - it was quite frankly one of the highlights of our amazing stay in Vancouver.  We did NOT go on the morning of our cruise - we changed our schedule and went the day before and we loved every minute that we were there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lots more info to consider!  I’m locked into this whale watch, but will have 2 days in Vancouver post cruise in 2021.  The friends we will be traveling with then, are just a bit older, and I’m not sure the zodiac boats will be great for back problems.   We did a zodiac whale watch two years ago in Victoria and it was amazing!    I’ll take a closer look at the Capilano shuttles.  

 

Any my great recommendations for Vancouver fish & chips near Pan Pacific?  I have a few listed from notes on cruise pages : Go Fish, Vancouver Fish Company.  Someone suggested a place right in Canada Place- Tap & Barrel. (Maybe - I’m not where I have access to my notes)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

Lots more info to consider!  I’m locked into this whale watch, but will have 2 days in Vancouver post cruise in 2021.  The friends we will be traveling with then, are just a bit older, and I’m not sure the zodiac boats will be great for back problems.   We did a zodiac whale watch two years ago in Victoria and it was amazing!    I’ll take a closer look at the Capilano shuttles.  

 

Any my great recommendations for Vancouver fish & chips near Pan Pacific?  I have a few listed from notes on cruise pages : Go Fish, Vancouver Fish Company.  Someone suggested a place right in Canada Place- Tap & Barrel. (Maybe - I’m not where I have access to my notes)

Just saw all the great fish recommendations.  Thank you All!  I was trying to sneak a look from my phone st work and did not see all the responses.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

Lots more info to consider!  I’m locked into this whale watch, but will have 2 days in Vancouver post cruise in 2021.  The friends we will be traveling with then, are just a bit older, and I’m not sure the zodiac boats will be great for back problems.   We did a zodiac whale watch two years ago in Victoria and it was amazing!    I’ll take a closer look at the Capilano shuttles.  

 

Any my great recommendations for Vancouver fish & chips near Pan Pacific?  I have a few listed from notes on cruise pages : Go Fish, Vancouver Fish Company.  Someone suggested a place right in Canada Place- Tap & Barrel. (Maybe - I’m not where I have access to my notes)

Yeah, zodiacs are a bouncy ride and vendors using them almost always warn about potential health issues! Tap & Barrel does very decent pub grub in general - unlike most bars, they overhaul their menu completely every few years so there's always something a bit more interesting. Their F&C should be perfectly acceptable, but frankly most pubs around Vancouver have decent F&C - halibut, cod, and salmon are totally-mainstream choices here where you're lucky to find more than cod most other places. T&B do have the majority of excellent patios stitched up though, they've been acquiring other resto sites since they first opened in the Athletes Village and all their sites have outdoor dining with views.

 

Go Fish - and also Popina - are on/next to Granville Island, and they're the closest to the dedicated chippies that were mentioned yesterday and most of the top-ranked spots on the Vancouver Sun article that Scott linked to. Minimal menu, so you know that they are both good at what they do and consistent at it too, because they really don't do much else (Popina is a real oddity, four great local chefs all co-own it and each picked their single favourite lunch/snack item to fine-tune - started with burgers, lobster rolls, falafel and fried chicken - and have slowly expanded the menu with other things that can be cooked well in the small space, now including F&C. It's definitely somewhere that a group of folks want to all order different things then share them family style at a picnic table). There's also the Edible Canada 'Chip Wagon' - which is actually just a service hatch on the side of the resto! They do takeout F&C - using gluten-free batter, which might be useful - and poutine, and in general the grub at EC is top-notch though I have not made use of the 'wagon' myself. Very old-school sit-down fried seafood can be had in Tony's - that's where I'd send people who want a value experience rather than a fancy one - with Bridges, Vancouver Fish Co, the Sandbar and others doing broader and swankier menus.

 

The PP doesn't have anything like a chippie nearby as I definite (a few blocks), unless a food truck happens to be in the 'hood (for all trucks, hours, locations, check here on your visit) but like I said, plenty of pubs serve decent F&C pretty close by (Rogue, Lions Pub, and T&B would be closest) and I've had some great fish & seafood dishes in the in-house Five Sails resto - but that's been seared scallops, salmon fillets or the like rather than battered & fried casual stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So many things for me to research now!  Just coming off two late shifts, so I’ll have lots to look up this weekend.  Thank you to both of you!  I’m just getting my daughter to eat cod and halibut and chicken after years as a vegetarian.  So, baby steps.  I’m going to work on a Vancouver schedule .  I really wish we weren’t getting in so late.  I’m crossing my fingers that Delta may change my flight.  We may have to choose between Granville Island and Gastown.  The Landsea HoHo we did last September was really well done, for what it was, and it may be a good compromise to do that again. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/8/2020 at 4:33 PM, martincath said:

Pajo's is right at Steveston so easy to visit when you're at VWW - and certainly should fall under 'awesome' even if they only placed 3rd in the Joe Q Public review linked above. My family was very happy with them - and they're Brits who've been eating at local chippies back home for literally their entire lives (and also including some professional fishermen).

Reviews are total nonsense when it comes to statistical data - the reviewers only went on one trip! Wild Whales usually claims a 95% success rate across the season; VWW only 90% (both self-reported - but you can check blogs as they often list what was seen each day and tot up the numbers yourself if you like).

 

All companies share info on whale location, and the only reason none of them have 100% is that orcas simply have too wide a range - even on a very fast boat you'd have to stay on the water for many hours to get to them when they're in certain parts of their 'local' range. Wild Whales is however the only vendor who uses each boat just once a day even in summer - instead they stay out up to twice as long as the others (they cap it at 7) which is why they have the best success rate (more time on the water = can travel further to get to the whales). That does of course mean you need to have a lot of time free so can't book another thing right afterward - but if you want the best possible chance of seeing Orcas on a single trip, rather than making use of the 'lifetime guarantee' that everyone offers of free repeat trips until you do see a whale, they are the folks to go with.

 

We're pretty much like Juneau - many vendors, several different types of boats, all the info is shared so the success rate really doesn't vary much across any of the companies so decision about who to use depends more on availability and boat amenities than whether you'll have a better chance of whale-sightings - but that extra time on the water from WW does make them the statistically most-successful vendor.

Thank you Scottbee and Martincath!  Great information, as always.   Delta did change my flight, so I’m arriving at 1pm.  I’ve never been through a customs experience in an airport- only cruises.  I’m assuming about 2 hours, then will taxi to YWCA.  I took your advice, and was able to switch to Wild Whales of Vancouver from Granville Island for the day following arrival.  We MAY be able to fit in the bridge on arrival day, but the most likely candidate is still Friday morning precruise.  Or not at all.  I’m pretty sure my daughter would like to do some shopping, too. I’m going to just play it by ear for now.  We definitely have a list of great places to try, thanks to you both.  😀

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

Thank you Scottbee and Martincath!  Great information, as always.   Delta did change my flight, so I’m arriving at 1pm.  I’ve never been through a customs experience in an airport- only cruises.  I’m assuming about 2 hours, then will taxi to YWCA.  I took your advice, and was able to switch to Wild Whales of Vancouver from Granville Island for the day following arrival.  We MAY be able to fit in the bridge on arrival day, but the most likely candidate is still Friday morning precruise.  Or not at all.  I’m pretty sure my daughter would like to do some shopping, too. I’m going to just play it by ear for now.  We definitely have a list of great places to try, thanks to you both.  😀

Glad you're arriving earlier, and that you got a more convenient whalewatch location. 2 hours for customs (and immigration) at YVR would be on the unusually long end of things - you can probably assume that from when you walk off the plane you'll be arriving at your hotel downtown in less time than that! Coming westbound, staying up until at least 9pm local time will make your time zone adjustment as painless as possible, so heading over to Cap after an early dinner would both help you stay awake and get you the discounted entry price...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, martincath said:

Glad you're arriving earlier, and that you got a more convenient whalewatch location. 2 hours for customs (and immigration) at YVR would be on the unusually long end of things - you can probably assume that from when you walk off the plane you'll be arriving at your hotel downtown in less time than that! Coming westbound, staying up until at least 9pm local time will make your time zone adjustment as painless as possible, so heading over to Cap after an early dinner would both help you stay awake and get you the discounted entry price...

My next project is to see how late the shuttles to/from Cap run.  They only have their early spring schedule published.  I may be brave enough to try the bus.  I was a lot more fearless when I was younger.  I was thinking we'd explore FlyOver Canada and the Lookout Tower (yes, touristy, I know) arrival evening, but maybe we could move that to boarding day or even after the whale watch if it doesn't get back too late.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Marylandteachergirl said:

My next project is to see how late the shuttles to/from Cap run.  They only have their early spring schedule published.  I may be brave enough to try the bus.  I was a lot more fearless when I was younger.  I was thinking we'd explore FlyOver Canada and the Lookout Tower (yes, touristy, I know) arrival evening, but maybe we could move that to boarding day or even after the whale watch if it doesn't get back too late.

Based on prior years, the last shuttles from Cap to downtown run until around 8pm, and the last shuttle to Cap until about 6:30pm. Their Summer schedule usually kicks in during the second week of May, but there's often a 'shoulder' where service frequency has increased but the last buses are still 5pm/6:30pm (usually just for a week or so on each end).

 

I think you said you were cruising late May - in general 'Canadian Summer' always includes at least the weekend of Victoria Day through Labour Day (this year that's Sat May 16 through Mon Sep 7) so pretty much everything will be on their summer schedule for you (though exactly when those schedules will be announced definitely varies) and Cap should be running their later buses by late May.

 

Worst case of staying too late and no more shuttle seats, you'll still have plenty daylight and the bus stop is right outside Cap (cross the street to get back to civilization rather than up to Grouse Mountain). If you really can't be bothered with a bus, taking a cab from Cap to Lonsdale Quay shouldn't be too extortionate - the Seabus back to Vancouver would be a separate ticket from the bus anyway (same price though, $3pp, after 6:30pm any day) and does offer a really nice view of the city as you cruise over.

 

FlyOver and Cap (yes, it's outdoors but rain means fewer other people to fight with) are good rainy day options - the Lookout much less so if the cloud ceiling is low, so I'd definitely consider the forecast for your arrival day/full day/embarkation day and be flexible about which you do when.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I think I have changed everything around due to the excellent suggestions and guidance from martincath and scottbee.   We will now  arrive at YVR at 1pm (Thanks Delta for the earlier flight).  We were planning to stay at YWCA, per recommendations from martincath - and the fact that my daughter works for YMCA.  But, looking at how many times we'd need to taxi back and forth to the Canada Place area, I just added arrival night to our existing reservation at Pan Pacific.  Based on the fees I'd pay for taxis and tips, it probably is about even.  We also will be able to do the free shuttle to Cap Bridge on arrival late afternoon, so it all worked out, assuming no big flight delays. I also switched our whale watch to Vancouver Wild Whales from Granville Island.  And I thought I had planned so well.  :)  

 

I've seen the posts about the closest BC Liquor Store on Hastings St in Harbour Centre.  Got it that we can walk to that one.  I just want to confirm the closest drug store or chain store.  I guess no Target...  I will just need to pick up some hand soap and Lysol wipes, etc.  Is the best location the London Drugs on Granville Street?  Is this a safe walk?  Is there a better location or store I have missed?   I picked up my envelope of beautiful Canadian money last week.  It's getting real now!

Edited by Marylandteachergirl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

London Drugs on Granville will definitely have what you need - but there's a smaller but still decent-sized Rexall on the way that should also cover any basic pharmacy needs, Granville & Pender. If you'd rather save a little walking but spend a little extra, you'll find all the basic things like handwipes, sanitzer, soap etc and even aspirin & similar OTC meds in some of the little stores in the mall under the PP and across the street (it's bigger than it looks as it's mostly underground - just head downstairs in the PP).

 

You must be planning a LOT of cab rides if the PP isn't stil a hefty uptick from the Y - they're barely a mile apart, which is about $7 per trip. Still, the convenience of not moving hotels and the nice views from many rooms at the PP are worth something 😉

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, martincath said:

London Drugs on Granville will definitely have what you need - but there's a smaller but still decent-sized Rexall on the way that should also cover any basic pharmacy needs, Granville & Pender. If you'd rather save a little walking but spend a little extra, you'll find all the basic things like handwipes, sanitzer, soap etc and even aspirin & similar OTC meds in some of the little stores in the mall under the PP and across the street (it's bigger than it looks as it's mostly underground - just head downstairs in the PP).

 

You must be planning a LOT of cab rides if the PP isn't stil a hefty uptick from the Y - they're barely a mile apart, which is about $7 per trip. Still, the convenience of not moving hotels and the nice views from many rooms at the PP are worth something 😉

 

At least four taxi rides.  :)  I got the pretty decent prepaid rate.  And, trying to pack up and move the morning of the whale watch and checking out/in- adds to my anxiousness and time triggers.  I know, I paid more, but not having some kind of an anxiety event will help me. I am working on it, and it's much better than it used to be.  I know someone will scoop up our reservation right away.  :) 

Edited by Marylandteachergirl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...