Vancouver Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour with Airport Transfer

[beerxtaco]

We will be disembarking at Vancouver on July 6, but our flight home doesn't leave until 10:30 pm. Since we figured we could make some use of our spare time we purchased the "Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour with Airport Transfer" in Vancouver. It sounds pretty straightforward, I assume they collect the luggage at the ship and it waits for us at the airport while we hop on and off some bus that comes around a pre-determined route.

 

I'm hoping we can spend some time seeing a few places without being rushed, since I assume again that the busses come regularly. Does anyone have any experience with this particular excursion? Are my assumptions accurate?

[mncruizr]

My only suggestion is if you are taking the bus that goes to and from and around Stanley Park, don't count on it. We did it a few years back and had to wait 2 hours for one to come and they were supposed to come every 20 minutes as I recall.  Maybe your's is a different service altogether.

[martincath]

First - the specific HOHO mentioned directly above no longer exists.

 

Second - there are now two companies operating, so frequency depends which the excursion uses (in Summer, theoretically that's 20mins with WestCoast and 30mins with LandSea).

 

Third - sounds like the package that several cruiselines started offering a few years back, which is a greatly-overpriced version of things you can book independently. If it's costing you more than US$100 for a couple, you're being ripped off!

 

Fourth - it's much, MUCH better to do this yourself because you can spend longer downtown and you won't end up stuck at YVR hours before your flight, eating way overpriced airport dinner. Downtown luggage storage is dirt-cheap ($5 per bag at the Pan Pacific hotel, directly above the pier) and HOHO tickets are going for <$60pp. Transport to airport afterward on your own schedule would cost $2.95 on SkyTrain, or ~$35 in a cab. And all those prices are in Canadian, so discounted by ~25% in USD! There's an even more convenient service that will ship your bags to YVR from the pier - $40 gets the first 4 bags sent. If you wouldn't take transit because your bags are too much hassle, using this enables you to transit bag-free - and total cost compared to a cab and downtown storage usually ends up about the same total price.

 

Whether you send bags ahead or stash them at the hotel, either way enjoy your day downtown HOHOing around, then go have dinner when the HOHOs stop (by 6pm), and only then head out to YVR. Flights after 9pm don't Preclear as CBP stop working at 8:30pm! This means that the time needed to get to your gate drops - and combined with a late evening flight means that you could probably push your arrival as late as 9pm without any risk of missing your plane (if you have Global Entry or NEXUS you can shave it even tighter as you'll get priority at Security). I would never arrive more than 2 hours pre-flight for a flight at your time, even if Preclearance was actually going to happen. NB: this does mean you will be processed for immigration & customs at your first US airport - which will suck, as they're always horribly understaffed but that's something you need to raise with your own government!!! 😉

 

[beerxtaco]

Tour Overview

I hope it's better than your experience! From the website:

 

Experience Vancouver aboard convertible clear top buses, offering stunning views, rain or shine, including world-class commentary in 7 languages! Ride through the city and be escorted to the best attractions and most scenic locales: more than 29 stops, featuring history, culture and awesome scenery. Visit Stanley Park, Robson Street, English Bay, Gastown, Chinatown and Granville Island. Hop-on and hop-off throughout the day as you explore at your own pace. 

At the end of your adventure, make your way back to the Canada Line train station (ticket is included) to transfer to the Vancouver International Airport where your luggage will be waiting for you. This flexible tour offers ample opportunity to sightsee, shop and photograph stunning vistas.

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Detailed itinerary

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Hop-on and hop-off sightseeing

Transfer at leisure to Vancouver Airport

Tour timeline may vary to avoid overcrowding, etc.

 

Special Notes

This tour is available only to guests whose cruise ends in Vancouver with flights after 5:00 pm. Tour commentary in English, French, Spanish, German, Korean, Japanese and Mandarin. Buses depart every 20 minutes from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission to attractions along the route is not included. The tour starts at the street level of the Canada Place Cruise Terminal. This tour includes luggage service and transport to the Vancouver Airport. Luggage service is included for two pieces and additional bags will require an extra charge ($22/bag). Luggage may be claimed at the Vancouver Airport between 3:00 pm and 11:00 pm. The Canada Line transfer will be approximately 35 to 40 minutes from downtown to Vancouver International Airport. Please consider this when determining what stops to visit. It is recommended that you check in 120 minutes prior to international flight departure times, and 90 minute prior to domestic flight departure times. Please allow for time to collect your luggage at the airport prior to check in for your flight. 

Provided: Luggage service and transfer and ticket on the Canada Line train to the Vancouver Airport 

[martincath]

That's definitely the combo of WestCoast HOHO (LandSea has just 15 stops, so it's easy to spot which is which), a SkyTrain ticket, and a CDS luggage transfer. In total those cost about (all CAD) $60pp, $3pp, and the luggage is a fixed $40 for up to 4 bags - so US$120 or less is a fair price for two folks but if you're solo that fixed price luggage service bumps the price up. Still, if they're charging the $99-129pp that I've seen it go for in the past though, you're being totes scammed even as a solo!