Pan Pacific and Embarkation Day

[gcs]

Good Morning.

 

My family and I are taking our first Alaska cruise this September. This is also our first time visiting Vancouver. We are checking into the Pan Pacific the day before.

Does anyone have any recommendations about embarkation day during a stay at the Pan Pacific?

What is the best way to travel from YVR to Canada Place? 

 

So excited about this trip!!!

[RocketMan275]

There's a real good thread on the West Coast Departures that you should follow since it answers a lot of questions.

 

FWIW, I asked Pan Pacific about the best way to get from the airport and they recommend a cab.  You'll find in the thread that I referenced that it's about a wash price wise.

[gcs]

31 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

There's a real good thread on the West Coast Departures that you should follow since it answers a lot of questions.

 

FWIW, I asked Pan Pacific about the best way to get from the airport and they recommend a cab.  You'll find in the thread that I referenced that it's about a wash price wise.

Thank you very much!

[martincath]

4 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

There's a real good thread on the West Coast Departures that you should follow since it answers a lot of questions.

 

FWIW, I asked Pan Pacific about the best way to get from the airport and they recommend a cab.  You'll find in the thread that I referenced that it's about a wash price wise.

Taxis re: SkyTrain are only a wash inbound with multiples of 4 people - which fits the family I was talking to in the other thread but perhaps not you. If you hit 5 pax cabs get a LOT pricier again, as none of them can actually fit 5 people at a time so you need two cabs (at which point you might consider a limo, which is very little extra compared to two cabs).

 

Plus, the PP is inside the more-expensive Pier zone (obviously since it's on top of it!) rather than the Downtown zone so unless you don't tip your cabbie it's always going to be a wee bit pricier than a cab... SkyTrain is $9.10pp or less, with discounts for Seniors/<14s and it involves a <400yard walk to the hotel. As a Chicago-suburbanite I'd guess that your family has experience on your local transit system - ours is much, much nicer as well as designed from the ground up to handle large suitcases on the Canada Line in from the airport (and no worries about seats, as the airport is the start of the line).

 

But then if you don't balk at paying PP prices in cruise season, odds are an extra $10 or $20 for a cab probably won't be a huge issue 😉

 

As to embarkation - obviously there's no need to walk far, just head down the elevators then look for signage about where to go. If you're on a cruise package, that includes luggage pickup in your room (you MUST be there when the bags are collected) - if not, head all the way down to bag drop first (in the car park level, 1 below ground). Personally I always recommend boarding as late as possible unless missing out on 6 hours sightseeing in one of the top ten cities on the planet seems somehow less desirable than being onboard a couple of hours earlier for a 'free' lunch! Queues are at their shortest if you leave it until the last minute (but play it safe - you MUST check-in by 90mins before departure, so aim for 2 hours before and leave the sightseeing things nearest the pier for last so you have no dependency on transportation).

 

Shuttles to a couple of big out-of-town attractions - Grouse Mountain and Capilano Bridge - go from right outside the PP, as do HOHO buses, so it's a solid choice of hotel for sightseeing by vehicle - and every downtown hotel is good for walking around.  With a short precruise stay on your first visit, even if you take advantage of embarkation morning it's crucial that you do your own research on what the biggest hits are for you and yours - and if you're a big group with disparate opinions, split up so everyone gets to do the best things for them. Check TripAdvisor listings separately, everyone choose say the three things they like the sound of best, compare lists and see how much overlap you get. Local free citywide Wifi (#VanWiFi) ensures anyone with a phone or tablet can stay in touch without worries about excessive roaming fees.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, martincath said:

 

But then if you don't balk at paying PP prices in cruise season, odds are an extra $10 or $20 for a cab probably won't be a huge issue 😉

How about luggage on the Sky Train?

[Heidi13]

22 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

How about luggage on the Sky Train?

The YVR trains can accommodate travel with cases, the older Skytains heading out East, not so much. 

[martincath]

7 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

How about luggage on the Sky Train?

??? Given that you edited my post down to just the part about extra cost of a cab, are you perhaps asking if luggage costs extra on SkyTrain? Because the quote you edited from already covers the fact that the Canada Line handles even large suitcases easily, so I assume there was some other aspect of the 'luggage on SkyTrain' experience you want to know about?

[RocketMan275]

21 minutes ago, martincath said:

??? Given that you edited my post down to just the part about extra cost of a cab, are you perhaps asking if luggage costs extra on SkyTrain? Because the quote you edited from already covers the fact that the Canada Line handles even large suitcases easily, so I assume there was some other aspect of the 'luggage on SkyTrain' experience you want to know about?

Simply that others have stated that any luggage on the Sky Train must be in your lap.  If that's incorrect, then it's a good thing I've asked since it corrected some bad information.

[martincath]

2 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Simply that others have stated that any luggage on the Sky Train must be in your lap.  If that's incorrect, then it's a good thing I've asked since it corrected some bad information.

Ah, OK, I grok you now. Ironically that was almost certainly also me warning about bags on transit, as I've been pushing the official line about not taking big bags on all transit except the Canada Line for years as those are the rules, and after pointing to the actual bylaws folks seem to finally be getting on board with it, pardon the transit pun, while many local posters would casually suggest folks use SkyTrain e.g. from Amtrak all the time back in the day (which is on the Expo Line, the oldest one, and there's absolutely no space for bags anywhere on that except laps or an unlawful spot).

 

The reason the Canada Line is different is because it was conceived as a visitor-friendly mass-transit line from airport to downtown, not solely a commuter line, and meant to open not long before the Olympics when we were expecting a bajillion visitors with suitcases. Plus us locals tend to take suitcases to YVR too unless we're just flying on short business trips. So on the Canada Line, the same rules apply - no bags in aisles or on seats or in wheelchair spots - but unlike the other lines, or buses, there is actually space for luggage right at every seat because it was literally designed that way! So folks with a suitcase are not stealing a seat, or preventing a wheelchair from fitting, or causing a safety hazard in the aisle like they do on every other transit vehicle - there's room under your own seat for a big case, and unless you are a bigger, fatter person than I am at 6'1"/250lbs, also room for a carryon or backpack.

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, martincath said:

Ah, OK, I grok you now. Ironically that was almost certainly also me warning about bags on transit, as I've been pushing the official line about not taking big bags on all transit except the Canada Line for years as those are the rules, and after pointing to the actual bylaws folks seem to finally be getting on board with it, pardon the transit pun, while many local posters would casually suggest folks use SkyTrain e.g. from Amtrak all the time back in the day (which is on the Expo Line, the oldest one, and there's absolutely no space for bags anywhere on that except laps or an unlawful spot).

 

The reason the Canada Line is different is because it was conceived as a visitor-friendly mass-transit line from airport to downtown, not solely a commuter line, and meant to open not long before the Olympics when we were expecting a bajillion visitors with suitcases. Plus us locals tend to take suitcases to YVR too unless we're just flying on short business trips. So on the Canada Line, the same rules apply - no bags in aisles or on seats or in wheelchair spots - but unlike the other lines, or buses, there is actually space for luggage right at every seat because it was literally designed that way! So folks with a suitcase are not stealing a seat, or preventing a wheelchair from fitting, or causing a safety hazard in the aisle like they do on every other transit vehicle - there's room under your own seat for a big case, and unless you are a bigger, fatter person than I am at 6'1"/250lbs, also room for a carryon or backpack.

Thanks  for clearing that up.  I'll need to make the train/cab decision in September.  Or, more likely, the wife will make the decision.  I'm just her porter.