8 Hours post cruise to kill in Vancouver BC ?

[Roktory]

any ideas what to do all day in Vancouver for 8- 10  hours waiting for a 9:30 PM flight?

[martincath]

Far too many ideas for such a short time 😉

 

You'll really have to prioritize to the best possible things for you - which means unless we share the same hive-mind, I can't pick those for you! I'd suggest that you read TripAdvisor - the simple ranked lists give a solid idea of the relative popularity of all the big attractions, and skimming some of the wordier reviews should give more insight into WHY people like them (you probably already know whether your own tastes are safely in the 'same as most folks' vein or lean in a different direction, in which case the 'best' things for most folks won't be the same as for you).

 

Then there's the practical logistics angle - if you decide on visiting stuff that's in the downtown core, you can simply leave your suitcases at the pier (Pan Pacific Hotel right upstairs will hold bags all day). If you find yourself leaning toward sites that are elsewhere, returning for your bags may suck a lot of time - so using PorterGenie could be worth the extra cost (they will meet you, hold your bags as long as you pay for, then deliver them to you wherever you ask them to meet you again e.g. at YVR).

 

Are you mobile? Is everyone else in your group? Can you ride bikes? Does anyone have any serious dietary issues? What's your budget? Are you lazy or active? Answers to these will reduce your options from near-infinite to perhaps a very small number (not many wheelchair-accessible tour vehicles around for example, so if you need one that's cutting down your possible tour providers significantly); if you're blowing your entire budget on the cruise and need to find dirt-cheap or free options to fill your day that also cuts your choices - but not by that much if you can walk, as we have several free walking tours (guided with tips expected through TourGuys, but also completely free now the Greeter program is running locally) and a multitude of self-guided possibilities around various themes like outdoor artwork.

 

In short, without knowing an awful lot about you & your traveling group, it's impossible to steer you toward the best things for you - if you're willing to share details of your budget etc. you might get some good targeted suggestions, but if not I'm afraid you have to do more research yourself!

 

The good news is some info is pretty fixed - by the time you grab dinner downtown (airport is limited, expensive, and with the exception of the Fairmont hotel - which is not in the secure area - really does not offer anything particularly great for dinner, so eating downtown will give you significantly better bang for your buck in both value and flavour) you really only need to fill time from disembarkation to 6pm at the latest - which means you have several packaged tour options as well as HOHO tours that can easily take up your whole day if you want a general 'show me lots while someone talks to me about what I'm looking at' package.

 

You could even do a 'take my bags, show me around, then drop me at the airport' tour that would have you at YVR not too ridiculously early (you don't need to be at YVR too early, even for US-bound flights, as you won't be Precleared on a flight at that time - CBP work limited hours and stop at 8:30pm. That means one less queue, so 2 hours preflight should be plenty generous enough) if you're not too fussy about food and are happy to eat at the airport.

 

[ebslcc]

On 12/9/2019 at 6:58 PM, Roktory said:

any ideas what to do all day in Vancouver for 8- 10  hours waiting for a 9:30 PM flight?

Excellent advise from @martincath above. Foremost figure out where you want to store your bags.  As suggested Pan Pacific Hotel is a good option since your bag is accessible all day. Note that there are other luggage storage options that has limited hours e.g. CDS luggage service only opens until 4:30 PM http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/  the port of Vancouver's recommended luggage storage opens only until 5 PM https://www.portvancouver.com/cruise/faqs/ https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WCS-Bagdrop.pdf.  portergenie will deliver your luggage to the airport however you need to be at the designated curbside to pick up your bag!  It is best if you have a cell phone to track and contact the service https://www.portergenie.com/how.html.  

 

If you are traveling outside Canada I think it is better to get to the airport earlier.  2 hours before your flight can be tight if there is a line at Canada Customs.  You can get to the airport from Canada Place in less than 1/2 hour on the Canada Line Skytrain (plus time to walk to the train and purchase your ticket).  Taxi is fix rate - however time to the airport is more unpredictable due to traffic.  Note that metered rates apply on trips from Canada Place to the Vancouver International Airport vs. fixed price from the airport to Canada Place.

 

Re: things to do - again excellent advise from martincath above to start.  A walking tour or Hop On Hop Off tours are good if you haven't been to Vancouver before.  It's also easy to get around Vancouver via the Skytrain then walk see https://www.tourismvancouver.com/activities/sightseeing/places-to-see-via-skytrain/