Vancouver?

[Gregrat]

Due to the lack of anything else to do on a cold and damp Saturday afternoon thought I might start a new thread that is selfishly based on our particular cruise.

‘We’ll be in Vancouver for a couple of days pre-Alaska.

Any recommendations on hotels, restaurants & can’t miss sights/attractions?

I’m sure my TA can answer these questions but thought I would run this by the Crystal Family first.

Thanks,

Greg

[skybluewaters]

We love the Pan Pacific.  Have stayed there multiple times for several days before and after cruises, last time was this past October.  It isn't near the cruise terminal, it is in the cruise terminal.  Eliminates the hassle of transferring from ship to hotel or vice versa. It's a high-end hotel, not quite a Four Seasons, but still excellent.  There are other very nice hotels nearby, such as the Fairmont, but I get a warm, fuzzy feeling (especially the night before the cruise) knowing I'm already where I need to be.

 

Best day in Vancouver is a walk to and through Stanley Park.  Beautiful, peaceful and right on the water.  If you're up for a long walk, it's ~ 2 miles walking to get to the park, but you'll probably be walking several more miles in the park, so you can save your energy by taking a taxi to the park if you want.

 

Rogue Kitchen & Wet Bar is walking distance from the Pan Pacific and has a nice vibe with good food and healthy options.  Check them out on Yelp! etc.  For a very casual (elevated fast-food) meal, Chronic Tacos has incredible burritos.  Better than 90% of the burrito places in the Bay Area of California.  Especially after a cruise, having eating upscale food for several weeks, sitting down in their wooden booths and devouring their massive, tasty burritos hits the spot for us.

 

 

 

[nancygp]

We love the shangri-la hotel and have stayed there on all our Vancouver pre-cruise stays.

 

highly recommend blue water cafe and Baccus.

 

Nancy

[Keith1010]

We like the Pan Pacific and stay on the Club Floor. Appreciate they will come by your room the morning if embarkation and take your checked luggage to the pier. 
 

If your cruise doesn’t stop at Victoria you can take the ferry over there. 
 

We enjoy walking the nearby area and also visiting Stanley Park.  
 

There are sone restaurants we have enjoyed but the last time we were  there was 2016  so I would read reviews starting with trio advisor. 
 

Keith

[John Cruise]

When you walk out of the cruise ship terminal, turn right,

continue past the convention center and you will see the

Cactus Club.

It’s huge and everything is delicious.

😎

[Gregrat]

On 2/11/2023 at 5:01 PM, John Cruise said:

When you walk out of the cruise ship terminal, turn right,

continue past the convention center and you will see the

Cactus Club.

It’s huge and everything is delicious.

😎

John Cruise, I have checked out Cactus Club online and it sounds delicious.

[Urban trekker]

You might also want to check out the Tap and Barrell - another local chain that is located across the plaza from the Cactus Club.

Dennis

[Gregrat]

7 hours ago, Urban trekker said:

You might also want to check out the Tap and Barrell - another local chain that is located across the plaza from the Cactus Club.

Dennis

Dennis, I have gone to the Tap and Barrell website and it is just what we’re looking for.

Tap and Barrell and Cactus Club for 2 of our 3 nights in Vancouver.
One more restaurant and we’ll be all set!

Greg

[martincath]

2 hours ago, Gregrat said:

Dennis, I have gone to the Tap and Barrell website and it is just what we’re looking for.

Tap and Barrell and Cactus Club for 2 of our 3 nights in Vancouver.
One more restaurant and we’ll be all set!

Greg

Then your third night is easy - Cactus Club at English Bay! Menu is plenty wide enough to easily do back-to-back dinners without repetition, but views are different, and if you can dine late enough that sunset happens it's possibly the best view of any resto in the city (certainly the best ground-level one).

 

T&B have also been slowly buying up every single resto with outdoor dining on the Seawall that hits the market - so if you'd rather double-down on their more casual menu, the Shipyards over in North Van gives you a view of Vancouver so that's a bit different - all of their other spots like Bridges on Granville Island or the original one in the Athletes Village are right next to the water too.

 

If you want something different though, a bit swankier, then I'd suggest Lift or Seasons in the Park if we're sticking to restos-with-a-view. I'd risk a sunset cocktail in Pan Pacific but I can't recommend the food in Five Sails any more - consistency went out the window after Ernst & Gerry sold it to Glowbal and retired; the only remaining key role since the TheBeforeTimes is the now-GM Jason who used to assist Gerry - so FoH remains a relatively safe bet for good service - but in the kitchen they've been unable to keep any key staff member from TheBeforeTimes and of all the new folks brought in since 2020 only the pastry chef has stuck around more than a few months. At their price point, you want a consistent team cooking and Five Sails hasn't had that since pre-Covid.

 

Whichever Birmingham you're from though OP, original/Alabama/the other few tiny ones in the US, I would wager good money that you don't have Chinese food remotely as good as we do - views are more likely to be of an urban street or suburban stripmall than nice scenery, but short of visiting some parts of LA or getting over to Hong Kong, Beijing etc. the food will be literally the best in the world. So if you want to break up the two nights of Western grub, I'd point you to Dynasty Seafood or Kirin if you're looking for high end food without having to leave downtown Vancouver; Chinatown BBQ for much more casual, old school food for locals actually in Chinatown; Peaceful for handmade noodles and interesting lamb dishes (Uighur/Xinjiang cuisine); Bao Bei for something more modern with a bit of a kick (Shanghai/Taiwanese flavours, Tapas-esque presentation with little nibbly individual plates or big shared ones, custom cocktails that match well with the food). If you don't mind going out to Richmond, the 'new Chinatown' of the region has a massive array of options from every region you can imagine - but since you also opened a thread specifically asking about restos walking distance from the PP, I won't go that far out!

[Urban trekker]

Another place that I have dined at a couple of times and once with a couple who are foodies and loved the place is Cardero's on the Seawall between the Convention Center and the Bayshore.

Dennis

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 2/11/2023 at 1:35 PM, skybluewaters said:

For a very casual (elevated fast-food) meal, Chronic Tacos has incredible burritos.  Better than 90% of the burrito places in the Bay Area of California.  Especially after a cruise, having eating upscale food for several weeks, sitting down in their wooden booths and devouring their massive, tasty burritos hits the spot for us.

 

Chronic Tacos is an Orange County, California company, which is why it's better than most Bay Area places 😁

[skybluewaters]

Can't argue with that, especially if the Chronic Tacos in OC are as good as the venue in Vancouver.

After several weeks of escargot, beef Wellington, lobster thermidor, etc. etc. on a cruise, a hefty burrito dripping with spicy Mexican sauces really hits the spot!

[majmaj4]

On 2/25/2023 at 10:59 AM, martincath said:

Then your third night is easy - Cactus Club at English Bay! Menu is plenty wide enough to easily do back-to-back dinners without repetition, but views are different, and if you can dine late enough that sunset happens it's possibly the best view of any resto in the city (certainly the best ground-level one).

 

T&B have also been slowly buying up every single resto with outdoor dining on the Seawall that hits the market - so if you'd rather double-down on their more casual menu, the Shipyards over in North Van gives you a view of Vancouver so that's a bit different - all of their other spots like Bridges on Granville Island or the original one in the Athletes Village are right next to the water too.

 

If you want something different though, a bit swankier, then I'd suggest Lift or Seasons in the Park if we're sticking to restos-with-a-view. I'd risk a sunset cocktail in Pan Pacific but I can't recommend the food in Five Sails any more - consistency went out the window after Ernst & Gerry sold it to Glowbal and retired; the only remaining key role since the TheBeforeTimes is the now-GM Jason who used to assist Gerry - so FoH remains a relatively safe bet for good service - but in the kitchen they've been unable to keep any key staff member from TheBeforeTimes and of all the new folks brought in since 2020 only the pastry chef has stuck around more than a few months. At their price point, you want a consistent team cooking and Five Sails hasn't had that since pre-Covid.

 

Whichever Birmingham you're from though OP, original/Alabama/the other few tiny ones in the US, I would wager good money that you don't have Chinese food remotely as good as we do - views are more likely to be of an urban street or suburban stripmall than nice scenery, but short of visiting some parts of LA or getting over to Hong Kong, Beijing etc. the food will be literally the best in the world. So if you want to break up the two nights of Western grub, I'd point you to Dynasty Seafood or Kirin if you're looking for high end food without having to leave downtown Vancouver; Chinatown BBQ for much more casual, old school food for locals actually in Chinatown; Peaceful for handmade noodles and interesting lamb dishes (Uighur/Xinjiang cuisine); Bao Bei for something more modern with a bit of a kick (Shanghai/Taiwanese flavours, Tapas-esque presentation with little nibbly individual plates or big shared ones, custom cocktails that match well with the food). If you don't mind going out to Richmond, the 'new Chinatown' of the region has a massive array of options from every region you can imagine - but since you also opened a thread specifically asking about restos walking distance from the PP, I won't go that far out!

Thank you for all the tips.  I will be in Vancouver a few days and would be interested in heading to Richmond for authentic Dim Sum... what are some of your favorites?

[KeepCalmBearOn]

13 minutes ago, majmaj4 said:

Thank you for all the tips.  I will be in Vancouver a few days and would be interested in heading to Richmond for authentic Dim Sum... what are some of your favorites?

 

If you want Richmond specifically you can look at Sun Sui Wah, Kirin, Shanghai River Restaurant, Chef Tony, Fisherman’s Terrace and Empire.

 

But a branch of Kirin, Jade and Dinesty are all within a mile of the cruise dock at Pan Pacific. The great dim sum takeout place Kim Wai is a short walk too.

 

[martincath]

4 hours ago, majmaj4 said:

Thank you for all the tips.  I will be in Vancouver a few days and would be interested in heading to Richmond for authentic Dim Sum... what are some of your favorites?

All I can add to Scott's reply is Dynasty Seafood on Broadway in Vancouver proper; everywhere else I would have mentioned in Richmond or downtown for Dim Sum is covered!

[Heidi13]

19 hours ago, majmaj4 said:

Thank you for all the tips.  I will be in Vancouver a few days and would be interested in heading to Richmond for authentic Dim Sum... what are some of your favorites?

 

When I go to Richmond with my Chinese friends we enjoy Dum Sum at the Royal Seafood restaurant at Blundell & Garden City Way. I'm sure they have English menus, but since I don't do the ordering, I've never seen one.

 

Arrive before 11:00 and receive a 20% discount.

[Lanz]

Great thread, great tips….thank you😊