Vancouver boarding shambles

[Fairgarth]

Well, I have now had personal experience of this "shambles".  Blame U. S. pre-clearance.  We took a tip from 'martincath', dropped off our baggage at 11:00 and went for a wander along the waterfront.  Had a nice lunch at Mahoney's.  Walked back to Holland America check-in, no waiting, very slick and quick and moved on to the next.  Bit of a line-up for security then a major line-up for U.S. pre-clearance.  That took and hour and a half or more.  Out of 21 cruises, this was by far the most time-consuming.  Be prepared.

[WeExplore]

I posted this on a different thread but thought I would repost here as well.

 

“I am an avid cruiser and work at the Vancouver Cruise Ship Terminal as part of my post-retirement life. Sundays are the busiest day of the week at the terminal because of the number of ships in port.  Throughout the year there are other 3 ship days which can be equally busy especially if the ships are larger.  
 

Be prepared for lots of people but if you follow the signs, as us for directions and tune out the noise(if you can!) it is a very organized process.  If your priority is to get on the ship as early as possible then arrive at the terminal at 9:30 - 10 am but be aware that the bag drop area may not yet be open because the staff are still busy getting the bags off the ships. So you will need to wait but the line at this time will be short!  Absolutely print your tags and attach them to your bags before you arrive. Most hotel front desks have staplers.  I highly recommend you use theirs to attach your tags. 
 

The lines at security and US Customs get longer during late morning-early afternoon so if your priority is not to be one of the first on the ship then enjoy the day in Vancouver and come after 2 pm but be forewarned there may still be line ups.  You can drop your bags and check in first then come back later. 
 

One of the biggest complaints I hear is that when guests arrive at the terminal and see an extremely crowded and noisy environment that looks chaotic they assume it is but there is order in the chaos (at least most of the time lol).  

 

The entire journey from bag drop to walking on the ship requires a lot of walking which many guests are unprepared for. This coupled with the line ups can be very challenging for many. So if you do have mobility issues request a wheelchair. As stated earlier you may have to wait for one but your check in journey will be more comfortable and shorter. 

 

Pack your patience, a water bottle and snack if you do encounter line ups and have a wonderful cruise.”

 

Additional comment: When debarking in Vancouver the line for taxis can also be very long. If you heading to the airport and are able to wheel your luggage for a few blocks taking the Canada Line train may be significantly faster and cheaper.  

[everbeentoseabilly]

4 minutes ago, WeExplore said:

I posted this on a different thread but thought I would repost here as well.

 

 

“I am an avid cruiser and work at the Vancouver Cruise Ship Terminal as part of my post-retirement life. Sundays are the busiest day of the week at the terminal because of the number of ships in port.  Throughout the year there are other 3 ship days which can be equally busy especially if the ships are larger.  
 

Be prepared for lots of people but if you follow the signs, as us for directions and tune out the noise(if you can!) it is a very organized process.  If your priority is to get on the ship as early as possible then arrive at the terminal at 9:30 - 10 am but be aware that the bag drop area may not yet be open because the staff are still busy getting the bags off the ships. So you will need to wait but the line at this time will be short!  Absolutely print your tags and attach them to your bags before you arrive. Most hotel front desks have staplers.  I highly recommend you use theirs to attach your tags. 
 

The lines at security and US Customs get longer during late morning-early afternoon so if your priority is not to be one of the first on the ship then enjoy the day in Vancouver and come after 2 pm but be forewarned there may still be line ups.  You can drop your bags and check in first then come back later. 
 

One of the biggest complaints I hear is that when guests arrive at the terminal and see an extremely crowded and noisy environment that looks chaotic they assume it is but there is order in the chaos (at least most of the time lol).  

 

The entire journey from bag drop to walking on the ship requires a lot of walking which many guests are unprepared for. This coupled with the line ups can be very challenging for many. So if you do have mobility issues request a wheelchair. As stated earlier you may have to wait for one but your check in journey will be more comfortable and shorter. 

 

Pack your patience, a water bottle and snack if you do encounter line ups and have a wonderful cruise.”

 

Additional comment: When debarking in Vancouver the line for taxis can also be very long. If you heading to the airport and are able to wheel your luggage for a few blocks taking the Canada Line train may be significantly faster and cheaper.  

Thank you to you and all who work at the port. We just embarked the Queen Elizabeth yesterday and all the port staff that we came into contact with were friendly and helpful! The lines were long but kept moving and the process went well!

[WeExplore]

1 hour ago, everbeentoseabilly said:

Thank you to you and all who work at the port. We just embarked the Queen Elizabeth yesterday and all the port staff that we came into contact with were friendly and helpful! The lines were long but kept moving and the process went well!

Thank you so much for your kind words.  I will share them tomorrow with the team.  

 

Enjoy your cruise. 

[Fairgarth]

20 hours ago, everbeentoseabilly said:

Thank you to you and all who work at the port. We just embarked the Queen Elizabeth yesterday and all the port staff that we came into contact with were friendly and helpful!

 

I agree absolutely.  Port staff were great, smiling and helpful.

[Raja2005]

Just completed a 10 day Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver with Princess and I'll agree the terminal there is set up oddly with a lot of back tracking.  We arrived VERY early as we fly in day of, arriving at 8 am. We took the Skytrain to the port and were there by 9:30 am. They were still disembarking passengers, so there were a LOT of people and a lot of lines of people not knowing which line they should be in...and staff not knowing either. We were in one line waiting to drop off our luggage since we just walked over. Staff there changed their minds three times saying where the actual start of the line was  it actually became comical. Many people too didn't have their luggage tags so that added to the wait. 

 

Fortunately we did have our tags so dropped off the luggage on the first floor, then you had to go up to the second floor to check in with Princess, then back down to the main floor in order to clear customs. US customs was fast as they use the terminals where you scan your passport and fill the form online and you get a print out.  Then went to the last stop where is where we would be able to board.

 

The ship that docked that morning must have arrived late as we were told by 10:30 am they were still cleaning the ship and we would have to wait. So we got moved twice into "sit and wait" areas. By 11 am we allowed to board!  With all the walking around from one end of the terminal to another and one floor to another, I probably clocked 5,000 steps 🤣 - as they say "there must be a better way!"

[david,Mississauga]

I will also add my compliments to the "Intercruise" workers. They are always cheerful and efficient, even though they must be annoyed at the difficult procedures over which they have no control. For the last three embarkations I have requested a wheelchair for my wife who couldn't handle all the lines (walking slowly is easier for her than standing for a long time.)  Each time the staff who handled the wheelchair were very friendly and efficient.

 

We always stay the night before at the Pan Pacific so I go down to the P1 level the afternoon before our cruise and again early in the morning of the cruise and confirm a good time to show up to get a wheelchair. We have always been told 10:30.  

 

This year for our Queen Elizabeth cruise we showed up at 10:30 and were advised check-in wouldn't open in Hall C until 11:30, a half  hour later than last year.  A wheelchair and attendant were soon found and my wife could sit comfortably. The kind man came by every now and then to let us know we were not forgotten.   At 11:30 we were told it might be 12:00 before the check-in would open. By then hundreds of people had arrived. Some queued on the convention centre level and others directed to queue on the P-1 level with some instructed to take their luggage down to P-2.  Closer to 12:00 there was a rumour amongst the staff that check-in could be delayed another hour, but this wasn't the case.

 

There were a lot of priority passengers and I suspect many others who showed up early.  Check-in wasn't too long and we were quickly taken through the busy security area. The US pre-clearance area was not busy at all this time.  As we approached the gangway we saw that boarding had already started and we were on board about 12:30.

 

 

  

[Blizzard56]

On 5/1/2023 at 3:05 AM, YVRteacher said:

Hi!  I live in Vancouver and cruise to Alaska each year, leaving from the port of Vancouver.

 

I leave tomorrow for two weeks on the NCL Jewel and there will be 3 large ships in port, all departing tomorrow.  You can see my live thread for a report on how the boarding process went.

 

From past experience, I would not use the word shambles.  It’s organized, but the wait to get through security is long and slow.  There are no seats. Port arrival time makes no difference (unless you get there very early, in which case you would be waiting to board your ship, but at least there are chairs in the ship waiting areas.  Yes, it is always like this.  

YVRTeacher....we are cruising from Vancouver to Hawaii.  We booked the cruise over a year ago and since then my husband(62) was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.  I'm looking for a cruise aide from the Vancouver area to cruise with us.  They would have their own cabin and help me transfer my husband from his wheelchair to bed, bathroom, lounge chair, etc.   Do you know an agency or a person that would be willing to travel with us on the cruise?  Dianne Schifini

[MississippiMom]

So glad I stumbled across this thread as I begin researching possible Alaskan cruises.   I was convinced we needed a Vancouver departure due to the inside passage sailing.  Time for me to look closer at Seattle departures (definitely less expensive airfare) or maybe even consider a North to South sailing with some time in Denali, first.  So much to consider.

[Woody14]

20 hours ago, MississippiMom said:

So glad I stumbled across this thread as I begin researching possible Alaskan cruises.   I was convinced we needed a Vancouver departure due to the inside passage sailing.  Time for me to look closer at Seattle departures (definitely less expensive airfare) or maybe even consider a North to South sailing with some time in Denali, first.  So much to consider.

I have cruised out of Vancouver a few times.   One thing to remember is that Vancouver's cruise season is just that a season.   So at the beginning of the season you get a few hiccups as they work out the routines, with new staff, ships et all.   The cruises I have taken have been July or August and have not experienced a 'shambles' it has been very smooth and no different than most other cruise ports.

 

In my humble opinion the inside passage sailing is worth it.