Vancouver Embarkation

[AV8rix]

On 8/13/2023 at 3:37 PM, JohnnyPS said:

Does anyone have any experience parking at Canada Place for their cruise?  We are driving to the cruise port for this one.  We reserved and pre-paid for the parking months ago.  Just curious about logistics and any other issues folks may have experienced. We were just able today to get our boarding time which is 11:00 AM Aug 26^th.

Hi, neighbor (I'm in Snohomish County)!  I've driven up for cruises there.  Canada Place parking is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive.  So what I have done in the past is stay one night at the Radisson.  They have (or used to have) a "parking package" for folks on cruises.  Nice indoor garage.  And they're right across the street from a SkyTrain terminal (SkyTrain is Vancouver's excellent mass transit).  However, I just checked their site and no longer see the parking package listed.  So you might want to give them a call and see if it is still offered. (236) 305-5339.

 

But more often, I just take the Amtrak Cascade train up and back.  Business Class is just about $150 from SnoCo round trip.  Probably a bit more from downtown.  Train always full of cruisers.

Edited August 14, 2023 by AV8rix

[gregma60]

4 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Hi, neighbor (I'm in Snohomish County)!  I've driven up for cruises there.  Canada Place parking is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive.  So what I have done in the past is stay one night at the Radisson.  They have (or used to have) a "parking package" for folks on cruises.  Nice indoor garage.  And they're right across the street from a SkyTrain terminal (SkyTrain is Vancouver's excellent mass transit).  However, I just checked their site and no longer see the parking package listed.  So you might want to give them a call and see if it is still offered. (236) 305-5339.

 

But more often, I just take the Amtrak Cascade train up and back.  Business Class is just about $150 from SnoCo round trip.  Probably a bit more from downtown.  Train always full of cruisers.

And hello from King County east.  Amtrak is what we are taking next week.  Unfortunately, we decided to head up a day early and be there two days before our Wed departure, so I lost business making the late change from the 22nd to the 21st out of Everett.  Hopefully it won't be that bad in coach!  Business on the way back.  Only question is taxi or uber from the station to Pan Pacific.

 

-gregma

[martincath]

29 minutes ago, GatorMomInNC said:

that is very close to what I will be up against in a couple weeks. 

This sounds like a nightmare to me.  I don't mind waiting - I can read a book - but I have bad ankle, back and knees that are aggravated by standing (even more so than walking).  Is there anywhere to sit during all of this?? I will be traveling alone so no one can hold my spot...

 

I wonder if I can just sit for a couple hours until closer to embarkation and the line goes down....

Seating is only relevant for early arrivers - the initial check-in happens in a big hall on the convention centre level, so if you arrive before CBP start allowing pax to move through Security and their area you should be able to sit with your assigned group until it gets called to start the long, winding stop'n'go walk. If you finish all the required steps before the ship is ready there are also seats near the gangplank for just your ships pax to wait for boarding. If you have Status, usually some kind of snacks - for Joe Q NoStatus maybe just water.

 

If you don't want to arrange a wheelchair assist, or rent your own scooter etc. for the trip, then I will suggest that the only sensible thing to do for you is to board as late as possible - do check carefully the Sailaway time, ensure you arrive two hours before that (CBP need a completed manifest before releasing the ship - show up too late and you may be denied boarding because the paperwork has been finalized!), and you should find no queues for anything at all. Doesn't cut down the walking distance - could be easily a quarter mile back & forth across multiple levels - but radically reduces the time. We have consistently managed 'curb to cabin' of 20mins - whereas folks who come early enough (9:30am?)  to be literally the first people to walk out of the holding room through Security and CBP will be just as quick through each queue they also have at least an hour, possibly as much as two, of sitting around waiting on top of the quick walk!

[JohnnyPS]

6 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Hi, neighbor (I'm in Snohomish County)!  I've driven up for cruises there.  Canada Place parking is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive.  So what I have done in the past is stay one night at the Radisson.  They have (or used to have) a "parking package" for folks on cruises.  Nice indoor garage.  And they're right across the street from a SkyTrain terminal (SkyTrain is Vancouver's excellent mass transit).  However, I just checked their site and no longer see the parking package listed.  So you might want to give them a call and see if it is still offered. (236) 305-5339.

 

But more often, I just take the Amtrak Cascade train up and back.  Business Class is just about $150 from SnoCo round trip.  Probably a bit more from downtown.  Train always full of cruisers.

We already booked and paid for parking so that is a done deal.  It is fairly expensive but probably comparable to parking at SeaTac airport.

[AV8rix]

3 minutes ago, gregma60 said:

  Only question is taxi or uber from the station to Pan Pacific.

 

-gregma

Actually the Vancouver train station is right across the park from the SkyTrain Expo Line station (with elevator for your luggage).  I generally use that, although in bad weather I've taken a taxi -- about $12 Canadian to the port.

[JohnnyPS]

21 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Yeah, I was through the Vancouver misery on July 30.  Four ships boarding.  I'm a 4* and there was ABSOLUTELY NO priority boarding!  The line for security snaked through for the better part of an hour, mixing pax of ALL ships.  You see, Vancouver has only one terminal building/line for ALL ships.  Unlike Fort Lauderdale with its multiple terminal buildings, each with its own customs/security line.

I was just able to access our bording passes on the Navigator app and they are marked as priority boarding.  I guess that means nothing.☹️

[AV8rix]

7 minutes ago, JohnnyPS said:

I was just able to access our bording passes on the Navigator app and they are marked as priority boarding.  I guess that means nothing.☹️

Unfortunately, you are correct for Vancouver.  All other ports -- including San Diego, which can also be bad at times -- definitely honor the Mariner status/CO/suite priority boarding. 

 

But have a great cruise anyway.  Once you're aboard, your suite status will be honored.

[gregma60]

17 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Actually the Vancouver train station is right across the park from the SkyTrain Expo Line station (with elevator for your luggage).  I generally use that, although in bad weather I've taken a taxi -- about $12 Canadian to the port.

We were thinking about using the skytrain, but with my cane, and each of us having a carryon and a checkin, don't think we could handle getting all that up their.

 

-gregma

[YourWorldWithBill]

2 hours ago, JohnnyPS said:

I was just able to access our bording passes on the Navigator app and they are marked as priority boarding.  I guess that means nothing.☹️

Once you get through the interminable lines to go through security and then the quick customs line, you will get priority when the ship starts boarding! Not what any of us hope for, but it still feels good.

[dockman]

1 hour ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Once you get through the interminable lines to go through security and then the quick customs line, you will get priority when the ship starts boarding! Not what any of us hope for, but it still feels good.

yes i got priority boarding as 5 star/elite so surprised to see some say they did not?  The big hassle was getting through us immigration/customs where global entry tsa precheck did nothing for me even though i did ask and was told no....i guess best advice is to board very very late by which time i assume the lines have gone down...

Edited August 15, 2023 by dockman

[WetterWashington]

4 hours ago, AV8rix said:

Hi, neighbor (I'm in Snohomish County)!  I've driven up for cruises there.  Canada Place parking is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive.  So what I have done in the past is stay one night at the Radisson.  They have (or used to have) a "parking package" for folks on cruises.  Nice indoor garage.  And they're right across the street from a SkyTrain terminal (SkyTrain is Vancouver's excellent mass transit).  However, I just checked their site and no longer see the parking package listed.  So you might want to give them a call and see if it is still offered. (236) 305-5339.

 

But more often, I just take the Amtrak Cascade train up and back.  Business Class is just about $150 from SnoCo round trip.  Probably a bit more from downtown.  Train always full of cruisers.

I called them months ago and they haven't since the pandemic... Fortunately we have a friend that lives close enough to walk and has room in his garage!
(Kitsap land)

[vicd1969]

A few more things about Vancouver embarkation, some may have been already mentioned:

 

- Use your boarding pass on the Navigator App - makes it a lot easier for check-in. You'll also show it on getting onboard the ship itself.

- After check-in, you'll be given an orange strip of paper to show to security. Do Not Lose it - they asked to see it like 5 times during the security process.

- After check-in, you can still go outside to view the sea planes, get a coffee etc.  We did that because a few of us checked in earlier and the rest of the group had kids who wanted to see the planes. For like 90% of you, the earlier the better however. 

- There are toilet facilities in the customs and immigration hall, people were pretty good about saving spots for those who had to use the facilities.

- You may have a faster process if you aren't a US or Canadian citizen. There is a separate line for them, and though there are fewer immigration officers handling them, the much lower number of non-US/Canadian passengers makes the process faster. When it was my  turn to finally get processed, they opened the queue for us to use the non-US citizen section.

- No Global Entry separate line. No preference for 4-star/diamond/whatever. Come as early as possible if you're not going with a large group. May just take 30 minutes starting immigration at 1030 AM instead at 1230 PM.

- DO NOT COME A LOT LATER THAN NORMAL. They closed off the security area around 2:30 PM. The Hall was still pretty full at that time, but I didn't see any more people join the line when it was my turn to get processed. The last people may have taken about 15 minutes less, but it's not worth cutting it that close. Our ship left around 4:15 PM, more or less as scheduled.