Vancouver Embarkation with luggage and mobility issues

[rgh2928]

I'll be departing Vancouver next month with my elderly parents. They have mobility issues and will use wheelchairs(provided by CruiseLine) for the long embarkation process. We will be taking a shuttle from the hotel the morning of departure.  The last time I was there, the shuttle could not drive into the underground luggage drop off area, as buses/shuttles are too big.  They dropped us off in front of the terminal and we had to walk into the luggage drop off area, dragging our luggage.  This is just not feasible with my parents and luggage.  The CruiseLine said there will be assistance at the drop off location but I certainly don't remember that being the case last time. I would appreciate up to date information from anyone who has taken a shuttle/bus to the port. Specifically regarding luggage assistance at the drop off location and availability wheelchairs assistance there.   Thanks for the help.

[Meander Ingwa]

Would an uber/ lyft have different access to drop off points where it would be more reasonable to have your parents wait while you manage the bags?  Or is doing this in 2 goes reasonable.  You take and rop the bags then return and puck up parents

[rgh2928]

Yes, an Uber might be easier but with four of us and luggage it would have to be 2 most likely.  I have several other scenarios in mind, I was more trying confirm my memory of the last time I was there.  Do the buses really drop off in front instead of under the terminal where the luggage collection is? If they do drop off out front, are the wheelchair assistance crew members and porters there to meet the bus? Hopefully someone on the "Boards' has recently taken the ship's shuttle to Vancouver Port and can give me the details. Thanks

[Northern Aurora]

Have you considered staying at the Pan Pacific?  The hotel is literally above Canada Place.  The bellmen will come to your hotel room to pick up your luggage and then take your luggage to the cruise porters.  You just need to deal with your carry on items.  An elevator which will take your down the cruise terminal.  While the Pan Pacific can be pricey, in this case, when you are traveling with two folks with mobility issues the cost may not be a factor.

[martincath]

@rgh2928 What hotel are you coming in from, and have you booked your shuttle independently or through your line or the hotel itself... and last time, was it the same way?

 

Full size coaches can get under Canada Place just fine, so I'm genuinely bemused about any lack of access regardless of who is organizing the vehicle, but while I am generally ill-disposed to cruise line shuttles that's just because of the obscene cost markups, rather than such a strange failure in quality of service.

 

Personally I'd be using an Accessible taxi - perfect size of vehicle, a big van with middle row of seats removed so even if your parents were bringing their own folding wheelchairs rather than renting at the pier there should be room for lots of bags and 4 pax. Have your hotel call the cab firm and specifically ask for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle - by law, all the cab fleets have to supply them when someone who needs them asks (they make up about 17% of the cab fleets) whereas Uber etc. have no such requirement thanks to their 'honest guv we are not a transportation company just an app that hooks up drivers with passengers' operation, but if they can get in and out of normal cars fine then an UberXL should also work fine.

 

You'll spend a fraction of the cost compared to any Per Person shuttle - even metered from a distance hotel, with traffic, the odds of going much over $40 on the meter are slim (pay with credit - while many cabbies happily take USD they do not give close to the official exchange rate, and some even cheekily ask for an At Par $1USD=$1CAD!!!) and since most cruise shuttles charge USD$29pp that's almost CAD$40 per person... without Surge pricing, generally rideshares cost a bit less than cabs on longer trips, so from an airport area hotel expect to save maybe 10-15% with Uber/Lyft compared to a metered cab.

 

If you can make it from your hotel to the airport itself (e.g. on the hotel shuttle), cabs from there are even fixed price - CAD$38 to the pier this year, all taxes included, and size of cab makes no difference.

[Urban trekker]

The issue about not being able to drive down into the Canada Place parking area might have to do with the need for the bus, taxis etc. and their drivers to have a Port Pass.

A friend of mine use to drive the tour buses and each year he had to go through the procedure of getting a new pass.

You are correct - the large tour bus regularly drive down and park in the parkade.

Dennis