Strategies for Vancouver embarkation

[ksmetamaid]

The Vancouver terminal seems to be infamous for long longs and boarding process.  Our cruise is for May 2025.  We will be staying the night before at yet-to-be-determined budget hotel, and will be sailing on Holland America's Noordam on a Sunday.  A couple of questions:

 

1.  We could arrive by Skytrain, Uber, or by walking from a hotel in the area.  It sounds like arriving by car might actually complicate to the embarkation process.  Is it actually more efficient to stay out by the airport and then take the Skytrain?  Is walking from a Canada Place area hotel something to consider?  Maneuvering luggage could be a hassle with that, of course.  

 

2.  Does anyone have any strategies that have consistently worked well that they'd like to share?

 

Thanks.

[Lido deck main]

https://www.portvancouver.com/news-and-media/news/canada-place-cruise-terminal-implements-cutting-edge-facial-biometric-technology-for-passenger-processing/#:~:text=The Port of Vancouver is,terminal efficiency and border security.

[kennystwin]

Of course the easiest way (by far) is to stay at the Pan Pacific. On departure morning, have a bellman pick up your luggage and they will deliver it to your ship. Then take the elevator to the lower level, with your carry-ons only, and you are just a few steps away from the terminal entrance. Easy, but not a budget choice. I have stayed at the Day's Inn pre cruise as well (took the Skytrain from the airport) and walking (with luggage) to the cruise terminal was no big deal. Probably a reasonable budget option to stay downtown. Staying near the airport and taking Skytrain would be even cheaper. No reason to get a car/taxi/Uber unless you have unmanageable luggage. 

[Fouremco]

The last time we cruised out of Vancouver, we stayed at the Auberge Vancouver. It's located at 837 W Hastings St in downtown Vancouver, just a couple of blocks from the Pan Pacific. It was an easy walk through a park for the most part, and if you are proficient using Google maps, you can "walk" along the route online to see for yourself. Unfortunately, it isn't a budget hotel, and I doubt that you are going to find anything within reasonable walking distance of the cruise terminal that would fall in the budget category.

 

I'd look for something in the area or the airport and take an Uber in. Or the Skytrain if you don't have too much luggage. 

[dockman]

Rule one for me over dozens of cruises all over the world is travel light.  If you don't have massive luggage to deal with then the skytrain and short walks are good options and getting on and off ship and airport/plane  options are expanded..

 

Do you really really need to bring a different outfit for every day and 10 pairs of shoes?  No thanks.  Keep it simple and use the laundry service is some very very good advice for most. Think layers of clothing instead of one giant coat etc.

 

I travel with a rolling carryon and a small computer bag....not one time have i ever thought gee i wish i had brought more stuff to deal with. Travel size toiletres are fine and no worries over airport security rules. I do not care if i wear the same outfits over and over as i do not go on cruises to impress people with my wardrobe. 

 

I do have free laundry which helps but even if have to pay for laundry it beats hauling big suitcases around.

 

Take a look at the size and amount of luggage that many passengers will bring on even a 7 day cruise...how much is hauled around and never even worn or used once?  My guess is a lot and have to say a lot of the over luggage bunch looks pretty darn miserable trying to move all their stuff around.

[Gsel]

Thought I remembered reading Pan Pacific is changing owners next year. Anyone know about that?

[julia]

Please do not stay at the airport, as Vancouver is too nice to miss! Taking the SkyTrain is easy and simple.  A budget friendly hotel might be a challenge, but they do exist, (the Y comes to mind).  We recently did a Sunday embark on Noordam and avoided ALL lines by arriving later... as in 1:30ish. As mentioned, travel smart, travel light!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Show up at 1:30 

[Kc52]

1. If you decide to stay out by the airport (Richmond, BC), there are a few budget hotels near there but not near the Skytrain. Taxi or Uber fare to the downtown area ($30 -$40 range). By Skytrain you would need to haul your luggage around which may not be easy. Also, there are more things to do in the downtown area as opposed to near the airport. 

2. Hotels in the downtown area are expensive(ish), especially near the port, however, this is the best area to see the city - Stanley Park is nearby, as is Gastown, shopping, hop on, hop off bus services, lots of restaurants and pleasant walks. 

3. If you arrive by taxi, Uber etc. at the port, usually they take you directly to the embarkation area where you leave your luggage before proceeding to check-in. If you walk to the embarkation area under Canada Place, this will add to your time and bother with hauling luggage. 

4. If there are several ships in port at the same time as your ship, especially if there are some very large ones, this could make embarkation time take a little longer. In the many times we have sailed from Vancouver port, we have never got on the ship before 11:00 am, so timing your arrival may be something to consider. 

5. If I were travelling to Vancouver, I would enjoy my stay in the downtown area and partake in the things to do there. 

Hope this helps.

[Catlover54]

11 minutes ago, dockman said:

Rule one for me over dozens of cruises all over the world is travel light.  If you don't have massive luggage to deal with then the skytrain and short walks are good options and getting on and off ship and airport/plane  options are expanded..

 

Do you really really need to bring a different outfit for every day and 10 pairs of shoes?  No thanks.  Keep it simple and use the laundry service is some very very good advice for most. Think layers of clothing instead of one giant coat etc.

 

I travel with a rolling carryon and a small computer bag....not one time have i ever thought gee i wish i had brought more stuff to deal with. Travel size toiletres are fine and no worries over airport security rules. I do not care if i wear the same outfits over and over as i do not go on cruises to impress people with my wardrobe. 

 

I do have free laundry which helps but even if have to pay for laundry it beats hauling big suitcases around.

 

Take a look at the size and amount of luggage that many passengers will bring on even a 7 day cruise...how much is hauled around and never even worn or used once?  My guess is a lot and have to say a lot of the over luggage bunch looks pretty darn miserable trying to move all their stuff around.

 

I am envious of people like you who are healthy enough and strong enough to travel with just a rolling carryon (presumably meeting the official smaller size requirements of the last few years?) and a computer case, and are also confident that you will always find overhead space for your essentials.  When I was young and healthy/strong enough to lift a rollaboard into the overhead compartment of an airplane (which I no longer can do), and didn't have any health care needs requiring extra supplies and clothing changes, and didn't have arthritis in my hands that makes sink washing and wringing of clothing difficult, and never dined in dressy restaurants or went to dressy concerts while traveling (it was youth hostels!), that worked well.  I would also only take short trips, flying was more reliable and not so difficult (e.g., overhead space was always available for my essential items even with short-notice flight schedule changes, and so was underseat space).  Some modern seats, especially on the aisle have IFE metal bars blocking access and of course the plane is full. Now with retirement and struggles flying long distances (even if I sometimes get special assistance, which creates its own problems), I take less frequent trips but make them longer, or combine cruises back to back with land trips, and may be on the go for close to two months.  

Weather changes easily can go from very cold to very hot, wet and dry. I don't need 10 pairs of shoes, but I need 3 pairs (and that is wearing the identical "outfit" -- if you can call it that -- for each formal dinner.  With one pair of shoes on my feet (and it has to be a pair I can easily kick off and on at US security since I can't stand on one leg, and pre-check isn't always running), shoes can take up a lot of room  (e.g., waterproof walking shoes for rainy weather, presentable dinner shoes for "dressy" or formal nights -- so I don't wear bulky hiking boots to the fancy restaurant -- and sandals or airy shoes for sweltering days and poolside .  Layering clothing only takes me so far when it comes to clothing getting soaked  in humid climates (requiring frequent changing), and nowhere when it comes to supportive shoes.  Cold weather clothing also tends to be bulky (though less than before, with the new synthetics). I even found a handy 4 ounze umbrella, (but it isn't good in the wind).  A recent hotel had no conditioner, and the cruise had no conditioner for sale (I'd tried to avoid bringing conditioner), and no time to find a land store to buy it (closed Sundays). 

 

If DH travels with me, it is easier as he can help me lift an overboard bag, but then he also has his own rollaboard  full of admittedly optional -- but for him enjoyable  -- photographic equipment and electronics, plus sometimes a dinner jacket for the cruises and venues that require or recommend one as part of the dress code  (e.g., some Silverseas, opera house). 

 

And I don't want to be "that person" who brings on more hand luggage than they are supposed to and/or a bag that  doesn't fit in the overhead compartment without being put in sideways, and/or who expects to impose on modern young men to help her lift hand luggage into the overhead. 

 

So, I have to check one normal sized case, and bring a normal sized but stuffed backpack on board with essential medical items (I have many)  and a change of clothing (e.g., for when the stewardess spills sugary drinks all over me before a 13 hour flight, or the many times flights are canceled).  I often still wish I had more  with me (especially when a "luxury" line delays laundry service, or a hotel has no service on a weekend).  And it is not to impress strangers, but to be clean, comfortable, and appropriately dressed.

When I look at the hallways the night before disembarktion, it looks like most two-person cabins have two normal sized checkable cases out in front of their doors.  But hauling even one case plus on-board luggage per person through a city, train connections, and subways can be challenging when elevators are so often broken and cobblestones or irregular surfaces do not accomodate rolling luggage, and I don't have the strength and cardio of my youth to lift it up stairs.

 

I used to love Vancouver, but its embarkation.  disembarkation, and airport procedures, are difficult (it is not alone).  Spending more money can of course make visiting Vancouver easier (as it does in many venues).  

 There may also be a  "luggage forward" type service, e.g., where you pay a lot of money to ship your case from home directly to the ship. I used it a couple times, but there are many restrictions on what they will accept.

Many seniors stop cruising not because of difficulty on the ships, but because of flying and embarkation/disembarkation issues at the ports.  But for now, it is nice to at least be able to have such first world problems 🙂

[dockman]

6 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

 

I am envious of people like you who are healthy enough and strong enough to travel with just a rolling carryon (presumably meeting the official smaller size requirements of the last few years?) and a computer case, and are also confident that you will always find overhead space for your essentials.  When I was young and healthy/strong enough to lift a rollaboard into the overhead compartment of an airplane (which I no longer can do), and didn't have any health care needs requiring extra supplies and clothing changes, and didn't have arthritis in my hands that makes sink washing and wringing of clothing difficult, and never dined in dressy restaurants or went to dressy concerts while traveling (it was youth hostels!), that worked well.  I would also only take short trips, flying was more reliable and not so difficult (e.g., overhead space was always available for my essential items even with short-notice flight schedule changes, and so was underseat space).  Some modern seats, especially on the aisle have IFE metal bars blocking access and of course the plane is full. Now with retirement and struggles flying long distances (even if I sometimes get special assistance, which creates its own problems), I take less frequent trips but make them longer, or combine cruises back to back with land trips, and may be on the go for close to two months.  

Weather changes easily can go from very cold to very hot, wet and dry. I don't need 10 pairs of shoes, but I need 3 pairs (and that is wearing the identical "outfit" -- if you can call it that -- for each formal dinner.  With one pair of shoes on my feet (and it has to be a pair I can easily kick off and on at US security since I can't stand on one leg, and pre-check isn't always running), shoes can take up a lot of room  (e.g., waterproof walking shoes for rainy weather, presentable dinner shoes for "dressy" or formal nights -- so I don't wear bulky hiking boots to the fancy restaurant -- and sandals or airy shoes for sweltering days and poolside .  Layering clothing only takes me so far when it comes to clothing getting soaked  in humid climates (requiring frequent changing), and nowhere when it comes to supportive shoes.  Cold weather clothing also tends to be bulky (though less than before, with the new synthetics). I even found a handy 4 ounze umbrella, (but it isn't good in the wind).  A recent hotel had no conditioner, and the cruise had no conditioner for sale (I'd tried to avoid bringing conditioner), and no time to find a land store to buy it (closed Sundays). 

 

If DH travels with me, it is easier as he can help me lift an overboard bag, but then he also has his own rollaboard  full of admittedly optional -- but for him enjoyable  -- photographic equipment and electronics, plus sometimes a dinner jacket for the cruises and venues that require or recommend one as part of the dress code  (e.g., some Silverseas, opera house). 

 

And I don't want to be "that person" who brings on more hand luggage than they are supposed to and/or a bag that  doesn't fit in the overhead compartment without being put in sideways, and/or who expects to impose on modern young men to help her lift hand luggage into the overhead. 

 

So, I have to check one normal sized case, and bring a normal sized but stuffed backpack on board with essential medical items (I have many)  and a change of clothing (e.g., for when the stewardess spills sugary drinks all over me before a 13 hour flight, or the many times flights are canceled).  I often still wish I had more  with me (especially when a "luxury" line delays laundry service, or a hotel has no service on a weekend).  And it is not to impress strangers, but to be clean, comfortable, and appropriately dressed.

When I look at the hallways the night before disembarktion, it looks like most two-person cabins have two normal sized checkable cases out in front of their doors.  But hauling even one case plus on-board luggage per person through a city, train connections, and subways can be challenging when elevators are so often broken and cobblestones or irregular surfaces do not accomodate rolling luggage, and I don't have the strength and cardio of my youth to lift it up stairs.

 

I used to love Vancouver, but its embarkation.  disembarkation, and airport procedures, are difficult (it is not alone).  Spending more money can of course make visiting Vancouver easier (as it does in many venues).  

 There may also be a  "luggage forward" type service, e.g., where you pay a lot of money to ship your case from home directly to the ship. I used it a couple times, but there are many restrictions on what they will accept.

Many seniors stop cruising not because of difficulty on the ships, but because of flying and embarkation/disembarkation issues at the ports.  But for now, it is nice to at least be able to have such first world problems 🙂

Yes obviously have to be fit enough to handle a carry on..i am no spring chicken and sometimes i even check the carry on rather than haul it around airports too much or foolling with overstuffed overhead bins on board

 

...i also do a lot of asia travel where almost everyone is willing to help old people as it is part of their culture...i get called papa and get helped a lot by all sorts of young asians which is appreciated...the roller carry on bags these days are pretty easy to handle and way way better than a dozen or so years ago..

 

anyway yes travel light does not work for everyone but in my experience it does seem to me that a lot of people do complicate their travel by taking too much stuff on most trips.  I have done around the world trips with less luggage than some take on a 7 day caribbean cruise....having been a long ago hippie round the world backpacker where you had to carry it all yourself taught me some valuable lessons in traveling light... (and many many other things)

[FrodoSwaggins]

Hi Ksmetamaid,

 

I can share our experience boarding the Konigsdam from Vancouver this May ('24).  Note that we are both able to carry our luggage and walk distances, and we're very comfortable with public transit, so this strategy may/may not work for you depending.

 

We took the Skytrain to our not quite budget hotel a few blocks from Canada Place (Delta Hotels Vancouver - with AAA the rate was decent).  It's a few blocks from both Canada Place and the terminus of the Skytrain, although there is a bit of an incline from the station to the hotel.  We had one  full size suitcase and a backpack each and it was no trouble, though this could be difficult depending on ability and baggage weight. 

 

The Skytrain is easy to navigate and very convenient - if you have a tap to pay credit card, you can tap this at the gates instead of a metro pass when you board and exit, and it will charge accordingly (note, you must have separate cards for each member or your party).  It was about $9 each at peak times. Canada Place is also the terminus so there's no worries about missing your station.  The station is about a block(ish)? from Canada Place and relatively flat, so I definitely think it could be an option if you were staying in an airport hotel, although I am not familiar with hotel options near the airport. 

 

The next day, we took our bags down to the bag drop in the parking garage at Canada Place around 11am - and wanting to avoid the cluster upstairs - got coffee and lunch nearby and walked along the seawall until about 1:30.  It took us about half an hour from the time we entered Canada Place to the time we got to our room.  We did have the biometrics a previous poster mentioned, though at the time it was only running for US and Canadian passengers.  We overheard a few Aussies and Brits saying it took them 2-3 hours to get through customs.  Perhaps that will have changed when you go next year? We also lucked out and had only one other ship with us in port that day. 

 

I hope this helps with your planning!

[martincath]

4 hours ago, ksmetamaid said:

2.  Does anyone have any strategies that have consistently worked well that they'd like to share?

Yes - arrive late! As late as possible (but no later than 2 hours from when the ship is supposed to depart, so you don't have any trouble being allowed onboard!) Folks obsess about boarding earliest, rarely considering how to board fastest - the latter is far more important IMO. Just like how with any purchase of long-term goods or services you want to ask the Total Cost of Ownership - how do you minimise the total time you spend at the pier?

 

We've done the Early Thing - it always works in terms of not spending long in each queue, but it GUARANTEES that you will sit around for hours before and after the moving parts. Comfier than standing, and once the ship is zeroed out and CBP start allowing the pieces to move, if you're the first folks in line you can stroll through Security and CBP quickly... only to wait, again, until the ship itself is ready to let you board. Show up at 9am, odds are you will not be aboard until after 11am. If you have high status, or are on a swanky line, this second wait might be quite comfy with nibbles and drinks provided (we did this for our Azamara cruise, at my wife's insistence) - but unless you have the highest status in the room, guess what happens to all of you 9am people when the announcement that folks are allowed to start leaving the check-in hall...? That's right - you keep waiting as each line embarking that day calls its fanciest pax forward first! So Early People without Status get possibly the worst hand of all, as they have to watch their 'betters' match forth - and given how many Princess pax are elite on Vancouver cruises (I've seen >75%), unless you're in a Suite you're going to wait in that hall until 11am!

 

We've also done the On Time thing, like the cruiselines tell us to... once. We got assigned a boarding time for our first cruise out of Vancouver of 11am, which had always worked fine in Florida, so we did as asked. And boy did it suck! Instead of being onboard in time for a sitdown lunch, we sat for a few minutes after checking-in and then spent over two hours shuffling forward, stopping, repeating as we slowly worked our way through Security and CBP because when the latter hits capacity they simply stop all movement until their room empties to their satisfaction. Nowhere to sit, nothing to drink, just endless lines of grumpy people standing and shuffling, like very polite zombies.

 

So every cruise since then - aside from the fancy-for-us Azamara one - we've done the Late Thing. Once you've done it the long way once, it is genuinely joyful to never have to stop moving except when interacting with the assorted people or tech (walk into terminal, drop bags; walk to check-in, chat to staff; walk to Security - pause briefly while divesting pocket stuff into trays; walk into CBP room to swipe passports at kiosk and tap a few screen buttons; walk on past the now-being-tidied-away lounge before the gangplank, politely decline the photographers and go up gangplank, pause while our cards Bloop us aboard for the first time and security staff welcome us - job done in consistently 20mins or less).

 

Unless you feel there's enough value in what you do aboard for the first two or three hours that it is worth wasting two hours of your life to board, board as late as you can and instead spend FIVE or more hours doing fun stuff ashore! Nobody ever leaves Vancouver thinking 'Man, we were there too long'; there's more stuff to do than in all the coastal AK ports put together, and even if a terrible vacation allowance from work means you can't add on a week to put a serious dent in the city, your embarkation day can easily allow you to see any one big attraction or a couple of smaller ones, or at least pack in a whistle-stop tour around the highlights.

 

It's also incredibly low risk, as long as you sensibly ensure that your activities in the hour or two before you plan to board are near the port. As locals who don't need to redo parks, seawall etc. on embarkation day we have a lie-in, walk to the pier, drop our bags directly with the longshoremen loading our ship, hit the spa, have a great lunch somewhere around the core paid for by the savings compared to the ship spa, then saunter back to the port without any dependency on vehicles or worries about our bags being put on the wrong ship by hotel porters, plus nicely relaxed from our treatments. Unless you're a frequent visitor I'd prioritise our many attractions or a spa visit, and I'd be at the pier by 9am to drop those bags ASAP to maximise time downtown, but the basic framework of Pier Early To Drop Bags, then Stay The Heck Away Having Fun Elsewhere Until T-2hours works for everyone.

[BackNow]

FrodoSwaggins had 2 ships in port that day.  For Sundays, there are generally 3 ships and sometimes 4 ships in port.  Google 'Port of Vancouver' next year for the 2025 cruise ship schedule to see what your competitions are.  2 HA size ships can dock on the west side of the terminal and 2 on the east side.  A mega ship would take up the entire east side.

 

Some people said to go downstairs to check in.  That is not correct.  The Vancouver cruise ship terminal opened in 1986.  For some years, everything was processed on the Parking Level 1.  As more and more people want to go to Alaska, there is not enough room to process everything downstairs.  Now, checking in for all ships is done upstairs at the convention center level (street level).  Ships to Alaska is now split between Vancouver and Seattle. 

 

Americans going out from Seattle is a bit better boarding but have a bit rougher ride going north as you have to sail in international waters out in the open sea.  Going out of Vancouver you generally go up and down through the 'Inside Passage' - much calmer. 

 

There is so many people going to Alaska, the City of Juneau is complaining about too many people.  I understand the city and the cruise industry have come to an agreement to reduce the number in the future.

 

The steps to board the ships in Vancouver are

1)  drop off bags

2)  check in to your ship

3)  security check (Canada responsibility)

4)  US Immigrations (USA responsibility)

5)  wait to board ship

 

Enter the Canada Place convention center next to the Pan Pacific hotel from the street level.  Walk down the hall, pass the cafe, until you get to Hall C.  Look for the line for your ship to enter the door to Hall C.  Hall C is divided for each ship.  Once you are in Hall C, the right side is to drop off bags.  The left side is to check in.  If for whatever reason they don't accept bags there that day, you'll have to take the elevator down to Parking Level 2 and walk almost all the way to the end to drop off the bags and the come back up to check in.  Once you have checked in, go outside and follow the line to the down escalator (someone will direct you).  Note that the passengers for all the ships in port will be with you on that escalator.

 

The escalator will take you to Parking Level 1.  Here you will go through security check like at the airport.

 

Next, follow the line to US Immigrations.  Once cleared, you will be directed to the waiting area for your ship.  Priority boarding people will be in one area and everybody else in the other.  Have a seat and don't leave an empty seat.  You will be called to board by rows.

 

Note that the people working at Security Check and US Immigrations split their time between the airport and cruise ship terminal.  If there is a staff shortage, the cruise ship terminal will take the hit.  Since those 2 functions are handled by 2 different governments, they probably don't talk to each other.

 

In terms of hotels, the easiest is the hotel at the airport.  I don't recommend it because it is expensive and there is nothing to do there other than sleep.

 

The Pan Pacific Hotel and the Waterfront Hotel across the street are expensive but convenient.  On embarkation days, the area in front of the hotels and the driveway to parking is a zoo.  There is usually 2 traffic cops directing traffic.

 

The airport is located in the City of Richmond.  10 to 15 minutes ride on Skytrain (a mainly above ground subway) will take you a number of hotels like Holiday Inn.  If you like Chinese food, Richmond is the place to be.  Richmond is now actually the new Vancouver Chinatown.  You can have anything from mall food courts to live seafood restaurants.  There is a lot of places for dim sum.

 

From the cruise terminal there is Gastown (where Vancouver started), next over is the skidrow area, then Vancouver Chinatown.

 

Going the other directions is Stanley Park.  You can walk along the seawall to see some totem poles and the aquarium.

 

Skytrain has 3 lines; Expo Line, Millennium Line and Canada Line.  The line from Richmond is the Canada Line to Waterfront Station.  Expo Line also terminate at the Waterfront Station but is closer to Canada Place. 

 

If you are coming in on Canada Line don't out the gates and go up to street level, follow the signs to the Expo Line.  Exit the gates.  You will encounter an escalator on the right to street level.  Don't take it.  You will encounter the traffic jam with the traffic cops.  Walk through the door ahead to the food court.  Once through the doors, take the doors to the Pan Pacific Hotel on the right.  Take the elevator to the main floor.  There should be an opening between the hotel and the convention center.  Now take it and you can check in.

 

 

 

[BackNow]

In Sept 2023, there were 2 ships in port, we (4 of us) checked in at 11:00am and were on board at 12:30pm.  And the cabins were ready.  Generally, boarding starts at 11:30am.  Checking in probably starts at 10:30am.

 

The biggest line up was through security & immigration.  When we got to the boarding waiting area.  We only sat down for 10 minutes before we were to told to board.

 

[BackNow]

In May 2023, I heard it didn't help checking in late.  3 ships were in port that day.  The ships usually arrived 7am.  That day one ship didn't come in until 11am.  2 ships were loading and 1 unloading.  People were in line for 3 hours.  All the ships were late leaving by at least 2 hours. 

 

Check YouTube for video.

 

[ksmetamaid]

Thank you everyone for your responses.  I started a fairly serious road trip this afternoon and have only been able to skim responses, but I’m really looking forward to looking them over thoughtfully.  Thanks again!

[BackNow]

By the way, at the beginning and end of the season when there is only 1 ship in port, everything may be processed at Parking Level 1; including bags.

 

[rj59]

May shouldn't be bad for hotel prices. The important thing is to check the Vancouver port schedule and see what other ships are in port and how many passengers. I went on Zaandam three weeks ago and there was only a Silverseas ship in port, so I walked through the entire process with no lines, although I didn't show up until after 1. Instead of the Skytrain, an easier option with luggage is to take a taxi from YVR, which is a flat-rate going to downtown. If you show up early, while other people are leaving, it will be a mess, and they have limited inside seating, so without the embarkation MDR lunch there's really no reason to rush to get on the ship. So I would just go for a walk or hop-on tour after dropping bags, especially on a Sunday morning with little traffic, or go tour Stanley Park, and then get on the ship, which should go reasonably quickly after boarding has started. They've actually improved the process, so now you can drop bags on the upper level and check in, and then go down an escalator for security and customs, and customs has face ID machines now, which makes things quicker. 

[AKJonesy]

We are doing a coastal trip in October this year and we are staying near Canada Place for the first time.  I booked in March and hotel is $248USD including breakfast which was reviewed very well.  We have also done the SkyTrain with 2 roller bags and 2 carry ons which connect to the roller bags and had absolutely no problem whatsoever on the SkyTrain or the sidewalk to CP.  Finally, we also took the HAL bus from the terminal (near baggage claim) to CP and that worked out well and didn't have to deal with luggage.  Sometimes we stay at airport hotels in various cities if we have long flights and don't want to "deal with" more after a long trip and that has worked out very well for us.  The latest was at Haneda airport and we actually ended up staying two nights before boarding and I would do that again in a heartbeat.  Not everyone wants to stay or can stay near the port; especially somewhere like the Pan Pacific which IMHO is an insane price.  But, to each his own.  I don't think you are going to miss much if you don't stay downtown.  I personally don't see the appeal unless you are going to take some kind of pre-cruise excursion.