Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite

[giblert]

I love Bard on the Beach. It's pure magic to be sitting on your chair (not bench, not ground) and watching the sun set behind the actors. The back of the stage is open air.

 

Festival seating means "first come, first served" at this venue. So if you want to sit in the prime seats, come early. If you come just before the start, you'll end up on the far sides of the stage.

 

The Bard on the Beach website provides explicit transit instructions -- which appear quite easy.

 

As for taxi fare, I would guess it would cost $10-15 depending on the traffic. However, once the event is over I'm not sure if there would be taxis waiting. Maybe?

 

Two tips: this is best done during sunny weather. And even if it's sunny, break a blanket to cover your lap as it's cool in the tents after the sun sets.

 

Enjoy! I love going to the Bard in the summer. A beautiful Vancouver experience.

 

Marie

 

Hi Vancouverites!

I'll be visiting your fair city June 28-30 prior to a cruise. I was interested in live theatre and couldn't really find anything of interest (to me)in town that weekend except Bard on the Beach. Can you tell me about "festival seating"? It looks like a beautiful venue. Is it easy to get to via public transportation or how much would cab fare be to Hyatt Regency downtown? Saturday tickets seem to be be "limited" according to the website so it looks to be crowded(?) Are they bench seats or are we sitting on the ground? Thanks for your help

[FLsunshinegal]

Never been to Vancouver. But we're going to be there 10/10/08 - 10/12/08 before our wine cruise on the Mercury. I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive hotel close to ________ ....whatever one should be close to in Vancouver. (See how little I know about this city?:o All I have heard is that it is beautiful and not to be missed!)

 

Also - :confused: what to do? what not to miss? What's the best way to see the city? Where to eat? How far from the port is central Vancouver?

 

Any help that you can give me will be gratefully appreciated. :)

Thanks!!

[Putterdude]

Never been to Vancouver. But we're going to be there 10/10/08 - 10/12/08 before our wine cruise on the Mercury. I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive hotel close to ________ ....whatever one should be close to in Vancouver. (See how little I know about this city?:o All I have heard is that it is beautiful and not to be missed!)

 

Also - :confused: what to do? what not to miss? What's the best way to see the city? Where to eat? How far from the port is central Vancouver?

 

Any help that you can give me will be gratefully appreciated. :)

Thanks!!

 

The Mercury for that cruise is scheduled to use the Canada Place terminal for that cruise. She appears to be the last cruise ship to depart Vancouver for this season.

 

Canada Place is right downtown and most of the cities better hotels are downtown. There are 2 hotles that are part of Canada Place which are the Pan Pacific and Fairmont's Waterfront Hotel, these are 5* hotels and plan that the rack rate will likely be north of $300 but you may do better on a promo. You can get some good hotels within in about 6 blocks of the terminal at about $150 which would include the Haytt Regency, the Blue Horizon and Pacfic Palisades on Robson St. the Sandman Inn on West Georgia. We could find you some hotels in the $200 range as well, however, you may be as well to look at Hotels.ca or Priceline and come up with some ideas and then we can help you better with your choice.

 

As for restaurants, there are obviously many but we could probably help you better once you have a hotel slected.

 

With regard to the must sees:

 

Stanley Park

Granville Island

Gastown

Yaletown

the shops of Robson St.

Pacific Centre

Queen Elizabeth Park

Grouse Mountain Skyride

Capilano Suspension Bridge

and the list goes on.....you will have no trouble keeping yourself amused during your stay.

[hb1491]

Hi there.

Which is best way, from Delta Hotel ( Airport) to take a Taxi or Limo to Ballantyn Pier? What travel time can you exspect on a monday in September?

[Putterdude]

Hi there.

Which is best way, from Delta Hotel ( Airport) to take a Taxi or Limo to Ballantyn Pier? What travel time can you exspect on a monday in September?

 

The Airporter does not go to Ballantyne pier so it is either cab or limo, if there is only 2 or 3 of you then the cab will be your best bet. It will run you about $40 from hotel to pier; a limo would be about $10 more. You will likely want to leave your hotel around 11 am so allow about a 35/40 mins travel time.

[hb1491]

The Airporter does not go to Ballantyne pier so it is either cab or limo, if there is only 2 or 3 of you then the cab will be your best bet. It will run you about $40 from hotel to pier; a limo would be about $10 more. You will likely want to leave your hotel around 11 am so allow about a 35/40 mins travel time.

 

Thank you Putterdude appreciate it.

[hornbill7]

Many thanks to PD, Orchid72 and dennis for their help in sorting out a route. We chose the direct route, as we were late getting to Vancouver having spent too much time at Beaver Flats on the way down from Kamloops. Got held up by some roadworks on the outskirts of the city, and only just made the rental office before expiry time - even then we had to go out and fill up the car. But the directions were excellent, my wife read them out and I followed them. It was busy, but Vancouverites were quite polite when compared with British motorists!! Thank you again.:)

 

Incidentally, we stayed at the Pacific Palisades close by, and National very kindly provided us with a lift by one of their employees round to the hotel.

[Putterdude]

You are very welcome and am glad that everything worked out for you. I hope you had a good cruise and that you had a chance to enjoy Vancouver.

[Urban trekker]

Thanks for the kind words and glad to here that our instructions worked out for you. Downtown Vancouver is one giant construction zone - I don't know from week to week which streets are under repair etc and I live downtown so for a tourist to navigate it correctly is great.

 

Enjoy your cruise

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[FLsunshinegal]

I really appreciate all of the info that you gave me. It certainly pointed me in the right direction.

[taytay52]

Dear Vicki,

 

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your beautiful city of Vancouver. I have already done an Alaska cruise in 2000 and am coming back in September of 2008 for a repeat.

 

My cruise is leaving from Seattle and returning to Vancouver. This is OK with me, because I love Vancouver. However, my in laws and their friends (4 senior adults who get around marvelously) want to disembark in Vancouver on Friday, September 19th and get back to Seattle for their flight out on the 20th. Would you recommend a shuttle service, the Amtrak train or some other transport that I have not found for them to get back to Seattle?

 

My husband, Mother and I are staying in Vancouver, but I'm wondering what to do. I REALLY want to rent a car and take the ferry to the island because when I went last time it poured rain and I'm hoping to see Butchart in at least drizzle instead of torrential rain! :)

 

We would like to spend that Friday night in Victoria and then take the shuttle back to Vancouver or even to Seattle for our return flight on Sunday.

 

What are your thoughts.

 

OH and Stanley Park was magnificent. I considered asking form immigration privileges in order to live in Vancouver! :)

 

Sorry for so many questions! :)

 

Tracey

taytay52! :)

[Daycare Provider]

The BW Downtown is just fine locationally, not a crime area, you will find a few panhandlers around but that has become quite the norm in Vancouver; few if any are aggressive, a simple “NO” sends them away. You will be at the entrance to Yaletown which was once the close in warehouse neighbourhood but has transitioned in recent years to a very trendy residential area with lots of shops, restaurants and pubs. You will be just off Granville St. where there is lots of transit which connect you to anywhere in the city. I think you have picked a good spot to spend a few days.

As to tours, when I am in a new city I like to take a Greyline bus tour then spend some time visiting spots and attractions that have caught my attention.

 

I'm glad that I saw this review....We will be doing a pre and post cruise stay at this BW....Dh, DD14 and myself....Could you please tell us what are not miss places to see in this area??????

We arrive on a friday at 1:00 p.m....I figure we will be checked into our hotel by 2:30, then head over to the Aquarium..that evening we might wonder the streets near teh hotel looking for dinner.

Saturday morning we will be taking the city tour with Land and Sea Tours. Upon our return the following Saturday we will be doing the North Shore Tour through land and Sea Tours which includes Grouse Mountain and Capiliano Bridge. We are suppose to return back to our hotel by 3:00 p.m...What should we see or do with our later afternoon and early evening?

We leave for thr airport at 7:30 a.m. for a 10:00am. return flight...

Thank you for the input.....

Angela of California

[Putterdude]

I'm glad that I saw this review....We will be doing a pre and post cruise stay at this BW....Dh, DD14 and myself....Could you please tell us what are not miss places to see in this area??????

 

We arrive on a friday at 1:00 p.m....I figure we will be checked into our hotel by 2:30, then head over to the Aquarium..that evening we might wonder the streets near teh hotel looking for dinner.

Saturday morning we will be taking the city tour with Land and Sea Tours. Upon our return the following Saturday we will be doing the North Shore Tour through land and Sea Tours which includes Grouse Mountain and Capiliano Bridge. We are suppose to return back to our hotel by 3:00 p.m...What should we see or do with our later afternoon and early evening?

We leave for thr airport at 7:30 a.m. for a 10:00am. return flight...

 

I would suggest that you may not want to walk with your 14 DD after dark on Granville north from your hotel to Robson St. The area is known as the Granville Entertainment District and has a lot of bars, clubs, pawn shops, and adult book shops and those things that go with that. However Granville north to Robson is just fine. You might want to walk to Yaletown for dinner which is just south/east of your hotel or down to Robson via Howe St. and look at all the shops and restaurants there. There is also Pacific Centre which is a multi level regional shooping centre with a food court at Georgia and Granville. While at the Aquarium you may want to take in some more of Stanley Park which is a 1000 acre park preserve. You are going to see a lot of Vancouver on your tours but on that last afternoon you may want to go back to Granville Island and walk around and have dinner there or perhaps into Gastown.

[judynorth]

Daycare Provider, we just arrived in Vancouver yesterday and are staying at the BW Downtown. We like it very much. The rooms are very nice with comfortable beds. I am sitting on my bed right now using the hotel's wi-fi to type this. The staff are all very helpful. They gave us a room on the top floor (11) with a great view of the skyline and the water. We ate in the White Spot in the hotel. The service was slow but the food was very good and the waitress was nice and helpful.

 

We walked to the Aquaboat about 5 blocks from the hotel and went to Granville Island yesterday afternoon. Don't miss it if you have a chance to go. It is a wonderful place to walk around. We ate lunch at the public market and the food was wonderful. I HIGHLY recommend it.

 

We are off today to see more of Vancouver - probably starting with Stanley Park.

[Putterdude]

Daycare Provider, we just arrived in Vancouver yesterday and are staying at the BW Downtown. We like it very much. The rooms are very nice with comfortable beds. I am sitting on my bed right now using the hotel's wi-fi to type this. The staff are all very helpful. They gave us a room on the top floor (11) with a great view of the skyline and the water. We ate in the White Spot in the hotel. The service was slow but the food was very good and the waitress was nice and helpful.

 

We walked to the Aquaboat about 5 blocks from the hotel and went to Granville Island yesterday afternoon. Don't miss it if you have a chance to go. It is a wonderful place to walk around. We ate lunch at the public market and the food was wonderful. I HIGHLY recommend it.

 

We are off today to see more of Vancouver - probably starting with Stanley Park.

 

Sounds like you are having fun....glad to hear that.

[Urban trekker]

Judy - glad to hear that you are enjoying your visit to our great city - I can see your hotel from my condo - I am only two blocks west of you - as for the White Spot - if you choose to eat there again in the evening ask for Andrew to be your server - he sometimes works in the lounge area and sometime in the main seating area - I find him to be a good people person and one who likes his job and no he doesn't give me a discount for sending business his way - enjoy the remainder of our time in Vancouver - looks like the weather is going to be dry for you.

 

Glad you enjoyed Granville Island - that is one project where the federal government who owns the site has spent taxpayer's money and there is a very positive return on their investment.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Daycare Provider]

Daycare Provider, we just arrived in Vancouver yesterday and are staying at the BW Downtown. We like it very much. The rooms are very nice with comfortable beds. I am sitting on my bed right now using the hotel's wi-fi to type this. The staff are all very helpful. They gave us a room on the top floor (11) with a great view of the skyline and the water. We ate in the White Spot in the hotel. The service was slow but the food was very good and the waitress was nice and helpful.

 

We walked to the Aquaboat about 5 blocks from the hotel and went to Granville Island yesterday afternoon. Don't miss it if you have a chance to go. It is a wonderful place to walk around. We ate lunch at the public market and the food was wonderful. I HIGHLY recommend it.

 

We are off today to see more of Vancouver - probably starting with Stanley Park.

 

judy-please keep me posted on your trip.....we will be doing a pre and post stay at the BW, does this hotel have a pool? Have you used thier downtown shuttle drop off? How does it work if you have?..We will be spending a little bit of time on grandville Island during a city tour pre-cruise. Please let us know about Stanley park if you get over there...that is what we shouldn't miss. i know the park is very very large so we couldn't possibly see it all inthe time frame that we have.

Angela

[Viajera7]

Would the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown be an inconvenient place to stay after a cruise. The website says that is one block from the Skytrain station. I'm planning to stay in Vancouver for 2 days and then take a train or bus to Seattle.

Thanks

[Putterdude]

You are about 30 minutes from the downtown area via SkyTrain, so if you are comfortable with that then it is just fine. If you do decide to take Amtrak to Seattle one of the good things is that SkyTrain's Main St. station is right across the street from the train station.

[judynorth]

judy-please keep me posted on your trip.....we will be doing a pre and post stay at the BW, does this hotel have a pool? Have you used thier downtown shuttle drop off? How does it work if you have?..We will be spending a little bit of time on grandville Island during a city tour pre-cruise. Please let us know about Stanley park if you get over there...that is what we shouldn't miss. i know the park is very very large so we couldn't possibly see it all inthe time frame that we have.

 

Angela

 

We had another great day in Vancouver. The weather wasn't as nice as it was yesterday but it wasn't raining. It was quite chilly and windy but I put on my polar fleece and went on to enjoy the day. We bought tickets for the Big Bus ($30pp senior rate) and let them take us there. We bought them at the hotel. Our first stop was Stanley Park and we spent over 3 hours there. We could have spent all day and not seen it all. It is beautiful! If you have the time it is a must see. We left Stanley Park on the Big Bus and went to Gastown. We had lunch there at a wonderful little Italian restaurant - Al Porto. It was quiet and the service and food were exceptional. They have a lunch special for $13.95 which includes the soup of the day, a caesar salad, and the pasta of the day. It would also be a great place for dinner if you like Italian.

 

We are very pleased with the hotel. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We haven't used the shuttle but hope to use it tomorrow to get to Canada Place. (We didn't realize that this was an option until we asked about the best way to get to the ship tomorrow.) The desk clerk suggested that we go to the desk at 7 AM and reserve a place for the time that we want. There are lots of guests here who are going on cruises so there will be lots of competition for the shuttle. BTW, it is a drop-off only shuttle. You have to find you own way back to the hotel. If you don't mind walking, most places downtown aren't too far away. There is no pool but there is a fitness room and hot tub (we haven't seen it).

 

This will be my last post until after the cruise. I hope I have helped some of you.

[Urban trekker]

Judy - glad you had another great day in Vancouver and yes Stanley Park is large with lots to see and do.

 

As for the weather - the onshore winds didn't pick up and blow the morning clouds out but if you look out your window now you should see some nice patches of blue sky starting to materialize so it might be nice for an evening walk.

 

Have a good cruise - looking forward to your comments on your return.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[judynorth]

Judy - glad you had another great day in Vancouver and yes Stanley Park is large with lots to see and do.

 

As for the weather - the onshore winds didn't pick up and blow the morning clouds out but if you look out your window now you should see some nice patches of blue sky starting to materialize so it might be nice for an evening walk.

 

Have a good cruise - looking forward to your comments on your return.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Thanks! I just sent a message to friends telling them about our day today. I told them that the sun had just come out. It is shining over my shoulder as I type this.

[Putterdude]

Judy - glad you had another great day in Vancouver and yes Stanley Park is large with lots to see and do.

 

As for the weather - the onshore winds didn't pick up and blow the morning clouds out but if you look out your window now you should see some nice patches of blue sky starting to materialize so it might be nice for an evening walk.

 

Have a good cruise - looking forward to your comments on your return.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

You should be up here on the Sunshine Coast, it has been blue skys all day, windy but blue.

[cruisingsaw]

Thanks to all for the very useful information. We will be arriving at Ballantyne Pier and need to get to the Blue Horizon Hotel for 1 night then on to YVR. There are 4 of us and we thought it would probably be easier if we booked our transportation before we left home.

 

We would appreciate any reliable car service information.

 

Thanks

[Putterdude]

Thanks to all for the very useful information. We will be arriving at Ballantyne Pier and need to get to the Blue Horizon Hotel for 1 night then on to YVR. There are 4 of us and we thought it would probably be easier if we booked our transportation before we left home.

 

 

There are a number of limo services in Vancouver and you could do a Google search for them. However the most popular is Limo Jet Gold which is the recommended service of the Vancouver Airport Authority and yes it would be best to book them in advance. http://www.limojetgold.com/ The other alternative is to try to get a van-cab but given the number of people around trying to get cabs that is kind of a crap shoot.