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Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite

vickie_bernie

By vickie_bernie,
in West Coast Departures

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emerald772

emerald772

Posted
Posted

@lookingforfacts-

Yeah, I was more concerned about how customs would react to traveling with liquid in unmarked container more then worrying about the tax on it; in that regard we could also buy in Seattle and only carry the allowed limit and do the transfer to the unmarked containers before heading to the pier.

Thanks for your thoughts!

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ell52

ell52

Posted
Posted (edited)
@lookingforfacts-

Yeah, I was more concerned about how customs would react to traveling with liquid in unmarked container more then worrying about the tax on it; in that regard we could also buy in Seattle and only carry the allowed limit and do the transfer to the unmarked containers before heading to the pier.

Thanks for your thoughts!

You can even bring in more than the duty free limit -- you'll just have to pay extra for the duty & taxes. The other part of "getting caught" for not declaring is that, not only can they confiscate the liquor and fine you, you will be red-flagged in the system and be looked at very carefully, forever after. :(

Edited by ell52
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jekelljo

jekelljo

Posted
Posted

This has probably been asked a few hundred times already in this post....

 

We are flying into Vancouver the morning (Sept 13/09) of our cruise -- arriving at 8am and our cruise departs I believe around 5:30pm.

 

We have rented a car for the 4 of us -- rental was about $30.00. Any recommondations on what we should try and see/do in Vancouver that day?

If we headed straight to the pier once we arrived, can we drop off our luggage and then do some sightseeing without taking all our suitcases?

Is renting the car worth it? Or can we get around as easily (and as cheap) without the rental car?

 

Thanks,

Kelly

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Putterdude

Putterdude

Posted
Posted (edited)

Kelly,

With the 4 of you it is hard to beat the price of the rental. You could do it cheaper with by taking transit and most of downtown Vancouver sights can be walked to....but on the other hand you are facing a $35 taxi ride or a $40 limo charge for the 4 of you to get downtown from YVR. You could of course take the new Canada Line (our new rapid transit system) for $3.75 pp and that will take you from YVR to Waterfront Station which is just 100 paces east of Canada Place. You could drop your luggage off there with a porter then start out on your tour. There is no 100% answer as it does depend on the amount of luggage you have, the age of your companions and their mobility.

Things that I would suggest that you may wish to see include, Stanley Park, Granville Island and Gastown....much more than that and you are pushing the envelope. You will be faced with paid parking at each of these locations. Also remember once landed, you will go thru customs, need to claim your luggage and then get your car. You will be hard pressed to do this in much less than an hour. YVR to Canada Place is about a 35 min drive so you likely won't be there too much before 10am. Aslo remember you will want to be aboard ship 2 hrs prior to departure and you need to return the car. So you likely have about 4.5 to 5 hrs max to see some of the sights.

Edited by Putterdude
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jekelljo

jekelljo

Posted
Posted

Thanks Putterdude!

 

Most helpful!!

 

We are in our mid thirties and for the most part fairly mobile. Perhaps then we should take the Canada Line and drop off our luggage and then see/do what we can in/around Canada Place? I'm guessing we're going to have 4 -6 pieces of luggage betwen the 4 of us.

I didn't take into consideration parking fees....

I looked at the big bus and the trolley, but I don't think I want to spend $35pp.

We are flying in from Wpg so no worries about Customs at the airport.:)

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Putterdude

Putterdude

Posted
Posted

Oh, dear didn't anyone tell you about the customs clearance of folks coming from the "peg.:D

You still will be the best part 30 to 45 mins getting your bags and getting to the Canada Line station. Then about 20 mins to Waterfront Station. You should be able to drop your bags off with a porter at Canada Place after 9 or 9:30 and if not just go over to the Pan Pacific and give the Bell Desk a nice tip to hold your bags. It is an easy walk into Gastown and your might care to go up on the lookout at Harbour Centre. It is about a 20 min walk down to Stanley Park from CP and you certainly can spend a bunch of hours there. You may enjoy a walk on Robson St. with its unique shops and restaurants and you can take tranist to Granville Is.....just watch your time. While I am a fan of the Vancouver Trolley it is a pretty tough sell when you are only in the city for a few hrs.

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StLouisCruisers

StLouisCruisers

Posted
Posted
You are allowed to bring the following amounts of liquor/wine into Canada Duty Free, per adult:

 

- 1.5 L of wine

OR 1.14 L of liquor

OR 24 x 355 ml cans/bottles (8.5 L) of beer

 

Anything over the above amounts will be subject to duty/taxes. Therefore, your 3 litre wine box will be over by 1.5 litres.

 

It just occurred to me that you said per adult so a 3 litre box would be legal for DH and I to declare. Two adults with 1.5 litres each would equal the amount of wine we plan on bringing into Canada. Excellent!

 

Thanks again for your assistance.

 

Sandi

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Disney Girl 202

Disney Girl 202

Posted
Posted

Well, we are also coming from the "peg" on September 11th and were wondering about taking the Canada Line, but we are on RCCL which I understand does not board at Canada Place. Would we be better off renting a car - or should we take the line to Canada Place and take a taxi? Any suggestions would be appreciated. We were also wondering about touring but we don't get in until 11:00, so don't really think we will have enough time to make it worth it, especially if we are renting and returning a car. Thanks for any help.

 

Josie

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Putterdude

Putterdude

Posted
Posted

Josie;

Oh well there goes the neighborhood.....just remember when you leave, the cost of living is too high, the price of housing is too high, the taxes are too high, it rains far too much and the mosquitos are huge (ok I lied about the mosquitos).:D

You will save a few loonies by taking the Canada Line to Waterfront Station then taking a cab from there. The cab fare from WFS to Ballantyne will be less than $10 and the transit fare is $3.75 pp. If you don't want the hassle of loading and off loading luggage and then doing the cab thing then take a cab from YVR, it will cost you <$35 + tip. With the CL & cab you won't save going any time going to Ballantyne but you will have the experience of taking the new line.

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claridge

claridge

Posted
Posted

hi

 

Just wondered if any one can let me know if the night market is still running the weekend of25th /26th sept.

 

We are in town this weekend and would loe to pay a visit but have been told it stops in the middle of September.

 

Thank you

 

Claridge

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ell52

ell52

Posted
Posted

Just wondered if any one can let me know if the night market is still running the weekend of25th /26th sept.

 

We are in town this weekend and would loe to pay a visit but have been told it stops in the middle of September.

 

They are open until October 4th.

 

Some links:

 

http://www.greatervancouverhotels.com/richmond/richmond_night_market.htm

 

http://www.summernightmarket.com/main/Event.asp?Language=E

 

It's now called the Summer Night Market, rather than Richmond Night Market.

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IDKaren

IDKaren

Posted
Posted

Are they still planning on the Labor Day opening for the line from the airport to downtown? Thanks!

 

 

[quote=Putterdude;20688403]Kelly,

 

With the 4 of you it is hard to beat the price of the rental. You could do it cheaper with by taking transit and most of downtown Vancouver sights can be walked to....but on the other hand you are facing a $35 taxi ride or a $40 limo charge for the 4 of you to get downtown from YVR. You could of course take the new Canada Line (our new rapid transit system) for $3.75 pp and that will take you from YVR to Waterfront Station which is just 100 paces east of Canada Place. You could drop your luggage off there with a porter then start out on your tour. There is no 100% answer as it does depend on the amount of luggage you have, the age of your companions and their mobility.

 

Things that I would suggest that you may wish to see include, Stanley Park, Granville Island and Gastown....much more than that and you are pushing the envelope. You will be faced with paid parking at each of these locations. Also remember once landed, you will go thru customs, need to claim your luggage and then get your car. You will be hard pressed to do this in much less than an hour. YVR to Canada Place is about a 35 min drive so you likely won't be there too much before 10am. Aslo remember you will want to be aboard ship 2 hrs prior to departure and you need to return the car. So you likely have about 4.5 to 5 hrs max to see some of the sights.

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momstime

momstime

Posted
Posted

Thank you sooooo much for all your 100 pages of answers and advice! We really enjoyed our cruise--yes, we were on that ship that brought in the fin whale.... And our stay in Vancouver was fantastic. Wish we could have stayed longer than two nights (July 25 and 26).

 

We stayed at the Westin Bayshore and because of the off-and-on rain we decided to forgo Grouse Mountain and take a HOHO bus tour and see the city instead. (We wanted the trolley but witnessed a driver tantrum and decided to switch to the plush bus line instead). We were happy with the bus and even though the stops were not as convenient as the trolley route a bus did stop at the Westin Bayshore every half hour or so.

 

The hotel was great and we thought the food at the downstairs restaurant/bar was good. Carderos for lunch got mixed reviews from our group of four, White Spot was not fancy but was filling and good and The Spaghetti Factory in Gastown for lunch was not great but just ok but a good price and a great setting.

 

We had purchased the Entertainment Book and used the Stanley Park Horse Drawn Carriage, the Lookout, and the IMAX coupons (one free admission with one purchase), definitely worth the $15 cost! We left the book with the helpful lady, Colleen, at the City Tour desk in the lobby.

 

I was disappointed that we would not get to go see the fireworks that night (poor weather, everyone was tired, too many crowds, etc.) but instead we watched from our hotel the spectacular sunset, lightning storm, and then (yes) the fireworks! through the downtown skyscrapers, all reflected in the tall glass buildings! What a beautiful show. Thank you Vancouver!!!!!

 

I was glad that we took the time to get Canadian currency before our trip, even though I know that Vancouver would have accommodated our American currency--it made life easier having Canadian. The front desk made change for us so we would have loonies and toonies for buses and tips. Sorry, nothing left to leave for Putterdude!

 

Thank you again for all your help making our stay so wonderful! I look forward to visiting again some day and seeing all the wonderful places that we missed.

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ell52

ell52

Posted
Posted
Reading the link for the Vancouver night market, it says Fri, Sat, and Sun. Does anything happen or is open on Thursday nights? That is the only night we'll be able to go!

 

Sorry, not to my knowledge.

 

.

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tutuwahineLV

tutuwahineLV

Posted
Posted
Thank you sooooo much for all your 100 pages of answers and advice! We really enjoyed our cruise--yes, we were on that ship that brought in the fin whale.... .

 

can you expound on this statement?? I'm very curious as to why your ship would have 'brought in a fin whale'?:o:eek:

 

thanks

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Donna S

Donna S

Posted
Posted

We are arriving on September 17th at 9 PM at the Vancouver airport and staying at the Pan Pacific. What is the cost of the train and what stop do we get off to go to the Pan Pacific Hotel? How far of a walk is it from the train station to the hotel? On Sept. 19th we sail on the Zuiderdam out of Canada Place. Can we check in with HAL right in the hotel? How far of a walk is it from the Pan Pacific to Canada Place? Thanks,Donna

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orchid72

orchid72

Posted
Posted (edited)
We are arriving on September 17th at 9 PM at the Vancouver airport and staying at the Pan Pacific. What is the cost of the train and what stop do we get off to go to the Pan Pacific Hotel? How far of a walk is it from the train station to the hotel? On Sept. 19th we sail on the Zuiderdam out of Canada Place. Can we check in with HAL right in the hotel? How far of a walk is it from the Pan Pacific to Canada Place? Thanks,Donna

 

Get off at the Waterfront station, and you are practically at your hotel (about a 2-3 minute walk).

 

Cost for the train is $3.75 before 6:30 PM and $2.50 after 6:30 PM.

 

Pan Pacific is at Canada Place so all you need to do is take the elevator down to the cruise ship level.

Edited by orchid72
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