Vancouver Overview tour on Princess

[ajk3797]

I am staying an extra day in Vancouver after our cruise ends in Vancouver. We can't check into our airport hotel until 3:00. We decided to book the Vancouver Overview tour to kill time. It ends at the airport, and we will take the hotel shuttle from the airport to the hotel.

 

My question is we can still get our luggage off of the bus and they don't automatically check our bags for us do they.

[BCHappyGal]

Is your hotel in Richmond where the airport is or is it in downtown Vancouver. The distance fromt he airport to downtown is about 30 minutes by car or taxi much longer in a shuttle bus that stops constantly....

 

There is a luggage check right at the dock if you just want to do the Hop on Hop Off bus tour which you can pick up very close to the dock.

 

Hotels will allow you to check in as early as you want they just will not have your rooms ready till later in the day. But they do keep your luggage.

 

I am attaching below what I enjoy doing in Vancouver.

 

Info on Vancouver from a local!

 

My favorite must do attractions are

 

1) Grouse Mountain – http://www.grousemountain.com – this is a wonderful scenic mountain only about 15 mins from downtown Vancouver. Ride the airtram to the top for lots of fun activities that include a loggers show, birds of prey show, 2 movies (1 about the Vancouver area and 1 about the 2 Grizzly Bears who make their home on Grouse Mtn) ride a chair lift and visit with 2 live Grizzly Bears. Enjoy a meal in any of the restaurants. Caveat only spend the money to go up on a clear day.

2) Capilano Suspension Bridge – http://www.capbridge.com – this is Vancouver’s oldest tourist attraction and I still enjoy visiting it! Located on Capilano Road just before you reach the Grouse Mountain parking lot. Walk across a suspension Bridge over the Capilano Gorge, wonder the trails thru the rain forest, walk thru the treetops on the new Tree Top Adventure, visit the trading post for a huge selection of souvenirs, watch native weavers and/or carvers at work.

3) Capilano Fish Hatchery is also located on Capilano Road and is a great place to view salmon jumping up the fish ladders to get around the Cleveland Dam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capilano_River_Regional_Park

4) Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge is also located in North Vancouver and is much less touristy than Capilano but it also is not as spectacular. The bridge is slightly higher above the water but much shorter in span. Located in a Provincial Park this bridge comes with some nice hiking trails and you will find an ecology centre in the park as well as picnic tables and a food concession outlet. Should you choose to enjoy the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge always cross the suspension bridge first and then hike down the trail to the lower (Twin Falls wooden) bridge to cross back over the Lynn Valley River and return to your car – that way you are hiking downhill rather than uphill. http://www.lynncanyonparkguide.bc.ca It is also free to visit this suspension bridge!

5) Stanley Park – http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/stanley/ - is the crown jewel of Vancouver's parks. As one of North America's largest urban parks, covering over a 1000 acres and offering an abundance of activities. Enjoy the totem pole collection at Brockton Point, hiking trails, beaches, water parks for the kids (young & old), rose gardens, miniature train, petting zoo, aquarium –http://www.vanaqua.org – hollow tree, many view points, and several restaurants. During the summer months there is a free shuttle bus that you can ride around the park on.

6) Gas Town – the location where Vancouver originated. The name is derived from a very colorful character named Gassy Jack who was one of the first settlers in the area and a salon keeper – while in Gas Town don’t miss your photo op with the statue of Gassy Jack and by the Steam Clock.

7) At the start of Gas Town is the Harbor Centre Tower http://www.vancouverlookout.com a great spot to start your tour of Vancouver with a birds eye view of the city. Either take the elevator up to the lookout level or go to the top and enjoy a meal in the revolving restaurant.

8) China Town is only about 6 blocks over from Gas Town and is the largest China Town north of San Francisco. While in China Town enjoy a visit to the Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Gardens http://www.classicalchinesegarden.com and also make sure you visit the world’s thinnest building it is only 6’ wide!

9) Granville Island – http://www.granvilleisland.com – is a huge public market area which not only sells fruit & veggies but you can also buy frozen fish to be shipped to your home. May artists make this their home and you can watch them at work in their studios – making this a great place to buy unique souvenirs. The Granville Island Brewery is also located here and you can stop in for a free tour & tastes. There are theatres for live performances and many fine restaurants. A fun way to get to Granville Island is via the Aquabus – http://www.theaquabus.com

10) Burnaby Village Museum – http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca – is an open air museum with over 30 restored homes, shops, school, church and a 1912 carousel situated on 10 acres

11) Gulf of Georgia Cannery – http://www.gulfofgeorgiacannery.com – is a restored fishing cannery located in the historic fishing village of Steveston (part of Richmond). Here you see exhibits that showcase the history of the fishing industry in British Columbia. Once finished in the museum it is great fun to walk along the fishing docks and see the fishing boats which are selling their catch. There are also some excellent restaurants located here.

12) The Vancouver Maritime Museum located on the shore of English Bay is fun for the whole family with lots of hands on exhibits for the kid in all of us. Here to you will find the ship St Roch which the RCMP sailed from Vancouver to Halifax via the Northwest Passage and then completed the return journey in 1944. You actually get to tour this ship. http://www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com

13) Queen Elizabeth Park – http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/QEPark01.htm -The 130 acre (52 hectare) park is one of the most beautifully maintained public parks in the world. Second only to Stanley Park in annual visitations, it receives nearly 6 million people a year who marvel at its superior standard of garden plantings.

The park was originally quarried for its rock which served to build Vancouver's first roadways. In 1929 the Board proceeded to acquire the property which had become an abandoned eyesore but still served as the site for two holding reservoirs for the City's drinking water. Dedicated as a park by King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (the present Queen's mother) on their much lauded visit to Vancouver in 1939.

14) Fort Langley is the restored wooden fort built by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post. It is the origin of British Columbia and was the first capital. This Fort is operated by the Federal Parks Board. http://www.pc,qc.ca/fortlangley

15) If you are a wine lover you might want to rent a car and spend a day visiting a few of the many excellent wineries located in the Fraser Valley only about a 1 hour drive from your hotel. Almost all of the wineries offer free tastes & tours.

16) If you are a real animal lover than here is my latest find “Mountain View Conservation & Breeding Centre” It is located in Fort Langley about an hour drive from downtown Vancouver. Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre is a leading non-profit Canadian facility that breeds endangered species in family groups for re-introduction back into their natural habitat in Canada and around the world. This facility is not a zoo their goal is to breed rare and endangered wildlife and re-introduce these animals back into their natural habitats. Presently Mountainview hosts over 50 species of the world’s most threatened animals and birds. See animals such as the spotted dog from India, Giraffes, and much much more. Here you do not wonder around as in a zoo rather you are given a guided tour with commentary on each animal group. Check it out at http://www.mtnviewconservation.org

[Putterdude]

I am staying an extra day in Vancouver after our cruise ends in Vancouver. We can't check into our airport hotel until 3:00. We decided to book the Vancouver Overview tour to kill time. It ends at the airport, and we will take the hotel shuttle from the airport to the hotel.

 

My question is we can still get our luggage off of the bus and they don't automatically check our bags for us do they.

 

Having not done the tour before I can't really give you a definitive answer but it should follow that your luggage will have to come off the bus and you will need to personaly have it to clear customs. So yes you should be able to get then proceed to get a cab back into the city. Your cab fare will run about $35.

To save at least a portion of your cab fare you may want to consider doing a tour on your own rather than the ships. Here are 2 links, however the HoHo operated by Vancouver Trolley does not accommodate luggage and you would have to check it at the pier with CDS Baggage Service. The other tour company operates more conventional coaches and will take luggage.

www.vancouvertrolley.com/

www.vancouvertours.com/